sponge cola's talented men..

Formation (1998-2002):

Sponge Cola is a Filipino rock band formed in 2002. Between 1998 to 2002, yael and gosh, both from Ateneo High School, met through the school's theater guild, Teatro Baguntao. Yael was then the frontman of a rock band called White Castle. Nevertheless, he decided to form a band with Gosh and two other members of the theater guild. They named the group Sponge after R.S. Surtee's Mr. Sponge Sporting Tour. The band won in several high school competitions boosting their popularity not just in their school but in other campuses, as well.

Some members of the old lineup left and were replaced by chris and armo. The latter is the guitarist of another band Rampqueen, which was managed also by Sponge's manager Raymond Fabul. Later however, they learned about a Detroit grunge band already using the name Sponge. "But we wanted to keep the word Sponge in our band name because people have already associated us with that name," according to Yael. "So we decided to add 'Cola', since it's an easy enough word to remember." Sponge Cola was officially formed in summer of 2002.

Early Career (2002-2004)
They came up with a self-titled EP in the last quarter of 2003 containing five original songs: Lunes, A Tear, Saturn, Cigarette and Jeepney. The first and the last song penned in the vernacular caught the public's attention. Lunes, written by Gosh, begins with a bossa nova-esque beat that suddenly shifts to a heavy rock riff. Second single Jeepney was written by a classmate for a school project back in 2001 and is a reminiscent piece on young love during simpler, happier times. Yael's vocal range is evident in the song showcasing his ability to shift from mellow to screamo.

Through this EP, Sponge Cola got extensive airplay from several local pop and rock radio stations. A bootlegged copy of their version of Madonna's "Crazy for You" ended up on the Internet and became an underground hit, with some listeners believing it was a Sponge Cola original. Though this misconception helped increase their popularity, the band aimed to remove the stigma of being a cover band, pushing their original songs to the forefront.

band members:
Ysmael "Yael" Yuzon
Reynaldo "Gosh" Dilay
Christopher "Chris" Cantada
Erwin "Armo" Armovit

Success of Slapshock..

band members:

Jamir Garcia ::: vocalist

Jerry Basco ::: guitarist

Lean Ansing ::: guitarist

Lee Nadala ::: bassist

Chi Evora ::: drummer

Slapshock is one of the premier rapmetal bands of the Philippines. The band was signed in 1998, when rapmetal acts were being signed left and right by the major recording companies. Six years into the business, it can be safely said that Slapshock is no flash in the pan. To date, they are the only band amongst those signed during that particular genre's boom that is still visible and active. While most acts have gone back to the “underground,” Slapshock now has four major albums to their name.

Whilst the band entered the business playing rapmetal, the members are influenced by a lot of rock sub-genres: Grunge, Metal, and glam, to name a few. It is upon hearing Rage Against the Machine that all the members of Slapshock all connected at the same time and decided that yes, they want to do something as prolific as Rage.

Slapshock’s debut album, “4th Degree Burn” was released in November 1999. “Agent Orange,” the first single off the album, presented a very crunchy but still catchy type of rapmetal. Follow up singles, “Evil Clown” and “Sick Curtain” proved Slapshock’s craftsmanship and talent.
Their second album, “Headtrip” proves there is no such thing as a sophomore jinx for Slapshock. Released in 2001, “Headtrip” earned for the band a Platinum award. With songs like “Get Away,” “Shezzo Wicked,” and “Purple,” the band easily established themselves away from the growing rapmetal crowd.

It is with their third album, “Project 11/41,” that the band earned both commercial and critical acclaim. Four singles were released from the set, proving the strength and power of a Slapshock song. The band soon released a remix album, “Back To The 2 Inch,” which contained creative and innovative remixes of their songs. Famed and respected local artists such as Raymund Marasigan (Eraserheads, Sandwich), Anton Ramos (Chillout Project series), and Rico Blanco (Rivermaya), collaborated with Slapshock.

This year, Slapshock releases their fourth studio album, “Novena.” The album displays impressive growth amongst the musicians, as well as matured songwriting and arranging. No longer caged in the “rapmetal” category, Slapshock explores different genres like Latin and Japanese music, a bit of reggae, and jazz as well.
It is hard to brush aside a band as talented and hard working as Slapshock. Never negligent nor lenient, the band continues to grow, experiment, and mature. As such, Slapshock continues to make believers and fans of regular listeners and casual audiences.

serendipity..

posted by inche_edsel (Jun 26, 2004 @ 8:52 AM) views: 4210
source: tristancafe.com

