Barbie Almalbis
In 1997, Yvette Barbara Almalbis started off as a solo singer/songwriter frequenting clubs like Freedom Bar in Anonas, QC and similar joints. But she came to prominence as the lead singer, songwriter and guitar player of Hungry Young Poets. Three years after, she formed Barbie's Cradle.
Finally in July 2005, after fronting these two popular bands, Barbie decided that it's time to pursue new direction... a path that many has seen coming - to go solo.
After signing up with 12 Stone Records, which also handles premier artists Kitchie Nadal and Rocksteddy, the multi-talented singer, painter and writer released Barbie: The Singles. The 18 – track collection includes Barbie's most intimate and well-known compositions: "Torpe", "Firewoman", "Tabing Ilog", "The Dance", and "Goodnyt".
And now, in just a span of eight months, Barbie's solo career has expanded exponentially.
In August 2005, Barbie's refreshing Close-Up jingle with a lilting tune, "Just A Smile" took the airwaves by a storm. The Song, which accompanies the Close-Up series of TV commercials, marks Barbie's career take off. "Just A Smile" became number one in the Mobile Myx Top Picks for 5 weeks.
In September 2004, Barbie was the Myx celebrity VJ and MTV local artist of the month.
The talented solo performer is also nominated as the Best Female Artist of the year for 2006 Awit Awards.
Barely 9 months in her solo career, Barbie has made strings of number one hits, namely, "High", the Eraserheads original "Overdrive", and her career single "Dahilan". All are currently number one in radio request charts.
In March 2006, Barbie's "Summer Day" won the bid for Sunsilk's summer campaign, which is also number in the airplay. The Barbie fever has indeed caught the music industry.
Never in the history of the recording industry that all for number one hits are one album.
And now to launch her new album under 12 Stone Records and Warner Music Philippines, which is sure to be sensation, Barbie Almalbis - Parade.
If this rock band Solace were to become title of a book, it would certainly be “The importance of being earnest.”
Composed of singer-songwriter Chad Canares, guitarist Sam Codilla, bass player Rodney Vidanes and drummer Herson Fremista, the quartet hawks sincerity in the 10 tracks of its debut album “Never Easy” under Paragon Music Corporation. Unlike most new bands that claim the same but conjure exact opposite, Solace is eloquent lyricism and sparse-but-sophisticated-arrangement befitting musical ideas that go beyond the “I-love-you-you-love-me-and-all-lived-happily-ever-after” type.
The title track first single, already picked up by such trend-setting radio stations as JAM 88.3, DWTM 89.9, RX 93.1, LS 97.1, RT 99.5, K-Lite 103.5 and NU 107.5 long before the studio album is put on shelves, clues us in on Solace’s modus operandi. In making sense of the final days of one rocky relationship, the band hits the nail in the head albeit too painfully that there are worlds simply too different from each other to even hope to meet in the same emotional plane.
Sounds heavy? It is! As with other tracks as “Riding With Angels” (inspired by losing a loved one), “Bridging The Gap” (making sense of starting over maybe belatedly), “Bang” (seeing ones self again after a long time), etc. Now if profundity of such confessions tends suspicion that all redound from true-to-life experiences, then speculate no more. Solace affirms.
In fact, the band’s name (which loosely means a place where refuge resides) hints on therapy--the healing-- they find in their confessions. Dark these may be on first sight, all point to reprieve in redemption on hindsight. It’s this same factor that makes the snobbish subject matters and musicality still commercially appealing as the band’s heroes live, Sting and Dave Matthews Band. Indeed, who doesn’t want salvation? Salvation sells.
Solace was formed no more than six months ago. Members sound masterful in what they do because all came from different Cebu bands of varying musical inclinations prior to conversion. Members learned how to sound like a unit so fast because they truly believe in what they do and they don’t care if the outside world shares in the faith. “We’re not going to beg people to like us,” they say. “When you strip down to your soul in front of everyone, the last thing you’re thinking of is mass acceptance. What is there is what is.”
