Take four people who play musical instruments, one of them a potential “Crush ng Bayan” and at least must know how to sing – and voila! a commercially successful band.
The Philippine music circuit is not a stranger to this mixture of pogi points in the band scene. The foursome of vocalist Bamboo Mañalac, guitarist Ira Cruz, drummer Vic Mercado and bassist Nathan Azarcon breaks bounds of traditional dugyot?-ish projection of the band scene. They are all good-looking, oozing with masculinity, neat, and most of all, they really rock.
Being Like the Bamboo
The return of Bamboo Mañalac after his mysterious departure from River Maya is definitely the most-awaited comeback in the Philippine rock music scene.
Certainly with all the recognition he and his band are getting nowadays, it was worth the wait.
Bamboo went to the US shortly after he made an impact in the rock band scene. Somehow, without his signature voice that used to dominate the airwaves, rock scene wasn’t the same anymore.
Meanwhile, Nathan joined the band Kapatid as a side project. It is through Kapatid that he shared the stage with Ira Cruz, an expert guitar player who made the rounds in several popular local acts.
Bamboo’s stay in the US did not stop him from being in contact with Nathan. In such correspondences, talks about forming a new band with a different beat and vision transpired. Nathan then began coordinating with Ira regarding Bamboo’s plan. Wasting no time, Ira called a drummer he has worked with before, Vic Mercado. They only had to wait for Bamboo’s return to the Philippine soil.
Rocking Slow-Mo
The band’s debut performance in 2002 coincided with a magazine launch. Eventually, they were able to acquire gigs as small as bar tours and as big as numerous MTV events. Bamboo remained to be the industry’s open secret, gathering materials for a then-possible album and doing the rounds in occasional gigs. The stellar qualities of the band members became a regular topic of fans and the Pinoy Indie scene.
Then The Music Plays
After a year of silence, yet slowly crawling through the buzz of the underground scene, Bamboo finally signed with EMI-PolyEast Records on October 2003. Their debut album, As the Music Plays…reveals Bamboo’s amazing vocal gymnastics through emotive interpretations of each song.
Their debut album was both critically and commercially successful. The group won the MTV Pilipinas 2004’s Best New Artist, Best Group, and Favorite Song for “Noypi” The 2004 NU 107 Rock Awards bestowed awards for Band/Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Vocalist of the Year for Bamboo Mañalac. Drummer of the year for Vic Mercado and Listener’s Choice. They also received multiple awards from various local radio stations such as 89.9 WTM and RX 93.1 in 2004.
In March 2005, their album “As the Music Plays” was certified Double Platinum. AWIT AWARDS 2005, the local counterpart of the Grammy’s, cemented Bamboo’s pop-all stature by giving them awards such as Best Performance by a New Group, Best Rock Song for “Noypi” and the People’s Choice Award for “Noypi".
Since its release, “As the Music Plays” has never left the best –selling charts of record stores and has produced other chart-topping hits such as “Mr. Clay” and “Masaya.”
Redefining Light, Peace and Love
The camaraderie that have been forged among the members of Bamboo contributed greatly to their music and commercial success that after months of dominating the charts and being busy with gigs. Bamboo had managed to gather enough material for their second album and go to the studio to record it.
The result is LighPeaceLove, where they provide listeners a glimpse of jazz and rock but still in adherence with their signature Bamboo-esque flavour. Adding instruments to increase the quality of sound, their first single “Hallelujah” (the only Tagalog song included in the album) has heated up radio waves with its appeal to budding adults as a song of love for fellowmen, truth for the innocent and hope for those who dream.
For a long time, the band scene in the Philippines has remained in quietus; the phenomenal success of Bamboo is a sign of the times – that the youth needs a voice, a voice that reflects the brotherhood of four war-tested soldiers, who, in the process, uses music as their sword and emblem of nobleness.
This is the sound of the generation. And, come to think of it, it is not another story. This is the history of the Pinoy mainstream rock unfolding.
