Spotify just wrapped up Rivermaya's year.... to astounding numbers!

 

Online Digital Music Streaming platform Spotify just released their annual summary of Rivermaya's streaming numbers. And it shows impressive numbers and proof that people still can't get enough of Rivermaya after close to 30 years in the business. I've also recently discovered that Rivermaya CDs (and cassette tapes) are selling at exorbitant prices on the collector's market. With a complete catalogue being sold at more than P100,000 for the interested collectors. While the migration to digital music could no longer be slowed down, the downside of Rivermaya's back catalogue is that not all allbums are available on Spotify. So avid Rivermaya fans will have to go back to hunting those old CDs and Cassette Tapes to fully experience the whole Rivermaya aural journey. And that is if you could also find the hardware to pop those CDs and Tapes into. The muddled rights issues with their whole catalogue is a huge hindrance for Rivermaya to fully take hold of everything, and earn from it. Such is the dilemma of artists back in the day. Digital Music Streaming has became a boon to artists as they get paid around $1 per 250 streams on my estimate. So with Rivermaya's streaming numbers, that's roughly 10.5 Million pesos in revenue for the year 2021 alone! So if you are a music fan and loves to listen to music, then keep on streaming those music on digital music platforms and help your favorite artists earn something from it. Music is Free nowadays (or at a certain fee for premium subscribers). So what's stopping you from listening to them?

Also, while we are at it, why limit your listening to Rivermaya? Let's also include the other artists who had became a part of the Rivermaya Family! Follow and like this playlist I made..... which I call Rivermaya.... Noon at Ngayon. Which included all of the artists that once became a part of Rivermaya!

Rivermaya Noon at Ngayon the Spotify Playlist!

Recently, I decided to explore Spotify because I just uploaded my own band Thoughts And Notions' songs to its digital music streaming app. I was scouring Spotify for songs/albums that I still don't own in CD format and came up with an idea. How about creating a playlist devoted to various songs of my all-time favorite band Rivermaya, plus all of the solo efforts or other albums done by former members of the band prior and post Rivermaya. Which is also actually the idea why this blog exists. While other Rivermaya fans are pushing and pleading for a reunion concert. I would rather have a concert that features everyone that had been a part of Rivermaya and Rivermaya itself. Together sharing the stage with their respective bands. Probably jam with each other in some songs, specially in a song that a certain line up is most recognized with. I think that is the dream Rivermaya concert that I would want to watch. That's one concert that could really make a very worthwhile show.... so much BIGGER than an Eraserheads reunion concert (Rivermaya > Eraserheads, so sue me LOL). I've been a huge fan of Rivermaya since from their initial inception. I've followed their careers from Bamboo to Nathan's return with the band. And I definitely see them more than just a band. You see, I always treated everyone that had been a part of Rivermaya as forever a part of one big Rivermaya Family. Bits and pieces of their artistry and talent, once shared with Rivermaya, but forever immortalized in the songs that they built together. Then further explored in their solo careers or other bands. There's such a beauty about it if you come to think of it. How this varied musical talents are explored in various musical endeavors with or without Rivermaya. And like I've said before, since I've been following everyone that has been a part of Rivermaya. I decided to come up with this blog to chronicle their respective careers. And as an extension, I'm giving you a glimpse of what these guys were able to do with their respective careers. Thus, I decided to come up with a playlist, a soundtrack if you will. Composed of one song  (all that I could find on Spotify) per artist/band and album. It's a sampler. I can't possibly come up with a playlist that composes all of the songs in their discography. There's just too many of them. But with this sampler, it can lead you to discovering them yourself. So that said, let's make a roll call shall we. Of the names of all the artists that were once a part of Rivermaya (and where they are now) and the artists with Rivermaya as it is currently composed now. And as an added treat, allow me the opportunity to share my Rivermaya Family CD collections as well. I might have missed out some CDs. Please let me know what those are so that I can hunt for them.

The RIVERMAYA FAMILY

Bamboo Manalac (1994-1998 Lead Vocals) - Rivermaya, Bamboo (the Band), Bamboo (solo)

Rico Blanco (1994-2007 Lead Vocals/Guitars/Keyboards/Synths) - Rivermaya, Rico Blanco (solo) )(still hoping to get that Asian Released Your Universe album and the Kahit walang aminin repackaged CD. Missing it was a bummer)

Perf de Castro (1994-1995 Lead Guitars) - Rivermaya, Triaxis/Solo (I don't have the Triaxis CD)

Nathan Azarcon (1994-2001, 2016-Present Backing Vocals/Bass Guitars) - Rivermaya, Bamboo, Kapatid (2 CDs are with my Bro, hence no pic), Hijo

Mark Escueta(1994-Present Drums/Guitars/Backing Vocals) - Rivermaya (I included the singles and the best ofs CDs under Mark since he is the longest serving Rivermaya member)

Mike Elgar (2001-Present Lead guitars/keyboards/backing vocals) - 7 foot Junior (I don't know if there was an album released), Rivermaya

Japs Sergio (2001-2012 Bass Guitars/Backing Vocals) - Day Dream Cycle, Rivermaya, Japsuki, Peso Movement

Kakoi Legaspi (2001-2004 Guitars) - Rivermaya, and various bands like Barbie's Cradle 

Jayson Fernandez (2007-2011 Lead Vocals/Guitars)- Rivermaya, (Solo)