This honesty is what convinced Cueshe’ manager Myke Sarthou to take them in. “I have heard of and even met Solace several times but was never interested,” he says. “It was only when I heard their music did I realize that I was looking at a musical elite; a band bound for prestige because they dare do things musically that no one until now has been brave enough to with passion and integrity. Conveying truths about imperfections of human relationships can be painful to both source and recipient. Solace, however, turns it into something liberating.”
Sourcing from sincerity steeped in sophistication maybe an uphill battle in terms of selling. But then again, they know, and are sound in the knowledge, that doing so is never easy. Other tracks in “Never Easy” are “Healing,” “Ed,” “Dream Maker,” “Borrowed Time,” “Radio” and “Hideaway.”
SANDWICH once again showcases its unique talent with its fourth album FIVE ON THE FLOOR released under their new label, EMI Philippines. With this latest offering, the band has once again redefined the parameters of heavy music, revolutionizing the genre by matching unsettling guitar textures and volcanic rhythms with jagged, introspective lyrics and intense vocal styling.
After scoring hits with their initial independent release and two subsequent albums under a major label, SANDWICH marks its sixth year in the industry with an new album and a new line-up – Raymund Marasigan on vocals and guitars (Eraserheads,Cambio, Pedicab), Diego Castillo on guitars, Mike Dizon on drums (Teeth, Pedicab), Myrene Academia on bass (Imago), Mong Alcaraz on Guitars (Chicosci).
The first single, SUGOD, has a catchy tune that is sure to get more attention with its staple “Sugod mga kapatid” call between roaring drumbeats. Not to be left behind is its music video directed by the award-winning director Marie Jamora.
SUGOD was inspired by the popular 70’s pinoy rock band Juan dela Cruz song KAHIT ANONG MANGYARI. Marasigan explains, “It was the first song in their reunion concert last year that Diego and I attended. We wanted to write a celebratory-show-opener song like it. We are all big music fans in the band and the lyrics actually describe how we act and feel when we go and watch and/or play a show.”
SANDWICH is one of the hard rock bands that shot into stellar success with an increasing fan base developed with their past albums – GRIP STAND THROW (1999), FOUR TRACK MIND (2001), THANKS TO THE MOON’S GRAVITATIONAL PULL (2004). Tracks like SUNBURN will rock this summer. DVDX expresses the band’s creativity to play with Pinoy pop culture. The album also boasts of other hits with everybody in the band contributing music, lyrics and arrangements. The band exclaims that their songs deal with everything from fictional to personal experiences, to simple words that sound great together.
FIVE ON THE FLOOR started as a pun on the "four on the floor" disco beat. It does not stop there and goes to give a new experience with the help of Raymund Marasigan’s ex-band mate Buddy Zabala (Eraserheads) who produced the album and recording engineer Shinji Tanaka. Sadly, there have also been departures marking more differences in the band’s sound.
“A major difference for this album is the departure of Marc Abaya, who is an excellent guitar player, songwriter and soulful singer. But at the songwriting stage, everybody stepped up and took up singing duties and instrument parts. For this album we also challenged all our ‘songwriting comfort zones’ and found different ways of playing our instruments, getting comfortable with odd measures, singing a lot of harmonies, messing around with tempo and groove changes and tried different approaches to the basic song arrangements, and recording techniques that we were used to,” Marasigan said. Mong Alcaraz takes Marc’s place on guitars and contributed lot of fresh ideas and good vibes to the band.
When EMI Philippines signed SANDWICH in December 2005, the label finally bagged one of the most popular hard rock acts in the country today with a dedicated fan base and widely acclaimed live performances. And the admiration was apparently mutual.
“It was decided by the band that if we were going to go back to a major label, it would have to be EMI, because we were impressed on how they worked with their other artists, who also happen to be our friends. We are still busy working on the videos, the website, album art, posters, the Luzon-Visayas-Mindanao launch and rehearsals. But we are all very excited because 2006 will be off the hook,” Marasigan shared regarding issues of going back in studios under a major label.
The album’s single SUGOD has been playing on radios. FIVE ON THE FLOOR will be available in all record stores by February 20, 2006 and is released by EMI Philippines.