Justin Breathes

Bigfish Innovation White Party 2012

Justin — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:36:28 +0000

Bigfish’s annual white party hits Manila in June!

“Purity. Unity. Seduction. Sensation.” This is the maxim of Bigfish Innovation White. Clearly, at this party, you’re in for one heck of a musical ride.

Bigfish and Freedom Music present Bigfish Innovation White 2012, the country’s biggest musical congregation of white-clothed clubbers, happening on June 23 at the World Trade Center. This year’s lineup is a who’s who of the most promising acts in electronic music today: Cosmic Gate, Myon & Shane54, Bobina, and Emma Hewitt, who are joined by Bigfish’s John Paul Lee and Chris Raeuber.

German DJ/producer duo Cosmic Gate made the global dance community snap to attention when they jumped 43 places to land on No. 19 of DJ Mag’s Top 100 for 2009. That was the same year they teamed up with the striking, silken-voiced Australian songstress Emma Hewitt for the single Not Enough Time, a dance music hit that earned them nominations for Best Trance Track at the 2010 International Dance Music Awards and Best Selling Trance Act at the 2010 Beatport Awards.

Hungarian duo Myon & Shane54 are another European trance tandem that’s carving a name for themselves as they gig from continent to continent. With a list of solid singles and fierce remixes to their name, even trance luminaries Armin van Buuren and Above and Beyond are fans of their work, having featured them on their respective compilations.

Also on the bill is Moscow-based trance master Bobina, whom Ferry Corsten has called “one of the most talented music producers ever to come out of Russia.” Having released the country’s first #1 electronic dance album and being the first Russian DJ to snag a spot in DJ Mag’s Top 100 roundup, Bobina is hailed as a dance music god in his home country.

Joining these trance greats at the Innovation White stage are Team Bigfish’s main men John Paul Lee and Chris Raeuber.

Head to the World Trade Center on June 23 and be part of this massive trance movement! Let’s keep things pure — let’s all come in white.

BIGFISH Innovation WHITE 2012 official media partners: AXN & Sony Be TV, Magic 89.9, Animax, Focus Media, Killer Bee, Mellow 94.7, Wave 891, 99.5 RT, Myx, Velvet, People Asia, FHM, Where, Clavel, Uno, Garage, Metro, Maven, Adobo Magazine, The Philippine Star, Business Mirror, Manila Bulletin Lifestyle, Business World, Philstar.com, FemaleNetwork.com, SPOT.ph, StyleBible.ph, Focalcast, Media Magnet, ClicktheCity.com, and Cosmo.ph. Special thanks go to official residence partner Diamond Hotel, O Music and Video, Oliver’s Super Sandwiches and Gold’s Gym. Supported by The Philippine Department of Tourism.

For ticket inquiries and VIP table reservations, please contact (02) 6327762 or (02) 6348238. For more information, visit www.bigfishmanila.com.

Manila Music Festival 2012

Justin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 04:11:45 +0000

I have always wanted to see a major music festival in the Philippines, something along the lines of Woodstock, Coachella and Glastonbury. Every time I hear of the government’s tourism campaign efforts, I always get to thinking about the local music scene as one of the country’s greatest assets. We’ve seen artists of Filipino descent making it in the international scene, which is good, but I would also like to see the international spotlight to shine on musicians who were born and bred in the country. A major music festival would be a good way to make this happen. If done consistently and promoted effectively, a Philippine-based music festival will not only attract Filipino music lovers but also music fans from all over the globe.

The Manila Music Festival to be held on the Alphaland Bay City Grounds in Paranaque City is organized by Volume Unit Entertainment with support from the Department of Tourism. Interaksyon, TV5′s online news presence, is also a media partner for the event. The music fest will showcase local music talent along with international acts coming from a wide range of genres.

The lineup includes local bands Razorback, Kjwan, Wilabaliw, Sinosikat, and one of my favorite Filipinos on the turntable DJ Nix Damn P as well as DJ Skratchmark.

Will you be in attendance to take part in this music celebration?

For more details, read the official article that appears as is below:

WHAT: Manila Music Festival 2012
WHEN: May 1, 2012
WHERE: Aseana Ave. Alphaland Bay City Grounds in Paranaque City

Manila Music Festival is an event organized by Volume Unit Entertainment, the same group of people that made the extremely prosperous Malasimbo Music and Arts Festival. The two day festival that was held last February 18-19, 2011.

Our local music scene is one of a kind. With the overwhelming talents that our artists pour on stage, they just leave us standing with our mouth open and fists up in the air due to being stunned by their performance. Our local talents just perform with their emotions hanging and hearts pumping to give us a one heck of a show.

Indeed, there’s a lot of overwhelming talents here in our country but sadly there’s only a few annual festivities to expose those talents. Annual festivities like Pulp Summerslam and Oktoberfest which might I say a couple of wonderful events that helps our music scene bloom. By that being said, I don’t see any reasons why VUE should not generate an event that not only will promote our local music scene but will also promote our tourism industry.

Now VUE is back for another round of fun and excitement through the art of music. Showcasing some of the greatest musicians both international and local.

So guys Mark your calendars on this coming May 1st this year. In cooperation with Sofitel Philippine Plaza, Ticketworld, Department of Tourism, and Universal Zulu Nation. About 5,000 people will take part and experience yet another historic event in our country’s music scene. DJ’s, Bands, and solo performers around the world will be participating and witness one of the most booming and prosperous event this year. The Manila Music Festival is bound to be an outbreak of melodies, symphonies, notes, beats and lyrics from all music genres.

The Venue:

The site is to the right

10 lane access road. Say you’re driving down

Pruned and ready for firmness.

Volume Unit Entertainment has two main roles: First is change-making, which they already did and currently doing. Second is to put on an awesome show that will exceed beyond expectations and will defy all limits of imagination.

List of performers:

- Afrika Bambaataa
- Ali Shaheed Muhammad
- Shinichi Osawa
- Razorback
- Kjwan
- Wilabaliw
- Lady I
- Sinosikat
- June Marieezy
- Similar Objects
- Keb Darge
- Complex
- Kristian Hernandez
- Kishore
- Liquid A
- Badkiss
- Katsunami
- Angelo Mendez
- Skratchmark
- Noodles
- Nix Damn P

Ticket Price:
PhP 1,545.00

Tickets are now available at all Ticketworld outlets.
Call 891-9999 or visit https://www.ticketworld.com.ph/ for more details about the show

VISIT US:
http://www.manilamusicfestival.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ManilaMusicFestival
https://twitter.com/manilamusicfest

Peter de Jesus is a marketing consultant for Manila Music Festival and Interaksyon an online news portal of TV5, a television and radio broadcasting network based in Quezon City, Philippines.

