THE box is sealed. The load is intact. The opening is imminent.
Finally, the most talked-about Fil-Am rock compilation CD has been wrapped and ready for a Summer '06 release -ROCK IN THE BOX.

12 of the best East Coast Fil-Am bands and solo artists come together for this monumental release that is guaranteed to be 'one of a kind'.
'It's a daunting task, selecting and compiling songs for a various artist release. Aside from the initial difficulty of selecting acts, the selection of songs is even more difficult, give the talent of these artists, but the work well worth every sweat and tears' , says J.G. Antiporda, EVP of the record label that will release the album - Soulworks Records. Indeed, the label received almost 200 demo submissions for the album, including the demos sent to the label's Manila HQ.

According to a Manila-based Major Label A&R, the project is the first of its kind because never has there been a compilation CD featuring Filipino-American artists released in the in the US, more so in the Philippines.
The album will be distributed in the Philippines right after the American launch.

Likewise, a tour is in the drawing board to promote the CD in the entire US. " We are talking with these bands and singer-songwriters who made it into the compilation to help the label organize shows in their respective States to promote the album.', adds J.G.

The lineup of the compilation is yet to be made public, but an industry insider revealed the the roster includes major Fil-Am bands who released singles and made splashes both in Manila and in the US. Other acts are already house-hold names in the Asian-American music circuit, as well as the East Coast college culture.

This is one exciting album that will definitely put Fil-Ams in the forefront of Asian-Music in the American scene, and launch a greater awareness in the Philippines of talented Fil-Ams in the US.

(Photo by Sheryl A. Garcia)
Gusto Mo
(Gatchie Ignacio- © gatchieignacio2006)
The Kuwagos
Click to listen

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.

Group becomes the first Fil-Am indie rock band to be
marketed at Apple’s iTunes Music Store


(Photo by Sheryl A. Garcia)

NEW YORK – The biggest and most popular digital music store in the world, with over1 billion songs sold – Apple’s iTunes Music Store, added a new album in their vast inventory last Tuesday, April 17: ‘Musings of a Caffeine Addict’ by the band BLEUD.
It appears to be just routine work for the people at Apple to add a new album into their catalogue, but for the Filipino community, the news has sent shockwaves across the nation – Bleud is an independent Filipino Rock band, and in being so, becomes the first to achieve the feat.

Bleud is NOT the only Filipino-American band, at the famed music store. Moonpools and Caterpillars, a California-based band is also selling their debut album recorded in 1995 called ‘Lucky Dumpling’. The difference between the two Fil-Am releases is that a major American label, Eastwest/Electra Records, released ‘Lucky Dumpling’. Bleud’s debut, on the other hand, is as indie as it can get. It was recorded with a very small budget and promoted guerrilla-style. ‘ We play everywhere just to let the word out and sell our music, from church gigs with nuns and priests to NYC’s Cutting Room, CBGB’s lounge, the Teabag, and Rutgers U in Newark. It is indie-rock at its most basic’, says Ted Reyes, the band’s bassist, vocalist and producer of the debut album.

The iTunes Store, the acclaimed pioneer of digital Music retail online, reserves the right to select new releases from major record companies and small, independent record companies. Therefore, it is no guarantee that any new releases will automatically be sold at the music retail giant. Bleud’s label, Soulworks Records is one of those small, but hardworking, labels.

The road to iTunes

Bleud burst into prominence in late 2004 in the New York-New Jersey Fil-Am Rock scene. Their debut album, the one being sold at the Itunes Music Store, spewed two hit singles in the local scene, as well as the music scene in the Philippines: ‘Hello my Friends, Hello’, which became part of Alpha Music Philippines 2005 Rock Compilation ‘Silver Shiny Jeepney’, and ‘Bye Bye Na’.
The band recently released a 2-sided single from the album: ‘Field Trip’, a Filipino Song, and ‘Animé Girl’, and English number. Both of which, are being offered as free downloads in the band’s website: www.bleud.net.

The band’s relentless assault on college gigs and clubs in New York and Jersey has created enough buzz to generate a steady following. Their songs are currently being rotated heavily around Asian-American radio stations and campus stations around the area.

In being featured at iTunes, the band is as surprised as anyone.
‘It is amazing to see and preview Filipino-made songs, English or Tagalog in iTunes Music Store. It just brings a rush of Pinoy pride to anyone who sees it. Imagine a Tagalog indie-rock song at iTunes! Unbelievable’, adds Bleud lead guitarist Arnold. Derama. More than Pinoy pride, Bleud’s remarkable achievement is a ray of hope for small bands and record labels alike. They are the living examples of ‘anything is possible’.

