After the successful event that kicked off the seven-month tour that would take the JD Chosen 7 across the city’s hottest bars and concert venues, Jack Daniel’s is at it again with what promises to be a very solid show at Eastwood City.Headlining the event is the country’s representative to the JD Set event in Singapore – Urbandub. If you’ve ever watched an Urbandub set before, you’ll definitely remember how tight the band is a musical unit. These guys just bring it every single show. They are so good that they have over 360 thousand fans on Facebook – one of the highest among Philippine bands.

Fittingly, the Chosen 7 will also be represented for the show – Jack Versus the Crab, Playphonics, Mr Bones and the Boneyard Circus, Blue Boy Bites Back and Kelevra will be taking turns on the stage in their quest to win the crowd’s support as they campaign for the right to succeed Urbandub as the country’s representative for the JD regional event for 2012.

Completing the line-up are other heavyweights in the industry like Jejaview, Salamin and Sunflower Day Camp. With ten bands in attendance, the JD Fright Night promises to be a rockin’ Halloween party. In keeping with the time honored tradition of Halloween parties, the wearing of costumes is strongly encouraged! The best costume will win a special prize courtesy of Jack Daniel’s.

We’re almost at the mid point of the JD Set Chosen 7 concerts so it might be a good time to size up the field. Remember, one of the seven bands (Jack Versus the Crab, Playphonics, Mr Bones and the Boneyard Circus, Blue Boy Bites Back, Paramita and Kelevra) will end up representing the country next year and it will be up to the fans of the Chosen 7 and the loyal patrons of Jack Daniel’s to decide who gets the honor of wearing the nation’s colors.

The show starts at 9PM! See you there!

In support of MTV Exit (End Exploitaiton and Trafficking), Evaline will be hitting the stage at the SM Mall of Asia Saturday (October 29) with a slew of other artists including Pupil, Parokya ni Edgar, Ebe Dancel and Itchyworms as musicians take a stand against human trafficking. Evaline’s single “There There” is still in the Splintr video repository should any of you want to check it out.

Many people – especially those in the lower economic classes – are often duped into a life of servitude due to the greed and deception of others. Human trafficiking has become a modern day version of slavery and continues to be a major problem in many countries including the Philippines. Through efforts like MTV EXIT, the public (especially the youth) is made aware of the severity of the problem and what it takes to find a formidable solution to this global crisis. Many institutions such as the governments of Australia and the United States are backing this event to get the word out regarding the need to stop the spread of trafficking.

Start your long weekend right by trooping to the SM Mall of Asia and standing up against Human Trafficking and seeking an end to exploitation. For more details, you may visit the MTV EXIT website.

In celebration of the 20th year of the release of U2′s album Achtung Baby, Q Magazine will be releasing a special edition album called AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered, featuring covers of the songs from the now two-decade old release. One of the more interesting covers is Nine Inch Nails’ take ‘Zoo Station’. The cover version has tones reminiscent of ambient rock. Trent Reznor and co. definitely pulled back a lot in terms of keeping the song light enough to still resonate with the U2 original but at the same time, the track does have the NIN DNA on it.

This is a very unlikely marriage of styles and the compilation promises to have a lot more intriguing covers. Among the other artists on the album are Jack Black, The Killers and Depeche Mode.

Kapatid has gone through a lot of things throughout their existence as a band for almost eight years now and while they have had their share of challenges, they have certainly persevered to be one of the local music scene’s well-respected bands.

During the early part of the last decade, some of the biggest names in rock aligned to form one of the first super groups that the Philippines has ever seen. Kapatid was borne out of a common desire to create music that  brings to mind a different era in Philippine rock – one that was more dynamic and funk-influenced. It was certainly different from what was the prevailing sound during the early 2000s. With a line up can consisted of Karl Roy (P.O.T.), Nathan Azarcon (Bamboo), J-Hoon Balbuena (Kjwan), Ira Cruz (Bamboo) and the late Chico Molina, Kapatid entered the scene with much buzz.

The surviving members of the original line-up of Kapatid will be doing a very special reunion show this Friday (October 21) at B-Side at The Collective. This promises to be a very good as some of the country’s best musicians re-align to once again play as one tight unit. Kapatid’s first album was one of the best albums of the previous decade and one can bet that many songs from that album will be played during Friday’s show. Aside from Kapatid, Paul Z and the AquaDrummerz, J-Hoon/Live Fillet and Hijo would also be taking the stage to further intensify the musical menu for the night.

