The Filipino Friends Blog

Fishing Is Relaxing!

3D Aquarium Screensaver – www.screensaversaquarium.com

It’s nice and relaxing when you take a break from your busy day.

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Filipino Rock arise in DUBAI!

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I am very proud that these guys ROCK DUBAI!  Would love to hear some music with the who were the nominees…it would wonderful if we can add them to our playlist in NAB RADIO! – you just might hear some great music that you didn’t know you liked! 🙂 Check out the story below from by Dominique Pechuela-Famador

Filipino rock arise in Dubai

ABS-CBN Middle East capped 2009 with the Rakrakan Fest 2009 which was attended by thousands. Callalily, Itchyworms, Brownman Revival and Wolfgang kept the crowd’s untiring energy at its highest peak for hours at the free standing venue, East Hall of the Dubai Airport Expo. The “rock concert,” first staged in 2005, has evolved into an annual reunion of Filipino expats in the Middle East. In its previous legs done in Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Rakrakan did not only showcase the best of Filipino rock acts per se, it also brought together the Philippines’ modern-day heroes in a celebration of music. This year, the team embarked on a brave venture to combine four of the Philippines’ most sought-after bands in their own respective genres.

As ABS-CBN Global Managing Director for the Middle East Eduardo Garcia said, “for the last five years, we’ve been doing the Rakrakan Fest every first Friday of December, and as we traditionally do, we give you only the best taste of Pinoy music.”

Starting the night was the youthful Callalily. The talented young guns had set the tempo so high with their alternative singles and passionate preludes. They got the ladies screaming and the gentlemen singing along. Their impressive performance gave the assurance of a promising future for Philippine music. Quirky and catchy – that’s Itchyworms for you. The group invited great vibe and the audience willingly engaged them. After all, this is the band whose songs Pinoys would sing over the highs and lows of their lives. It was Itchyworms’ second time to perform in Dubai but this was definitely their first with this magnitude.

The unlikely crew of Brownman Revival showed why they made it to the fold in spite of being a reggae act. The nine-piece band gave their grooving twists to most-loved OPM (Original Pilipino Music) as well as wicked flavors to their own compositions. The desert winter was taken over by the cool and comforting Philippine breeze throughout the whole stretch of their set. They spontaneously played Filipino Christmas carols to the delight of the crowd. It was during their set that Philippine Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates H.E. Grace Princesa went onstage to greet all who were present.

But more than anything, the audiences at the Rakrakan Fest 2009 were predominantly part of the “wolf pack.” More people began to gather and were entranced song after song. The unforgettable moment was when lead vocalist Basti Artadi paused in “Natutulog Kong Mundo” and the crowd just filled in the following lines. It was a total uproar from front to back of the concert hall as thousands clapped and sang in unison: a truly hair-raising experience. Each of the band members couldn’t pick the right words to describe how great they felt.

In this YouTube era, where people can conveniently watch their favorite bands perform at their own convenience, this convergence of rock aficionados at the Dubai Airport Expo is exceptional as it is exhilarating. The global and national crisis that they are going through took the backseat for a good five hours – all in the name of Filipino pride. Other nationalities came to rock with much amusement. Some Filipinos came all the way from neighboring countries just to see their favorite bands. And everyone would agree that Rakrakan Fest 2009 is an event that truly lived up to their money’s worth… and much more!

Photos by Buddy Dela Cruz

Ethno-Tribal Group – Kultura

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I found this again from ABS*CBN website under lifestyle and this caught my attention! I was (can’t find the words to explain) but I totally was into the music! I LOVED IT!!  I want to know if they made a record, I would love to get one and add it to our internet radio station! NAB RADIO – totally supports ALL INDIE artists/musicians and we encourage them to send in their music and to give a venue for their music to be heard! You need to see the video and story below… if you know of them, do tell them to contact us… NAB RADIO – this article was written by Arlene Burgos, ABS*CBN

Ethno-tribal group creates own Ako-ang-Simula-themed music

A Tacloban-based group of alternative (or ethno-tribal) scene musicians are just the newest additions to those swept by the ‘change begins with me’ fever being promoted by Boto Mo iPatrol Mo: Ako ang Simula (BMPM), ABS-CBN’s election-focused citizen journalism project which calls on people to help the media report wrongdoing and prod authorities to act.

The group Kulahig, or the Kultura, Arte at Himig, has just created an award-winning video for their song entitled ‘Simulan’ which urges people to start change themselves.
Tata dela Cruz, the band’s vocalist, said her group composed the song on Independence Day of 2007, out of musings on how Filipinos seemed to have lost appreciation for the freedom they enjoy.

The song they produced talks about how each citizen can take up the cudgel of change, and begin transforming society by starting with himself.

The same theme is also being promoted by the BMPM campaign, which hopes to make a siginificant impact for the May 2010 elections by having people actively patrolling the election process. BMPM’s own music video, “Ako ang Simula” resonates with this theme.

Last January, Kulahig produced a video for ‘Simulan’ and entered this into a contest for the local UP Largabista Film Festival, where it won.

Dela Cruz said her group’s message in their ‘Simulan’ song runs parallel to the campaign of BMPM.

For BMPM, this simply means the message of change coming from citizens’ efforts are beginning to catch up among the people, prodding them to themselves call on other citizens to initiate the same kind of change.

Tacloban is one of BMPM’s most active areas. There have been five Boto Patroller registrations there since September. There are 1,721 Boto Patrollers in Tacloban. Total Patrollers in the Philippines run to at least 60,000.

On Friday night, during the “Ako ang Simula: Himig ng Pagbabago,” the free concert for Boto Patrollers held at the University of Santo Tomas, BMPM also acknowledged Lito Valencia, a singer-songwriter who composed a variation of the BMPM theme song.

Valencia’s song is also entitled “Ako ang Simula” and tackles the BMPM mantra of citizens being empowered to start change from within themselves. Crowd estimates peg the attendees to the concert at 20,000.