original pilipino music

  • Eto na! Musikal nAPO! is a Hit!

    Eto na! Musikal nAPO! is a Hit!

    A jukebox musical is always an exciting idea. To the regular theater-goer, it might seem like a simple formula: take a musician’s existing catalog and make a story out of it. But, in reality, it is very hard to execute. Jukebox musicals are either a hit or a miss. 9 Works Theatrical and Globe Live’s first original Filipino musical takes on APO Hiking Society’s greatest hits. And like APO’s songs, Eto Na! Musikal nAPO! is definitely a big hit.

    At the core of Eto Na! Musikal nAPO! is a heartwarming story of love and friendship. Set during the country’s turbulent 70’s, a group of college friends decide to join a singing and songwriting contest. At a time when originality and creativity, especially in the music industry, was not particularly celebrated, they decide to submit an original composition.

    Jon Abella (Donnie), Alfritz Blanche (Sonny), Jef Flores (Jaime), Jobim Javier (Butch), and Vyen Villanueva (Bobby) for 9 Works Theatrical and Globe Live's Eto Na! Musikal nAPO! the APO Hiking Society Musical
    The barkada preparing their song contest entry (Photo: Leo Castillo)
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  • Eto Na! Musikal nAPO! – A Musical that Transcends Generations

    Eto Na! Musikal nAPO! – A Musical that Transcends Generations

    Globe LIVE! and 9 Works Theatrical are back with Eto na! Musikal nAPO! an original Filipino musical based on the music of the APO Hiking Society, nonetheless. Globe and 9 Works’ first Pinoy musical centers on a barkada’s colorful college life in Manila 1975. It isn’t auto-biographical (let’s straighten that out) but it is inspired by the story of how APO started and came about.

    Eto Na! Musikal nAPO! cast & crew with APO Hiking Society's Jim Paredes
    The cast and creative team of Eto Na! Musikal nAPO! with 1/3 of APO, Jim Paredes

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  • #ClassA Aicelle Santos’ First Major Concert

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    Class A for Aicelle
    Class A for Aicelle

    February 25, 2015 — While everyone was worrying about how they would get to work on time, I was excited to end the day and go straight to Aicelle Santos‘ first major concert at the PETA Theatre. I was skeptical at first if I would make it on time but, through God’s grace, everything just went unexpectedly smooth. I found a friend that carpooled me from Megamall to Cubao. Passing through the Ortigas station, we could see that the queue was a hot mess. Whew! Really dodged a bullet there.  My friends and I have followed Aicelle’s career since she was a runner-up in the 2nd season of GMA7‘s Pinoy Pop Superstar (PPS).  She became a regular in the now defunct show SOP, eventually being grouped with Jonalyn Viray (PPS Grand Champion Season 1) and Maricris Garcia (PPS Grand Champion Season 3) as the sorely missed girl group La Diva. After the group disbanded, each diva pursued their careers as solo artists. In 2013,  Aicelle bagged the title role in Katy! the Musical and, later that year, made a deeper mark in the theater world as Aileen, the biritera of Barangay Venizia, in Rak of Aegis.

    Finally, it has happened to me.

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  • #ListenTo The Ransom Collective

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    With The Ransom Collective
    Amiciness with The Ransom Collective at Indayog

    The Ransom Collective is a six-piece indie folk band composed of Kian Ransom (vocals, guitar, and owner of an awesome name), Lily Gonzales (keys), Muriel Gonzales (violin), Leah Halili (bass),  Jermaine Choa Peck (vocals and percussion), and Redd Claudio (drums). I got to see them live in St. Paul College Pasig’s concert event Indayog: An OPM Music Festival during their school fair. That was the first time I heard of them, and I immediately fell in love with their sound. I loved it so much that I even bought their self-titled EP, which of course I got the band to sign. Their music reminds me of a lot of bands (and I confess to not listening to a lot), so I’m just going to drop their names here: Stars, The Lumineers, a folkier Bombay Bicycle Club (it makes sense in my head, okay). Other blogs have also made the Mumford & Sons connection, but I contest that it’s only because they’re both in the indie folk sphere that accounts for the similar sound.

    The Ransom Collective EP Signed
    My own copy of the band’s EP. Also available digitally on iTunes

    The best track on the EP is Run. It starts with just the keyboard and guitar, then 30 seconds in, the drums kick in, then a short violin solo, and it just soars from that moment. Perfect to blast in your car and sing along to on a road trip. Although, I’ve got to say, The Ransom Collective is a much better experience to behold live. Their recorded stuff doesn’t do their sound justice. I heartily recommend watching them in concert and in gigs.

    Follow the band on social media:

    Buy their self-titled EP on iTunes, or stream it here: