Next in line: STOLENSHOTS

Genre: SKA
From: Legazpi City, Albay

Members;   

Gerald "Prime" Ramo - Vocals

Leo "Ley" Otilano - Lead Guitar

Jhoezen "Joe" Perez - Rhythm Guitar

Mark Kevin "Mang Kevin" Arocco - Guitar (active)

Christian "Ian" Figuerras - Bass Guitar

Carlo "Jimiclif" Aycocho - Drums

Ryan "skataba" Pasamba - Trombone

Darwin "Papa Dar" Flores - Trombone

Archangel "Archie" Pantoja - Trumpet

Irle "Payril" Sabdao- Trumpet

             Carmen Camacho is one of the Philippine Divas in 60's along with Norma Ledesma, Norma Balagtas and Pilita Corrales. Born in 1939, she recorded her first record in early 60's and some of it were Kapuspalad ng Isinilang and Nagkamali ako but most of her recordings were under the Villar records.

 

            This song was sung by Carmen Camacho, a Bikolana singer with title Si Nanay, Si Tatay ( Mother, Father). An Original Bikolano Music (OMB)

 Another song from Carmen Camacho entitled "Sa Babayon nin Sisiran"

Potenciano Gregorio Sr.(The Man Behind Sarung Banggi)


             Potenciano Gregorio Sr. a bicolano musician was born in Li-bog (now Sto. Domingo town in the 3rd District of Albay) on May 19, 1880, and died on February 12, 1939 in Honolulu due to pneumonia and was buried here in Philippines at the La Loma cemetery. He is the son of  Narciso Gregorio and Canuta Valladolid. At early age he learned to play the violin and was soon recognized his talent. And soon he started to play the bandurria,the guitar and piano. Shortly, he started writing music for the local church by himself and sometimes in collaboration with his older brother Bernardo who manage the local Band de Li-bog. And soon Potenciano became the bandmaster  of the same band until he joined the Philippine Constabulary Band in 1919.

            It is claimed that Mr. Gregorio wrote the Sarung Banggi song when he saw 17 years old but there were different story versions on this matter. The former town Mayor, Hilario Balilo stated that Potenciano wrote the music and the lyrics of the song one night  after when he heard the chirping of birds and the rustling of the leaves. This version of the story was based from the Justo Gregorio, nephew of Potenciano. However, the grandson of Potenciano, Resurrection Gregorio claimed that the song was written during the 1897 Mayon Volcano eruption and was dedicated to Potenciano's fiancee' Dominga Duran, whom he later married.

                Then, Potenciano Gregorio sold the rights to the song to Constantino de Guzman. Aside from this he also wrote the songs Pusong Tagub nin Sakit ( Heart filled with sufferings) and Hinuyop-huyop nin Diyos.

                Mr. Potenciano was also invited to compete with other musicians during the Golden Gate International Exposition 1938.

Sarung Banggi by Mabuhay Singers 

               Sarung banggi (One Evening), one of the famous song of the Bicol Region composed by Potenciano Gregorio Sr.

The Sleeping Experiment

        A sleeping giant, a perfect portrait for Serafin who seems to engrossed with deciphering all the technical jargon that makes up six stringed sanctuaries. But for what? A doubting questions that a party band cannot seem to answer properly for exciting the dough.

       Upon meeting Ahmad, it was automatic yes. Froilan is counting his age. You can't help it if you are in your late twenties and you've been teaching Christian values ( to think that music is really his first love aside from the string of marmalade that went in and out of his sticky fingers) to hormone driven creatures. What else to do?  I know, he said. Cheesy, but first love never dies Matt- with his "who-the-hell-cares-as-long-as-there's-alcohol" charisma makes him the perfect epitome of coolness to balance the clean guy image of the three. He has practically grown in the smoked filled caverns of entertainment, molding him into one fuck of a beat boy, trading his expertise on some cringe worthy show bands to double thumping metal dudes, he learned the trade and learned it well, and this is just another venue. The itch just won't go away it was like a vacuum sucking the sanity for the hell of it. So, Ahmad, being the neurotic poet that he is resorted to another catastrophe he thinks will be the cure to all these self- imposed disorders. That's catastrophe is now called "THE PEPSI PALOMA EXPERIMENT."

