from Philstar.com

Band of brothers
by Erwin Romulo
People Asia Magazine 09/21/2006

Rivermaya and Bamboo speak for the young generation of Filipinos, coming up with their own rallying cries, all in their own tune, each a different drum beat.

It couldn't be helped. The moment both vocalist Bamboo Mañalac and bassist Nathan Azarcon - one half of the definitive lineup of Rivermaya, one of the most popular and vital bands of the 1990s - teamed up with their former band members the scene anxiously anticipated the reactions of their ex-band in particular those of Rico Blanco and perhaps their manager/mentor Lizza Nakpil. Pundits speculated how Rivermaya front man Blanco would handle seeing his former collaborators performing his compositions perhaps to an audience too young to understand why they were hearing "Awit ng Kabataan" two times in one evening by different artists.

As a band, Bamboo was still getting their sea legs in terms of establishing their identity. The decision to play a Rivermaya track was probably informed by a need to set a familiar jumping-off point both for the fledgling unit and their audience. After five years, Mañalac had just come back from America where he stayed after he left Rivermaya, determined to have another go at music. On the other hand, since then, Azarcon had become some sort of folk hero/rock rebel in the scene - one whose legend drew as much power from his rumored wild antics as his formidable abilities with the bass guitar. Joining Azarcon and Mañalac, guitarist Ira Cruz and drummer Vic Mercado were also finding their footing back in rock 'n' roll after a sojourn as session players in the show-band circuit. No one could anticipate what was going to happen.

Although Blanco deserves credit for writing it, "Awit ng Kabataan" is not his achievement alone. Mañalac's earnest vocal on the original track carried its message across to affect true emotion even to a jaded audience who were being overly dismissive of its seemingly corny optimism and three-chord naïveté. (In reality, pundits were looking for any excuse to criticize the band for not paying their dues in the underground. Unlike The Eraserheads and their ilk, Rivermaya was seen as being "manufactured", having been put together through auditions). With two original members each, both groups had a claim to the song: Rivermaya had Blanco and drummer Mark Escueta; and, Bamboo had Mañalac and Azarcon.

In 2004, Bamboo released their debut album, As The Music Plays, which has elements of jazz, funk and rap thrown into their rock sound. The first single "Noypi" is played and becomes one of the biggest hits of the year. The fact that not a few declared that they were collectively the best looking bunch of homegrown rock 'n' rollers admittedly helped their commercial appeal. Not wanting to be pin-ups though, the band did readily warm to this kind of attention. Their succeeding singles like "Mr. Clay" and "Masaya" were also well received, earning the band praise for their versatility as well as their integrity not to pander to the market needlessly. It also confirmed that they - in particular Mañalac - had something of their own to say, not just other people's sentiments to sing.

At the same time, Rivermaya is still one of the most popular bands in the country. Still enjoying considerable success for their previous effort from 2003, Between the Stars and the Waves, both the band's sound and songwriting were now giving full rein to Blanco's fascination with British music from the 1980s to that time. (Blanco has always been a champion of UK bands like Depeche Mode, The Smiths and The Cure to more recent ones like Blur and Coldplay. Despite the grunginess of their early albums, Blanco's songs always displayed tendencies towards that direction. In fact, one of the later hits, "Kung Ayaw Mo, Huwag Mo" owes much more to Manchester band New Order than Nirvana not only in its guitar work and bass lines but as well in its slightly ironic tone which, as Blur's Damon Albarn points out, Americans characteristically lack). Unabashedly more romantic than previous efforts, it still extended the band's reign at the top.

In 2004, Rivermaya released a special edition of the album that included a new track, "Liwanag sa Dilim." Many speculated that this was Blanco's response to "Noypi." The song did well on the charts - but not without fuelling rumors of an intensifying rivalry between the two groups. Nothing so far has been able to dispel this notion as neither party has said anything conclusive to really settle the issue. This being rock n' roll, the public and the press have always been happy to fill in the blanks.

After a successful but rather traumatic tour of America, Rivermaya - whose standing in the Pinoy Alternative boom in 90s was second only to The Eraserheads - lost their lead singer.

Perhaps the most withdrawn member of the band, Mañalac was never at ease with his role as the group's front man, always deferring to the more articulate Blanco, the band's chief songwriter, in press interviews. In fact, his reticence irked many entertainment and music journalists at the time - an impression that's persisted with some to this day. However, anyone who's ever managed to touch base with him would attest that he's quite affable and willing to talk about things he feels important to discuss. Of course, music is the favored topic.

Touring the United States, though, it was a trying time for the boys. Missing their friends and bagoong, the band was frittering away at the edges. Even Nakpil started to doubt whether they were ready to be the biggest Filipino band in the world. Though the songs and the talent were there, they lacked that combination of maturity, naïveté and ruthlessness that are essential to surviving going on the road. By the end of it, Mañalac had had enough, opting out of Rivermaya and the limelight for an extended stay abroad.

The rest of the band decided to carry on. After falling out with their record company BMG Pilipinas, the three-piece - with Blanco assuming the role of lead singer - recorded what is arguably one of the greatest albums in Pinoy rock history and… gave it away for free. Of course, given that the band had thumbed their noses at too many in the industry to go away unpunished, the record, Free, found it difficult to get played at any radio station save for their bailiwick, NU 107.5. Receiving the award for "Album of the Year" at the NU Rock Awards that year, Blanco couldn't help but thank the only station that had the balls to support them.

