#kapampangan musicians

[volcanodiamondpress]

On Young Kapampangan Hip Hop Artist Kego, Quakes, and Unshakable Communities

On April 22, 2019 at around 5:00 in the afternoon, a magnitude-6.1 earthquake upset northern Philippines. The earthquake was tectonic making it larger than the usual volcanic earthquakes.

The earthquake's epicenter was located in Zambales,and because of this, areas in Central Luzon experienced great damage and casualties.

(Photo by Sotshots Creative)

Rising up from to aide fellow Kapampangans was Kego, a young hip hop artist and his friends. Read his story here.

1. How old are you and where in Pampanga are you from?

I'm 26 years old, from the City of Angels, Angeles City, Pampanga.

2. What got you interested in hip hop and what do you do get better at your craft?

There's more than 1 reason why I got hooked with Hip hop both as a fan and as an artist. Music is definitely one of them, second would be the fashion but those are just some of the reasons why Hip hop got my interest.

(Photo by Liel Japzon)

When you say Hip hop, it isn't just music, there's a whole culture and community behind it. Besides its music, hip hop comes with a lot of things such as fashion, attitude, character, language, the sports that are connected to it, street knowledge and street business, those are just some of the many things behind hip hop.

If you live by its music only, you won't really understand much, but if you live by its culture then you'll see the real meaning of hip hop and the culture behind it. Hip hop is a lifestyle and to some, they treat it like its a religion. I live by its culture and I apply it on my everyday life and that's where I mold my craft as an artist/songwriter.

4. Who are your influences?

I grew up listening to Andrew E. and Gloc 9, but as I grew older living in USA and Japan I saw a wide selection of artists that I could listen to. Back in middle school I listened to Kanye West a lot, but moving up to High School and learning new things in life I started listening to various artists such as Kid Cudi, Wiz Khalifa, J. Cole and Mac Miller. Now in my recent years I listen to Asap Rocky, Asap Ferg, Madeintyo, $uicideboy$ and that's just to name a few.

5. Tell us about the relief efforts for the victims of 6.1 magnitude earthquake on April 22.

As soon as I heard the news that the people in Porac,Pampanga were in need of help and assistance, I wanted to help out, but I couldn't do it alone, so I told my crew about it. Jonas, our manager was the first person I talked to, I told him about my plan for Porac and he instantly came up with an idea of raising funds for the victims in Porac.

(Photo from Kego Rivera's phone camera)

Jonas and I went to Porac to check on those who were in need of help. Everyone in the crew agreed to push through with the project. We came up with a fundraising event that consists of musical acts and art exhibits. A number of donors and sponsors and artists reached out to us to help out. The City Hall assigned us to reach out to 75 families, and we managed to come up with 100 packs of relief goods, good for a hundred families.

Everything felt good from the start, from organizing the event to packing to distribution. It was all from the heart. Helping others fulfills my basic needs such as happiness, and stress relief. I make sure that my actions make a positive difference. I think that doing these things will give myself a more meaningful life.

(Photo from Kego Rivera's phone camera)

6. Where can people catch you perform?

I normally perform live in small events with my crew, We've had bigger events but we usually stick within the underground scene in Hip hop here in the Philippines.

7. Any websites, social media channels or events you'd like to promote?

If you guys want to see me perform, you guys should visit Bawal Clan's Pampanga visit on June 1, 2019. I will be performing with my crew, Southeastmob.

To listen to my songs, you can search me up online or on the internet, just type "Kego". My songs are available on Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube and other digital music platforms.

You can also follow and connect with me on:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/izzkego Twitter: www.twitter.com/izzkego Facebook: www.facebook.com/izzkego

Discover more Kapampangan hiphop artists and musicians here.

[leng-m]

(Short) OPM Masterpost

I just heard someone say SB19 is all they know about OPM (Original Pilipino Music), and I died a little inside. (I've got nothing against SB19, but to condense all of OPM to just them is a tragedy). And as someone who credits Tagalog OPM as one of the reasons I'm still fluent in the language, I decided to make a list to help out those who want to dip their toes in Filipino music.

(Note: this is a very, very short list of even the ones I know of, since Tumblr apparently has a 100-link limit to their posts. I kept to those who have released something in the last several years, while trying to find a balanced mix of mainstream artists and lesser known ones.)

Pop IV of Spades (x) (x) Morrissette Amon (x) (x) Mark Carpio (x) (x) Shanne Dandan (x) (x) Sarah Geronimo (x) (x) Juan Karlos Labajo (x) (x) Jeric Medina (x) (x) TJ Monterde (x) (x) Inigo Pascual (x) (x) Quest (x) (x) Angeline Quinto (x) (x) Nica Del Rosario (x) (x) Unique Salonga (x) (x) KZ Tandingan (x) (x) Moira dela Torre (x) (x) Thyro & Yumi (x) (x)

Acoustic (Soft-rock/folk-rock/pop-rock -- not sure how to describe this genre, but this is what I would actually consider the "signature" OPM sound.) Agsunta (x) (x) Autotelic (x) (x) Ben & Ben (x) (x) Callalily (x) (x) Yeng Constantino (x) (x) December Avenue (x) (x) Ebe Dancel (x) (x) I Belong to the Zoo (x) (x) Magnus Haven (x) (x) Silent Sanctuary (x) (x) SUD (x) (x) The Juans (x) (x) This Band (x) (x)

Indie Hans Dimayuga (x) (x) Arthur Nery (x) (x) Syd Hartha (x) (x) UDD (x) (x)

Rap / Hiphop / R&B Allmo$t (x) (x) Alisson Shore (x) (x) Because (x) (x) Ex-Battalion (x) (x) Gloc-9 (x) (x) Karencitta (x) (x) Shantidope (x) (x)

Vispop (Visayan) Karencitta (see above) Kurt Fick (x) (x) Jacky Chang (x) (x) TJ Monterde (see above) Meunnie (x) (x) Like I said, this is a really short list. It doesn't include 90s and '00s megastars that really made their mark in the industry like Regine Velasquez, MYMP, Gary V., Aegis, etc.