Handling the production is The Southern Project. See you all there.

What could make a night of great music even more awesome? Well, an equally impressive pairing of booze and buffet of course! With October about to close, there’s still one last hurrah left for the celebration that has easily been one of Germany’s greatest contributions to human civilization. On October 21 FRIDAY, roads will lead to  55 Events Place at Scout Rallos St, cor Morato for a night that promises to be a perfect treat for those looking to start the weekend right.

Archipelago, Beach Head, Crazy Blues Train and Julianne will be providing the entertainment for the event. Also playing their beats would be DJ JP and DJ Jeco.

Entrace for the event is 500 php but that already includes two beers and an buffet of authentic German cuisine. It’s definitely a win-win! Show starts 8pm.

WATCH OUT FOR DETAILS ON HOW YOU CAN WIN TICKETS! We will be posting mechanics on the Splintr Facebook wall very soon!

After the exciting collaborations that were featured during Mr. Jack’s birthday last month, the JD Set series hits the tour circuit once again with Volume 2: Episode 2 at No.38 in Jupiter St., Makati. Three of the Chosen 7 will be strutting their wares and showcasing their music to make their case as the rightful Philippine representative to an upcoming Jack Daniels Asia Pacific regional event that would feature the best bands in the area.
Stories of Now will be hitting the stage and showing their very relaxed and easy-going brand of rock. It would certainly be a treat to listen to their songs after a whole week’s worth of work! Check out their songs on their Facebook page (linked on this paragraph).

One band that has mastered the art of being emotive and yet still have the restrain to keep away from unpalatable mushiness is Paramita. It’s impossible to ignore that at the heart of this dynamic band is drummer/vocalist Ria Bautista who also penned all the songs. The band also has over 35,000 fans of Facebook making them one of the most popular bands of the Chosen 7.

With eleven (!) members in the line-up, Jack Versus The Crab is by far the biggest musical unit among the bands of the Chosen 7. As you would expect, Jace Versus The Crab brings in the goods with the sophisticated and meaty music that they produce with a roster of musicians that is nearly thrice of the regular band. With the blues harp and duos of trumpets and sax at their disposal, the band produces very decadent compositions that feature elements of blues, funk, jazz  and country.

The other bands in the Chosen 7 include Playphonics, Blue Boy Bites Back, Mr Bones and the Boneyard Circus and Kelevra. The seven bands will be given seven bands to prove their mettle to the general public to be chosen as the Philippines’ representative to the regional event. For more information regarding the JD Set, you may follow regular updates on Splintr or hit like on the JD Set Philippines page.

The show starts at 9.

Razorback is one of the most enduring icons of local rock but while they’ve done a good number of shows in the past few years, they haven’t released much new material since their great 2-CD self-titled album that was released in 2002. The band released noteworthy singles over the last nine years including “Empire Accretia” and “Daang-Daang Dahilan” but coming from the great collection that was the eponymous album, fans were definitely waiting for a heartier serving of good-old-fashioned rock and roll that Razorback has been known to produce throughout the years.

Fortunately, the wait is over. The album will come out late this month. Hold on to your seats, you can bet it’s going to be an awesome one!

Slapshock just released their song “Ngayon Na” from their upcoming album “Kinse Kalibre” – an album name that probably echoes the 15th year of Slapshock.

It is quite remarkable that a band that was in the forefront of a musical movement in the later 90s and early 2000s is still one of the most influential bands in the scene today. Slapshock has definitely earned their place as one of the most popular acts in the history of OPM and their live shows are unparalleled in terms of just how much the crowd can get crazy in the mosh pit – whether it’s in a hole-in-the-wall venue or a full-blown university fair concert. The quintet of Jamir Garcia, Lee Nadela, Lean Ansing, Jerry Basco and Chi Evora have weathered changing musical tides and have remained united through 15 years of Slapshock’s existence. Not a lot of bands can claim that they’ve produced 7 studio albums – you’ll be surprised that only a handful of bands ever got to this number.

Slapshock has moved through the years with such purposeful maturity that has allowed their sound to also be further refined. The new songs still evoke the same raw power and emotion from “Fourth Degree Burn” but there’s definitely more nuances and context to properly transport listeners through song.

Check out the video and tell us what you think. If it’s any indication, it seems like “Kinse Kalibre” will be an awesome collection that would be fitting addition to an already impressive and massive discography.

Slapshock Official Facebook Page