Norby David (2011-2016 Guitars/Bass/Co-lead Vocals) - Overtone, Rivermaya

Ryan Peralta (2011-2018 Drums/Keyboards) - Ascension, Rivermaya

Key take aways. While people always talks about the "ORIGINAL" Rivermaya, Mike Elgar has served with Rivermaya longer than any other members except for Mark Escueta and Rico Blanco. Japs Sergio is also in the running too. While most Rivermaya fans are loyal to the Bamboo era, personally, the Rico Blanco led Rivermaya line up along with Japs, Mike, and Mark is still my all time favorite iteration of the band. This is mainly because I am a huge fan of singer/songwriters as they can express their songs so much better than having it interpret by a vocalist. So anyway, I'm attaching the Spotify playlist below. Hope you could save and add them to you Spotify account. Also please indulge me as I include one song of ours on the playlist. Just to sample one of our songs. The heavily Rivermaya influenced track that I wrote with my band :)

P.S. I also included in the playlist some songs that I don't have in CD, like Nathan's Kapatid songs and Japs' Pinoy Pop album not released in CD format. 

The curious case of the rare "The Best of Rivermaya Album"

So in my previous blog entry, I thought that I have finally unlocked the mystery of the bootlegged Best of Rivermaya in my collection. But unfortunately, I was dead wrong when I tracked down Leo Givero, a Rivermaya completist/fan and asked him if he could send me photos of the album in his possession. It seems the Discogs uploader where I got my source from mistakenly uploaded the wrong album cover. This version of "The Best of Rivermaya Album" is probably their first Best of International Album as the track listing of the album consists mostly English songs from their first album up to the It's Not Easy Being Green Album plus three tagalog songs that were considered to be their biggest hits thus far. I say First "Best of" International album because if you recall, way back in 2005, Rivermaya was launched to the "Asian" audience after their highly successful MTV Asia Awards appearance that wowed the international community with their live performance of their massive hit You'll be Safe Here with the Thai Royal Symphony Orchestra. Back then, it was thought that this was the initial attempt for Rivermaya to break into the Asian Market which was released by Warner Music, at that time the label Rivermaya was signed to. But the existence of this rare "Best of" album speaks otherwise.

Track Listing and photo by Leo Givero

As can be seen in the album's back cover as provided to me by Leo Givero, the compilation consisted of  3 tracks from the self titled debut album Rivermaya, 4 from sophomore album TRIP, 6 from Atomic Bomb (Bamboo's last album with Rivermaya as lead Vocalist), 3 from It's Not Easy Being Green (Rico Blanco's debut as lead vocalist). This was compiled and released by Sony-BMG and it says that it was released in 2007 (There's a Carousell listing for this in case anyone is interested). I find the release date odd as by this time, Rivermaya was already signed under Warner Music Philippines. So apparently this is not the first "Best of" Asian release but actually an attempt by SONY-BMG to cash in on the prior Warner Music Release. As I am writing this, I'm experiencing a mild headache because the chronology of the "Best of" albums' released to the international audience is out of order. The Warner Music released album featured the Rico Blanco led vocals from the time they were signed with VIVA Music Philippines (Warner must have bought the rights to the songs for this release as Rivermaya signed with Warner after they left VIVA). This includes the English songs of the independently released Free album and those English songs from the Between the Stars and Waves album plus the hit single "You'll be Safe Here". No representation from their first VIVA Music Philippines Album Bagong Liwanag as it did not contain any English songs and was a very solid all Filipino sound track. While SONY-BMG's latter release featured the band's earlier works with Bamboo on Vocals until Rico's debut as the band's vocalist. 

The bottom left portion of the CD inlay has a marking that says "Promotional Copy, Not for Sale", so is this a case of a product that never actually made it for public release? Or was this a promotional copy acquired by Leo Givero. He told me he bought it from a Malaysian collector who seems to have bought the product from Malaysia. If I remember it correctly, Rivermaya became a big hit in the South East Asian Market and I've sourced my Warner released copy of their "Best of" from Singapore. I just find it a shrewd business decision that the people at SONY-BMG made to ride on the success of Rivermaya after they left SONY-BMG. I mean this wasn't their first attempt at it. When Rivermaya signed with VIVA Music Philipines, SONY-BMG not long after released a "Best of Rivermaya" album which was a part of their Himig 90's collection of compilation albums. Anyway I think for Rivermaya collectors, this is truly a gem because not only is this rare but this is the only other "Best of" album that featured Bamboo on vocals (the other one being the Himig 90's album). Further "Best of" compilation albums were released by VIVA Music Philippines in 2006 which includes the single Posible written and recorded for the Asian Games, and two other Greatest Hits albums which I call the Red album and the Silver album. But that will be another blog entry for another day.  

So the quest to find this album continues for me.... 

Unlocking the Mystery of a Bootlegged Rivermaya Best of Album

A Mysterious Bootlegged copy of THE BEST OF RIVERMAYA

So years ago in the year 2000, Rivermaya broke free from their parent record company BMG Pilipinas. The band released a supposed new Studio album that was intended to be released under BMG. That album became the industry shattering FREE album, celebrating their FREEDOM and literally gave the album away for FREE to their legion of fans and to the general public during Live Gigs and concerts. It was also during that time, when Rivermaya’s popularity continued to soar. A year after, BMG sought to capitalize on the band’s continued popularity that they released a Greatest Hits CD of Rivermaya called The Best of Rivermaya under the Himig ng Dekada 90 series of compilation albums featuring bands that were signed under them like Eraserheads, FrancisM, Sugar Hiccup, Yano, and Color it Red. Curiously however, the songs from the album It’s not Easy Being Green were left out. (Fun fact: It was the first Rivermaya album that did not feature Bamboo as the lead vocalist of the band). 