Please don't expect Filipino music to be like western pop or east Asian pop, that happens to be in a different language. While some artists and their songs do have that "international" flavour, Philippine music in general has a different vibe. Yes, even when the song is in English. Don't expect multi-million dollar production budgets. OPM is characterized first and foremost by hugot (that feeling of tugging on your heartstrings), not flashiness. Also important are vocal ability and creative wordplay. Most of our singers write their own songs.

I also suggest digging past the mainstream pop idols, who tend to recycle old hits and cover other songs. There are a lot of indie gems in OPM, the ones who are really producing music with spirit and strength and good messages. Social media has allowed these artists to reach a mass audience, so they're not difficult to find. We're in a great era in OPM, where more and more songs in other regional languages are being written and produced. There are pop songs now in Kapampangan, Bikol, Tausug, etc.

Also, while many of the musicians on this list are people I genuinely enjoy listening to and support, there are some I've included to show the wide breadth of music in the country, but whom I do not particularly endorse. Like many people in the entertainment industry, some individuals/bands featured here are embroiled in controversy, and I don't necessarily condone their actions.

Feel free to add more!

[untouchabyeolman]

tagged by @hotmesshapa

Name: N

Zodiac: aries

Favorite musicians/band: exo +more

Favorite sports teams: it was sf giants but i haven’t cared for baseball in years

other blogs: @lipstickchanteau @honeynutcheeriyeols

do I get asks: no lol

how many blogs do I follow: 78

what I’m wearing: clothes

dream vacation: maldives

dream car: i dont care i hate driving lmao

favorite food: steak

drink of choice: water

languages: english, kapampangan, tagalog

celebrity crush: pork chonyal

Random fact: i hate kare-kare

tagging: @detective-hongbean @yeoldaily @jonginnation @exoistheuniverse @bloomingyouths

[surprisepeach]

21 Questions tag

Tagged by @sportingsims! thanks! also sorry this is late!

RULES: answer 21 questions, then tag 21 people you want to get to know better

Nickname: I just go by Jong! haha

Zodiac: Aquarius

Height: Tbh... I don’t know?? lik 5′5?

Last thing searched: Cruel Summer asfjdj

Favorite musicians: A LOT! but I’m in a Taylor Swift mood rn 

If you had a time machine, would you go back to the past or visit the future: ummm maybe the early 2000′s. 

Do you gets asks: Rarely! I got of asks during the surprise peach incident

Following: I follow 1,400 blogs!

Would you rather be rich or famous: rich. lol i dont like all the attention

Amount of sleep: I... don’t really know tbh lol

What I’m wearing: shirt and shorts!

Dream job: I really want to do character design for like a video game/movie or something

Dream trip: Italy? (I’ve been there already but I want to go again!)

If you were an animal, which animal would you be: I want to be this deer tbh

What are some of your favorite:

BOOKS-  Rick Riordan books were my gay awakening

FILMS - Uhh Marvel? (Cap Trilogy tbh) also we don’t talk about Endg*me... that movie doesn’t exist

SHOWS - B99 and The Good Place!

GAMES - Ts4, Overwatch, Apex Legends

Play any instruments: None sadly...

Language(s): English, Tagalog, Kapampangan

Describe yourself as aesthetics: I probably seem like that soft pastel person bc of my blog but im edgy irl lol

I tag anyone who wants to do this!

[stolenarrowx]

20 Questions

Tagged by : @coolguitarplayer

Rules: answer these 20 questions, then tag 20 people you want to get to know better.

Nickname: Rae

Height: 5′2″

Last movie I saw: Ralph Breaks The Internet

Last thing I Googled: Timetable Maker

Favorite musician: Rn Mamamoo but there’s a lot

Song stuck in my head: Twit by Hwasa

Other blogs: vor-freu-duh 

Do I get asks: Rarely

Following: 455

Amount of sleep: 6 hours

Lucky number: 26?

What I’m wearing: Shirt and Shorts

Dream job: Something that’ll make me happy

Dream trip: Europe tour

Favorite food: Mostly Asian food

Play any instruments: lol no I wish

Languages: Filipino, Kapampangan and English

Favorite songs: Stolen Dance - Milky Chance , Genesis - Dua Lipa , Selfish - Moon Byul , No More Drama - Mamamoo, that’s all that I can think about rn

Random fact: I played volleyball 

Describe yourself as aesthetic things: Polaroid photos, a Camera, Vinyls and a Turntable

Tagging no one cause I really don’t talk to anyone other than Kath? haha I had fun tho

[mrskodzuken]

Thank you Rae and also Three ( @mrskurono ) for tagging me 🥰 deleting the rbs coz it’s getting looooong 🙇🏻‍♀️

Nickname: Ella

Zodiac Sign: Taurus ♉️

Height: 5’5”

Last Movie I Saw: Ip Man i think? I only got a glimpse of the English title (something that goes like ‘Kung Fu Masters’ 🤷🏻‍♀️)

Last Thing I Googled: angel halo, for making the topper design for my nephew’s christening cake.

Favorite Musician: too many to mention, but I’m a Hello! Project (and Morning Musume) fan for more than a decade—wow wow wow wow~🎶

Song Stuck In My Head: Manatsu Nagahara - “Girl On A Dolphin” (so far...)

Other Blogs: my nsfw side blog, @/cherrieneko; my Nekoma love blog, @/nekko-ma; and my archived art blog, @/angrymongol01. Oh, I also moved from @/doodleniella, where my old art pieces are there ^^

Blogs Following: I now forgot how many /gen

Sleep Patterns: I always sleep at around 12 mn - 2 am and wake up between 7 am and 9 am, PHT. I don’t sleep during afternoons unless suuuuuuper tired af.

Lucky Numbers: Three (3), ever since I know some basic Numerology during high school; it is also my life number.

What Am I Wearing: pink shirt with a cute sushi print in front + animal-print loose shorts.

What Would I Do If Capitalism Didn’t Exist?: 🤷🏻‍♀️ /gen

Dream Trip: Japan (i also wanna visit my cousin + aunt/godmother there and see my cute nieces 🥰)

Favorite Food: too many to mention, I’m not picky when it comes to food tho 😋

Instruments I Play: piano/keyboard—i took piano/keyboard summer lessons before Grade 6 (to make up with my low Math grades iirc from Grade 5 🤦🏻‍♀️)

Languages I speak: English, Filipino, Pampango/Kapampangan, and some Nihonggo.