Strictly Jeepney Music

Justin — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 03:38:02 +0000

We have seen people beatboxing. And local noontime TV show Eat Bulaga has made tunog tao popular where people make music by using their body parts as their instruments. Now out comes a music video that uses sounds of our local jeepneys to make an interesting music mix.

In the Philippines, riding a jeepney is almost an everyday affair. It is one of the most popular means of public transportation in the country, whether you are in the cities or in the province. The jeepney has become one of the many symbols that represent the Philippines that small colorful models of jeepneys are even sold in tourist shops. The iconic vehicle has also made its way into the lyrics of Filipino songs like in the classic OPM song Manila by Filipino 70s rock band Hotdog.

Hinahanap-hanap kita Manila
Mga ingay mong kay sarap sa tenga
Mga jeepney mong nagliliparan

Waiting for and riding a jeepney have also been featured as scenes where interesting things can happen as was the case in Ryan Cayabyab‘s OPM classic Liman-Dipang Tao that has been interpreted by many artists including Lea Salonga and Barbie’s Cradle.

The jeepney has also been featured in today’s generation of OPM artists like in Jeepney by Sponge Cola, Jeepney Love Story by Yeng Constantino, and Sakayan ng Jeep by Nikki Gil.

Now this interesting music video from Manila-based viral company GRNMNGO (Green Mango) surely shows us that public transportation is indeed more fun in the Philippines.

Party Alert: Bigfish’s Summer Energy all set to sizzle in Boracay!

Justin — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:14:52 +0000

Summer’s heat is officially upon us. This only means one thing: BIGFISH Summer Energy will soon be making Boracay bounce!

Together with Freedom Music, Bigfish presents Summer Energy 2012, a three-date party series happening on April 5-8 in Boracay. Pumping the beats at this year’s beach fest are two of Armada Music’s hottest talents and dance music’s most promising acts: progressive house artiste Ashley Wallbridge, Nathan C. of Housexy and award-winning trance tandem Aly & Fila. Joining them at the decks are Bigfish resident DJs DJ Green and DJ John Paul Lee.

This year’s Summer Energy is Bigfish’s most exciting and ambitious one to date. It kicks off with the chilled-down Sunset Sessions on April 5 at the beachfront of Paraiso Bar in Station 2. Taking the energy up several notches is the Main Party happening on April 7, 8pm, also at the beachfront of Paraiso Bar, where revelers can sway until the summer sun rises. But the celebration doesn’t stop there—on April 8, from 6am onwards.

Bigfish’s yearly sojourn to the country’s favorite summer spot has been attracting party-hearty vacationers like bees to honey since 2001, when they staged their first summer outing at Boracay’s pristine shores. The exhilarating dance beats combined with the salty sea air, the powdery sand, and the waves lapping on the shore have made Bigfish’s brand of beach partying unbeatable. Over 10 years since Bigfish first set foot in Boracay, theirs is still the biggest and longest-running party on the island.

BIGFISH Summer Energy 2012 is presented by Bigfish and Freedom Music, with major sponsors Spy Wine Coolers, Red Bull, Cuervo Tequila, Boracay Eco Village. Official media partners are Magic 89.9, Kalibo Cable, Radio Boracay 106.1, Focus Media, Killer Bee, Mellow 94.7, Wave 891, 99.5 RT, Myx, Velvet, People Asia, FHM, Where, Clavel, Uno, Garage, Metro, Maven, Adobo Magazine, The Philippine Star, Business Mirror, Manila Bulletin Lifestyle, Business World, Philstar.com, FemaleNetwork.com, SPOT.ph, StyleBible.ph, Focalcast, Media Magnet, ClicktheCity.com, and Cosmo.ph. Special thanks go to official residence partner Diamond Hotel, O Music and Video, Oliver’s Super Sandwiches and Gold’s Gym.
Supported by The Philippine Department of Tourism.

Coming up next for Bigfish is another much-awaited yearly tradition: the massive dance fest that is Bigfish Innovation White, happening on June 23. Every year, Innovation White unites Manila’s clubbing community in this white-themed celebration, where all party-goers don their purest white threads. For this year’s Innovation White, Bigfish pulls out all the stops and presents a total of seven acts! Expect one wicked musical ride courtesy of Chris Raeuber, The Japanese Popstars, Cosmic Gate, Myon & Shane54, Bobina, John Paul Lee, and Emma Hewitt live on vocals.

For inquiries, please contact Team Bigfish through (02) 6327762 or (02) 6348238. For more information, visit www.bigfishmanila.com.

[Note: This is a copy of the press release.]

Bigfish presents Biglove featuring Hedkandi 2012

Concert Alert: The Planetshakers and Israel Houghton and New Breed in Manila

Justin — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:55:09 +0000

The Planetshakers will be on a back to back concert with Israel Houghton & New Breed this April 21, 2012 (Saturday) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum at 7:30pm.

The Australian Christian worship band, the Planetshakers, was originally from Adelaide in Australia but is now based in Melbourne at the Planetshakers City Church. With over twenty internationally acclaimed albums, the band tours yearly to the USA, UK, Europe, South Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Since 1997, the band has grown substantially with two teams now travelling the globe regularly.

Israel Houghton is a singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer and worship leader who has created a canon of songs that have become standards in houses of faith around the world. He has accomplished this largely as the leader of “Israel and New Breed,” a Grammy, Stellar and Dove Award-winning musical ensemble and ministry organization that has amassed gold-selling albums.

Don’t miss the chance to be part of this historic collaboration between two of the most well-loved Contemporary Christian artists that brought you Planetshakers hits “Nothing is Impossible,” “Even Greater,” “The Anthem,” and Israel Houghton & New Breed hits “Lord You Are Good,” “Friend of God,” “Moving Forward” and many more.

Join them at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on April 21, 2012 at 7:30pm. Gates will open at 5:30pm. Reserve your seats today!

Call BMI (910.5524) or Ticketnet (911-5555) for tickets.
You can also reserve your seats online at Becca Music’s website.

TICKETS:
VIP (Reserved seating) – Php 1,800
Patron (Reserved seating) – Php 1,500
Lower Box (Reserved seating) – Php 1,200
Upper Box A (Reserved seating) – Php 800
Upper Box A (Obstructed view) – Php 600
Upper Box B (Free seating) – Php 500

Marina and the Diamonds plays narcissistic alter ego in new single Primadonna

Justin — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 02:11:03 +0000

Primadonna by Marina and the Diamonds is the official lead single from her upcoming second studio album Electra Heart slated for release by the end of April 2012.

Her voice sounds amazing in this track. It coos and plays at being adorable one time then goes down to her gravelly lower register. Marina‘s vocals sounds like she’s strutting like a coquette then stomps like a princess who wants to her own way. This play on her vocals actually fits the song as Primadonna, as the title suggests, is about being a primadonna.

