VIBE PH Showcases OPM Artists, 70's-80's Music on LIVE Performances

Spent the afternoon and evening over at VIBE and watched their weekend show at the Meralco Theater. The lineup was just something I couldn't pass on because they promised a couple artists to be there. Particularly OPM Icons Top Suzara of popular band FREESTYLE, alternative pop rock bands SHAMROCK and NEXXUS. There's also the young, good looking and talented lad Kenaniah, promising OPM act Hezekiah, 25 year old Yael Yuzon and his band Spongecola, plus the very lovely Gigi de Lana (who's doing a number on the same stage!). 

They call this the OG Night which is done live on TV5 Saturdays at 6:15 PM. It's unbelievable to see the work they put out from this place because it took a whole town to set it up. Hosts we saw (or rather called Vibe Jocks) include Ana Ramsey, Dylan Menor, Ryle Santiago, Paulo Angeles (who was also nursing an injured foot), Kych Minemoto, Queenay Mercado and a few more millennial jocks later on in the evening. They came out guns blazing singing OPM numbers from late 70's to early 80's. It was absolutely fun!

 

We got to talk to them behind the scenes, after their photoshoot, they got me hooked up to talk to the artist before they went on stage. Let me tell you about Kenaniah. 

 

 

The boy called KENANIAH

Been following Kenaniah for a while now. I've seen him do shows left and right, create his own music and sing them with so much gusto, and definitely see how passionate he is with his craft. It's no surprise to see him on the Vibe PH stage as he gets on the 9th spot of the Main Vibe Leaderboard. The lyrics embody a guy who doesn't see the value of his efforts and end up questioning if it is enough. It is pretty sad, but he made the misery music quite catchy. The man is a genius, and I can't wait to see him be in bigger stages soon. Check out how he did it on the Vibe stage:

 

 

After doing it LIVE, I got a hint that he's a bit sick (it was the reason why he wasn't able to perform the previous week. He's got new music and plans for more gigs soon, follow him on socials @imkenaniah on IG since he updates regularly there. Thank you Kenaniah for ALWAYS being so nice! 

 

 

Also got to talk to 25 year old Yael Yuzon, Spongecola and the very beautiful Gigi de Lana. The VIBE stage is the actual second time they are performing their new song "NAGHIHILOM". Yael describes it as heavy, as it is about healing. They were very nervous about it, but knows people will LOVE this song. Gigi described it as a difficult process, even told the audience that healing is never easy process. All I can say is, I hope this isn't the last time they'd make songs. It's amazing!

SHAMROCK has got a new vocalist named Bradley Holmes (of The Voice fame), and he's being loved the same. With the plethora of songs they've got being immortalized on GMA dramas, the audience got to sing along with it when they performed on the Vibe stage. They've got a new single called PASAKIT, and it's a bit different from their previous songs because it's a bit catchy, pop rock ish, something you'd play on a drive and jam with. Here's a short chat we had with them:

 

 

If you have time, there's a couple more videos I uploaded on my YouTube channel (YouTube.com/kumagcow) These are just some of the things that you can expect with Vibe. Make sure you watch their prime time show on TV5 or their social channels because they also post performances there. I enjoyed my time covering the show and I can't wait to see more Filipino artists on the Vibe stage. They're now LIVE on Saturdays at 6:15 PM so don't miss it!

Giordano World Without Strangers Music Festival

Ira Cruz was also seen at Giordano's World Without Strangers event at Glorietta. Photo by Mikz Marcelo.

It's the 25th year anniversary of Giordano Philippines and what better way to celebrate that but by staging a huge festival right smack in the middle of Glorietta mall. They also deem this the best occasion to introduce their newest endorser Mr. Rico Blanco!

Rico Blanco sang World Without Strangers, the perfect homage to Giordano's brand (Photography by Mikz Marcelo)

It was something for the history books as they turned the 4th of July to be our own celebration of Philippine music. It's something that they see to be part of who we are and that's why they never hesitated to get the best of the best bands in the country. They also got the ultra conservative guys to host the show... of course it's the BOYSNIGHTOUT crew!  Other than that, they have made history by inviting these 15 local bands namely Callalily, Sponge Cola, Urbandub, rockstars Franco, Up Dharma Down, Gracenote, Techy Romantics, Taken By Cars, Kala, Autotelic, Join The Club, Cygnet, Maude, Hidden Nikki, Yolanda Moon plus Rico Blanco who performed the World Without Strangers song during the festivities. They also have given recognition to 12 people from different walks of life who gave value to the "World Without Strangers" declaration that Giordano stands firm with all these years.

World Without Strangers is also composed by Rico Blanco. It was something that he had fun making because the concept was easy since it relates to Giordano's vision of a borderless world. It's something that a person like Rico Blanco would believe in. They also have announced the winners of the Giordano Statement Tee Design contest. The winners shirts will be released somewhere in the last week of July. The track will also be available on iTunes so everyone can download it there.

