When the first part of this season’s The Loft Sessions was released, Los Angeles based producer and former guitar player of Kjwan Jorel Corpus couldn’t wait to tell everyone about it. The season opens with Filipino-Italian singer Mario Jose, backed by a band, a full orchestra, and a choir of music graduates and incredibly talented kids from the Pascale Camerata, a professional level chamber orchestra featuring middle and high school students. They filmed at The Warehaas in downtown Los Angeles, which was a bit of a challenge for Corpus to record as one of the production’s engineers in the unconventional space—setting up at least 40 mics in the area for the 50 musicians in the warehouse. All the hard work the team behind The Loft Sessions truly paid off as the final product of the one day shoot turned into something more of a spectacle, and without a doubt, a benchmark for whatever creator and musical director Evan Chapman has in store for future projects. The Loft Sessions started back at Berklee College of Music in 2012 as a platform to showcase emerging artists. Chapman tells BillboardPH, “The overarching goal from the start of the Loft Sessions project was to create an atmosphere where incredible […] Continue Reading
In case you missed it all over social media, BillboardPH is now live! It’s been a pretty fun and busy few months, and I’m really excited for what’s ahead. Hell, this is the kind of work that doesn’t feel like work! Besides getting to write about music on the daily and interviewing interesting people in the industry, being surrounded by some fine individuals who are impassioned by their creative drives makes me want to CREATE more things: I’ve been drawing more. I’ve been taking a lot of photos to capture every moment. I’ve been conjuring more stories and finally got the attention of a lit agent to check out my novel. I’ve also started making short movies again. They’re all up on my personal Facebook page, so it isn’t really available to the public (unless you’re friends with me or anyone from the editorial team), but I might compile them into one whole thing before the year ends. I guess forming new relationships is considered as CREATING something, too… yeah? Up in that photo—meet the kiddos of the BillboardPH Editorial Team a.k.a Team Dunkin’ Donuts: Kara (that’s me), Bea (she randomly bursts into song every minute), Tricco (he’s loud and filled with all the […] Continue Reading
Ogie Alcasid is sitting quietly during off-hours in his Makati restaurant Ryu Ramen & Curry. With the heavy schedule he has for the day, he needs to battle the pre-flu bug that’s been creeping on him lately. Today, he speaks softly, giving the lively élan he usually expresses on TV a break, as he focuses on his 49th birthday celebration with a concert dubbed Ayokong Tumanda at the Music Museum next week, where he plans to pay tribute to the “King of Christmas Carols,” Jose Mari Chan, and feature the brilliant artists under his management company A-Team. “I don’t feel forty-nine,” Alcasid says, as his assistant quickly drops off a cup of coffee at his table. “I’m still a kid.” But with three children of his own, he admits that “adulting” is as real as it gets. Now, he doesn’t get to—or doesn’t want to—do crazy things anymore. But in his earlier years, he was incredibly relentless of his pursuit. “Energy is a commodity that should be used wisely. Gone are the days when you just go out on a whim.” He smiles after taking a sip of coffee. “I wouldn’t want to be young again. When you’re young, you tend […] Continue Reading
This is (and will always be) one of my all-time favorite interviews. I sat down with Uncle Randy of Lamb of God, when he came to visit Manila for a show in 2015. It’s a pretty sweet 3-part Karate Chops exclusive on Randy’s younger years, his debut novel Dark Days, and how he’s inspired the world. You’ll get to witness me gush at the man who’s influenced me on so many levels—right before I get on a caffeine high (thanks to the hotel’s excellent macarons and cookies) at the concert. Watch all three episodes below: Continue Reading
It’s been a good two weeks since Pokémon Go finally broke into the Philippines. I don’t know about you, but at level 22 and with an army of Pidgey and Rattata, I still feel pretty chill about the whole thing. I’ve ruled several gyms, hatched a bunch of Eevee (have evolved two of them into Flareon and Jolteon), and have a Slowbro at the top of my favorites list, but I am nowhere close to calling myself a hardcore Pokémon Master. Well, maybe just a tiny bit. It is, of course, the follow up to my childhood. And not to say that I feel like a kid again (I don’t think I’ve grown out of it), I think that Pokémon Go was the answer to my lazy days and lack of commitment to getting out there for the sake of my health. It’s been a while since I stepped out of the house on my own volition to experience the outside world. Hell, I scoured the muddy parking lot of 19East for an itty bitty Poliwag the day it launched. The only downside of the game is definitely the numerous accidents heard on the news—but that ain’t the game’s fault. It’s all you […] Continue Reading