Favorite Songs: pretty much anything i listen to on Spotify, and also Hello! Project songs 🥰

Random Facts About Me: i love and can’t stop buying books and back issues of US magazines in a secondhand thrift bookstore, so much my family kinda banned me from doing so... so whenever i get the chance, i buy them in secret 😎

Tagging @mitsuyaya @water-and-grass @atsuminthe @izhyperfixates @rosesandtoshi @kentimestwo @melsun @sunarent @haikyuufairy @spaceywarlock @shinsoups @meiansmistress @krystalgaia @saudade-mayari @evanescentlight @korathefairy @quanxui @lovelytarou @chibishae34 @ara-mitsue @kodzucafe @thesimphouse @wakaslut @miyamartina @chickentendieboi @mirakeul @betheydocrimewrites + everyone who wants to UwU

20 questions tag

hello!! i was tagged in this by @aqua-girl-4ever so thank you for the tag!

Nickname: ezzy! or banana if yall are into that ig

Zodiac Sign: cancer. i am crabbo

Height: 5'10" i think?? maybe 5'9"??

Last Movie I Saw: in theaters i think was Frozen 2 but in general the last movie i watched was Vertigo

Last Thing I Googled: ‘how to sleep’ for my friend so they stop texting me at fucking one in the morning about their insomnia

Favorite Musician: don’t have one! i don’t listen to a whole lot of music other than show tunes or disney songs but i think just about every song i hear is a good song. but also Freddie Mercury.

Song Stuck In My Head: surprisingly it’s actually kinda quiet in my head right now, but Maybe This Time from Cabaret and Maybe from Annie are both kind of floating around somewhere in the back

Other Blogs: none babeyyy y’all get everything here. one stop shop.

Blogs Following: i just follow back people who follow me. so. y’all can check that list if you’re interested.

Sleep Patterns: as of now it’s usually about 3-4am to 2pm. i always wake up at 2 because i have an alarm but i can fall asleep basically anywhere between 3 and 5 am

Lucky Numbers: 8 and 28 but not 18. also i hate the numbers 7 and 10

What Am I Wearing: my jammies! which aren’t actually jammies just comfy clothes. kk slider socks, black leggings, undies, and a big t-shirt

What Would I Do If Capitalism Didn’t Exist?: fucking live man. go places. be happy. but if we’re talking careers i would kill to be, like, a mattress tester or smth. i just like to rest

Dream Trip: y’all i live in ohio just get me out of here and i’m happy. but i’ve always wanted to go to norway, or somewhere in south america

Favorite Food: nearest. but also strawberries and pasta. not together tho

Instruments I Play: uh… i was a percussionist in band in middle school so… drums, and i also play handbells and sing. and also i played piano for like two years but i never practiced so i don’t know how to play piano

Languages I speak: English. and i studied Spanish for like four years but it was also in the american public school system so we all know what kind of quality that had, and i’ve tried duolingo just so many times and never gotten past a certain point

Favorite Songs: pretty much anything i listen to! i’m not big on rap and things like that bc i have auditory processing issues and can’t understand what they’re saying but if i can understand it i usually like it

Random Facts About Me: ooh um… i have chronic hiccups, i just chopped off a lot of my hair for charity, i have a cat, and i have a lot of weird ancestors/relatives

tagging @etchedstars @primordialsoupy @imperatrixtumby

[sef1208-blog]

History of OPM(Original Pinoy Music)