The CD with just a simple Rivermaya print on a plain green CD

So while I was strolling around the public market where assorted pirated CDs were being sold, I came across this curiously labeled The Best of Rivermaya CD that offers a different track listing from the officially released one under BMG. In this version, songs from It’s Not Easy Being Green were included namely, Nerbyoso, Shattered Like, and Rodeo. Plus one more track from the Rivermaya Remixed album Kisapmata (Mayhem 98 Mix). I purchased the album out of curiosity and was surprised that the CD was even made of better quality than the inferior bootlegged ones utilizing plain CDRs. It even has a serial number on the CD. I thought I should have this in my collection just for the fun of it. BMG seemed to shortchanged me with their Best Of Release. This CD should make up for it.  

Track Listing

So for years, I always wondered where this Best of Album was based from. Was this an officially unreleased compilation that bootleggers just compiled for selling? (Something that most bootleggers do) Or was this taken from an officially released one that I somehow missed? So being a HUGE! As in HUGE! Fan of Rivermaya, I held that thought in check for years and scoured various information where I can find the answer to this 20 year long mystery. So while interacting with fellow Rivermaya Fans in their Facebook Group, Leo Givero posted a Best of Rivermaya Album that I don’t have. He said that it was not released in the Philippines and was released in Malaysia only. So that kind of burst my bubble as the chances of owning one would be close to unlikely. 

So then I discovered Discogs. So I did a Quick search and lo and behold, the Best of Album that Leo posted on the Rivermaya FB Group appeared on Discogs. So I checked on the track listing and I was surprised to find out that the album is exactly the same with the bootlegged album I bought years ago. So in the album info, it says that it was released by Pisces Recording Company which if you do a quick Google, it would trace you to a Brazilian Record Company that I highly doubt was responsible for this release. Or has Brazilian Bootleggers suddenly became a fan of Rivermaya? Or does BMG even now mean Brazilian Music Group (BMG for Short)? Okay that last one was a joke. Even with Discogs, the only known release from this company is the Best of Rivermaya album. The Discogs info even labels this album as Unofficial. 

The Album Cover of the best of Rivermaya from Pisces Record Company

Comparing the track listing with the BMG Pilipinas released one, omitted tracks from that album were Luha and the 214 (Tripnotic Mix), while adding the aforementioned Green album tracks and the other remixed track from the Remixed album. Comparing both albums, you'd have a sense that this bootlegged one was a more complete "Best of Album" than the the officially released one up to that point in Rivermaya's Discography. BMG might have probably focused on Rivermaya with Bamboo on vocals songs and conveniently omitted the "Green" album. But the Brazilian Music Group (ok another joke!) did them better by adding the "Green" album in this compilation. This by the way is not the only "Best of" or "Greatest Hits" album released by the band and their record companies. A couple more were on the way under different record labels, releasing their own compilations based on the songs released by the band on respective record labels. But that is for another story.   

I also checked my Bootlegged copy's barcode number since it has one and lo and behold, it shares the same barcode number with this one. So the bootlegged copy in my collection is a bootlegged copy of a bootlegged Rivermaya album (now that too many bootlegged has given me a headache!). Now after 20 years, I have finally unlocked the mystery of this (ok no more b word) album. Maybe I can now sleep better and not wait for something as rare as this Brazilian album to fall into my lap lol!

Rivermaya: Sa Kabila ng Lahat Album Review

Rivermaya: Sa Kabila ng Lahat

I finally got a copy of Rivermaya's latest album. This album is quite pretty hard to get because its availability is mostly limited to Rivermaya's mall gigs, online store of Star Music, or get it straight at ABS-CBN store at ELJ building. So I endured a couple of months listening to online streaming sites like Spotify. It has been 2 long years since the band last released an album, and this one is highly anticipated due to the fact that the band's pioneer bass guitarist Nathan Azarcon has returned to the band that first launched his musical career to mainstream music fame. And what more explosive way than to do the lead vocal chores for the album's carrier single "Manila". Easily the best song in this album. If you are quite familiar with Azarcon's body of work with his post Rivermaya bands (Kapatid, Bamboo, and Hijo), Manila is something that you could have easily heard from his old bands if they were still in existence today. The heavy bass leads is pure Nathan and mixed with Mike Elgar's virtuoso guitar leads and solos, well one can't stop head banging until you neck hurts. Nathan would contribute three more songs to the album, but his influence on the musicality of the band is quite telling as his bass lines is more pronounced in the other songs as well. There's also a haunting ballad that only Nathan knows how to write, the song Mula Ngayon has the bro-mance dynamic with his duet partner (and long time Rivermaya member), Mark Escueta, is a "kilig" moment for long time Rivermaya fans because of the message of the song that speaks about love, loyalty, and bond, perhaps a subliminal message that Nathan is going to be with the band for the long haul?