Marina comes into the song as her alter ego Electra Heart (also the name of the album). In an interview with Popjustice, Marina explains that “Electra Heart is the antithesis of everything that I stand for. And the point of introducing her and building a whole concept around her is that she stands for the corrupt side of American ideology, and basically that’s the corruption of yourself. My worst fear – that’s anyone’s worst fear – is losing myself and becoming a vacuous person. And that happens a lot when you’re very ambitious.”

Besides the vocals that imbues Primadonna with much personality and character, the song also features a strong uptempo beat produced by Dr. Luke, Cirkut, and Diplo. The lyrics also supports the strongly narcissistic Electra Heart alter ego. “I’m a primadonna girl, yeah. All I ever wanted was the world. I can’t help that I need it all. The primadonna life, the rise and fall.”

Sabrina Orial covers Maroon 5 hit Moves Like Jagger

Justin — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 01:28:25 +0000

Maroon 5, with help from Christina Aguilera, conquered international pop charts during the later part of 2011. Now, Filipina acoustic artist Sabrina has released her take on the successful single. Sabrina’s easy-listening version of the Maroon 5 hit comes from her album I Love Acoustic 4.

Sabrina, Roli Alexandra Orial in real life, reveals that even though she has loved singing even at an early age, she never really expected becoming a professional singer. Although she says she does not have a preferred genre, the artists she likes suggest a strong leaning towards pop-R&B vocalists like Mariah Carey, Arnee Hidalgo, and Kyla. Sabrina does compose songs but she says that she finds it easier when she is depressed and that she still isn’t confident about her songwriting skills.

I like Sabrina as a person, very cheerful and positive. However, I think that’s something I want to see more of in her songs. Her previous song Saranghae, a song with original lyrics used in the soundtrack of the Tagalized Korean series “Perfect Match,” was able to bring out this side of her. However, her cover of Moves Like Jagger just doesn’t do it for me.

Much of my liking for her version of Moves Like Jagger stems from the fact that I like the original version by Maroon 5. And since the original version is still enjoying airplay today, it is hard not to associate it with Sabrina‘s version. I will give this to Sabrina though: her vocals and the arrangement are endearing and easy-listening.

Top 10 Songs of 2011

Carrie Underwood blurs pop, country and rock in new single Good Girl

Justin — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 08:03:07 +0000

Good Girl is the new single from Carrie Underwood taken from her upcoming album Blown Away, set for release in May 2012.

Some might easily think of Carrie Underwood as a top-level vocalist that pop radio lost to country music. But her latest single Good Girl, seemingly the edgiest one of her releases since winning American Idol, blurs the line between pop, rock and country. In fact, Carrie Underwood reminds me a lot of Shania Twain during her successful run in the 90s. It’s like Carrie took inspiration from the crossover appeal of country-meets-pop-rock and polished it with the amazing vocals the former farm girl can certainly deliver.

The song features a rocking drum track, infectious hand claps, and electric guitars reminiscent of but not strictly country music. Then the chorus sweeps you away in a wave of pop goodness and you just want to sing along as Carrie Underwood‘s voice layers on angst and conviction. It’s like the song was smartly produced to reach out to pop-rock fans while still making country fans happy. Good Girl is so good I am expecting it to become a crossover gem.

Looking back on Carrie’s run as a contestant in the American Idol, I remember feeling uncomfortable when I hear that she will be doing an uptempo song because back then I felt like she was just learning the ropes of doing an uptempo song well. A few years later, she comes out with really good uptempo hits like Before He Cheats and Last Name. And now she gives us the rock-edged single Good Girl offering strong and solid vocals with the confidence and energy of a well-seasoned artist.

Bigfish presents Biglove featuring Hedkandi 2012

Justin — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:30:36 +0000

One night of the biggest house music and twisted disco tracks. One big room, 5 DJs.

Bigfish presents Biglove featuring Hedkandi Twisted disco happening on March 2 (Friday) at the World Trade Canter. This event brings Hedkandi DJ Producer Andy Norman together with DJ Marc Naval (Republiq), DJ Karl Ty (Superfly), and DJ Green and DJ John Paul Lee (Team Bigfish).

For tickets and VIP tables call 632-7762 or 634-8238. You can also log on to www.bigfishmanila.com.

This event is brought to you by Bigfish with major sponsors Power Horse Energy Drink “Free Your Energy”, Freedom Music, Cuervo Tequila, Fox and StarWorld. Official media partners are The Philippine Star, Manila Bulletin Lifestyle, Business World, Business Mirror, Focus Media, Magic 89.9, Killer Bee, Mellow 94.7, MYX, Velvet, Metro, Garage, Chalk, People Asia, Maven, Uno, Where, Clavel, StarStudio, Adobo Magazine, Focalcast, Media Magnet, FemaleNetwork.com, Philstar.com, ClickTheCity.com, Cosmo.ph, Spot.ph, Stylebible.ph, and FHM. Special thanks go to O Music and Video, Oliver’s Super Sandwiches, and Gold’s Gym.

Work hard, party harder.

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Sing This Song: Somedaydream as a songwriter

Justin — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 04:53:15 +0000

Somedaydream burst into the OPM mainstream scene with his first hit single Hey Daydreamer. His success was soon followed by his second single Delivery Boys. Now a third single has come to the surface with the the singer-songwriter’s third single Sing This Song.

The sixth track from his self-titled album, Sing This Song is a love serenade where Somedaydream, aka Rez Toledo, goes for a more downtempo and a more intimate mood. He may not be praised by many as the best vocalist out there, but he has an ability I wish other recording artists had.

In Sing This Song, the first thing I notice is how the song is very well in touch with a certain abstract feeling I can only describe as sunset sentimentality. Rez is able to use his music as an expression of something only a few can describe without relying on lyrics to make sense. Even without trying to understand the lyrics, Sing This Song paints a sad picture in my mind. A sky of dreaminess, painted by the sun with the colors of burning love, melts into the longing waters of the sea. They meet on the still and silent horizon, while somewhere, someone tries to stave off a relentless sadness by recalling tender moments with the one he loves. “And when you’re on my mind I tend to kiss you every chance I get, write your name in my songs so I wouldn’t forget that night we were together.”

An official streaming copy of Sing This Song from Somedaydream or his recording label can’t be found, so here is a fan-made lyric video from Youtuber MichelangelodoradoTV.

In a bloggers meet-up hosted by Orange Magazine TV, I asked him questions to know more about who Somedaydream is as an artist. Being the most successful breakthrough artist of 2011, I wanted to understand his creative process.

Rez just silently sat through the questions while answering them in a cool manner, if somewhat more on the shy side. Don’t misunderstand, he is friendly but there is a certain reservation I sense from him. But I found that when asked about music, Somedaydream seems to radiate with an eagerness to talk. It struck me that he may be the type of person who can talk about music without taking a break to eat or sleep. There is a storm of a passion for making music that hides behind his calm exterior.