The Jersey-City based quartet is composed of Ted Reyes, Arnold Derama , Brian Joseph Miguel on vocals and rhythm guitar, and Jerwin Glorioso on drums.
The much-talked about album is also available in CDs at major music shops like Tower Records, Virgin Megastore, Amazon, and Target.com.
To buy their songs through iTunes, simply launch the application and search Bleud in the store browser. The entire digital album costs $9.99 and $0.99 per song.

Exclusive interview with Ms. Julie Danao-Salkin, Fil-Am Broadway Diva

How much of you is Filipino? Full blooded. Both my parents are from The Philippines.
- Were you raised in a typical Filipino way? Yes-With both parents rich in the culture, I acquired habits such as the importance of family and eating great rich Filipino food. However, because my brother was unable to speak English when we first arrived in the U.S. , his teachers made it very difficult for him. Our mother vowed to teach us English and the American culture so that we wouldn’t have a hard time growing up in the States. Thus, we are very Americanized.
- Are you still in touch with Filipino culture? Yes. Now more than ever. These are my roots and I am on the quest to find out more about who I am and where I came from. I have Filipino friends that keep me grounded and searching, especially my husband (Jonathan Salkin, who is pinoy, as well).
- Have you been to the home country? Yes. But it’s been awhile. I was only 11 years old. It was life-changing. I saw the ocean my mother used to swim in when she was growing up. I slept in the same bed my father slept as a little boy. For the first time, I saw my parents and realized who they were and what they had to sacrifice to bring my brother and sister and myself here. But meeting my cousins and aunts and uncles made me weep. In the states, all we had was each other: mom, dad, sister, brother,and myself. I think about how lonely my parents must have been all these years far from their family. But now they are retired and visit often.

I am planning a homecoming very, very soon..

How did your career begin? I was really young, probably 3 years old when I 1st heard my mother singing to me everyday. That started off the love of music. Little did I know that I would end up singing professionally. In high school, I competed in drama and chorus competitions and did very well. Later, I was good enough to be given a full scholarship at Florida International University for vocal performance. Hurricane Andrew came and destroyed my house, and school was postponed. So, I decided to wait for the city to rebuild and audition for shows. That was when it all began.
-Who are you influences? I loved Linda Ronstadt. She sang standards and got me hooked. I loved different styles of singers from Mariah Carey, Eva Cassidy, Amy Grant, Joan Sutherland. But I had the acting bug as well. I always looked for an Asian actress to look up to, but movies at the time did not promote diverse ethnics. I really respect and love Lea Salonga. She is a great example of breaking boundaries!

You did Rent, Miss Saigon, Lennon and big musicals, but are there other Broadway roles that you would consider as 'dream roles'? As far as shows that are already up, I actually don’t have a role that I am dying to do right now.
But I would like to originate another role. Starting a role that no one else has done is fulfilling, due to the fact that the role is written around you. It took about three years until Lennon happened. Even if I have to wait a long time for the next project to happen, when it does happen, it will be the right role for me.

Aside from your Broadway gigs, what other things do you do?
I do music that I would consider adult contemporary.
It is sparsely produced with an acoustic feel. (Think Nora Jones mixed with Eva Cassidy. I love performing.


There's a big market for Filipino-Americans in the home country right now. As a matter of fact, being a foreign-born Filipino is like a guarantee that you will get into show business there. Are you willing to go to the Philippines and try it out there? I am going to come to the Philippines to pursue a record deal. If any record labels are out there interested, please contact me at www.juliedanaosalkin.com


Slowly, Fil-Americans are coming out in the show business mainstream here in the US. A couple of them joined American Idol and did well, others have emerged as great filmmakers, one became a dance champion on TV, and some are doing great in other fields of entertainment. But still, we could consider it as 'isolated' cases.
In your view, what will it take for us to be able to be a constant force in the industry?
The more we write and create venues that are universally marketable, the more people will learn about who we are. Not a lot of people even realize that the 2nd largest Asian community in the States are Filipinos. I deal with a lot of rejection because of how mixed I look, but as long as I have the support from those important in my life, I am hoping to encourage other pinoys and myself to spread the spirit and talent of who we are and represent. It’s a slow pace, but doors are opening.

What is your take on the current state of the Philippines, politically? I only hear what is going on(the coup, Arroyo, etc.) But I can not judge a situation from the outside. I haven’t been home for a long time, so how can I have a political opinion? I do feel like the country is trying to discover ways to thrive. Like any independent country, the trial and triumphs are hand in hand. I have much to learn when I come there.