But while I expected Nathan to take the lead in terms of songwriting for this album, surprise of all surprises, Mike Elgar takes center stage as he sings/contributes four songs in the album. Elgar also takes the center spot in the band's live performances as the pseudo lead vocalist (but this has never been the band's direction in recent years when it comes to having lead vocalists after the past departures of three former lead vocalists). Elgar's song 8 to 5 was released as the second single for the album which is also one of the well written songs in this album. A perfect follow up to for the hard hitting Manila as this song is slower and milder. And as usual, Elgar's guitar solos to these types of songs are such sweet listening to the ears. I actually don't quite remember any songs from Elgar's that aren't hard hitting. Sana Ikaw on the other hand evokes the classic Elgar songs of past, scintillating guitar riffs and solos. The other two (One Step and Sabay Tayo) however lyrically aren't much to my liking but the song structure is still top notch Mike Elgar. Curiously, Mark Escueta only sang/contributed one song (SBN). I mean, Escueta for the past few years have been so active in songwriting and I'm left curious why he only came up with one. SBN is one of those classic Escueta song that we are all familiar with since he became active in writing songs for the band. Feel good easy sounding on a lazy sunday afternoon and the likes. And finally, the last song in the album called Irena totally blew my mind. Penned and sang by Azarcon, the song recalls the fascinating story of Irena Sendler, a polish nurse and social worker who managed to smuggle and saved more than 2,000 infants and children during the World War 2 period in German Nazi occupied Warsaw, Poland.

In totality, I think the album leaves you wanting as it is only contains 8 songs. I have personal issues with albums that contains less than 10 songs, it kinda makes me feel short change. But hey, I guess that's the trend nowadays as recent albums from other artists also contains less than 10 songs. Still, with the advent of online music streaming, we have to be thankful that some of our favorite artists still releases physical albums. Nothing still beats the experience of listening to full albums compared to the "tingi tingi" singles, which more often than not makes music disposable in my own humble opinion. But that's another article for another day!

The new album can be purchased online thru Star Music's Facebook page or you could visit the ABS-CBN store directly to get a hold of the album. But if you are part of the online streaming generation, then Spotify and Itunes are your go to source for this album. You might not want to miss out the ever evolution of Rivermaya.              

Rivermaya set to release New Album, Sa Kabila ng Lahat

Photo taken from Team Rivermaya FB Page

Hot on the heels of their latest single "Manila", Rivermaya is set to release the full album on Digital Formats this week. So far there are no dates yet for the physical album release. But for those who can't wait to listen to their new songs, you could download them on the online music service sites posted above. And coming from those who were able to attend the exclusive listening party for their fans for this album, early reviews have so far been very positive. The band also released their second single last week "8 to 5". Check out the lyric video of the song below.

September 15 is just on the bend. And I know a lot of you guys can't wait for the release. So, soundtrip nanaman sa Friday!

Rivermaya releases new single for their upcoming album "Sa Kabila ng Lahat"!

After inking a recording contract with Star Music, Rivermaya released their new single yesterday over at Spotify and Youtube, and also in various Radio stations. The new single, titled "Manila" unleashed Rivermaya's long held secret for the past few months, the impending return of Nathan Azarcon to the band. Azarcon had been part of the original incarnation of Rivermaya and was last seen/heard with his band Hijo after a bitter break up with Bamboo Manalac (former original Rivermaya vocalist) to put an end to their successful post Rivermaya band Bamboo (the band). Continuing their revolving vocalist policy since losing three lead vocalists in the past incarnations, Azarcon exploded in his vocal debut as a new member of the current version of Rivermaya. Azarcon is no stranger to singing as he used to once in a while sing a couple of songs in the past Rivermaya albums, as well as doing the lead vocals duty in the short lived Hijo project. Azarcon's imprints is all over the song as it gives this version of Rivermaya an edgier sound. What more could you ask, when you combine Azarcon's bass guitars wizardry to Mike Elgar's blaring lead guitar solos. Perhaps, this is the most talented lead guitar partner that Azarcon has ever played with since Perf de Castro! Though this is not a knock on former Bamboo/Hijo lead guitarist Ira Cruz. Cruz was an excellent guitar player too, but he leaned more on acid jazz music than rock. Of course Azarcon is joined by a guitar wielding Mark Escueta (original Rivermaya Drummer) this time and joined in by drummer Ryan Peralta (who is being ribbed by fans for being an uncanny Bamboo lookalike).

Manila's music video brings us to the seedy streets of Ermita, to the red light district capital of Manila. But I can't discuss more of the song here. Because you just got to hear it to believe the hype! Check out the music video below:

Exciting times for Rivermaya ahead! Can;t wait for the new Album!

Is Nathan Azarcon back with Rivermaya?

Mike Elgar, Ryan Peralta, Nathan Azarcon, and Mark Escueta
(Photo taken with permission from Rivermaya Facebook page)

Ever since the departure of Norby David as Rivermaya's bassist, the band has been dealing with a revolving door status in terms of who would be playing the bass duties for the band. One time Rivermaya bassists Nathan Azarcon and Japs Sergio have been filling in quite nicely because both guys are no stranger to the band (With the former being the first bassist and the latter replacing him). But lately, it seems that Nathan had become a regular fixture in the band. Could this be a signal that he has returned home to the first band that ever launched him to superstar status as a bass player?
There is no official statement yet, but for this writer it would seem so. Tried nudging Mark Escueta for a statement and he could only come up with "The Best is Yet to Come!" Quite cryptic mind you, but I am not excited about the possibility that one half of Rivermaya is complete, but rather I am more excited about what Nathan could bring to Rivermaya as it is now.