Original Pilipino music, now more commonly termed original Pinoy music, original Philippine music or OPM, originally referred only to Philippine pop songs, particularly ballads, such as those popular after the collapse of its predecessor, the Manila Soundof the late 1970s. In the 1970s, popular artists were Nora Aunor, Pilita Corrales, Eddie Peregrina, Ramon Jacinto, Victor Wood, and Asin. The more major commercial Philippine pop music artists were Claire dela Fuente, Didith Reyes, Rico Puno, Ryan Cayabyab, Basil Valdez, Celeste Legaspi, Hajji Alejandro, Rey Valera, Freddie Aguilar, Imelda Papin, Eva Eugenio, Marco Sison, Nonoy Zuniga, and many others. Between the 1980s and the 1990s, OPM was led by artists such as Regine Velasquez, APO Hiking Society, José Mari Chan, Janet Arnaiz, Dingdong Avanzado, Rodel Naval, Janno Gibbs, Ogie Alcasid, Joey Albert, Lilet, Martin Nievera, Manilyn Reynes, Lea Salonga, Raymond Lauchengco, JoAnne Lorenzana, Francis Magalona, Sharon Cuneta, Sheryl Cruz, Zsa Zsa Padilla, and Gary Valenciano, among many others. In the 1990s, famous artists included Eraserheads, Smokey Mountain, Rivermaya, Jaya, Donna Cruz, Jolina Magdangal, Jessa Zaragoza, Ariel Rivera, South Border, AfterImage, Side A, Andrew E., Lani Misalucha, Ella May Saison, Roselle Nava and Blakdyak, among many others. In the 2000s and the 2010s, leading OPM artists include Aiza Seguerra, Toni Gonzaga, Sarah Geronimo, Nina, Yeng Constantino, Spongecola, Christian Bautista, Charice, Jed Madela, Erik Santos, Parokya Ni Edgar, and Gloc-9, among many others. Underground bands emerged and along with them were their perceptions of idealism and self-expression. The famous lyricist of Circle's End, Geno Georsua landed on top as the melodramatic expressionist. Bassist Greg Soliman of UST Pendong grasps the title as the best bassist of underground music. From its origin, OPM has been centered in Manila, where Tagalog and English are the dominant languages. Other ethnolinguistic groups such as Visayan, Bikol and Kapampangan, despite making music in their native languages, have rarely been recognized as OPM. Unusual cases includr the Bisrock(Visayan rock music) song "Charing" by Davao band, 1017. Multiculturalism advocates and federalists often associate the discrepancy to the Tagalog-centric cultural hegemony of Manila. Having successfully created a subgenre of Philippine rock thatvthey called Bisrock, the Visayans, by far, have the biggest collection of modern music in their native language, with great contributions from Visayan bands Phylum and Missing Filemon. However, a band called Groupies' Panciteria that hails from Tacloban, a Winaray-speaking city, launched a free downloadable mp3 album on Soundclick.com in 2009 containing 13 Tagalog songs and only one very short song in the Cebuano language.[1] Following suit are the Kapampangans. The debut music video of "Oras" ("Time") by Tarlac City-based Kapampangan band Mernuts has penetrated MTV Pilipinas, making it the first ever Kapampangan music video to join the ranks of other mainstream Filipino music videos. RocKapampangan: The Birth of Philippine Kapampangan Rock, an album of modern remakes of Kapampangan folk extemporaneous songs by various Kapampangan bands was also launched last February 2008, which are regularly played via Kapampangan cable channel Infomax-8 and via one of Central Luzon's biggest FM radio stations, GVFM 99.1. Inspired by what the locals call "Kapampangan cultural renaissance", Angeles City-born balladeer Ronnie Liang rendered Kapampangan translations of some of his popular songs such as "Ayli" (Kapampangan version of "Ngiti"), and "Ika" (Kapampangan version of "Ikaw") for his repackaged album. Despite the growing clamor for non-Tagalog and non-English music and the greater representation of other Philippine languages, the local Philippine music industry, which is centered in Manila, is unforthcoming in venturing investments to other locations. Some of their major reasons include the language barrier, small market size, and socio-cultural emphasis away from regionalism in the Philippines. The country's first songwriting competition, Metro Manila Popular Music Festival, was first established in 1977 and launched by the Popular Music Foundation of the Philippines. The event featured many prominent singers and songwriters during its time. It was held annually for seven years until its discontinuation in 1985. It was later revived in 1996 as the "Metropop Song Festival", running for another seven years before being discontinued in 2003 due to the decline of its popularity.[2] Another variation of the festival had been established called the Himig Handog contest which began in 2000, operated by ABS-CBN Corporation and its subsidiary music label Star Records. Five competitions have been held so far starting in 2000 to 2003 and was eventually revived in 2013. Unlike its predecessors, the contest has different themes which reflect the type of song entries chosen as finalists each year.[3][4]In 2012, the Philippine Popular Music Festivalwas launched and is said to be inspired by the first songwriting competition.[5] Pop music OPM pop has been regularly showcased in the live band scene. Groups such as Neocolours, Side A, Introvoys, The Teeth, Yano, True Faith, Passage and Freestyle popularized songs that clearly reflect the sentimental character of OPM pop. In the new millennium up to the 2010s, famous Filipino pop music artists include Sarah Geronimo, Erik Santos, Yeng Constantino, and Christian Bautista, among many others. Choir music Choral music has become an important part of Philippine music culture. It dates back to the choirs of churches that sing during mass in the old days. In the middle of the 20th century, performing choral groups started to emerge and increasingly become popular as time goes by. Aside from churches, universities, schools and local communities have established choirs. Philippine choral arrangers like Robert Delgado, Fidel Calalang, Lucio San Pedro, Eudenice Palaruan among others have included in the vast repertoires of choirs beautiful arrangements of OPM, folk songs, patriotic songs, novelty songs, love songs, and even foreign songs. The Philippine Madrigal Singers (originally the University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers) is one of the most famous choral groups not only in the Philippines, but also worldwide. Winning international competitions, the group became one of the most formidable choral groups in the country. Other award-winning choral groups are the University of Santo Tomas Singers, the Philippine Meistersingers (Former Adventist University of the Philippines Ambassadors), the U.P. Singing Ambassadors and U.P. Concert Chorus, among others. Rock and blues The United States occupied the Islands in 1898 until 1946, and introduced American blues, folk music, R&B and rock & roll which became popular. In the late 1950s, native performers adapted Tagalog lyrics for North American rock & roll music, resulting in the seminal origins of Philippine rock. The most notable achievement in Philippine rock of the 1960s was the hit song "Killer Joe", which propelled the group Rocky Fellers, reaching number 16 on the American radio charts. Up until the 1970s, popular rock musicians began writing and producing in English. In the early 1970s, rock music began to be written using local languages, with bands like the Juan Dela Cruz Band being among the first popular bands to do so. Mixing Tagalog and English lyrics were also popularly used within the same song, in songs like "Ang Miss Universe Ng Buhay Ko" ("The Miss Universe of My Life") by the band Hotdog which helped innovate the Manila Sound. The mixing of the two languages (known as "Taglish"), while common in casual speech in the Philippines, was seen as a bold move, but the success of Taglish in popular songs, including Sharon Cuneta's first hit, "Mr. DJ", broke the barrier forevermore. Philippine rock musicians added folk musicand other influences, helping to lead to the 1978 breakthrough success of Freddie Aguilar. Aguilar's "Anak" ("Child"), his debut recording, is the most commercially successful Filipino recording, and was popular throughout Asia and Europe, and has been translated into numerous languages by singers worldwide. Asin also broke into the music scene in the same period, and were popular. Folk rock became the Philippine protest music of the 1980s, and Aguilar's "Bayan Ko" ("My Country") became popular as an anthemduring the 1986 EDSA Revolution. At the same time, a counterculture rejected the rise of politically focused lyrics. In Manila, a punk rock scene developed, led by bands like Betrayed, The Jerks, Urban Bandits, and Contras. The influence of new wave was also felt during these years, spearheaded by The Dawn. The 1990s saw the emergence of Eraserheads, considered by many Philippine nationals as the number one group in the Philippine recording scene. In the wake of their success was the emergence of a string of influential Filipino rock bands such as Yano, Siakol, Parokya ni Edgar and Rivermaya, each of which mixes the influence of a variety of rock subgenres into their style. Filipino rock has also developed to include some hard rock, heavy metal and alternative rock such as Razorback, Wolfgang, Greyhoundz, Slapshock, Queso, Bamboo, Franco, Urbandub and the progressive bands Paradigm, Fuseboxx, Earthmover and Eternal Now. Rock festivals have emerged through the recent years and it has been an annual event for some of the rock/metal enthusiasts. One big event is the Pulp Summer Slam wherein local rock/metal bands and international bands such as Lamb of God, Anthrax, Death Angel and Arch Enemy have performed.[6] The neo-traditional genre in Filipino music is also gaining popularity, with artists such as Joey Ayala, Grace Nono, Bayang Barrios, Cocojam and Pinikpikan reaping relative commercial success while utilizing the traditional musical sounds of many indigenous tribes in the Philippines. Earth music Another genre that utilizes traditional instruments and found objects in primal compositions. Earth music recordings came out in 1994 under Backdoor Records.A series of albums have been recorded and released by Ambahayan Productions like Kubing Album, Chants Album, Kudyapi Album, Kulintang Album, Gabbang Album, Gangsa Album and Native Flutes Album. Airborne music A kind of music popularized by local musicians which is unrehearsed and played in public. Hip-hop Filipino hip-hop is hip hop music performed by musicians of Filipino descent, both in the Philippines and overseas, especially by Filipino-Americans. The Philippines is known to have had the first hip-hop music scene in Asia since the early 1980s, largely due to the country's historical connections with the United States where hip-hop originated. Rap music released in the Philippines has appeared in different languages such as Tagalog, Chavacano, Cebuano, Ilocano and English. In the Philippines, Francis M, Gloc-9and Andrew E. are cited as the most influential rappers in the country, being the first to release mainstream rap albums. Program music Unlike pure music which has no reference in the real world and no story component, program music is instrumental music that may tell a story with explicit episodes, reveal facets of a character, place or occasion, or imitate the sounds of the world. Sometimes this may take the form of a verbal explanation of the "story" or "program" of the piece. The term was invented by composer Franz Liszt, who understood program music to involve a program external to the music that set the parameters and the form in which the musical piece unfolds. Other genres A number of other genres are growing in popularity in the Philippine music scene, including a number of alternative groups and tribal bands promoting cultural awareness of the Philippine Islands. Likewise, jazz has experienced a resurgence in popularity. Initial impetus was provided by W.D.O.U.J.I. (Witch Doctors of Underground Jazz Improvisation) with their award-winning independent release "Ground Zero" distributed by the now defunct N/A Records in 2002 and the Tots Tolentino-led Buhay jazz quartet in the year before that. This opened up the way for later attempts most notable of which is the Filipino jazz supergroup Johnny Alegre Affinity, releasing its eponymous debut album in 2005 under London-based Candid Records. Mon David has also made the rounds of the Las Vegas music circuit. Among the female performers, Mishka Adams has been the most prominent. A recent development is the fusion of spoken-word and jazz and also with rock, chiefly attributed to Radioactive Sago Project. Other notable names of late are Bob Aves with his ethno-infused jazz, The Jazz Volunteers and Akasha which have anchored the now legendary underground jazz jams at Freedom Bar for almost half of the 11 years of its existence. Today, underground jazz jams are now held in a bar called TAGO jazz bar which is located at Main Avenue, Cubao. Newer jazz groups emerged in the local jazz scene namely Swingster Syndicate pioneering in the post-bop and modern trad jazz, and Camerata Jazz known for their Filipino jazz arrangements and sound. Bossa nova and Latino music has been popular since the 1970s. Performers like Annie Brazil were active in the 1970s, while more recently, Sitti has been earning rave reviews for her bossa nova covers of popular songs. While there has long been a flourishing underground reggae and ska scene, particularly in Baguio City, it is only recently that the genres have been accepted in the mainstream. Acts like Brownman Revival, Put3ska, Roots Revival of Cebu and The Brown Outfit Bureau of Tarlac City have been instrumental in popularizing what is called "Island Riddims". There is also a burgeoning mod revival, spearheaded by Juan Pablo Dream and a large indie pop scene. Electronic music began in the mid-1990s in the Manila underground spearheaded by luminaries like Manolet Dario of the Consortium. In 2010, local artists started to create electropop songs themselves. As of now, most electronic songs are used in commercials. The only radio station so far that purely plays electronic music is 107.9 U Radio. 2010s also began the rise of indie electronic producers and artists with the likes of Somedaydream, CRWN, NINNO, Kidthrones, and Jess Connelly. Source:Wikia