When he writes his songs, the melodies are very spontaneous. Somedaydream explains, “I don’t spend a lot of time changing melodies. When i come up with a melody it’s either I like it or I don’t like it. So if I don’t like it, I forget it. If I like it, I record it right away on my cellphone or on something. Most of my songs… the first melodies I came up with, those were the ones that came out in the songs.”

On criticism, Rez says, “I learned early on, when I spoke to people like Marc Abaya, Champ, a lot of other great artists [that] when you’re in the scene you learn how to filter criticism. There are criticisms that are really good, like constructive, and there are [others that], for lack of a better term, are just walang kwenta. So you just drop those and forget about that. Don’t let it affect you. I get hurt sometimes, but definitely but you’re more into it for the constructiveness.”

With the kind of attitude he has shown, Somedaydream has proven to me that he is not merely a commercial mainstream music act, that he is first and foremost a creative artist intent on making new music. It might probably be true that right now, he is playing inside that special place within him where he is married to his music.

Music Ally: Urban Athletics and Pulse Saturdays

Justin — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 02:23:23 +0000

Urban Athletics is a store that brings the modern urban lifestyle to the forefront. But beyond being just a store, which traditionally is just focused on sales, they have found a way to promote Filipino music as well.

With Pulse Saturdays, they have a music ally, friends to the local music scene. They feature local artists. They launch mixtapes and albums. When I first heard of Pulse Saturdays, I was keen on the fact that it was something they did not have to do, since the products they sell are lifestyle and sports items. To put it another way, they were not really directly involved with the music industry.

More photos on the Urban Athletics Facebook page

There have been three Pulse Saturdays where they hosted a common ground for lifestyle and music fans. On Pulse Saturdays, the store on the second level of Greenbelt 3 transforms into a party place complete with music, beer pong and celebrities coming in. Urban Athletics wanted to make the music experience more personal, so there is no proper concert stage. Artists performed on the same floor everyone else is standing on. DJ’s played from a booth where people can easily give them a high-five if they wanted to. The event refuses to be a concert, but more of a party, a celebration of the marriage of music and lifestyle.

Also, Urban Athletics launched mixtapes and albums. Among these are the Kings on Deck: The Genesis featuring DJ Skratchmark and MC Dash, Kings on Deck Vol. 2: Two for the Bass featuring DJ Nix Damn P and MC Ronthug, along with releases from Amber Davis, Brenan, and Thyro and Yumi.

With Pulse Saturdays, Urban Athletics helps in the promotion of local artists and their music. They don’t try to sell you anything outright. There is no hard selling. At the end of the day, Urban Athletics just wants people to have fun and let people know that they support the lifestyle.

Urban Athletics can be found on the second level of Greenbelt 3 in Makati.

Pulse Saturdays: We Got DIBS! saw new music and brands launched at Urban Athletics

Sitti is light and in love without being too dreamy in new single “Sinong Mag-aakala”

Justin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 10:02:10 +0000

Better known as the artist responsible for bringing bossa nova into mainstream radio, Sitti has taken on a less bossa nova sound and has started veering towards a more relatable jazz-pop acoustic sound. In her latest single Sinong Mag-aakala, the sweet-voiced singer seems to sound more relaxed therefore sounding better to me. I will not say if she is a good bossa nova artist because I am hardly an expert of the genre, but I will say that I like this change.

Sinong Mag-aakala is a love song that feels as light, as shy, and as beautiful as morning dew. It is a song I can easily imagine as the soundtrack to the moment when you wake up beside the person you love in the morning. Some lines of the song will feel like cliche. “Para lang akong nananaginip nang gising, para lang akong lumulutang sa hangin,” sings Sitti. I can still enjoy the song though, mostly because Sitti delivers the vocals with a delicate clarity and lightness that avoids becoming too dreamy, and therefore avoiding becoming too cheesy.

Watch the official music video of Sinong Mag-aakala directed by Paolo Bernaldo.

Filipino acoustic trio Kithara releases their new song “Should I Leave You Now”

Justin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 05:43:30 +0000

Independent contemporary acoustic trio Kithara is back with another single Should I Leave You Now.

Their previous song To Move On was not released on mainstream radio when I first blogged about them, but this February the song made it to the top spot on the Top 30 countdown of Love Radio 94.5FM and stayed there for four weeks. Now, Kithara has entered the countdown again with their new single Should I Leave You Now at number 17 as of writing.

What I really liked about Kithara is that although they are doing acoustic music, they are not trapped by the usual practice of only doing covers. They are able to write their own music. And I’m not even talking about songs that are half-assed and unripe for music lovers. I’m talking about words and music that listeners will be able to recall and relate to.

Should I Leave You Now is another sad song from the acoustic trio Pato, Dex and Poli. The lyrics of the song, written by Kithara vocalist Pato San Juan, start off to introduce the main dilemma of the song,

Should I stay a while
and tell you this is a lie?
Should I stand up
and tell you this is goodbye?

The music video was produced by Fansilog and was launched just this past Valentines. Watch the music video below.

Find out more about Kithara by liking their Facebook page.
You can download Should I Leave You Now or other songs by Kithara here.

You can also find out more about Kithara by going to their live gigs:
Mondays, 8pm: Forest Grill (Timog Avenue, Quezon City)
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8pm: Kiraban Bar and Grill (Malugay Street, Makati City)
Saturdays, 8pm: Ang Pulo (Autocamp, Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City)

Philippine Popular Music Festival (PhilPOP)

Justin — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 02:57:24 +0000

If you’ve been following me for quite a while, you would know that I’ve been waiting for a songwriting competition as grand as the MetroPop Song Festival, which only lasted from 1977 to 1985 and was revived in 1996 only to see its demise in 2003. The lack of a songwriting competition as grand as the MetroPop has been felt by a lot of Filipino music fans. I have noted in the past that we have been seeing a lot of singing competitions for over a decade now, with singing talents coming to us left and right every year if not every quarter. But I have always asked to no one in particular, who will write the songs for these new singers? Or will they be indefinitely relegated to singing covers and revivals? How will the OPM industry compete better with songs from the international music scene?

On February 16, organizers, OPM supporters and the media came together in the PICC Complex to celebrate the official launch of PhilPOP, the short name for the Philippine Popular Music Festival. PhilPOP is a songwriting competition open to all amateur and professional Filipino composers.

“Filipinos, in general, are musically gifted,” music maestro and PhilPOP executive director Ryan Cayabyab said. “We are well-known the world over simply because of our immense talent. But we are not just a country of talented singers, dancers and actors. With PhilPOP, I also want to shine the spotlight on our world-class composers and songwriters,” he added. The renowned musician also noted that this songwriting event is not a “revival” of another popular songwriting competition in the past decade.

“The competition is open to something new, maybe something old, something new put together, new fusions, new genres, perhaps something that the Filipino can say that ‘ah this is the stamp of Filipino music!’ I am very, very optimistic that something like that is gonna happen,” the Maestro beamed.