Stating my case why Nathan Azarcon should be the NEW(OLD) BASSIST of Rivermaya.
In case some of you don't know, Nathan actually co-wrote (with Rico Blanco) the hit song ULAN in Rivermaya's first album. That song continues to stand the test of times that even up to now, whenever it is raining, Ulan never fails to make a radio appearance. He also wrote the painfully soulful ballad IF that was released as a single in Rivermaya's third album "Atomic Bomb". Nathan lasted with Rivermaya for two more albums that left quite a mark in the "It's Not Easy Being Green" and "Free" albums. His songwriting prowess however was showcased with his project band Kapatid, leaning towards blues and funk. And the return of former Rivermaya vocalist Bamboo Manalac would set the stage for Nathan to reunite with him and form Bamboo (the band). Now I personally believe that the musical engine behind the Bamboo band was really Nathan. In the linear notes of all the Bamboo albums, the songwriting credits were credited to the whole band, but I believe the edgier songs in the albums were recognizably Nathan's. Especially those bass driven songs. This can be confirmed when Bamboo band split into two groups, with Bamboo Manalac going solo and Nathan, Ira Cruz, and Vic Mercado regrouped (along with Junji Lerma and Jay-O-Orduna) to form the band Hijo. Bamboo's first solo album was a very different one from his band days, and though in the second album he tried to recapture the magic, I think the songs with Nathan (or even those with Rico) were still the better ones.

Nathan's efforts with Hijo kicked off to a great start. However it is too bad that after their EP, there were no new songs released. Maybe he needed to get himself back in a structured band set-up where he doesn't necessarily have to do the frontman duties most of the time? With Rivermaya as it currently is structured  now, I think this will better showcase Nathan's full skills without having to hog the frontline. And his songwriting skills will be a more than welcome addition to Rivermaya. Will he or will he not rejoin Rivermaya? The plot thickens, and we could only wait with our unsatiated appetite for more new Rivermaya music.

Norby David calls it quits with Rivermaya.

Norby David

In a stunning news that hit the Pinoy local rock scene, Norby David, the bassist/backing vocals of Rivermaya has left the band. Posting a very emotionally charged letter via his Facebook account, David has decided to move on to the next chapter of his musical career after some irreconcilable differences with the band. Below is his full statement taken from his Facebook Page.

What will happen next will be everyone's guess. But Rivermaya has been dealing this kind problem of replacing band members since its initial inception. So this won't be a death knell for the band. Like the very old cliche that the band has been dealing with, "What won't kill you will make you stronger." I personally would want to see Japs Sergio return to the band. But at the rate of how his solo career as Japsuki is blossoming, as well as the demands of being the front man of Peso Movement, this new found artistic independence would probably not make Japs head back to Rivermaya anytime soon. On the other hand, Nathan Azarcon (the original Rivermaya bassist), however should be a smart choice and fit. I'm not too updated with how Hijo is doing or how busy Nates is these days, but it would be nice to see him back with Rivermaya. 

God Speed Norby! May we find you back on track with your musical career with Overtone. 

Rivermaya reunites sans Bamboo in Perf de Castro's 19east gig!

In perhaps the first time in more than two decades the original (or should I say the very first incarnation) Rivermaya has regrouped on stage (sans Bamboo) and I was not present. Being a so called Rivermaya aficionado, I'm pretty darn disappointed that I missed this once in a lifetime event. Had to healed up my stubborn Plantar Wart. So pretty much the next logical thing to do is just catch the whole reunion gig on YouTube. So this Rivermaya reunion gig was masterminded by Perf de Castro, who ironically is the last man to be expected to call up the others to make a reunion gig possible. Perf, if you know the story, left Rivermaya after they released their debut album. Perf is here in the country to do a series of shows as he recently released a new single thru CD Baby. According to Perf, when he called his ex-bandmates, all were game and ready to join him on stage. Rico Blanco (who originally played keyboards before being forced to play lead guitars to replace Perf) went back to his keyboardist role, Nathan Azarcon donned his ax as the original bassist of the band, and Mark Escueta (who continues to play with Rivermaya as a guitarist along with some new members) went back to his drumming chores. Unfortunately, the original "voice" of Rivermaya, Bamboo Manalac was absent. Bamboo is said to be out of the country, thus missing this one night engagement.

The band played five songs, namely 214, Awit ng Kabataan, Ulan, Himala, and Kisapmata. In 214, Rico Blanco took up the vocal chores as he valiantly stood his ground amidst comparisons to Bamboo's original work. Rico is no stranger to singing this song live (as he normally includes this in his setlist during his gigs) but this is the first time you'll hear him sing it with the original arrangements played by the very same musicians that recorded the song for their debut album. The song has been acknowledged as the national anthem of Rivermaya fans, and it always automatically drives the audience to sing along to its chorus. They were also (as expected) titillated to hear Perf do his guitar solo for the song. In Awit ng Kabataan, Nathan Azarcon seemed to have lost a chord or two as he stuttered in his opening bass riffs (as well as throughout the entire duration) of the song. It was said that Nathan seemed to be the most nervous among the four as he now rarely plays old Rivermaya stuffs since he split up with Bamboo. So he had to relearn some chords on the spot. This time, Perf de Castro did the vocal chores and the audience as well as the band themselves had a kick listening to Perf's scintillating guitar solos in the song. In Ulan, the band exhorted the crowd to do the singing as Perf announced that none of them could remember the lyrics of the song (though I doubt it), to which the crowd gamely sang with the band. Hearing Rico's keyboard solo together with Perf's rhythmic guitars is so sweet to the ears. I mean I've never heard both of that together in the various Rivermaya gigs i've attended since Perf left. Nathan even managed to lead the band to twist the song to some reggae araangement.

