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Wolfgang recently had a very successful show at the historic Metropolitan Theater in Manila and I was lucky enough to have covered the event from up close. Please head over As Oceans (the unofficial Wolfgang fan blog) to see my review of the event. Over 130 people have shared this link on Facebook. 
Please share it on your wall as well.
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The band responsible for the album S.C.I.E.N.C.E. - easily one of my favorite albums of all time – is coming back to the Philippines for their third show in seven years.
The show will be on July 28 at the Araneta Coliseum. Tickets go for as cheap as 750 and go all the way up to 6500! Check out Splintr for more Incubus concert details.
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It’s always a daunting task to come up with a list that would encompass a span of time that stretches through a vast expanse of experiences, sensations and sentiments. Memory and recall can be quite selective at times and the things that are at the top of your head may not necessarily be the best picks. This list only reflects my personal preference and I do not wish to impose this standard on anyone. I know my taste can be quite quirky and a bit offensive for some but I just can’t help loving the songs that I put on this compilation.
To ensure more or less equal representation, only one song per band will be mentioned.
With that obligatory disclaimer out of the way, let’s go down to business.
No Falter – Wolfgang
There will definitely be a Wolfgang song in this list so I’m choosing to mention this song right off the bat. “No Falter” is one of my favorite songs of all time and Black Mantra is certainly the most underrated album in Wolfgang’s discography. Hearing it live during last year’s concert was an almost surreal experience. The band didn’t get to play the songs from Black Mantra a lot since they broke up less than two years after the release of the album.
Hallelujah – Bamboo
This song is on the list not just because I was totally over the moon when this song came out (no judgment) but also because I can wail out this song almost effortlessly (again, NO judgment! haha). It sounded really fresh right off the bat and even if the album it came in did sound a bit one-dimensional, ‘Hallelujah’ sure was a welcome addition to the wealth of discography that the past 11 years has seen. No one is saying it but Bamboo single-handedly kept Pinoy rock relevant after the disbandment of the Eraserheads and the quasi-disbandment of Wolfgang.
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Social media has changed the game in many fronts and that includes the way that bands engage their fans. Before, artists would set up exclusive clubs and mailing list to somehow limit the amount of people who would get updates from them. With the explosion of the Facebook and Twitter phenomenon, the game has been more about building larger communities to ensure that the message does get across to as many fans as possible.
I scanned through the local bands who maintain a Facebook page and ranked them according to the number of members of each community. Before, popularity was based on whose songs stay on top of the charts for the longest time. Now, there’s a better and more tangible and comparative metric to really gauge the breadth of influence of artists.
Feel free to tell me if I missed anyone. The stats are as of April 5, 2011.
Here are the top ten artists in the Philippines according to Facebook: Continue Reading »
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We were invited by Cebu Trivia Night for a Manila versus Cebu special last weekend (this will be tackled on a later entry) and for some reason, two of my friends and I decided to fly the day before of the event to give us a chance to see what the city had to offer. It’s been almost four years since my last trip to Cebu so I was pretty sure that there would have been a lot of changes already.
We stayed at Hotel Pier Cuatro – a hotel that’s near, well, Pier Cuatro. The accommodations were quite basic but the price was a good deal – 1380 pesos for three people with free breakfast sure sounds like a steal, yes? The staff was very friendly and helpful and the guard even helped me retrieve a bag that I accidentally left inside the cab that we took from the airport (I know…). This hotel is NOT in a posh area of the city but it is close to Park Mall and SM Cebu. Pier 4 is also the same pier that one would go to to catch the SuperCat ferry to Tagbilaran, Bohol.
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I guess this makes it official – Wolfgang will definitely be part of the Tanduay First Five Tour for 2011. The press conference was done at Century Plaza Park Hotel in Malate and all five bands (Wolfgang, Parokya ni Edgar, Kamikazee, Chicosci and Sandwich) were all in attendance to answer the questions of the press. Finally, after almost three weeks of trying to keep the big secret to myself, I can safely say that Basti Artadi will be staying for good in the Philippines and Wolfgang (at least in its current incarnation with three original members and a very able drummer in Francis Aquino) will be raising hell all over the country once again as they try to resurrect and represent the proud lineage of 90s Pinoy Rock. Basti made the announcement in a taped message that was played during the press conference. It was a short message but it definitely related everything that a Wolfgang fans wanted to hear. Continue Reading »
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