AEGIS: "Halik Sa Ulan" - A Valentines Special at the New Frontier Theater

People sorely miss the Filipino pop rock band AEGIS. With the passing of their lead vocalist Mercy Sunot last November, it would be an injustice to just leave their music and legacy behind. This coming February 1 and 2, they'll be holding a concert entitled AEGIS: Halik Sa Ulan, A Valentines Special at the New Frontier Theater, Araneta City.

Juliet and Ken will bring you some of their best hits plus a throng of love songs, putting their own AEGIS spin so you could get the lovely valentine's day feels you've been looking for.They will also be performing songs with AEGIS' keyboardist Stella Pablico, drummer Vilma Goloviongo, bassist Weng Adriano and their lead guitarist Rey Abenoja. For sure, there will be a part of the show that will be dedicated to Ms. Mercy, and how she was able to put up a good fight, and how important it would be to continue living with their music as we remember her. If you've been following her on TikTok, you could see how she still performed like there was no tomorrow, something that we'd want to always remember her for right? Also performing in the show is promising singing boy group Formula 5. Aside from that, guests like Asia's Phoenix Morisette Amon, Jona, Ogie Alcasid and Julie Anne San Jose plus surprise guests will be singing in between numbers, and also do productions with the band, something you surely would love to see. 

We talked to the band this afternoon at the press conference held at VIVA CAFE and asked them what will happen at the show. AEGIS would like to thank Geof Lagria Styling, Alex Ruelo Photography, and their sponsors Uratex Monoblock, Power Melo, Boss Max 3, Newport World Resorts and Viva Cafe. This show is produced by Cues + Fues Advertising Inc. and creative direction by FLM Creatives. This is directed by Frank Lloyd Mamaril.

Make sure you get tickets via TICKETNET.COM.PH on either dates because they promise nostalgia, the same brand of music and more this coming February 1 and 2. 

SKYGARDEN Set To Release First Single Under GMA's altG Records

If you haven't caught their videos yet, you must go and check SKYGARDEN on YouTube to see how these 3 Japanese guys (Ryo, Iwa and Hiro) ended up in the Philippines. Today, they announced signing with GMA's altG Records (an arm of GMA Music) and will be releasing their first single called KOKOA in digital platforms this coming September 1st. They've been doing a lot of covers on YouTube, Facebook and social channels . They have been also gaining attention in recent months because of their hit long form videos about pranks, their efforts in doing Fiilipino things, and also pretending to be BTS in some of their videos which has gained millions of views.

SKYGARDEN signs with GMA's altG Records and releasing their first single KOKOA

I've met them this afternoon and they're a pretty fun bunch of guys. During the pandemic, Ryo saw his 2 best friends who lost their jobs and struggled with their mental state in Japan. It was then when he bought two tickets for them to bring them to the Philippines so they could experience the culture, and how it is to live here. They ended up adoring Filipinos, their couldn't believe how some of the people they met were generous, welcoming and kind despite their economic stature. This is just one of many reasons why they now choose to live here, and now they're not just content creators, and chose to make their brand of music. 

 

If you get to listen to KOKOA, you'll see how it is a bit of a JRock experience, with the choice of using Filipino for the lyrics. So in a nutshell, it's a combination with Japanese rock with OPM. It'll remind you of those intros and outros of anime shows you've been watching online. It's something they are heavily influenced with. With their success, they plan to actually put it to good use and do a lunch movement, it'll be like CSR programs to feed those who can't by adopting schools. Aside from that, they plan to still continue to create content together to make sure they pay back those who supported them all these years.

Here's our conversation at the mediacon this afternoon.

They're funny, good looking and pretty driven about what they want to do in the content creation industry and music. They're in it full time and plan to do more of it in the next few months. You'll definitely see more of them in radio, different shows, online to promote their new single, which they hope you'll love. You can already pre-order it on Apple Music buy buying it now, then it'll alert on September 1st when you can play it. For the other platforms, you can start purchasing it on the same date. I like how they mentioned how supportive their parents are with their chosen careers. They really wanted them to follow their passion. This is under altG Records of GMA Music.

Congratulations Ryo, Iwa and Hiro. Keep on doing what you love!