Do you have any messages for the Filipinos and Filipino -Americans who have admired you both as an artist and as a fellow citizen? I was always different from the people that I grew up with. But my roots run deep within my family.
Filipinos take pride in family and I am very proud of that aspect of my culture. If we can encourage pride through the upbringing of our children, we can spread the word of our strength as a people. I am now just learning about who I am and the richness of my background, from Spanish and Chinese,etc. We are a culture full of history and I am hoping to find the right inspirations to bring a Filipino story out there. My story begins with me finding my way back home….Ang Bayan kong Pilipinas.

Now my life begins with my new husband, Jonathan Salkin(former VJ of The MYX ABS-CBN) who is more important to me than fame and riches. He is my life and having him, makes the craziness of this world worth living in.

WHO OWNS WHAT?
Pirates, sharers and real money



ANNIE X, a 30 year-old Fil-Am, drops her shoulder bag on the faded, grey carpet of her Manhattan apartment and goes straight to her computer desk, where her iMac G4 is busy calculating and saving files the whole day. She sits on the chair, folds her long-sleeved office shirt, and toggles the white computer mouse.

As the screensaver slowly fades out, a program window reveals itself; it is the program window of a ‘file-sharing’ software called ‘Limewire’. It turns out Annie has left her computer running the whole day to download two ‘No Doubt’ albums and three Full-DVD ripped movies: ‘The Matrix’, ‘Legally Blonde 2’, and, ‘Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind’.

Aside from the successfully downloaded music and movies, her Mac is also on cue to get a complete, $1,000-worth video editing software complete with its license code. Likewise, Annie’s computer shares some files to other computer users in the world who uses the same software that she uses - A kind-of a give and take operation.

Annie X, a lawyer, is an operative known in the cyber world as a ‘pirate’- a person who illegally obtains copyrighted files and shares them to the world using a peer-to-peer software like Limewire. By all definitions, she is a criminal.

Annie, being an educated person, must know the consequences of her deeds. Yet, why still do it? She offers her defense. “ I don’t share what I have downloaded from the network. I share what I own. And if sharing what you own is a crime, I don’t know what isn’t. Piracy involves selling things that you don’t own. I am simply sharing that I paid for. I am sharing what is mine”

She sounds correct, but digital media has a different take on it. In digital media, even though you paid the retail price, you DON’T own the materials contained. What you bought is not the song, the movie, or the program. What you paid for is just the ‘license’ to listen to the songs, watch the movie and use the program.

The author of the songs, the makers of the movie and the designer or company that made the programs retains ownership of the product, even though you paid top dollar for them.

This product, especially software, contains a license agreement that a purchaser is required to agree on. It states that actions contrary to the agreement, like sharing, copying etc., would invalidate the license to use the software, which will result in the termination of the right to use the program with no refund.

Music and movies has a scarier FBI warning to go with it; telling the buyer that copying, re-selling, public performance, and broadcasting of the materials contained is against the law and is punishable by years of imprisonment.

The crackdown

In 2005, the music industry suffered another setback in sales. Their sales figures had dropped to an alarming rate in spite of the popularity of ‘per-song’ legal downloading online stores like Apple’s iTunes Music Store.

The same is true with Hollywood. The box-office revenues plunged so low last year, the Academy awards even used its award night to remind the viewers to get back into the ‘theater-watching’ ways. Software companies also reported that due to software piracy, which gave the industry billions of dollars of losses, they have resorted to extreme measures to track down these ‘pirates’, including email tracking and forcing net providers to disclose account info on suspected software pirates

A few unlucky pirates’ have fallen down to these tactics, but there is still no sign of a piracy slowdown. In fact, the more these companies tighten the belt, the more pirates become convinced that piracy is right.

Distinguishing pirates

The entertainment companies and software companies has to distinguish between ‘pirates’ and ‘file sharers’. Anne is a file–sharer: She buys music, DVDs and software. She makes copies of them and shares them with her peers. Yes, she does download things that are on the Internet, but she does it assuming that the files she’s getting for free belongs to people who also bought these files.

The person who sells make-shift copies of CDs and movies in Canal Street, is a pirate. The young boy who rips his John Mayer CD and copies it for a friend next door is a file-sharer. Pirates don’t own what they sell. File-sharers believe they own what they share. Pirates are criminals. File-sharers are not.

So far, there is no clear distinction between the two, and sadly, some ‘file-sharers’ have fallen into the hands of the law and has been branded as criminals.