Curiously, the songs Himala and Kisapmata were singles from their second album which no longer featured Perf on lead guitars. In Himala, Rico again took over the vocal duties and would work the song on the keyboards (a specialty he has been doing for years) with Perf on guitars. Perf had to improvise some chord lines to complement Rico's keyboards. Not to mention that he had to announce to everyone that it was actually Mark's birthday on that day. Kisapmata meanwhile was a free for all jam as the band members kind of let free a sampling of their smorgasbord of talents. But through the entire set, Mark Escueta proved to be the one that held the band together, the glue guy who made sure that the band still sound as Rivermaya as they could be, despite years and years of not playing together.

I had a silly smile on my face while watching the videos on YouTube. I'm sure the crowd was electric in the event proper. I mean, no 90s kid who loves OPM music would not rejoice at the thought that these guys actually played together after more than 20 years. For sure we all have those silly smiles on our faces while listening/watching them strut their stuff. Like taking us into some time machine to relieve those wistful years of the past. The feeling is great (even if I'm reduced to watching videos on YouTube). Now I don't know if this night is a portent of the things to come, but if another night like this never happens again, consider yourself lucky for those who actually witnessed the reunion of Rivermaya (again sans Bamboo) live in person. And if ever there would be another magical night where we could see these guys together on stage again and this time with Bamboo in tow, I certainly will never dare to miss it again. Even if I'll have to deal with another stubborn Plantar Wart again!  

P.S. The video above is one of many that you could find in YouTube, try searching Rivermaya Reunion 19east and you'll see a number of videos uploaded. I also could not post photos of the Reunion gig in this entry as I have yet to ask permission to those who have photos of the event. But I will try to update this entry with Photos once I get a chance to ask permission. Really sucks to miss out an event like this.

Perfecto De Castro reunites Rivermaya sans Bamboo?

Oh my God! Is this really happening? According to Perfecto De Castro (original Rivermaya lead guitarist from their debut album), former Rivermaya members Rico Blanco, Nathan Azarcon, and Mark Escueta (still with Rivermaya) will be joining him for a one night engagement, setting the stage for a Mini-Rivermaya reunion. Too bad though that Bamboo Manalac (original lead vocalist) couldn't join them. See his Facebook post below:

Perf has just released a new single through CD Baby, and what a way to launch the single here in the Philippines by dragging along his ex-bandmates. To the uninitiated, check out the album notes below:

Album Notes

Perf De Castro is the quintessential guitarist’s guitarist. Well-versed in a multitude of musical styles, his affinity with the instrument is evident in everything he does; from unleashing an emotion-laden solo with an overdriven electric guitar, to navigating complex musical counterpoint on his 10-string classical guitar.

Perf, as he is known to Filipino music fans, is best recognized as the original guitarist for 90s Pinoy Rock supergroup Rivermaya. Since his departure from the band he has added numerous credits to his wide and varied list of accomplishments; producing platinum-selling albums by Wolfgang and Marc Velasco, lending his guitar wizardry to Philippine Music Icons Mike Hanopol and Francis M, and garnering awards such as NU 107’s Guitar of the Year as well as from Philippine Music organizations Awit and Katha.

"Guardant" heralds Perf's return to electric guitar shreddom. Its driving and relentless groove provides a burly vehicle for the anthemic meloy and continuously modulating solos. This song is anime-sounding, conjuring up images of hordes of Guardants riding into battle.

I will be downloading a copy of the song soon and will give my thoughts about the song. Do support Perf De Castro as this landmark release would definitely help reintroduce him to the Philippine music scene after a long absence (since he is now based in the U.S.).

Rico Blanco's Dating Gawi: Album Review

So I finally was able to purchase a copy of Rico Blanco's brand new album, Dating Gawi. I was pretty much surprised with Rico's direction for this new album to the point that I kind of got alienated with this new/old sound. It is actually ironic for me to feel such because I have always been drawn to Rivermaya because of Rico's penchant for creating easy sounding Pop-Rock melodies. Maybe I was far too removed from the sound of Rico Blanco's Rivermaya days (and has accepted the fate of it) that I would never expect Rico to go back to those types of song. Dating Gawi is Rico's back to the basics attempt at creating an album with a band. "With" being the operative word, because this is the first time in years (not heard since his Rivermaya days) that Rico wrote and completed a whole album with the same set of band members from start to finish. And what band members did he get for this album with no less than one half of the legendary Pinoy Rock Band Eraserheads joining him. Former Eraserheads band members Raymund Marasigan (drums) and Buddy Zabala (bass guitars) joins Hale guitarist Roll Martinez (guitars) to complete Rico's new crew. Each of them have already recorded and performed with Rico at different points in Rico's past two albums, so familiarity with them isn't new. And Rico with a band could sound fresh and also a case of deja vu for those of his fans who either have moved on or could not move on with the Rivermaya Blanco.

Rico Blanco and his "New" bandmates. (Photo from Philstar,com)

The chosen carrier single for Dating Gawi is the song called "Videoke Queen", a bombastic sounding ditty that probably is taken out of the pages of Marasigan's sound book. Rico has stated in interviews that before recording the songs, he brought along stick and bones versions of the songs for the whole band to pick on or pitch in their ideas. The guitars in this song prances all over from high to low, and crashes all over the place when the chorus comes. The song leaves you a slight case of last song syndrome if exposed too much to it. The opening track "Parang Wala Na" harkens back to Rivermaya sounds like "Elesi", "Umaaraw, Umuulan", and others like it. My personal favorite in the album, "Sorry Naman", meanwhile evokes the earlier sounding Sugarfree songs of Ebe Dancel when he was still hanging around with Rico Blanco more often. Another favorite here is the song "Wag Mong Aminin" which is a pseudo ballad sounding song that gives us another Rico Blanco masterpiece that aims to tug our heartstrings. The rest of the songs are your standard Rico Blanco songs that really does give you a sense of deja vu if you are familiar with his body of work while he was still with Rivermaya. I listened to the whole album in a loop for countless of hours and honestly at first it gave me a straight line experience. I guess I just missed (in a good way) the innovative, experimental, weird, and big on surprise sound that has been spoiling us since Rico left Rivermaya. Erasing that kind of Rico Blanco songs in my system is hard to flush out in the same way when I had a hard time flushing out those Rivermaya songs of Blanco when he started going solo.