FASHION and MUSIC at the MACBETH MUSIC FESTIVAL

This is huge, and will be epic as popular clothing/footwear brand Macbeth celebrates their 20th Anniversary. Fans in the Philippines will be treated with a full MACBETH Music Festival that will involve a concert with some of the country's biggest bands and musicians, plus a fashion show of gargantuan proportions. 

This will happen at the Metrotent Convention Center in Pasig City on October 8 at 11AM (when gates will open) but pretty much, you will be having fun there the whole day. Over 30 foreign and local models will be walking on the runway overlapped in 2 concert stages (confirmed by the event director) as different bands from different parts of the country will converge at the event. Artists such as Chelsea Alley, Rico Blanco, Divina, Lilith will perform in the concert including well known bands Mayonnaise, Urbandub, Chocolate Factory, Sandwich, Hilera, Even, Snakefight, Sucketseven, Fragments, Chndtr, Fastpitch, Soapdish, Written By The Stars, Shotgun Combo, Imbue No Kudos and Rouge. You will also get to see them work together via Macbeth All-Stars and Superband which I'm sure a lot of people would wonder how it could be executed.

The band Snakefight got us a taste of what's to happen on October 8th!

For the Fashion part of the show, MACBETH will also be launching several brand lines that will be part of what they will have in the Philippine market. They're pretty much going to have Lady Macbeth and an underwear showcase for Macbeth Underwear; which will be a bit different from what we've been seeing from MACBETH these past few years. But rest assured, it'll be still sticking to their guns that it will be made by artists, for artists. and you in mind. 

For those who don't know, MACBETH is a brand from Southern California founded by Tom DeLonge of Blink182. This represents him, his lifestyle and his music made for the like-minded ones. They make clothing, footwear and accessories. Can't wait for what's about to happen on October 8th, and I'm excited about the fashion show equally since I've been hungry for runway since the pandemic occurred. 

See you there!

Meet the Band Called FIREFLIES

Took time out of my busy schedules for a night out on my neighborhood in Quezon City. Pretty dark out there, but I've seen something glow from afar, it was lights from a local bar where I saw FIREFLIES was playing.

It's a band formed in 2016, who now decided to get re-launched with new members in tow. If you're a little observant, you probably know most of them are from bands Cueshé who's had remarkable success in the early 2000's. Jay Justiniani does Lead Vocals, Jhunjie Dosdos on Vocals , Guitar and Keyboards, while JC Del Rosario IV does Vocals and Bass Guitar, RM Tolentino who does Percussions and Pat Galut does the Lead Guitar. They've been working hard the past few months taking a shot at writing songs, doing covers and performing in different locations across the Philippines.

Here's our short chat with them after a set, apologies as it's quite noisy in the bar we were in that evening. 

Jay says "Actually, this group is easy to work with. Jhunjie is a former band member of Cueshé (like him) so we do really know each others dynamics. Our other band members are also good songwriters, so it was easy to work with even though we have different ideas. It was easier to make songs if you guys understand each other. Jhunjie and I are good friends, and good friends are hard to come by."

JC adds "Jhunjie and I started to work with Fireflies, and we now have new band members, we just didn't have a vocalist then, Jay agreed to join later on and that became a positive direction for the Fireflies band."

Jhunjie adds "I remember Jay was having doubts joining us a few years back. He was very busy and was based in Cebu. It was a bit difficult because we were playing in Manila most of the time. Some of the former Fireflies got a little tired working with us in the band because of the pandemic as income was really tight because we didn't have gigs during the lockdown. He had to go back to Davao. I was the only one left, I knew I had to do something. I'm thankful Jay agreed even if we haven't seen each other for a long time."

They named themselves Fireflies because it's like a spark in the dark. They're raring to perform in company parties, concerts local or foreign. They are currently being managed by Ms. Grace who previously worked in ABSCBN. You may get in touch with them through 09923150106 as it'll be surely busy during the holidays. They're bringing their new brand of music, some covers, and some old classics that 90's kids, Millenials and Gen Z's would absolutely love. They're going to release a few singles soon, so make sure you follow them also on their social channels at https://www.facebook.com/fireflies.ph because they're going to post updates of their gigs on that page.