Meanwhile, business icon and PhilPOP chairman, Manny Pangilinan, also shared his motivation for lending support to the competition. “There are two reasons why I’m back in the Philippines after living in Hong Kong for so many years. I miss our religion and our music. You hear God’s voice in music,” he said.

Ogie Alcasid, president of OPM (Organisasyon Ng Pilipinong Mang-Aawit), also noted, “Hindi po tumitigil yung paglikha ng kanta… Marami pong independent musicians ang lumilikha ng kanta, kinakanta nila… at binebenta nila yung kanilang mga awitin.” The musician also added, “Kultura natin ito. Bigyan natin ng pagpapahalaga. (This is our culture. Let us give it importance.)”

Maynilad president and chief executive Ricky Vargas, who is also the event’s organizing committee chairman, further noted the significance of PhilPOP. “It’s high time we celebrate the artistry of the Filipino songwriter. What better way to do that than by giving them an avenue to showcase home grown talent and shine on a stage of their own.”

Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (FILSCAP) president Noel Cabangon, who was also present at the PhilPOP press conference, urged us that the local music scene can learn from K-pop, or Korean pop, which has gained a huge following in the Philippines, saying that the Korean music industry did not compromise Korean culture. “We should be able to create something that’s really Filipino. The challenge is that we have to be able to be conscious with our identity,” he further adds.

Also spotted supporting PhilPOP in the press conference were former Eraserheads front man Ely Buendia and big names in the songwriting scene Trina Belamide and Jungee Marcelo.

The Philippine Popular Music Festival is jointly presented by Maynilad, Meralco, PLDT, Smart Communications, Sun Cellular, PICC, TV5, DDB Philippines and official press launch food provider, Via Mare.

Interested composers can start submitting their entries online at PhilPop.com.ph starting March 1, 2012 until May 10, 2012. Song entries must be in MP3 format and can be in any popular music genre or a fusion of known genres, in any form or structure. Each entry must not exceed four minutes. Contestants can submit a maximum of two songs, either as a sole composer or as a collaborator. Song lyrics may be in Filipino, English, any Filipino dialect or a combination thereof.

There will be three levels of screenings and during the semi-finals, the judges will choose the top 14 finalists. The final performance and competition night will be held on July 14, 2012 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). The grand prize winner will receive P1 million in cash and a trophy. The second and third placers will each receive a trophy and P500,000 and P250,000 in cash respectively. All non-winning finalists will receive P50,000. A People’s Choice award will also be given to the entry with the most number of online and SMS votes. The People’s Choice award winner will receive P200,000 and a trophy.

Grammy Awards 2012 Performances

Justin — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:41:47 +0000

Missed the live telecast of the 54th Annual Grammy Awards? Here are some of the performances.

This year included farewell tributes to two top-notch female artists.

Etta James was a winner of six Grammy Awards during the span of her career and was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in both 1999 and 2008. She is regarded as having bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll. Etta James passed away on January 20, 2012. In the late singer’s memory, Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt performed A Sunday Kind of Love.

Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt – A Sunday Kind of Love

The Grammys also said goodbye to an artist who has just passed away on February 11, 2012, just a day before the awards ceremony. Whitney Houston is a musical legend known even to today’s younger generation. She has earned six Grammy awards during the course of her highly successful career. One of these Grammys was for Best Pop Vocal Performance for the song I Will Always Love You, which Jennifer Hudson sang in Whitney’s memory.

Jennifer Hudson – I Will Always Love You

The big winner of the night was Adele winning in all the six categories she was nominated in, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year. Her live performance of her hit song Rolling in the Deep marks the artist’s first live performance after undergoing vocal cord surgery last year.

Adele – Rolling in the Deep

Here are some of the other memorable performances from the Grammy Awards 2012. You can also check out the complete list of Grammy Awards winners 2012.

Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson – Don’t You Wanna Stay

Bruno Mars – Runaway Baby

The Band Perry, Blake Shelton and Glen Campbell – Gentle On My Mind, Southern Nights, Rhinestone Cowboy

Nicki Minaj – Roman Holiday

Taylor Swift – Mean

Chris Brown, David Guetta, Lil Wayne, Foo Fighters and Deadmau5 – I Can Only Imagine, Rope, Raise Your Weapon

Foo Fighters – Walk

Rihanna and Coldplay – We Found Love, Princess Of China, Paradise

Chris Brown – Turn Up The Music, Beautiful People

Katy Perry – E.T., Part of Me

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band – We Take Care of Our Own

Maroon 5, Foster the People and The Beach Boys – Surfer Girl, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Good Vibrations

Paul McCartney – My Valentine

Grammy Awards Winners List 2012

Justin — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:26:10 +0000

In this year Grammy Awards, Adele was not only nominated six times, she also won in all six categories, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year. The Brit singer also won Best Pop Solo Performance for her tearjerker Someone Like You, for which she also thanked her doctors saying, “seeing as it’s a vocal performance, I need to thank my doctors, I suppose, who brought my voice back.” Adele’s performance of Rolling in the Deep earned her a standing ovation from the Grammy audience, this performance being her first live performance since undergoing vocal cord surgery a few months ago.

Kanye West also went home with three trophies for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for All of the Lights, and Best Rap Performance (with Jay-Z) for Otis, and Best Rap Album for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Foo Fighters were also big winners as the rock band won their first Grammy ever and picked up four more as the night went on.

Below is the complete list of the Grammy Awards winners this year. 78 awards in all, plus the Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Record Of The Year
Rolling In The Deep
Adele
Paul Epworth, producer; Tom Elmhirst & Mark Rankin, engineers/mixers
Track from: 21
[XL Recordings/Columbia Records]

Album Of The Year
21
Adele
Jim Abbiss, Adele, Paul Epworth, Rick Rubin, Fraser T. Smith, Ryan Tedder & Dan Wilson, producers; Jim Abbiss, Philip Allen, Beatriz Artola, Ian Dowling, Tom Elmhirst, Greg Fidelman, Dan Parry, Steve Price, Mark Rankin, Andrew Scheps, Fraser T. Smith & Ryan Tedder, engineers/mixers; Tom Coyne, mastering engineer
[XL Recordings/Columbia Records]

Song Of The Year
Rolling In The Deep
Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth, songwriters (Adele)
Track from: 21
[XL Recordings/Columbia Records; Publishers: Universal-Songs of Polygram/EMI Music Publishing]

Best New Artist
Bon Iver

Best Pop Solo Performance
Someone Like You
Adele
Track from: 21
[XL Recordings/Columbia Records]

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Body And Soul
Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse
Track from: Duets II
[Columbia Records]

Best Pop Instrumental Album
The Road From Memphis
Booker T. Jones
[Anti Records]

Best Pop Vocal Album
21
Adele
[XL Recordings/Columbia Records]