Coming into Light 

       Every musician either a group or bands has many ups and downs to be faced in their chosen careers. I may never know the stories behind their success yet I know seeing their group still in tact makes me conclude how strong they become in their personal struggles.

       Along with the growing numbers of Bikolano Bands in the region, their music become so attractive to the ears of the young generations. Once, I heard their songs on the cellphones of my friends, sung and played with guitars on the corridors of our school. Even I,  during my  high school days of wandering all alone to malls after class was once stop and stay on the activity center when I heard their band performing on stage, without knowing that it was actually the Pepsi Paloma perfoming.

       What's in their music that the young people get hook-up with? I don't know what is their secret recipes on their songs. Yet for me, as a listener I could say that their songs has souls, and heart that could capture the emotions of the younger generations. Their music is with the flow of the latest music genre, yet the music of their songs is at time going against the current.







Pepsi Paloma Experiment Bio is courtesy of myspace.
Check out their songs Pyrothenics, and Kahon on myspace too.

First Featured Band

            It takes me more than a week to think of my next blog post here and at last I have thought of something worth blogging for. Obviously, for the first in my one month of creating pots in this blog, this is the first time I don't cram and don't actually rely on the enchantments of the google magic! (Clap,Clap, Clap) But let's take the truth I can never create a post in this blog without sources. So, I just want to thank myspace for making my work a little bit of heaven.

             I think I must end the talking-to-myself moment, and introduce to you my feature Bikolano Band for the Week. Yes, for the week and it means that every week I have a different feature band and within that week you will know all the things that you got to know about the Bikolano musicians whether you hate or love the band/singer or the music that they are creating, well it's on you. I have been thinking if ever I don't have a band or a musician to be featured here in my blog anymore. Then, maybe I have to update and discover more of the Bikolano talent or musicians to be featured here.(Whoa, I never thought of myself discovering a talent and that's idea is amazing, very amazing indeed!) Well, I'm sure Bikolano talents specifically in music has no end,so as the love for music right? So, I'm sure that time would never come that I had no featured musician for the week.Here I am again, more talk less action. I guess I have to start introducing my very first featured Bikolano band.

              I have been their fan ever since I was in high school, a sophomore to be exact. They were introduced to me by my older sister, who's a band fanatic and love to watch the band fest every year. She always giggled whenever this band, take the stage and start to sing their song because of the good-looking and warm voice of the vocalist. I started to love their songs when I was a senior high school and of all their songs, Rehab is my favorite. It's because every time I turned on the radio it's the song that was keep on playing by the radio station that I've been tuning on and that's the only song I know from the band but it really hit me through my heart whenever I heard them,really! Anyway, here they are. My most fave Bikolano band aside from the Mudflow band - The Pepsi Paloma Experiment!

The pictorial: The Pepsi Paloma Band during their pictorial at Musicmax Philippines

Members:

        Ahmad Sonheil Tanji - Vocals

            Serafin Timog III -  Guitars

            Froilan Tena - Bass

            Matt Rapirap - Drums

         Genre: Alternative/Indie/ Pop

            Location: Legazpi City, Albay PH

         

As what I’ve said on my previous blog post many emerging groups has been known for their music, even solo musician is being recognized by the public. And now here are the few who are making their name recognized in the Bicol region.

Who would ever forget the Black Gulaman?

Buckyard Boyz?

Centerfold?

Idle Pitch?

Pandora’s Box?

Pentacle?

Pepsi Paloma Experiment?

and Stolenshots?

The Bikolano Musicians

             Today the essence of the Bikol Folk Songs are still alive in most of the regions, the songs can be heard on the “baraylihan” or social dance of a village for old ages (known in the Legazpi City as Misis Misis or Mrs- Mrs) because normally the attendants of the Misis-Misis are the old housewives and husbands wearing their best attires. Yet now the new generation has become more influenced by the Western and American culture and chooses to listen frequently on foreign music and losing interest to Bikol music.