One of my favorite bands URBANDUB was there. Gabby was awesome! (Photography by Mikz Marcelo)

Yael Yuzon brought down the house with his brand of music. (Photography by Mikz Marcelo)

Armi Millare, of world class Up Dharma Down was just heavenly! (Photography by Mikz Marcelo)

Pretty rock chic Eunice of Gracenote. The photographer had a crush on her haha! (Photography by Mikz Marcelo)

He gets points for bringing the crowd up on their feet, here's Kean Cipriano of Callalily. This dude is tops, he even recognized me during the Deezer launch. (Photography by Mikz Marcelo)

Aaron Ricafrente does what he's absolutely good at. (Photography by Mikz Marcelo)

Forgot the name of this band, sorry but of course they were really good too! (Photography by Mikz Marcelo)

Sick! Rock personified with Franco Reyes on vocals. This is FRANCO. (Photography by Mikz Marcelo)

Tattoos + darn good vocalist = Freakin rockstar from Cebu. (Photography by Mikz Marcelo)

Yael Yuzon going borderless and staying free during the World Without Strangers Festivities. See how crazy he is? He almost crowdsurfed! (Photography by Mikz Marcelo)

The mission is clear and they have absolutely given the Philippines something that the world is in need of. A World Without Strangers. This event just put a stamp on that!

Fun moment when Kean Cipriano wiped Eunice's face while performing. Epic! (Photography by Mikz Marcelo)

I'd like to thank Giordano for inviting us and to Concert Photographer par excellance Mikz Marcelo for covering for me. Muchas gracias mi hombre! You are awesome!

For more information about their stores:

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Tanduay Rhum Rockfest Year 7

One epic night deserve some gorgeous photos. I've covered them last year and this year's Tanduay Rhum Rockfest Year 7 was surely awesome! The crowd was rocking, the multitude of bands who performed were well appreciated. Thousands of people flocked the Mall of Asia Concert Grounds taking advantage of the tickets they got from drinking one of the best rhums in the world... TANDUAY!

How can you not love seeing Parokya ni Edgar, Kamikazee, Rico Blanco, Sponge Cola, Wolfgang, Gloc 9, Color it Red, Ebe Dancel, True Faith, The Youth, Chicosci, Sandwich, Kitchie Nadal, Barbie Almabis, Alamid, Abra, Session Road, General Luna, Frank Magalona, Hilera, The Dawn, Franco, Up Dharma Down, Siakol and 6cyclemind all in one place? You must be out of your mind!

Barbie Almalbis stayed away from the acoustic set she did on other stints and got back to her stuff with a cloud of electric guitar goodness and played the classic hits we loved.

He's back and he's even got a Rhum Coke on his hand. He's no other than the great lover boy Chito Miranda who gave the crowd superior performance with Parokya ni Edgar. He didn't hold back on performance level and it was awesome to hear him sing with other artists during the Tanduay Rockfest Year 7. Him + GLOC9 = EPIC!

Jet Pangan and The Dawn singing SALAMAT above all things brings back memories. He's the best in his class and brings REAL music hands down. No matter what genre, people still appreciate their music because its genuine... salamat for everything. Thank you for getting in touch with the crowd too!

People don't go crazy as JAY of Kamikazee. Put him on stage plus a couple of gorgeous girls and he'll surely ask for a GROUP HUG. No malice or pun intended. He's the real deal ladies man and he rocked MOA Grounds that night.

6CycleMind's former frontman Ney Dimaculangan shows us he's still got it. This guy's vocal adrenaline is tops. He's voice is really good and mighty perfect for rockstars. He's the real deal and this was doubly great when he also got on stage with other artists.

What's even better is that even if you missed this concert, they'll be showing it on TV as Tanduay Rhum Rockfest VII premiers via Sunday Night Box Office on GMA-7 November 10, 2013. It shows around 10PM-12AM so make sure you don't touch that remote if you wish to have this rockfest in your homes!

Plus there'll be MORE provincial tours like the Tanduay First Five in LUCENA City which happens on November 15 at the Alcala Sports Complex. To get tickets, just purchase Tanduay 5 years or Tanduay Light 750 ML and go to Leoning Store - Tagarao Street, Brgy. Iyam Lucena City, RS Wine House - Gomez Street, Corner Enriquez Street, Lucena City, and Vencili Veneli Wine House - Enriquez Street, Lucena City. Or you can do the Tanduay First Five in BATANGAS City which happens on November 16. You can get your tickets from Rafael Nabor - Tierra Verde, Pallocan, Batangas City, Reden Dela Rocca - Tingga Labac, Batangas City, Lucio Magadia - Alangilan, Batangas City, Fast Bite Convenience Store - Pallocan West, Batangas City and Dreaming Forest Convenience Store - Alangilan, Batangas City. Just do the same thing and purchase the Tanduay bottles mentioned above and you're good to go!

CREDITS TO PHOTOS: Thank you so much to correspondent and premier Concert Photographer Mikz Marcelo for these awesome shots! You are awesome! #TeamEmpire

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