[psychonedashone]

All About Music: A Leap Into the Past and Investigating Music Fad (Delvalle,Libang,Lisboa,Mesina,Perada,Reyes G, Reyes M)

ctto

            Music plays an integral part in our everyday living. Because the music industry continues to rise, it is nearly impossible to go an entire day without hearing some snippet of music along the way. Music, in this case, has completely different views and meanings to distinct individuals. As far as studies had found, music is unambiguously an individual’s attribute. It also influences our mental performance and skill to get things done. These qualities and effects of music are just some of which that justifies the study of music, specifically, music taste or preference or the popular genre of music then and now. Looking into all of these, we may go beyond our imaginative expectations, this will expand our horizons and perhaps outcomes may give us an idea of music as guide to therapy and personality development theories, and a human performance proponent. Who knows exactly what’s the limitation of music in relation to humans? Despite being so complex, music— certainly tells a lot about us.

ctto

          Way back before the years of colonization, music was already a part of Filipinos’ daily life and even during special events. We Filipinos have that so called "Mga Awiting Bayan" which includes Oyayi (used as lullaby), Kumintang (which is sang during wars), Diona (song during weddings) and many more. Music plays an important role to everyone because it could be a way to express their thoughts and feelings but for some, the music represents the richness and diversity of culture and tradition of a particular place.

ctto

          It was during the American colonization, specifically during the year 1898 to 1946, here in the Philippines, that the Americans introduced blue folk music and rock and roll. In the year 1950's, rock and roll songs with Tagalog lyrics had been adapted resulting as the origin of Philippine Rock.

          Until the year of 1970's, rock music had been the most popular genre of music here in the Philippines, but during the late 1970's, Filipino songwriters tried to combine Tagalog and English lyrics to produce new songs which leads to a birth of a new genre in the music industry of the Philippines which is the Pop Music or Philippine Pop in which afterwards became the inspiration of music artist and composers to have our own music style which is known as the Original Pilipino Music, now more commonly termed Original Pinoy Music or Original Philippine Music or OPM for short, which originally referred to Philippine pop songs.