Best Dance Recording
Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites
Skrillex
Skrillex, producer; Skrillex, mixer
Track from: Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites
[Big Beat/Atlantic]

Best Dance/Electronica Album
Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites
Skrillex
[Big Beat/Atlantic]

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Duets II
Tony Bennett & Various Artists
[Columbia Records]

Best Rock Performance
Walk
Foo Fighters
Track from: Wasting Light
[RCA Records/ Roswell Records]

Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance
White Limo
Foo Fighters
Track from: Wasting Light
[RCA Records/ Roswell Records]

Best Rock Song
Walk
Foo Fighters, songwriters (Foo Fighters)
Track from: Wasting Light
[RCA Records/ Roswell Records; Publishers: M.J.-Twelve Music, I Love The Punk Rock Music, Living Under A Rock Music, Flying Earform Music, Ruthensmear Music]

Best Rock Album
Wasting Light
Foo Fighters
[RCA Records/ Roswell Records]

Best Alternative Music Album
Bon Iver
Bon Iver
[Jagjaguwar]

Best R&B Performance
Is This Love
Corinne Bailey Rae
Track from: The Love EP
[Capitol]

Best Traditional R&B Performance
Fool For You
Cee Lo Green & Melanie Fiona
[Radiculture/Elektra]

Best R&B Song
Fool For You
Cee Lo Green, Melanie Hallim, Jack Splash, songwriters (Cee Lo Green & Melanie Fiona)
[Radiculture/Elektra; Publishers: Jacks Love Emporium/Radiculture Publishing/EMI Blackwood Music, Chrysalis Music/God Given Music]

Best R&B Album
F.A.M.E.
Chris Brown
[Jive Records]

Best Rap Performance
Otis
Jay-Z & Kanye West
Track from: Watch The Throne
[Roc-A-Fella Records/Def Jam]

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
All Of The Lights
Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie
Track from: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
[Roc-A-Fella]

Best Rap Song
All Of The Lights
Jeff Bhasker, Stacy Ferguson, Malik Jones, Warren Trotter & Kanye West, songwriters (Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie)
Track from: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
[Roc-A Fella; Publishers: EMI April Music, EMI Blackwood Music, Headphone Junkie Publishing, Please Gimme My Publishing, Very Good Beats/Hip Hop Since 1978]

Best Rap Album
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West
[Roc-A-Fella]

Best Country Solo Performance
Mean
Taylor Swift
Track from: Speak Now
[Big Machine Records]

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
Barton Hollow
The Civil Wars
Track from: Barton Hollow
[Sensibility Music LLC]

Best Country Song
Mean
Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)
Track from: Speak Now
[Big Machine Records; Publishers: Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, Taylor Swift Music]

Best Country Album
Own The Night
Lady Antebellum
[Capitol Records Nashville]

Best New Age Album
What’s It All About
Pat Metheny
[Nonesuch]

Best Improvised Jazz Solo
500 Miles High
Chick Corea, soloist
Track from: Forever (Corea, Clarke & White)
[Concord Records]

Best Jazz Vocal Album
The Mosaic Project
Terri Lyne Carrington & Various Artists
[Concord Jazz]

Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Forever
Corea, Clarke & White
[Concord Records]

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
The Good Feeling
Christian McBride Big Band
[Mack Avenue Records]

Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance
Jesus
Le’Andria Johnson
Track from: The Awakening Of Le’Andria Johnson
[Music World Gospel]

Best Gospel Song
Hello Fear
Kirk Franklin, songwriter (Kirk Franklin)
Track from: Hello Fear
[Verity Gospel Music Group/Fo Yo Soul Ent.; Publisher: Aunt Gertrude Music]

Best Contemporary Christian Music Song
Blessings
Laura Story, songwriter (Laura Story)
Track from: Blessings
[Fair Trade Services; Publishers: New Spring/Gleaning Publishing]

Best Gospel Album
Hello Fear
Kirk Franklin
[Verity Gospel Music Group/ Fo Yo Soul Ent.]

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album
And If Our God Is For Us…
Chris Tomlin
[Sparrow Records / sixstepsrecords]

Best Latin Pop, Rock, Or Urban Album
Drama Y Luz
Maná
[Warner Music Mexico]

Best Regional Mexican Or Tejano Album
Bicentenario
Pepe Aguilar
[Venemusic]

Best Banda Or Norteño Album
Los Tigres Del Norte And Friends
Los Tigres Del Norte
[Fonovisa]

Best Tropical Latin Album
The Last Mambo
Cachao
[Eventus/Sony Music Latin]

Best Americana Album
Ramble At The Ryman
Levon Helm
[Vanguard/Dirt Farmer Music]

Best Bluegrass Album
Paper Airplane
Alison Krauss & Union Station
[Rounder]

Best Blues Album
Revelator
Tedeschi Trucks Band
[Masterworks]

Best Folk Album
Barton Hollow
The Civil Wars
[Sensibility Music LLC]

Best Regional Roots Music Album
Rebirth Of New Orleans
Rebirth Brass Band
[Basin Street Records]

Best Reggae Album
Revelation Pt 1: The Root Of Life
Stephen Marley
[Tuff Gong/Universal Republic]

Best World Music Album
Tassili
Tinariwen
[Anti Records]

Best Children’s Album
All About Bullies… Big And Small
(Various Artists)
Jim Cravero, Gloria Domina, Kevin Mackie, Steve Pullara & Patrick Robinson, producers
[Cool Beans Music & East Coast Recording Co.]

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling)
If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t)
Betty White
[Penguin Audio]

Best Comedy Album
Hilarious
Louis C.K.
[Comedy Central Records]

Best Musical Theater Album
The Book Of Mormon
Josh Gad & Andrew Rannells, artists; Anne Garefino, Robert Lopez,
Stephen Oremus, Trey Parker, Scott Rudin & Matt Stone, producers; Robert Lopez, Trey Parker & Matt Stone, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast)
[Ghostlight Records]

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media
Boardwalk Empire: Volume 1
(Various Artists)
Stewart Lerman, Randall Poster & Kevin Weaver, producers
[Elektra]

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media
The King’s Speech
Alexandre Desplat, composer
[Decca]

Best Song Written For Visual Media
I See The Light (From Tangled)
Alan Menken & Glenn Slater, songwriters (Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi)
Track from: Tangled
[Walt Disney Records; Publishers: Wonderland Music/Walt Disney Music]

Best Instrumental Composition
Life In Eleven
Béla Fleck & Howard Levy, composers (Béla Fleck & The Flecktones)
Track from: Rocket Science
[eOne Music]

Best Instrumental Arrangement
Rhapsody In Blue
Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band)
Track from: That’s How We Roll
[Telarc International]

Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)
Jorge Calandrelli, arranger (Tony Bennett & Queen Latifah)
Track from: Duets II
[RPM/Columbia Records]

