The State of Cagayan de Oro's Music Scene

Here's a blog post from my Fanzine site called Rubato the Zine. You may point your browsers at www.rubatothezine.multiply.com for more articles and stories about CDO's music scene.

 

It's a very exciting time for CDO Music. 2008 has been a fruitful year so far as more and more CDO bands are coming up with original materials. This month alone, the bands Southrace and K9 have released their respective albums not only via a low key event, but they launched their albums in full force. The album launching was well attended  as guest bands lend their support to both of these bands. The CDO music scene for years has been in constant struggle. Not only were they lacking in listeners, but they also lacked the proper venues to share their music. This year, FU bar has opened their doors to the different CDO bands. And they have been enjoying good attendance in these once a week event. 89.3 Killerbee Cagayan de Oro is also airing a massive 3 hour countdown show devoted to local indie bands which also includes a live interview with a guest band per episode. Things are really picking up here in our local music scene... and that's why this online fanzine is now existing to further help spread the word.

Years back, during the 90's band explosion, the CDO music scene has been well represented by Art-rock specialists Nuncyspungen and Metal Kings Dahong Palay in our nation's consciousness. And while they made decent splashes in the country's band circuit, Progressive Rock band called Oblivion held their own locally as they were left to hold fort in Cagayan de Oro's music scene. But alas these bands couldn't last long as they have to go separate ways to pursue other personal interests. But not long before helping newer bands such as Alternative Rock Band Tabularaza and Emo band K9 to start sprouting and spread their music. Both of these bands would be the new torch bearers of CDO music as it seeks to carry it in the next century. A couple of veterans would return to the music scene to join the fray as Nuncyspungen's ex-bassist Chuck Bollozos forms a new Dance Rock band called Gasulina. Meanwhile, Oblivion's ex-guitarist Wilbert Tan, would go solo for a short lived E.P. project called CDO Blues Project. He would also later form a new Alterna-Pop band called Drizzle (who would successfully release an album full of hit songs locally) as well as set the foundation for up and coming Christian Power-Pop band called Thoughts And Notions.     

The turn of the new century would give us the debut albums of the latter aforementioned bands. Tabularaza would release their third album (and officially their first full length album) nationwide. Thoughts And Notions would follow suit and not long after Drizzle would also release their own debut album. Guitar prodigy Fayeed Tan would also join the mix as he would also releases his own album in the Viz-Min area. The mid-2000s would see these bands try to carry the entire CDO music scene with them, opening the doors for even more CDO bands to write and create original materials. But nothing could be more original than CDO's premiere Bisrock (Bisaya Rock) band called Southrace. They initially released their debut album locally containing an assortment of different musical genres. Two years after, a new album was released and this time, they found their identity as Bis-rock artists. Meanwhile, Drizzle's effort to carry the entire CDO music scene in it's shoulder would crumble, leading to their disbandment. But while Drizzle disbands, the acknowledged Kings of Dark Metal Dahong Palay would resurrect buoyed by Drue de la Hostria efforts along with a new set of bandmates. Some remnants of Drizzle's string and drums section would later form a new band called Sutil, who would also release an Indie album that would later give them a nomination for NU 107's in the raw award. During these times, K9 would also release their debut album after a very long wait.   

2008 is an even more exciting time for CDO music. While the previous years saw Nuncyspungen, Tabularaza, Drizzle, and Thoughts And Notions' albums being prominently displayed in major record bars, 2008 would soon bring to the nation's consciousness two of Cagayan de Oro's biggest and most talented bands namely the industrial rock band Switch and Gasulina. And it is even worth mentioning that Sutil's vocalist Ram Chavez is currently favored to win the Pinoy Idol singing competitions after blowing away the judges with his awesome renditions of several well loved rock hits. Meanwhile, on the local front, expectations are high for the album releases of several CDO bands like Paid, Superflirts, Novelista Pasta, and Thoughts And Notions. Indeed things are looking up for Cagayan de Oro's music scene.

(Most of the bands that were mentioned above are bands whose albums are in my possession, my aplogies to those who weren't included in the list.) 

The albums featured from left to right on the photo are:

1. Drizzle: Love without logic (Independent release, 2005)
2. Drizzle: Love without logic (Galaxy Records, 2006)
3. Oblivion: Echoes of the Mind (Independent Release, 2002)
4. Dahong Palay: Kapatiran ng Bakal at Apoy (Ivory Records, 1996)
5. Fayeed Tan: Di Nag Iisa (Mindatone Records, 2006)
6. Oblivion: The Crucifixion (Independent Release, 2003)
7. Southrace: Freshwound (Independent Release, 2006)
8. Southrace: BisRock Mindanao (Independent Release, 2008)
9. The CDO Blues Project (Independent Release, 2004)
10. Thoughts And Notions: In awe of his amazing love (Independent Release, 2005)
11. Thoughts And Notions: In awe of his amazing love (Praise Music/Ivory Records, 2006)
12. Nuncyspungen (Lighter Records, 2004)
13. Sutil (Independent Release, 2007)
14. K9 (Independent Release, 2008)
15. Tabularaza: Shewowah (Daybreak Records, 2006)

    Please support YOUR local music scene!