Guys started courting me since I was in grade 6, I guess I’m really gifted with good looks and I’m so thankful for it. I’m 25 and I’ve had more or less 20 flings and 3 serious relationships. I was too young when I entered one and played around at love. Nasaktan na rin naman ako. My first serious relationship lasted more than 2 years. Let me tell you briefly how it happened. I met him at my friend’s debut party in one of the prestigious hotels in manila. Kaya lang that time, may bf ako..may gf din sya. His friends started dating my friends..kaya tuwing umaalis kaming lahat, kami ung lagging magka-partner. Hanggang san a-fall na kami sa isa’t-isa. I broke up with my boyfriend (fling ko lang naman yun) and he broke up with his gf for 3 years. Hindi nagging madali ang lahat, kasi binabalik-balikan sya ng EX nya, worst – yun ang gusto ng parents nya para sa kanya. I gave him up eventually after 2 years, kc sobrang daming hindrance at di sang ayon sa aming dalawa. After him, I met this guy in a relay chat. Oo, dumaan din ako sa pagcha-chat! Noong una, nagkakatuwaan lang kaming magkwentuhan sa isang channel hanggang sa naisipan naming magkita ng personal. Hindi naman sya kagwapuhan pero dahil nagging palagay ang loob ko, nagging “kami” na rin in an instant. Pero may gf sya that time, ako single. 2 years n rin sila ng gf nya nun..iniwan nya para sa akin..akala ko sya na yung lalaking gusto kong maging kasama habang buhay. Mabait sya, maasikaso, malambing at higit sa lahat – close na sya sa pamilya ko. Nag-resign ako sa first job ko, then ditto sa 2nd job, na-meet ko si Joel. Hated-sundo ako ng bf ko sa office, naipakilala ko na rin sya kay Joel at sa iba ko pang nagging friends doon. Mabait si Joel, komedyante, lagi nya akong pinapatawa.

Naging madalas kaming magkasama sa office, kung hindi naman kami magkasama e nag-uusap naman kami sa yahoo messenger. Masarap syang kasama, kung minsan nga hindi na ko nagpapasundo sa bf ko para lang magkasabay kami ni Joel sa pag-uwi. May gf sya, 10 years na sila ng gf nya. Oo, sampung taon..hindi ko alam kung bakit lagi na lang akong nai-inlove sa mga committed na tao. To make the long story short, as usual, na-inlove nga kami sa isa’t-isa. I broke up with my bf and he broke up with his gf. Naisip ko, pano ko nakuhang saktan yung taong minsan nang iniwan ang gf para sa akin. Ngayon, eto nanaman ako. Mangaagaw – yan ang pwedeng itawag saken. Pero hindi ko hawak ang puso ko, kasalanan ko bang mahalin si Joel at mahalin din nya ako?

We’re happy and contented with our lives now..6 months na kami. But there are still instances that I feel insecure..feeling ko, anytime pwede syang bawiin ng EX GF nya.. 10 yrs is still 10 yrs..he had her almost half of his life. And daming adjustments sa part ko. Feeling ko minsan nakikipag-kumpetensya ako dun sa EX nya. Ang hirap! Pero infairness, pinapakita naman nya saken na ako na talaga ang mahal nya ngayon. Gusto nga ng parents nya magpakasal na kami next year..natutuwa naman ako dahil tanggap ako ng pamilya nya.
We took the risk of falling in love again..akalain mong iwanan nya yung gf nya para saken e hindi pa nya ko masyadong kakilala. Pero alam nyo, there are lots of instances that we could have met in the past.

Iisa lang ang school na pinasukan naming nung nursery kami, kaya lang pang-umaga sya, ako naman pang-hapon. Nung grade school naman, mgkatapat lang ang school naming kaya lang nung grade 5 sya e lumipat sya sa ibang school. Yung classmate nya dun, barkada ko na ngayon. Sa katunayan, yung bestfriend nya noon e bestfriend ng EX BF ko. Kaya one time, sinama ko sya sa birthday ng bestfriend ko (guy)..at parang reunion dahil after so many years, ngayon lang sila nagkita ulit!

One time, may family gathering sila, sinama nya ako..laking gulat ko ng makita ko ang tita nya (kapatid ngt dad nya), officemate sya ng tita ko (sister naman ng mom ko)..at nagulat din sya dahil kilala nya ako, kumare nya pala ang mommy ko, ninang sya ng pinsan ko..small world..

6mos lang ako dun sa 2nd job ko..nag-resign ako agad dahil bawal ang relationship among employees. Naisip ko tuloy, cguro sabi ni GOD panahon na para magkakilala kami ni Joel, kaya dun nya ako binigyan ng trabahong panandalian. Minsan nga naisip naming, siguro maraming beses na kaming nagkasalubong sa daan, siguro nagkasabay na rin kaming magsimba pag lingo, nagkasabay na mamasyal sa ibang lugar. After 20yrs, sa wakes, nagkakilala rin kami.

Mang-aagaw pa rin ba ang tawag nyo sa akin? I really think it’s God will. It also takes a lot of guts..a lot of risks..a lot of patience para makilala nyo yung taong para sa inyo talaga… now I believe in destiny..in fate..kung kayo talaga ang nakatakda para sa isa’t-isa, kahit ilang bf o g fang dumaan sa buhay nyo, sa kanya pa rin kayo babagsak…

SERENDIPITY…