        In the year 1980's, subgenres of OPM suddenly emerges like the Folk rock which includes music with rock and counterculture style and also the OPM Christmas songs. In the year of 1990's subgenre of Philippine Rock was introduced after developing Philippine rock with hard rock, heavy metal, and alternative rock. In the Visayas they introduced their own subgenre which they called the Bisrock, a subgenre of Pinoy rock, propagated by the Cebu rock music industry in the Philippines. The term, which is in the blended form, comes from the Cebuano words Bisaya, referring the Visayan languages, and "rock", for rock music. Meanwhile in Pampanga, they also produce their own subgenre which is the Rockapampangan that became an idea whose time has finally come, after folk, classical, acoustic and pop music, they think about mixing kapampangan lyrics with Rock music.

ctto

            In the year 2000, the music industry has brought different genres which enriches the OPM. One of this is the Jazz which is a type of music of black American origin characterized by improvisation, syncopation, and usually a regular or forceful rhythm, emerging at the beginning of the 20th century. The Philippines has always been a home for Jazz in Asia. Introduced by American soldiers, the genre opened up many opportunities for Filipino performers who have turned it into a musical tradition in the Philippines. Other accounts say that its roots can be traced back to the early Filipino settlers of New Orleans. Jazz as an expressive and improvisational music has found affinity to the traits of being a Filipino. the Philippines became largely open to all things American, including Hollywood movies, food, and Jazz music. Some popular Filipino Jazz artists are Louie Reyes, dubbed the Philippine Queen of Jazz, Bong Peñera, Fred Elizalde, Tito Mina, among many more. One more genre is the Rap which is an hip hop music performed by musicians of Filipino descent, both in the Philippines and overseas, especially by Filipino-Americans. The Philippines is known to have had the first hip hop music scene in Asia since the early 1980s, largely due to the country's historical connections with the United States where hip hop originated. Rap music released in the Philippines has appeared in different languages or dialects such as Tagalog, Bicolano, Chavacano, Cebuano, Ilocano and English. In the Philippines, Francis Magalona and Andrew E. are among the most influential rappers in the country, being the first to release mainstream rap albums. Apl.de.ap of The Black Eyed Peas, Cassie Ventura, and Chad Hugo of the Neptunes and N.E.R.D. are among the contemporary Filipino-American hip-hop artists. And of course, the Reggae, Filipino reggae or Pinoy reggae is reggae music created in the Philippines. The country has several bands and sound systems that play reggae and dancehall music in a style faithful to its expression in Jamaica. Reggae in the Philippines comprises the many forms of reggae and its subgenres, and at times combining traditional Filipino forms of music and instruments in their music. Cocojam is known as one of the first Filipino reggae bands. Ska also found its place in the Philippines, with many bands forming, especially in the Visayas region. Cities like Dumaguete and Cebu became the hub of Filipino ska.

          Usually, taste in music is different for each generation but according to George Gershwin, “true music must repeat the thought and inspiration of the people and the time” and there are indeed some genres of music that are not bound by generations and is liked by both the old and young. Examples of these genres are rock which was introduced by the Americans during the late 1950s and jazz which was introduced to us Filipinos when African-American soldiers landed in the Philippines to fight the war against the Spaniards however, according to a documentary based on Richie Quirinoâ award winning book Pinoy Jazz Traditions, Filipinos who jumped the Spanish galleon ships were the first Filipinos to come face to face with jazz when they found their way to New Orleans where jazz music was just taking shape as ragtime, blues, brass and other musical traditions collided and eventually fused to take different new forms.

          Where do our preference in music come from? Since music exist in every culture, some scientist wondered whether our musical tastes are inborn. Although some of our preference are from biology and some are from the people around us and the culture that we lived in.

          According to Josh McDermott, people strongly prefer genre and notes that are correlated with the music they are exposed to. We prefer the one that we are familiar with and the music we are mostly exposed to are the ones that we mostly hear from stores, movies, and radio. According to Dr. Shahram Heshmat, due to the repeated exposure, it increases our liking as a process of conditioning our mind into liking the music with the same tune, genre, and musical artist as a form of classical conditioning. However, extreme exposure may lead to habituation.

          Our musical reference also reflects on our personality and identity because it is who we are. We prefer genres that matches our personality and these genres reveals important information about our nature. According to Kendra Cherry, a study shows that indie fans are mostly introvert, intellectual and creative; and country music for those who are hardworking, conventional and outgoing. Meanwhile in identity, we often choose the music styles that are related to us and communicate it with others. By sharing your musical preference to others, you are telling them that you believe in some traditions and values like others with the same preference in music.

           Another one common factor that influence our preference in music is our age. According to Heshmat, from late adolescent throughout adulthood, we began to form our preference in music. Music from childhood to adolescents are the ones that creates long lasting memories. From the teenage years, it creates strong nostalgic feeling until adulthood. Throughout the years, music preference change as we age. According to the study of Arielle Bonneville-Roussy, adolescence prefer intense music such as punk and metal to contemporary music such as pop and rap until the beginning of middle age years to establish an identity. For early adulthood, mellow music such as R & B and electronic is introduced which is considered as romantic and positive. And for the last musical age, sophisticated music such as jazz and classics, and unpretentious music such as country, folk and blues are more preferred. This is due to the changes in social and psychological development.

ctto

Did you know that our music taste tells us not only about our personality, age, but also our social class? Social class is a division of society based on social class and economic class. According to the study from Canadian Review of Sociology, our music preferences informs us our cultural attitudes and our way of listening. Lower class people prefer country, oldies and heavy metal. However, higher class people preferred choral, classics, rock, and musical theatre. The study shows that higher class people dislike heavy metal and country, meanwhile, lower class people dislike classics and choral. The likes and dislikes of higher class and lower class creates boundaries between the two.

  Culture, society, brain and identity plays a vital role in choosing genres, tunes and artist as one of our musical reference. As it affects our taste in music, it also affects us sociologically and psychologically as it influences our personality and social life. Our musical preferences reflect our personality, identity, age, mood and life, on what kind of life, we lived in and what are we truly feeling. By knowing more and understanding our musical preferences better, it may help us know and discover more about ourselves and others, with the use of their taste in music. This also helps us in understanding another person’s mental health state by knowing their music preference and listening behavior. Therefore, music affects us in different ways, however, all this results to status, life and self.

ctto

          Comparing then and now, both the type and purpose of music in our culture has changed drastically. Some of our traditional pre-colonial music has almost vanished, if not completely forgotten altogether, and as time goes on and as globalization introduces more different kinds of music from other culture, the higher the chances of our traditional pre-colonial music. That does not mean however that Pinoy music will be lost in history as, though it may have changed and had been influenced due to us being colonized, Pinoy music is still on the rise globally. In fact, according to Gautam Talwar, Spotify’s new managing director for south-east Asia, OPM content has surpassed 10 billion streams in 2019. This goes to show that as our culture opens up to the world and be influenced by other cultures’ music, we, in turn, are able to share our ever evolving Original Pinoy Music with the world.