Best Recording Package
Scenes From The Suburbs
Caroline Robert, art director (Arcade Fire)
[Merge Records]

Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package
The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story
Dave Bett & Michelle Holme, art directors (Bruce Springsteen)
[Columbia Records]

Best Album Notes
Hear Me Howling!: Blues, Ballads & Beyond As Recorded By The San Francisco Bay By Chris Strachwitz In The 1960s
Adam Machado, album notes writer (Various Artists)
[Arhoolie Records]

Best Historical Album
Band On The Run (Paul McCartney Archive Collection – Deluxe Edition)
Paul McCartney, compilation producer; Sam Okell & Steve Rooke, mastering engineers (Paul McCartney & Wings)
[Hear Music]

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Paper Airplane
Neal Cappellino & Mike Shipley, engineers; Brad Blackwood, mastering engineer (Alison Krauss & Union Station)
[Rounder]

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical
Paul Epworth

Call It What You Want (Foster The People) (T)
I Would Do Anything For You (Foster The People) (T)
I’ll Be Waiting (Adele) (T)
Life On The Nickel (Foster The People) (T)
No One’s Gonna Love You (Cee-Lo Green) (S)
Rolling In The Deep (Adele) (T)

Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
Cinema (Skrillex Remix)
Sonny Moore, remixer (Benny Benassi)
Track from: Electroman
[Ultra Records]

Best Surround Sound Album
Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs (Super Deluxe Edition)
Elliot Scheiner, surround mix engineer; Bob Ludwig, surround mastering engineer; Bill Levenson & Elliot Scheiner, surround producers (Derek & The Dominos)
[USM/UMe/Polydor]

Best Engineered Album, Classical
Aldridge: Elmer Gantry
Byeong-Joon Hwang & John Newton, engineers; Jesse Lewis, mastering engineer (William Boggs, Keith Phares, Patricia Risley, Vale Rideout, Frank Kelley, Heather Buck, Florentine Opera Chorus & Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra)
[Naxos]

Producer Of The Year, Classical
Judith Sherman

Best Orchestral Performance
Brahms: Symphony No. 4
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)
[Deutsche Grammaphon]

Best Opera Recording
Adams: Doctor Atomic
Alan Gilbert, conductor; Meredith Arwady, Sasha Cooke, Richard Paul Fink, Gerald Finley, Thomas Glenn & Eric Owens; Jay David Saks, producer (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
[Sony Classical]

Best Choral Performance
Light & Gold
Eric Whitacre, conductor (Christopher Glynn & Hila Plitmann; The King’s Singers, Laudibus, Pavão Quartet & The Eric Whitacre Singers)
[Decca]

Best Small Ensemble Performance
Mackey: Lonely Motel – Music From Slide
Rinde Eckert & Steven Mackey; Eighth Blackbird
[Cedille Records]

Best Classical Instrumental Solo
Schwantner: Concerto For Percussion & Orchestra
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Christopher Lamb (Nashville Symphony)
Track from: Schwantner: Chasing Light…
[Naxos]

Best Classical Vocal Solo
Diva Divo
Joyce DiDonato (Kazushi Ono; Orchestre De L’Opéra National De Lyon; Choeur De L’Opéra National De Lyon)
[Virgin Classics]

Best Contemporary Classical Composition
Aldridge, Robert: Elmer Gantry
Robert Aldridge & Herschel Garfein
[Naxos]

Best Short Form Music Video
Rolling In The Deep
Adele
Sam Brown, video director; Hannah Chandler, video producer
[XL Recordings/Columbia Records]

Best Long Form Music Video
Foo Fighters: Back And Forth
Foo Fighters
James Moll, video director; James Moll & Nigel Sinclair, video producers
[Exclusive Media Group/RCA Records/Back & Fort]

2012 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
Allman Brothers Band, Glen Campbell, Antonio Carlos Jobim, George Jones, the Memphis Horns, Diana Ross, Gil Scott-Heron

Pulse Saturdays: We Got DIBS! saw new music and brands launched at Urban Athletics

Justin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:36:49 +0000

The energy never subsided in the recent party launch that happened in Urban Athletics in Greenbelt 3, last Saturday night February 4. Also coined as, Pulse Saturdays: We Got Dibs (Dropping Ill beats/brands simultaneously), this event featured local grown artists and brands that imbibe the urban scene.

Headlining the acts were Amber Davis and Brenan of Audio Clef Records, Thyro and Yumi of Viva Records, Pikaso of Turf Entertainment and Ninks of Flip Music. The albums represent a mixture of old school, new school, underground, mainstream hiphop and R&B that will cater to any music enthusiast.

Considered as the “Ambassador for High Quality Music,” Amber Davis brings Light Years to hip urban fashionistas who dig mainstream music. Thyro and Yumi meanwhile establish themselves as among the hottest duo to hit mainstream music with their new album Kiss (Never Let Me Go).

Pinoy Pop Superstar finalist Brenan also makes a comeback with his new school album Back to Me, as distinguished underground artist Ninks launched This Way Up. One of the country’s pillars of Filipino hiphop, Pikaso, also comes up with his new album during the event.

Alongside the album launch was the release of four spanking new brands – Magic 89.9 Boys Night Out Shirts, Empire x Fanboy and Born with Greatness Wipcaps x Fliptop’s Battle MC.

Famed for their naughtiness in the urban radio show Magic 89.9′s, Sam YG, Toni Tony and Slick Rick, or the Boys’ Night Out’s launched their most famous “MOMOL” or Make Out, Make Out Lang shirt. The whole BNO line is now exclusively available in Urban Athletics.

Meanwhile, basketball geeks went gaga over the exclusive and limited release of Hardwood Kings line by Empire x Fanboy Clothing which pays tribute to the legends of NBA.

Wipcaps also dropped their most requested yet cap, Wipcaps x Fliptop’s Battler MC. Born with Greatness shirts was also released to complete the line of Urban Athletics.

The event is presented by Urban Athletics and Team Strato and backed by Viva Records, Audioclef records, Turf Entertainment, Flip Music, Boys Night Out, Empire X Fanboy, Born with Greatness and media partners Magic 89.9, Wave 89.1 and Clavel magazine.

It was a party treat for audio, fashion and partyphiles. Nathan J. of Wave 89.1 along with spin master DJ Spinz of Jeepney Music intensified the Pulse Saturdays: We Got D.I.B.S.! event. Guests enjoyed free flowing beer, beer-pong tournament, live performances, and a raffle draw with prizes at stake.

The Voice Season 2 premieres this February on AXN

Justin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:03:35 +0000

The Voice is coming back on its second season this February. And if you’re in Asia, you can catch the music and the action on AXN starting February 6.