Cheers to more music from FIREFLIES! Hope you shine brighter in the darkest hours and share your love of music even more!

SLAPSHOCK Celebrates 20th with ATAKE

Still rocking the stage all these years, SLAPSHOCK my favorite local rock band is still filling up stages here and abroad. It's been 20 years, don't count that if you don't want to feel old, because these guys still look as young as they've started and I'm not even surprised.

Doing what you love and seeing people enjoy your music must have been one of the reasons why. 

Jamir says "20 years is hard but pretty good at the same time, we grew up touring. All the supporters, our armies and sponsors, we want to thank them all. It's a different album, we went heavier, we still listen to everything to pop, rock or hiphop, we keep growing, we are still hungry. ATAKE is just that. 20 years but we're not slowing down, music is faster, like attacking more. ATAKE took us more than a year to complete and write this album, although it's easy to record, writing tagalog songs was so hard. Now we have a more positive song, this just comes natural on our own time. The demand of our dark army is just strong and this is massive. We talked about all the takes, this is mosh pit stuff, we always want to bring out the fresh things to the album. You hear us, but you have to see us, we are a live band and it's a part of the process that we have to go through. We want to do it live, not acoustic, because we want to do it heavy right now. We also did something for Red Horse, unshocked which will come out soon. Fame is never there, we always have something to do, we feel like we are always the underdog. We don't have fans but we have friends supporting us. We are a loud band but we're very quiet off stage and tamed. We meet our fans, even with disabilities, they get inspired through our music, we get inspired by them. It takes out the armor of being a rockstar, we are normal and we are on the same playing field. We would always bring a little bit of a slapshock song, our comfort is ourselves and maybe if we get challenged. I need to sleep a lot, I work out, I don't smoke but I have a lot of red horse. We now have to be responsible and be careful on what we do because we have kids listening to us, being a good example is do that day in day out because we influence people. That requires a lot."

He adds "I guess it's not a single person thing when we do this, we perform always as Slapshock. Thank you for all the fans for following and believing in us, we are goong to do some crazy a$s shows and it's an awesome feeling to have you around."

When asked about why their sponsors continue to believe in them, lead guitarist Lean Ansing says "We keep things dynamic, we keep it always new so we have something to offer. We don't over publicize so we keep a certain mystery still. That's out secret."

Their album is out already on online stores, please follow and like their Facebook page because it contains their tour dates and schedules. Yes, they are touring locally now, so you better catch them!

KUMAGCOW

Fresh Blogs Fast!

Rock & Seoul Bibimbap Bar at SM The Block

There's a new restaurant that opened at the Ground Floor of The Block in SM North Edsa. They've made it like a new strip of some sort that would probably cater to the more growing crowd in the area. Management probably had a hand choosing tenants as they've put up some pretty new brands instead of just the veterans they had inside their other malls. That's a step in a new direction. If you've heard of the Relish Group, (the ones who also owns Wee Nam Kee, Osaka Osho and Kumori Japanese Bakery) this is an original restaurant concept they call Rock & Seoul Bibimbap Bar.

The premise is easy. You choose the meat, the veggies that come with it, then the sauce. If you prefer the "easier" way, they've got specially prepared Bibimbap varieties that you would love. Thing is, they're not serving the usual too. It's more of like fusion, like east meets west. Still, it would be in Bibimbap form.

You've got the usual Banchan, with Kimchi, Chicken Salad, Korean Soy Fried Chicken, Cold Pickle/Noodle Salad too. This would be a thing that would go nice with your Bibimbap so instead of eating it all up, I suggest you leave some for later use.

 

They serve everything in a hot plate so they have paper shields reminiscent of other restaurants you may know who have them. As with any Bibimbaps, they have rice in the center, the whole enchalada on the sides, then the special sauce on the table which you can put in generously over your Bibimbap.

I thought this was Bulgogi but no, this is actually Bistek Bibimbap which is part of their Signature Baps. If you don't prefer to build a Bibimbap of your own, you can order these on the menu. They don't hold back on garlic as you can see, so this should be good.

This is my favorite, the Mexican Taco. It's got all the essentials in a usual taco plus corn and carrots on the side. Make sure you put in a generous amount of sauce on the rice while it's hot because this is good, really good that I am saying this is my favorite of all the things they have in the store.