[volcanodiamondpress]

On Young Kapampangan Classical Musician Rey Vincent Sunglao of the Manila Symphony Orchestra

We've featured young Kapampangan musicians in the rock, hip hop, accoustic and electronic genres. But these insights on classical music from Rey Vincent Sunglao are a rare treat.

(Photo by Rodel Valiente, MSO’s official photographer for the 2019 Season)

On June 17-23, 2019, he and his group the Manila Symphony Orchestra will represent the country in China for a concert tour. Wish them luck!

1. How old is he and where in Pampanga is he from?

Rey Vincent Parico Sunglao, 23, a native of Betis, Guagua, Pampanga. Rey Vincent started in the music industry when he was in 2nd grade. His parents pushed and supported him to join a religious group, Mirabilia Dei, where he got the very foundation of his music. Every Sunday he would sing for the mass and go straight to rehearsals right after. The Mirabilia Dei, formerly known as Betis Children’s Choir was founded by Mrs. Consuelo J. Mendoza in 2001. It is composed of children from different barrios of Betis who are taught and trained to sing and play different musical instruments for the purpose of promoting the word of God through singing and playing Liturgical Music. Annually, Mirabilia Dei celebrates music through benefit concerts whose proceeds go to the construction of the first music school in the province.

(Photo by Rodel Valiente, MSO’s official photographer for the 2019 Season)

Rey was offered by Sr. Mary Placid Abejo, OSB and Sr. Agnella Capili, OSB full scholarship from the Battig Foundation for Music Education in Double Bass principal at St. Scholastica's College, Manila in 2011. In 2012, Rey was recommended to the Future Faces Manila and became their very first scholar of the foundation. He became a member of the Manila Symphony Orchestra in 2012.

His Double Bass mentor, Rommel Cruz, pushed him to audition in the Asian Youth Orchestra (AYO) in January 2016 and was chosen to be one of the delegates to represent the Philippines in AYO 2016 Season. Rey performed among the finest young musicians and had concert tours around Asia. He was again chosen to join AYO 2017 Season and represented the Philippines on its very first global concert tour. Rey Vincent is the very first Double Bass graduate of St. Scholastica's College, Manila and has made history by being the institution's first ever male valedictorian.

2. What got him interested in playing the double bass?

Mirabilia Dei requires its members to study at least one musical instrument. In 2007, the group began offering violin lessons to interested members. Rey learned to read notes prior to learning the Violin, but it was when the teacher assessed his hand size that he realized his hand is too big for the instrument. A couple of years after, he studied the Cello and was successful in learning it for 2 years. He auditioned in St. Scholastica's College for Cello principal but with his level of playing at that time, Rey's application was unsuccessful. However, he was offered a full scholarship if he decides to study the Double Bass instead of the Cello. Holding on to his dream to enter the conservatory, he accepted the challenge and left the Cello for good. Eventually, he fell in love with the Double Bass. Rey studied Bachelor of Music Major in Music Education with Double Bass Principal under the tutelage of Rommel Cruz, Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.

3. What does he to get better at the craft?

(Screenshot from the MSO's 2018 Season Finale Video by Studio8)

St. Scholastica’s College has been instrumental on imparting values Rey believes have helped him hone his potential in music. Discipline, Service and Ora et Labora. Discipline for him covers responsibility to practice every single day to develop his music. With discipline and dedication, there comes excellence. Service in a form of sharing fulfills him. Rey believes that it is when we share our skills, abilities and talents to other people that we are able to touch the lives of many. Ora et Labora (Prayer and Work), the whole universe is willing to help us but it has to start with us. Prayer and work is all about faith. Faith in God but more importantly, faith within us—that we can do anything if we believe in ourselves.

4. What is it about classical music or its history that Kapampangans should know about?

Music has been an integral part of the culture in Pampanga for years. From the Gozo of Halloween, Pasyon of Lenten season, to even the guitar makers of Guagua, Kapampangans are known to having so much potential in music and the performing arts. Rey is an alumnus of the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines (TOSP) and has the advocacy of achieving quality Music Education in the country. He wants to evaluate the curriculum of music and to come up to a possible solution to improve it. He believes that music should be part of the educational system for it builds on the potential of every individual just like the Sciences and Mathematics. Education for him is the key to discovering the inner musical skills of each individual and achieve their fullest potentials in it. Through a quality Music Education, he envisions that the Philippines especially Pampanga will sprout more and more talents that up until now may still be unsung.

5. Tell us about the Manila Symphony Orchestra.

(Photo by Rodel Valiente, MSO’s official photographer for the 2019 Season)

Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is one of Asia’s first symphony orchestras founded in 1926. It is composed of around 60 musicians and has performed in all major concert venues in the Metro and throughout the country. Many of the members of the MSO are professional musicians who, in addition to their leadership roles in the orchestra, are also active participants in the cultural life of the country as soloists, music educators, music arrangers, chamber music performers, entrepreneurs, bandmasters, and choir conductors.

6. Where can people catch him perform? 

Rey Vincent has been an active member of MSO since 2012. People can follow their social media accounts for Season Concerts and other exciting performances.

Watch him perform the Bottesini Elegy in D for Double Bass and Piano in the video below.

7. Any websites, social media channels or events you'd like to promote?

Please check out:

The MSO Website https://www.manilasymphony.com/mso-academy/about-us/manila-symphony-orchestra/

And the MSO Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/manilasymphony/

[tasksweekly]

[TASK 025: MUSIC] 🎵🎶

Singers! Instrumentalists! Bands! Lyrics! Videos! Below is a masterlist compiled of over 270+ faceclaims related to music categorised by gender with their ethnicity denoted if there was a reliable source. If you want want an extra challenge use random.org to pick a random number! Of course everything listed below are just suggestions and you can pick whichever character or whichever project you desire.

Any questions can be sent here and all tutorials have been linked below the cut for ease of access! REMEMBER to tag your resources with #TASKSWEEKLY and we will reblog them onto the main! This task can be tagged with whatever you want but if you want us to see it please be sure that our tag is the first five tags!