To conclude, Dating Gawi is a beautiful album for all his fans to appreciate on. It won't matter at which part of Rico's musical journey you have come into, this album will appeal to all of you nevertheless. My only gripe is that Rico has left me hanging with only eight tracks in this album.  

Japsuki releases new music video, Hirap Bago Sarap

My favorite song in Japsuki's Pinoy Pop album finally has its own music video. Check out my review of the Pinoy Pop album here and download a copy of the album at itunes.

Ex Rivermaya Lead Guitarist Perf De Castro performs "GRAVITY"

Perf de Castro resurfaces as he shares to us his own rendition of the Rivermaya song Gravity from the debut album of Rivermaya, where Perf served as the band's lead guitarist in his only album with the band. Perf left the band due to reported "musical differences" which paved the way for Rico Blanco to take over the lead guitar chores (apart from playing keyboards). It was said that Rico had an On the Job Training in learning how to play lead guitars due to the huge void that Perf left behind. According to Perf, Gravity was one of two songs in the Rivermaya debut album that was done as a collective effort of the group. The linear notes credits Perf and Rico for the song. Two years ago, over at Radio Republic PH, Perf would reveal the real reason why he left Rivermaya. Check out the Radio Republic PH interview video below.

It would have been very interesting to know what Rivermaya would have sound like if Perf never left the band. But still, history as we know it, Rivermaya is still one of the most successful bands in the 90's band explosion era (and my favorite among the bands).

Rico Blanco is back with his Dating Gawi

Rico Blanco is back with a new album, and what an opportune time to go back to his roots. The album,  aptly titled "Dating Gawi" brings back Rico to the type of songs that made his works with his old band from Rivermaya very popular. After going solo and did most of his works experimenting on his musicality (to the extent of coming up with an alter ego Fiesto Bandido in his last album), it came as a surprise to me that Rico has decided to take us back in time. I guess the experimentation could only take you as long as you could take it. Preview the new album below to check it out yourself.

 I'll be waiting for this to hit the stores and get it along with Bamboo's album. Rico and Bamboo with a new album! What a great time to be a fan of these ex-Rivermaya heavyweights!

Bamboo returns for his second album, releases a mash-up music video.

Perhaps the long wait is over for Bamboo fans. After four long years, Bamboo is back with a new album. The Album, titled as "Bless this Mess" is Bamboo's attempt to go back to his roots. In the first Album, "No Water, No Moon" it was more of Bamboo's attempt at Jazz rock and his way of showing his mellower side. Maybe to distinguish himself from his past works that featured more prominently his hard hitting rock side. But old habits do die hard. And as the first/dual single from the album "Bless this Mess" suggests, Bamboo is indeed back to his hard hitting rock side. Consciously done to fuse two songs together to come up with a powerful new single, the songs Nothing Like You and Firepower reintroduces us to the Bamboo that we all love. And that's the Bamboo that punches us in the face as he hits those notes in his songs. Check out the music video below

Bless this Mess is out now in record bars nationwide (though I have yet to get a copy). Album Review will follow as soon as I get my hands on them.

Some New Songs from Rico Blanco

So I've been checking out the net lately for some new Rico Blanco tunes and I was surprised that I missed out a couple of songs released by Rico thru Spotify, Deezer, and iTunes. And with rumors of a new album coming out soon, I've decided to compile some recent singles that Rico wrote for the year. The latest which is a collaboration with Chito Miranda and Parokya ni Edgar. If one could remember, Rico and Chito recorded a mash up song of Rivermaya's Panahon na Naman and Parokya ni Edgar's Harana last year much to every OPM fans' delight. The duo is back this time to breath life into a new song called "Sing". Check out the video below:

Sing - Parokya ni Edgar Feat. Rico Blanco

I also stumbled upon a Kundiman type of song written by Rico Blanco way back in 2013 that sounds so classic Pinoy love song. Kundiman by the way is a Filipino Love Song Genre that permeated the radio waves back in 50s to 70s if I'm not mistaken. The song sent a chill to my spine as it transports me to the past during the time when Filipinos still wore their Barong Tagalog (for men) and Baro't Saya (for women). Hear it yourself here:

Ang Tangi Kong Pangarap - Rico Blanco

  
There are also other songs one can find in Rico Blanco's iTunes store or hear them for free at Spotify. A notable track that you won't be hearing (or seeing) in YouTube but can only be heard in full thru Spotify is the song All the Seconds in our Hours. A very danceable Rico Blanco tune unlike any other. I think this song is a remnant of Rico Blanco's Your Universe Asian Release album that might have not made the cut. The song could pretty much be grouped together with the songs "Neon Lights" and "China in Me" albeit more on the danceable side than the aforementioned songs.

Now let me leave you behind a sneak peek of Rico's new single for the New Album...