This is what they call American Breakfast. You have the Potato hash, Bacon, Hamburger patty, Egg, Cucumber and Carrots. This should be ordered by people who would want to have something more filling, as it's carbs and protein mainly.

This is the Original Bibimbap. They've got the usual stuff, veggies, got Spinach which I love! 

This is the Korean Fried Chicken Bibimbap. It's got those yummy breaded chicken breast pieces, fried until golden brown, mixed with the usual veggies. You've got the house sauce on the table so make sure you put it on generously, you're basically dousing it so it won't be too hot (since it is on a sizzling plate) and also making it a tad sweeter for doing that. I like this too but if I were to choose between this and the Mexican Taco, I'd go with that.

I've had lots of Bibimbap in different restaurants, some are better than these but if you think about the price, this is way affordable. You can also customize which in my books is something that other restaurants don't offer. You get affordable but quality food, that is something you should really take note of. Go visit them at the ground floor of SM The Block right in front of the SM Hypermarket. They are on the left side, you shouldn't miss it. 3.5/5.

For more information about their restaurant:

Rock & Seoul

Like them on Facebook


Visit their official website

http://relish-group.com/rockseoul/

BUM Launches New Collection and Endorsers Nash, Diego, Jane and Ella

The well loved street/urban wear brand BUM took us on a whim through a grand fashion show called UNLEASH YOUR REALITEE. From hiding your true self, to anime, to rock and cosplay... they've done a lot to get you unravel yourself. That's their call this season and their Summer Collection speaks of pastel colors now even when they were dark and mystifying in the past. It's a lot of change but judging from the pieces we saw on the runway that evening... we also felt it was time! (Word of warning: Picture heavy post because this is 3 collections in one show!)

Since the Tees were the star of the show, we noticed right from entering the venue some mannequins on the side. They were showing off the new designs and prints that will soon populate BUM's racks. But wait, all along I thought they were mannequins... some of them are real people! I was startled when some of them moved!

I also had a small chat with the creative people behind the show and the campaigns shoot. In the middle is Rai Lacoste with his sister on the left. The guy on the right is photographer Ash Evasco. I must say, he did a pretty good job with the new endorsers which you'll see in a bit!

I already love what I'm seeing. The colors alone got me excited! Add to that some new patterns and designs on the shirts. The material also improved. You'll feel how much care they put into every shirt.

Bloggers were already at it. MJ, Edsel and Jeng were doing Twitter, FB, Instagram so you guys can get the latest photos of the stars that arrived there. Speaking of which, one already arrived!

That's Bea Binene. She's the lone GMA Artist that endorses BUM now. She says it doesn't matter because whether you are from other stations, once that you become part of the BUM family you won't feel any different. We'll see her on the show later too!

The fashion show started with a little introduction; Irish music and some Leprechaun looking chap that speaks French hosting the show. The lights were dimmed, and the models came out one by one. 

Now see how you can put these shirts into good use? Who can say these are ordinary tees? It's fashionable, definitely edgy! Plus, I love the stitched pants. Some even have color on them, would they have something in my size? I hope so!

Daniel Padilla and Bea Binene For The BUM Holiday Collection

Fashion never comes late for popular brand BUM as they've come out with their Holiday collection this 2013. With hues of Black, Blue, Gray for men, and added Reds for women... they've amped up what figures to be the usual BUM jackets, shirts, pants and accessories and made them more wearable, appealing and super cool!

Check out these photos from the BUM PR which we've reworked and cropped a bit. I must say, Daniel Padilla looks good... whilst Bea Binene looks so hot in these clothes!

Layers are still in. The faux leather jackets are my favorite. You can still mix and match it with your current BUM wardrobe but never get lost in style. Simple black pants and a white printed shirt, it all looks so cool on Daniel carrying that rocker vibe. Bea Binene on the other hand complements Daniel's style with a gray long sleeved printed shirt, black denim pants and faux leather jacket too. Accented by studded bracelets, gloves and rings, she can pass up as the rocker chick Daniel would love to have as a partner. I can imagine these two on a motorcycle, a Harley perhaps and it'll still work!