            So, as the way of living has evolved into new era the music industry of the Bikolano  is also making its way to be recognize all over the Philippine archipelago. From solo performer with an accompaniment of guitar, now the bikolano musicians grab their drums, electric guitars, keyboards and formed themselves a band. Creating music like the famous Maroon Five, The Click Five, Guns ‘N Roses, Metallica, Aerosmith and the likes, to give birth to the new music industry of the Bikol Region.

            Bikolano musicians are now penetrating the national recording studios and be known  for their own music. Mudflow band is the best example. 

            And for the past years the provincial and local government of Albay is organizing band fest yearly to recognize and show the talent of the Bikolanos in music and performing group giving music, a soul. From these yearly band fest, many potential groups emerged that would rock both the local and national, and if lucky maybe we’ll be seeing them rocking the international music industry.

The Bikol Folk Song

             Folk Song, is defined as music passed down among the generations that doesn't necessarily have a specific author that it is attributed to. The Bicol folk songs are the music that is shared by Bikolano people in their culture. Bicol folk songs are fairly well-known amongst enthusiasts for their unique aspects of composition and meaning.

            The folk songs are often made from impromptu verses and improvised melodies, and follow a common rhyme scheme with a regular set of rhyming patterns. Strongly tied into the Bicolano culture, the songs are classified into one of a variety of groups depending on their lyrics and meaning:

• Kundimans (love songs)
• Kulintangs (songs of disenchantment)
• Sinalampati (wedding songs)
• Panayoknok (lullabies)
• Panambitan or Tagulaylay (funeral songs or eulogies)
• Kulang-Kulang (any long ballad, epic, or religious chant)
• Horasa (commemoration of catastrophic event)
• Abyahi (happy song)
• Angoy (sad song)
• Kunigrat (triumphant song)

Composition of Bicol Folk Song

  

         Bicol folk songs can be quite the feat, especially those that are indeed composed and improvised on the spot:

• It's a classic form of entertainment to watch a skilled folk songster come up with one of these ballads in the midst of a public performance, and this has been a traditional method of celebration among the culture for generations.
 
• The songs are also well known for their sense of humor, which can sometimes border on vulgar to those with sensitive ears.
 
• Sly wordplay, self-deprecation, and old-fashioned puns and double-entendres are designed to lighten the mood at festivals and provide a laugh, while paying homage to centuries of culture.

The Bikolanos

          Bicol Region (Region V) is on the southeastern part of Luzon, in the South it is surrounded by the Visayan Sea, Pacific Ocean I the east, Lamon Bay in north, Sibugan Sea and Quezon province in west. The term "Bicol" could have been derived from "Bico," the name of a river which drains in San Miguel Bay. Possible origins also include the bikul or bikal bamboo tree which line rivulets, and the ancient native word bikod meaning "twisted" or "bent".

                                                          The map of Bicol Region

 

            Bikolanos are the people who lived inside the Bicol Region it is either by birth or blood. They are the fifth-largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group in the world, inhabiting the islands of the Philippines. The Bikolano language, referred to as Bikolano or Bikol, is a dialect made of fragments from various other cultures, including the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) language spoken by their ancestors.

            The Bicol Region is known for its” Ibalong” , the epic of the region about the three fierce heroes Handiong, Baltog and Bantog fighting the evil  lady snake Oriol. The epic is celebrated every month of October  portraying the epic by street dancing and exhibition. But recently the Sannguniang Panglunsod of Legazpi City, changes the date to the month of August.

                                                  

                                                  Epic of Ibalong and its Festival

          Aside from its wonderful culture, Bicol Region has its wonderful music. And music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. And the elements of music include: pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture. The word derives from Greek μουσική (mousike; "art of the Muses").

            In precolonial times, people were often judged by their ability to sing or create new songs which would be accompanied by the community on musical instruments which the singers themselves made. The religious fold dramas in Bicol which center on Catholic beliefs and liturgy also contain musical elements. The Bicol composers trained in religious music eventually wrote secular pieces as well.

            In the contemporary time, there are new folksongs which refer to local history and geography, sometimes ridiculing politicians like the barangay captain, the mayor, and the election candidates. The themes are broader in protest than nationalistic songs. Whatever the content, serious or nonsensical, these songs generally have a simple structure and a free form.

with notes from: http://litera1no4.tripod.com/bicolano_frame.html

                             wikipedia.com

pictures from:        google.com