More on Videoke Queen soon :)

Pinoy Pop by Japsuki Album Review

Sigh... music like these, where have you been? While the claims of OPM music is dead seems prevalent these days, songs under the mainstream radio's radar like those contained in Japsuki's Pinoy Pop album are left unnoticed and unheard. To the uninitiated, Japsuki is the pseudonym of Day Dream Cycle's creative force and one time Rivermaya bassist Japs Sergio. He's been using the name to create under the radar yet brilliant songs that the mainstream audience were just too unlucky to not hear of. Since leaving Rivermaya, Japs has released three albums to date. Monologue Whispers, his debut album under the name Japsuki, The Gentle Sound of Chaos with his band Peso Movement, and now Pinoy Pop under the name Japsuki again. I have yet to write album reviews for the first two albums, but give me some time, I'll write them one of these days. Honestly, after Rico Blanco, Japs is my favorite Rivermaya songwriter. I consider him one of the main creative forces of Rivermaya's songs during their rebirth post Bamboo and Nathan. And when Rico left, Japs' creative imprints were all over the post Rico Rivermaya songs. Breaking free from Rivermaya meanwhile, only gave Japs the creative freedom to experiment further and embrace his musical tastes. Monologue Whispers and The Gentle Sound of Chaos are two of his distinct and poles apart types of music.

While Monologue Whispers had Japs dabble into his favorite electronica harmonies, The Gentle Sound of Chaos would bring Japs' garage band sonic chaos. However, Pinoy Pop is a perfect marriage of both musical styles. Think of electronica without being too electronica, and a garage band that is orderly and far from chaotic, perhaps even leaning more towards Folk Rock songs. What works for me is that Japs has written and created songs for this album while touch basing on his being Pinoy, helped largely by an all Pinoy lyrics in the songs. There are lots of songs in this album that would remind you of the yesteryears of the 90's OPM band explosion (Eraserheads and Rivermaya would come to mind) but I wouldn't put it that way. Because even if it reminds you of those bands, the songs in this album sounds so fresh. There are a lot of easy listening tunes here that sounds so relaxing. Take note of the opening track, Comfort Zone, it gives you this marching guitar strumming but never really gets tiring to the ears. There are also a lot of witty songs with so much Pinoy flavor like Southside, Pinoy Time, Username, and Extra Kanin. Tell me, when was the last time you heard songs about mundane Pinoy habits? My personal favorites meanwhile are Ibang Mundo, Lipas Oras, Alala, and of course Hirap Bago Sarap.

Now, Hirap Bago Sarap is just my kind of song. The opening line of "Nagsimula sa patingin-tingin" made me remember Teeth's "Nagsimula sa patiki-tikim" from the song Laklak. Silly I know, but I couldn't help it. Lines like "Tuloy ang Ligaya" (which segues to "aasahang", a line from Eraserheads' Ligaya) and "Himala" in the song also made me smile about slight Rivermaya references, again it's silly of me to correlate the lines to old 90's OPM songs but I just can't help it. Wait, in the song Ibang Mundo, if I heard it right, even slips the line "Wag ka nang umiyak/sayang ang luha" which very much reminds me of the song Sayang, the song that Japs wrote after Rico Blanco left Rivermaya. The songs just sticks on me in the same way how those songs of yesteryears sticks on us up to this day. Buried in our deepest consciousness that continues to be stoked from time to time every time we are awakened to slightly similar yet strikingly fresh songs. Pinoy Pop never really gets tired. The tunes are so classic Japs that I know of from the songs that I've heard from him during his time with Rivermaya. I wonder if Japs had a hard time writing these songs. Because the songs are just so easy on the ears. The melodies are helped largely by Japs cool to the ears vocals. The lyrics, well what can I say? Japs always had that wit in him. And not forced witticism mind you just for the sake of being witty. In writing this, I hope the songs in this album gets to have its day in the sun. Because Japs deserves it. We need more Pinoy Pop like these than the trash that we are hearing in the radio nowadays. Now whoever said OPM is dead?  

You can stream/purchase the album at https://japsuki.bandcamp.com/album/pinoy-pop-2015

Rivermaya Panatang Makabanda Repackaged Edition out now

Well this is a first for Rivermaya. This is the first time that the band would be releasing a repackaged edition of their album that would contain a DVD. The last time Rivermaya included videos in their Audio CD releases was the Rivermaya Live and Acoustic way back in 2002. So this comes as a surprise. This also means that Panatang Makabanda has been successful enough to warrant a new release. Notable inclusions in this repackaged album are:

• Music Videos of Tayo Lang Dalawa, Malayang Magmahal, and Pilipinas Kelan Ka Magigising
• Lyric Videos
• Outtakes
• Live Performances
• and more...

I'm excited for this release. But one thing that I hope gets to be released in the future is the Rivermaya Bagong Liwanag auditions DVD. I know hopes of having those episodes seen in Studio 23 gets released are slim, but I would love to see those episodes gets releases one day. That was the vocalist auditions that Rivermaya did when Rico Blanco left the band. The auditions netted them Jayson Fernandez who has since left Rivermaya before Panatang Makabanda was recorded and released. 

Rico Blanco reworks his Rivermaya hit Liwanag Sa Dilim

Rico Blanco seems to like making cameo appearances in horror themed movies/tv shows. Last seen in ABS CBN's Imortal T.V. Series and Star Cinema's Segunda Mano movie, Rico is at it again with a new horror/action movie with a title borrowed from Rico's old hit song from Rivermaya, Liwanag Sa Dilim. Rico also used this occasion to breath new life to the song by giving us a new rendition of the song post Rivermaya Rico Blanco style. The new rendition pretty much adheres to the type of songs Rico has been making lately.
The full version of the song can be heard through Deezer.