The freedom to share

Like Annie, millions of people use these ‘peer to peer’ programs to obtain and share digital files all over the world for the same reason that she has. It is not acceptable that people shell out $20 for a DVD and get to be told they do not own the product.

Likewise, spending $1,199 for Adobe CS2 and not have the liberty to make a copy of it to share it with a family member is just as outrageous. Who is comfortable with the idea of not owning what you buy?

Besides, the money people use to purchase these things is real currency and not a ‘mere’ license’ to use the real money. Real money should equal real ownership. And what you own, you can always share. No to Piracy, yes to file-sharing.

Artwork by Val Guevarra


Album: Beautiful Machines
Artist: Pupil
Sony BMG Philippines 2005


LIKE dogs waiting for crumbs falling from the master’s dining table, fans of disbanded super groups are left to pick up the pieces of what once was.

Often, these pieces hardly resemble the glory days of these bands that used to rule the airwaves, and commanded astronomical talent fees for their shows. But for their staunch supporters, these are better than nothing at all.

The Eraserheads is perhaps the best example.

Since their disintegration in 2001, Ely Buendia, Marcus Adoro, Raimund Marasigan, and Buddy Zabala – the Fab Four of Pinoy rock, have tried other things that they hoped would continue, or even surpass the ‘greatest circus in Pinoy music history’.

After Ely left, the three remaining members tried to go on with Kris Gorra, the female singer and guitarist of Fatal Posporos, but the ominous signs of a sinking ship began to unravel. When Marcus left for the Northern Philippines to pursue a ‘surfing career’, the Eraserheads were no more.

Drummer Raimund started several bands; most successful of them is Sandwich, who managed to generate a hype that resulted in a multitude of followers. Respected and loved as Sandwich had become, it never got close to his former band.

Buddy Zabala, joined some underground acts like ‘Twisted Halo’, but his most noteworthy move was when he joined legendary group ‘The Dawn’ a couple of years ago.

Ely Buendia, the eHeads’ front man and chief tunesmith, formed ‘The Mongols’ and even released an album, which sadly, stalled and was proclaimed D.O.A.

When things did not work out with ‘The Mongols’, the music landscape has changed dramatically. Bands are back in style, and major labels signed rock groups left and right to catch up with the increasing demand.

In this scenario, Ely formed ‘Pupil’.

Sony BMG, the Eraserheads’ home record company, patched things up with their prodigal son and signed the group for some albums. And after months of production, Ely Buendia, Yan Yuzon, Dok Sergio and Boks Jugo debut record came out: ‘Beautiful Machines.’

As I juiced up my iPod to listen to the songs, I could not help but wonder why Ely hasn’t come up with any significant material since the eHeads album ‘Sticker Happy’. Has he really lost the gift? I am not in any way asking for Ehead-like material from Ely, just great tunes from a composer, who everyone knows can do much better.

His songs with the Mongols, were quite forgettable and self-indulgent to tell you the truth, but I can’t help but ask, will it be the same for this ‘Pupil’ debut? I guess there’s only one way to find out. Hence, after repeated playbacks, here’s my take: 14 tracks. Good album, but nothing out of this world, yet.

Beautiful Machines could be Carbon Monoxide volume three, with The Mongols album as its second installment.

It is undeniable that there are moments in Beautiful Machines that give the listeners a peek at Ely’s genius. But come on now, we have seen the full view years ago, haven’t we? Mere peeks won’t be acceptable anymore.

‘Different Worlds’ perhaps is the best track here, followed by ‘Blow Your House Down’ and the ‘Smashing Pumpkinesque’ – ‘She Talks to Trees’.

The Filipino tracks did not quite take off. They were more like the band’s ‘other English songs translated to Tagalog for mass appeal.’ Except maybe for the Rivermaya-like ‘Dulo ng Dila’, which will probably be embraced by the general listening public. But aside from that, even the carrier single, ‘Nasan Ka Na’, fell short considering Ely’s knack for writing sticky material.

It is really tough for ex-members of super bands to rise up from the shadows of the past. Paul McCartney made ‘Wings’ take off, but this feat is more of the exception than the general rule.

Moreover, it is tremendously hard for the new band mates of these ex-members of super groups, like Ely, to avoid being compared to his old pals. And to write material for an album with probably one of the most successful songwriters in recent OPM history is yet another wall to climb.

Five years after the Eraserhead cookie crumbled, we are still licking the crumbs scattered under the master’s table.

So far, the best tasting crumb yet is the one that turned out to be a ‘Sandwich’.