As the band was planning their next album, Azarcon left Rivermaya, leaving Blanco and long-time collaborator Escueta. According to sources, he just stopped showing up. It was reported that the split was amicable although rumors at the time portrayed it otherwise. Unsurprisingly, Rivermaya forged on, recruiting young talented players guitarists Mike Elgar and Kakoi Legaspi and bassist Japs Sergio from various up-and-coming bands in the music scene.

The new Rivermaya line-up released "Tuloy ang Ligaya" for VIVA Records, chalking up hit singles like "Umaaraw, Umuulan" and "Wag Na Init Ulo, Baby," and a subsequent live album, Live and Acoustic, which was most notable for their inclusion of a cover version of "Evil Clown" by local nu-metal heroes Slapshock in their repertoire. (Blanco was always enthusiastic about then newer bands - most especially the heavier ones. In an interview with Martin Nievera, Blanco declared his support for the new sound, saying he could slam dance with the rest of them.) Since Free, Blanco had already been diagnosed as suffering from carpal-tunnel syndrome, affecting his ability to play. In an interview with this writer, he claimed he had a new instrument: the audience. By the time of the live album, it proved he had learned well enough.

After the follow up studio recording, Between the Stars and the Waves, Legaspi decided to leave after months of playing and not playing with the band. Rivermaya held strong though, managing to outlast even their archrivals The Eraserheads who, after the departure of principal songwriter/vocalist Ely Buendia in 2002, were in slow decline. Although Blanco is an avowed E-Heads fanatic, it must've been occurred to him that by rights his band was second to no other anymore. As conceived by its creators, Rivermaya was always supposed to be the best. And, even if in recent years Rivermaya might've sold as well or even more than The Eraserheads, the critics and public always held the latter in higher regard. But now, of their peers who emerged in the early 90s, who were bigger than Rivermaya?

In fact, the question really was: Who was left?

Today, we see Bamboo everywhere. For the latest campaign of a popular soft drink company, the band has been chosen to be the brand's image models. Accordingly, their faces and smiles are plastered strategically all around Metro Manila, in particular the length of EDSA, the country's most popular thoroughfare. The first single "Hallelujah" off their second record, Light Peace Love, was also selected as the theme song for the soft drink brand's campaign. In the advertisements airing on local television, it's used as something of a rallying anthem, depicting a crowd of young people gathering around Mañalac as he sings the chorus of the song, the spokesperson of his generation. After more than a decade, it's a role he finally seems to be comfortable in.

Azarcon says that despite the shifts of style and tone throughout the record, it all hangs together well as a whole. Asked how he thinks they pulled it off, he gives credit to Mañalac, whose vocal work on the album unified the material. He doesn't remember if there was much concern or debate about the cohesiveness of the album, admitting that much of the writing, arranging and recording of each track was done very much guided by instinct.

Perhaps it's this quality that is the source of popularity. In an era when no one genre of music holds dominance, Bamboo is as dynamic as their audience. But eclecticism is not the key, but rather the band's conviction in their playing. They never lose sight of who they are.

More than the record, this is better exemplified by the band's live performances. As anyone in the know will concede, Bamboo is best heard when they're playing live. Despite not resorting to cloying spiels or gimmicks, they are compelling to watch because they always manage to hit a point where they've lost themselves to their own music and a different animal takes over. They play and that's enough. The Filipino will listen.

At the recent MTV Asia Awards last May, Rivermaya took the stage and played Blanco's "You'll Be Safe Here" to an audience composed of top artists and executives from the region's music industry, international celebrities and U.S. pop stars like Kelly Rowland, Daniel Pewter and metal band Korn. Held at the Siam Paragon in Bangkok, Thailand, the band was accompanied by the Royal Thai Army Orchestra's string section and a spectacular light show and LCD displays. It was the first time a Filipino band was invited to perform at the prestigious awards show and Blanco made it clear that the triumph of Rivermaya was for the country.

During the launch of their second album, Trip, Blanco told interviewers that he wanted to take the band international as soon as possible. "We need a video," he declared. A decade later and a string of award-winning music videos later, it looks like Blanco's plan is coming into fruition. (To name a few, Rivermaya has had music videos by multi-awarded Filipino directors such as Chito Roño, Lyle Nemenzo Sacris and Quark Henares.) That same night, Rivermaya picked up the award for Philippines' Favorite Artist for the second year in a row.

Back in Manila, the quartet also won big at the first ever MYX Music Awards, winning two awards for Best Media Soundtrack and Best Video. Also, the compilation record, Rivermaya Greatest Hits Collection: The Ultimate Collection, reached gold status in a week.

By all appearances, Rivermaya was on top of the world.

But if one were to indulge a bit and listen to a song like "Himala" from one of the early albums, one might forgive those who can't help feeling sentimental. A number of their best songs took their titles from some of the greatest films in Philippine cinema and it is to this particular song's credit that it does not wilt in opposition to Nora Aunor's stare. Not an adaptation of the Ishmael Bernal film, it is a bona fide classic - the first one by the band that is instantly recognizable as one.

Ambitious, the songwriting though is tempered by an innate and clever understanding of the pop song and expressed perfectly by each member. Following the departure of guitarist Perf de Castro after the first album, Blanco stepped in and learned how to play the guitar while they were making the second album. It is the innocent, naive sound of Blanco repeating a pattern of picked notes on his guitar that opens "Himala," with only a piano, Escueta sounding out accents on the drums and Azarcon's bass carefully building the tension before Mañalac gives the best vocal of his career at that point. The whole song is carefully choreographed in that way, building to a climax wherein they manage to eventually bring the heavens down. It was then that they worked their first miracle.

A decade later, they're still at it.