Electronic Music is a world in itself that has reached out, crossed-over, and even cross-pollinated genres, creating aural textures people hear in the airwaves on a daily basis. It is constantly evolving. Beyond the four-on-the-floor build up and the big drop, Electronic Music—commonly known as the catch-all term EDM—has dug its way into Hollywood, making movies out of the lifestyle, but sometimes misrepresenting it. In the 2015 Zac Efron film We Are Your Friends, Hollywood attempted to show moviegoers the EDM lifestyle. They delivered the visual part of it, but one of his opening lines (“All you need is a laptop, some talent, and one track”) has left many DJs shaking their heads in disapproval and even boycotting the film while it was in theaters. EDM has constantly shifted as Europe and America played ping pong with each other, creating new sounds, making them better, and influencing the rest of the world from there. The result is a culmination of genres and styles from different musical eras, glued together by the tastemaker. To sound alchemist similarobjects (né Jorge Wieneke V), Electronic Music is greatly shaped by the Internet age. “There’s definitely hints of influence from earlier forms of electronic music in the various […] Continue Reading
You’ve never truly seen a real show until you witness Gary Valenciano live in concert. Right from singing along to his top hits, watching the fantastic choreography, and marveling at the overall production value, it is truly at a Gary V show where you realize how much more Filipino talent has to offer. And now, after thirty years in the business, it’s time for Mr. Pure Energy to pay it forward and give the spotlight to up-and-coming singers in line to represent the Philippines in the world stage with Gary V Presents. On Friday night, an intergenerational crowd made their way through the rain and filled the KIA Theater in Quezon City. Opening the night was Alopecia Awareness Advocate Abby Asistio, backed by guitarist John Apura. Having warmed the hearts of the audience with her original song “Beautiful,” Asistio left the stage as Gary Valenciano took over in the most candid manner. He casually walked from the side of the stage, introducing the show before the red velvet curtain parted from the middle to show a digital city backdrop of LED screens, a variant of his successful 2012 concert series On Higher Ground. Despite the little technical difficulty at the […] Continue Reading
Carlos Tañada has been working hard, and with the storm raging outside his window, it looks like he’ll have to kick back for the day. The recording session for the new Up Dharma Down album at bassist Paul Yap’s house has been postponed, and between trail biking in the rain or finishing Uncharted 4 on PlayStation, Tañada settles for the latter in his bedroom. There has been a lot of progress on their fourth studio album UDD, so a little me-time is called for. Armi Millare is in the studio recording vocals, three of Ean Mayor’s drum tracks are on file—it’s now up to Tañada and Yap to fill the songs with rhythm. And this time around, there’s nothing but groove popping in Tañada’s head. Up Dharma Down have been around for over ten years, and releasing a self-titled album has finally come to the table. According to Tañada, they also want to establish more to people that they can call the band “UDD” for short. “It gets tiring to explain,” Mayor admits. “Some events just can’t get the name right. It’s Up Dharma Down—not U.P. Dharma Down, Updharma Down, or Up Dharma. So we’re looking at repacking and rebranding […] Continue Reading
It’s only the first of July and Manila traffic is already simulating the Christmas rush. Brake lights paint the roads red as Giniling Festival cramp themselves in a Toyota RAV4 on route to Terno Inferno. For what should be a ten-minute drive from their rendezvous point in Katipunan, they spend another half hour on the road, and they’re already itching to hit the stage of Route 196. With just fifteen days before they release their third full-length record A La Hoy, Giniling Festival have everything under control. “The album is at the printer, shirts are going into production next week, and sponsors are all good,” drummer Franco Malaya counts down with a confident grin. “I guess it’s safe to say that we’re all set for the launch.” Recording A La Hoy was swift according to Malaya, who quips, “Just like Taylor.” It was recorded and produced over the span of five days at his Katipunan home with the assistance of Luis Azcona (Hapijoey Studio, Maude) and Emil dela Rosa (Campsite Recordings, Faintlight). “It was fast, calm, and exciting.” Vocalist Jeje Santos recounts. “We did not rehearse any of the songs before stepping into the studio. It was so stupid—that’s why […] Continue Reading
I’ll be honest. In this age of pre-orders, iTunes downloads, online streaming, and leaks, it’s been forever since I last ran to a record store to pick up an album on its release day. Last night, I did just that. I dashed off to Amoeba Music in Hollywood (because they were the ONLY store that had it) for Tesseract‘s 3rd studio album, Polaris. Now, I shall go out for a morning jog to rid my system of any jet lag with this playing into my skull. Continue Reading