The Voice offers aspiring singers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be mentored by celebrity coaches. Every one of the show’s four coaches, namely Christina Aguilera, Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green and country superstar Blake Shelton, are artists who are still selling records and successful in their careers. The four coaches return to their red swiveling chairs with their sizzling chemistry. This season will feature more rounds of blind auditions and each team will have 12 acts compared to last season in which there were only eight acts per team.

The chemistry between the four coaches just sizzles naturally. But even though we watch and laugh at their antics and their friendly banter, they are still getting down to business. The coaches do have fun messing around in their red swiveling chairs, but at the end of the day it’s still about developing talent. Word is that the show will showcase more diverse talents this season. Christina Aguilera’s team will include “everything from an opera singer, powerhouse MC to soul singers.” Christina Aguilera also teased that the four coaches will start the season with a “kickass” opening performance by the coaches this season.

I can tell you that I am very excited to see what The Voice has in store for us on its second run. Who is not as excited? Maybe American Idol Randy Jackson. In a press conference in January, AI judge Randy Jackson insinuated that The Voice was a show for second chances.

In a TV guesting on “Ellen,” The Voice coach Adam Levine reacted to this comment with the Maroon 5 frontman called Jackson irresponsible. Adam said, “Shame on Randy Jackson for saying that, because he, if anybody should know, that if you’re in this business, you need second, third, fourth and fifth chances, and so we love embracing that and having that be a part of the show.”

Also signing up as guest mentors on the second season of The Voice are country star Miranda Lambert, Lionel Richie, Kelly Clarkson, Jewel, Alanis Morissette, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Robin Thicke, and Ne-Yo. So which guest mentors go to which team?

Kelly Clarkson and Miranda Lambert are set to mentor for Team Blake. Lionel Richie and Jewel will be on Team Xtina. Robin Thicke and Alanis Morissette will be helping members of Team Adam. Babyface and Ne-Yo will offer their services for members of Cee Lo’s team. The guest mentors will be assisting the four coaches and their teams during the “battle rounds” of the series.

During the battle rounds the coaches will pit two of their own team members against each other to sing the same song together in front of a studio audience. After the vocal face-off, the coach must choose which of his/her singers will advance. At the end of the battle episodes, only the strongest members of each coach’s roster remain and proceed to the live stage shows.

In this final performance phase of the competition, the top artists from each team will compete against each other during a live broadcast. The television audience will vote to save their favorite talent, leaving the coach to decide live who they want to save and who will not move on. In the end, each coach will have one star artist left ready to compete against the other teams’ finalists to be named “The Voice” – the winner will receive the grand prize of a recording contract.

Who will make it after the blind auditions? Who will make it to which team? And this year, who will emerge as The Voice? Watch the preview for The Voice Season 2 below.

The Voice Season 2 premieres on AXN on February 6 (Monday) at these times: 9pm (JKT/TH), 10pm (SG/MY/HK), 10:55pm (Philippines). You can also check AXN’s website for their broadcast schedule.

The Voice set for Asian premiere this August from AXN

Make Me Sweat: A Sexy Valentine Show from Markki Stroem and G-Force

Justin — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:36:41 +0000

Cornerstone Concerts and Qualibet is getting a piece of the live music action this coming February with a hot concept event for the month of hearts entitled Make Me Sweat: A Sexy Valentines Show. This one-night-only show features up and coming singer and one of today’s hottest TV personalities Markki Stroem and the iconic dance group G-Force on a one-of-a-kind pairing.

Recall that Markki Stroem had shown what he was made of in front of millions of TV viewers when he bade it as a finalist in ABSCBN’s “Pilipinas Got Talent” back in 2010. His tall Filipino-Norwegian looks and exceptional singing and songwriting definitely made him a favorite in the show. Stroem’s career is just blossoming and 2012 could be his banner year with his soon to be released album under a major record label. Besides being a first-rate singer, Stroem has also showcased his acting skills during his run as Henry in the Atlantis Productions theatrical production “Next to Normal” where he was nominated as best actor in the Philippine Broadway Awards.

The talented young man will parlay all that and probably a bit more come February 4, when he is paired with one of the country’s most in demand dance groups on TV and in the concert scene.

G-Force is a force to be reckoned with when the topic of dance is raised. The veteran dance group is led by director Georcelle Dapat-Sy and managing director Angel Sy. The A-list dance group has already proved its high caliber standards. Innovative, hip, fresh — those are just some of the adjectives that come to mind when G-Force is being described.

So expect it to be a fine balance of song and dance, and a sexy one at that, as these two acts pair off in a musical extravaganza that will pit youthful exuberance, good looks and the sexually appealing persona of Markki Stroem and the naturally sexy iconic dance group G-Force in Make Me Sweat: A Sexy Valentine Show.

The big night is on February 4 (Saturday) 8pm at the Music Museum. For tickets call Ticketworld at 891-9999 or at 351-4252.

Yeng Constantino: Ok Lang Maging Single sa Valentines

Yeng Constantino: Ok Lang Maging Single sa Valentines

Justin — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:15:07 +0000

Pop rock princess Yeng Constantino is on a creative streak! The singer/songwriter behind the hit Hawak Kamay is brewing something different and special as she unveils her Valentine musical presentation Ok Lang Maging Single sa Valentines.

The title of the show is a phrase born out of Yeng’s own idea. “It was August last year around the time of my solo concert at the Aliw Theater when I thought of the title, and immediately the concept of a show came to me,” Yeng said. “I thought ‘wouldn’t it be nice to come up with a show with singles in mind instead of the usual Valentines show for couples?’” she added.

Hence, the catchy title and the burst of creative energy from Yeng, who since her 2011 solo concert, has been becoming more hands-on when it comes to her career. “I’m contributing to the whole look of the show, from the concert poster design, as well as the songs that I’ll do and the choice of musicians I want to play with.”

For sure, come Valentines, we’ll be inundated by advertisements regarding dinner dates and other specials with couples in mind. We doubt that you’ll see any other hearts-day event that pertains to “singles” except this one from Yeng Constantino, and there lies the uniqueness of her show. Not only does Yeng have the interest of the singles community at heart, but who better to speak for “all the lonely people” than she who is in the same boat? “I think it’s normal to wish for someone special to come along, but if it’s not the right time, we shouldn’t force it. Let’s enjoy the single-blessedness of our situation,” she positively notes. Yeng Constantino adds that all the song numbers she will be performing will be a case to prove why it’s good to be single.

Ok Lang Maging Single sa Valentines opens on February 3 (Wednesday) 8pm at The Music Museum with special guests Jovit Baldivino and Paolo Valenciano. The show is brought to you by Cornerstone Concerts, RRJ and Qualibet. Directing the show will be Dido Camara, the brains behind the “ASAP Sessionistas,” while music direction will be under guitarist and producer Jack Rufo.

For tickets, call Ticketworld at 891-9999. Ticket prices are at Php2500, Php1500 and Php1000.

(Photos: Jojit Lorenzo)