StopOver: Route 196

10/25/2016 03:18:38 PM

When I first stormed by the indie music scene, this bar in the upper-terrain Blue Ridge was my first place-to-be. And why not? From my residence, it was just a mere 20-minute walk for me to reach there, unless I am lazy enough.

Established in 2006, Route 196 is tagged by many as the premier live music venue in the Northern side of Metropolitan. Located at just beside one the main gates of Blue Ridge Subdivision, it was barely accessible for every music lover, especially if a resident within the vicinity of Marikina-Project 4-Xavierville or studying at the Northern version of U-belt (UP and Ateneo).

One Night Stand Gone Naught

12/08/2016 03:35:59 PM

It is barely three weeks since we have last seen one of the shocking moments in WWE this year. Just when we thought of Seth Rollins' return, Zack Ryder's WrestleMania moment, AJ Styles's Royal Rumble cameo, or a double cross by Triple H as the top moments that had made us talking, we were wrong.

It was at the 20th of November, during the 30th annual Survivor Series, we had a main event that was shorter than what we even expect from those kickoff matches. Bill Goldberg defeated Brock Lesnar not only in absolute dominating fashion, but in an instant as well.

Heck, not even a quarter of the time they hyped this shit at all. 

The Scene Around: Jazz Night with Tom's Story

12/08/2016 02:34:50 PM

Barely a year after hitting their monthly dues at Mow's Bar, upcoming band The Modern Playground made a bold move in their usual gigs by inviting other artists to come over – at the same time, make their fans get some interest not just in their band but to the music they are offering as well. 

Jose Mari Chan Season

12/09/2016 03:46:55 PM

Pare 1: Tao ba to?
Pare 2: Oo.
P1: Matanda?
P2: Oo!
P1: Lumalabas pag Pasko?
P2: Oo!!
P1: JOSE MARI CHAN!

Meeting An Honest Mistake (Without the Need of Committing One, Literally)

12/06/2016 05:53:32 PM

Meet Darren Teh, Leonard Chua, Tomas Tam, and Ian Ng. They're four men from different cities and from different musical backgrounds who comprised An Honest Mistake, one of the top bands from the pop rock scene in Malaysia. And they just paid a visit to the Philippines for the ninth time since its formation in 2008 – first as talents of Universal Music Malaysia.

The band dropped by once again in the nation's capitol as the only foreign band to headline Threadfest Manila 2016, one of the biggest music events that held at B-Side, The Collective in Makati City on 22 November 2016. Apart from that, An Honest Mistake also held a special acoustic gig held the next evening at Zili Restaurant & Bar in Cainta, Rizal.

They were introduced by our local counterparts MCA Music Inc. (Universal Music Philippines) with formality to the much-wider audience. Asked about how things went on from indie to mainstream the band tells their whole story.

The Scene Around: Raoul and The Wild Tortillas “Tribute To The Philippines” Album Launch

12/06/2016 09:00:48 PM

Raoul Imbach has taken his musical journey into another while level as The Singing Diplomat launched a record that served his collection of musings about a country whom he served for the past three years – a 14-track album from his group Raoul and The Wild Tortillas titled “Tribute To The Philippines.”

The Scene Around: LRT 1 Soundtrack

12/06/2016 11:26:23 PM

It was a rare thing to see musicians share their craft in front of the riding public for free. We have seen them before with Rock Da Riles, a project by RockEd Philippines and their stage usually situated at selected stations around the Metro Rail Transit Line 3.

This year, though, witnessed another similar emergence, with some of the upcoming bands from the indie scene perform in a random Friday afternoon at the Doroteo Jose station of Light Rail Tranist (LRT) Line 1 in Manila.

Visioning A New Strain

12/06/2016 04:41:27 AM

Photo by Roxanne Nebres

After one and a half decade in the stratosphere of Pinoy rock, band frontman Gabby Alipe has taken on a different challenge just like the rockstars came before him – being a solo artist. Barely a year after Urbandub went on hiatus, Alipe hit the notes once again – much apart from managing talents in Nemesis Music Group and focusing on his family as well – by releasing an all-new material, a six-track EP titled A New Strain.

The Scene Around: Gabby Alipe "A New Strain" EP Launch

12/06/2016 03:47:14 AM

It was during that fateful Friday night in November when one of the gems in the Filipino rock has solidified his status as a one-man act. And this time, Gabby Alipe wasn't the same old Cebuano rock star we all know.

While the famed front man took the helm of Urbandub for 15 years, being a soloist was a whole new different journey. After grueling process of song-making with producer Eric Perlas, Alipe released a six-track EP titled A New Strain, on November 11 and 12 at the A Space Gallery in Legazpi Village, Makati City. 

The Scene Around: Blogapalooza Charting The Uncharted Horizons 2.0

11/05/2016 09:11:42 PM

After five years of being successful, the second installment of this year's Blogapalooza lived up to their title – literally, they have shown horizons in charting the uncharted this past Saturday, 5 November 2016, at the Novotel Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City.

The day was filled by enriching talks, depicting the How-Tos on being an effective influencer through blogging and social media.

The Pre-take: WWE TLC 2016

12/04/2016 07:15:30 PM

Photo credts: Forbes

It's that time of the year where Christmas is served here at WWE the barbaric way – as similar to what they called Demolition Derby. Though there is a Roadblock PPV after this one, let's say this is SmackDown's last chance to end the year with a bang as the blue-branded program will stage their exclusive event called TLC – that is Tables, Ladders, and Chairs, ladies and gentlemen.

Six matches were about to be slated in the special.

The Rundown Slam: WWE Survivor Series 2016

12/04/2016 04:18:11 PM

Survivor Series has come big time as the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) celebrated the 30th year of the event's existence with three Survivor Series matches between the brands RAW and SmackDown Live.

The Scene Around: Who Is Wasted Wendy?

10/24/2016 06:29:49 PM

One question: Who is Wasted Wendy? That question was answered on Thursday, 20 October 2016, at SaGuijo Bar in Makati City as We Are The Underdogs Productions staged their seventh installment of the WAT UP Mix series.

The Scene Around: Stanley Chi Pogi Points Book Launch (2012)

12/01/2016 11:31:45 PM

Photographed by Dennyl B. Venzon; obtained at Stanley Chi's Facebook page.

Talk about a holiday flashback. We go back to four years ago. It was the first of December 2012 at the branch of National Book Store in Shangri-la Mall in Mandaluyong City as Stanley Chi launched his book that set himself apart from being the Suplado guy we know.

Bars Fight: Loonie vs. Tipsy D (Isabuhay 2016 Semis)

11/09/2016 10:56:52 AM

Hindi na ako magtataka kung bakit napaka-classic ng laban na ito para sa mgayong taon. Imagine mo: isang hari ng tugma at ang isa sa mga magagaling na rapper mula sa Central Luzon, nagkasagupa sa semifinals ng Isabuhay tournament ng FlipTop. Pangalan pa lang, mabigat na. What more pa kaya ang performance nila.