THE TASK

STEP 1: Decide on a FC or idea you wish to create resources for! You can always do more than one but who are you starting with? There are links to masterlists you can use in order to find them and if you want help, just send us a message and we can pick one for you at random!

STEP 2: Pick what you want to create! You can obviously do more than one thing, but what do you want to start off with? Screencaps, RP icons, GIF packs, masterlists, PNG’s, fancasts, alternative FC’s - LITERALLY anything you desire!

STEP 3: Look back on tasks that we have created previously for tutorials on the thing you are creating, unless you have whatever it is you are doing mastered - then of course feel free to just get on and do it. :)

STEP 4: Upload and tag with #TASKSWEEKLY! If you didn’t use your own screencaps/images make sure to credit where you got them from as we will not reblog packs which do not credit caps or original gifs from the original maker.

SOME ADVICE FROM US:

Stumped for ideas? Go to your iTunes, Spotify or YouTube and look up the artists you’ve listened to. Maybe make a playlist for a character, fandom or aesthetic. Lyric based graphics. Lyric based starters or tags. Plot ideas based on music videos. Font masterlists based on musicians. Screencaps of your favourite music videos. Masterlist of faceclaims you’d like to see used. Resources of your favourite artist. Faceless resources of people singing or playing an instrument. Guides on playing instruments. Be creative!

LINKS:

THINGS YOU CAN MAKE FOR THIS TASK -  examples are linked!

Screencaps

RP icons [of all sizes]

Gif Pack [maybe gif icons if you wish]

PNG packs

Manips

Dash Icons

Character Aesthetics

PSD’s

XCF’s

Graphic Templates - can be chara header, promo, border or background PSD’s!

FC Masterlists - underused, with resources, without resources!

FC Help - could be related, family templates, alternatives.

Written Guides.

and whatever else you can think of / make!

Masterlist:

The Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart by BBC

The 20 Best New Artists And Bands You Should Be Listening To by radiox

Top Music Artists and Bands by billboard

Lists of musicians by genre by wikipedia

Control + F = look for a specific ethnicity or age. 

Ladies:

Pilita Corrales (77) Filipino / Spanish.

Tina Turner (77) African-American.

Margaret Avery (72) African-American.

Dolly Parton (70)

Cher (70)

Phylicia Rashad (68) African-American.

Loretta Devine (67) African-American.

Annie Lennox (62)

Madonna (58)

Nia Peeples (55) Filipino / White, Native American.

Sheryl Crow (54)

Vanessa L. Williams (53) African-American, White and Welsh, possibly Native American.

Erica Gimpel (52) Unknown ethnicity.

Shania Twain (51)

Alka Yagnik (50) Indian.

Janet Jackson (50) African-American.

Tia Carrere (49) Filipino, Chinese, Spanish.

Kylie Minogue (48)

Céline Dion (48)

Mariah Carey (47) African American, Afro-Venezuelan / White.

Jennifer Lopez (47) Puerto Rican (including Spanish, likely other)

Gwen Stefani (47)

Regine Velasquez (46) Filipino (Waray)

Taraji P. Henson (46) African-American (including Cameroonian)

Queen Latifah (46) African-American.

Rozonda Thomas (45) Middle Eastern, East Indian, African American, possibly Native American.

Lea Salonga (45) Filipino (Kapampangan, Tagalog)

Jada Pinkett Smith (45) African-American / Afro-/Creole-Barbadian, Afro-/Creole-Jamaican.

Sharon Leal (44) African-American / Filipino.

Alanis Morissette (42)

Sia (41)

Natalie Imbruglia (41)

Vina Morales (41) Filipino (Cebuano)

Sunshine Cruz (39) Filipino (including Kapampangan)

Tamar Braxton (39) African-American.

Shakira (39) Lebanese / Colombian, White.

Fiona Apple (39)

Myleene Klass (38) Filipino / White.

Norah Jones (37) Bengali Indian / White.

P!nk (37)

Christina Aguilera (36)

Amy Lee (35)

Alicia Keys (35) African-American / White.

Olivia Theresa Longott (35) Indian, Jamaican, Cuban, Native American.

Jennifer Hudson (35) African-American.

Belinda Braza (35) Filipino (Hiligaynon)

Beyoncé (35) African-American / Louisiana Creole, including African, French, Acadian/French-Canadian, as well as distant Irish and Spanish.

Britney Spears (35)

Christina Milian (35) Afro-Cuban.

Keri Hilson (34) African-American.

Ester Dean (34) Unknown ethnicity.

Nicki Minaj (34) Indo-Trinidadian, Afro-Trinidadian.

Francine Prieto (34) Filipino, Chinese / White.

Myrna Braza (33) Filipino (Hiligaynon) / White.

Tessa Thompson (33) Afro-Panamanian / Mexican, White.

Sunidhi Chauhan (33) Indian.

Tinashe (32) Zimbabwean / White.

Katy Perry (32)

Avril Lavigne (32)

Keisha Buchanan (32) Afro-Jamaican.

Toni Gonzaga (32) Filipino (Tagalog)

Shreya Ghoshal (32) Indian.

Bibi Zhou (31) Chinese.

Lana Del Rey (31)

Carly Rae Jepsen (31)

Leona Lewis (31) Afro-Guyanese / White.

Nicole Beharie (31) African-American / Afro-Caribbean.

Solenn Heussaff (31) Filipino, Breton.

Rachael Lampa (31) Filipino (Pangasinan) / White.

Fefe Dobson (31) White, Aboriginal, Jamaican.

Rebecca Ferguson (30) Afro-Jamaican / White.

Aino Jawo (30) Gambian / White.

Laura Mvula (30) Afro-Jamaican / Afro-Kittian.

Florence Welch (30)

Lady Gaga (30)

Solange Knowles (30)  African-American / Louisiana Creole, including African, French, Acadian/French-Canadian, as well as distant Irish and Spanish.

Leah Dizon (30) Chinese, Filipino and White.

Ellie Goulding (30)

Hilary Duff (29)

Light Poxleitner (29)

Naya Rivera (29) Puerto Rican, German, African-American.

Denise Laurel (29) Filipino (Capiznon, Hiligaynon, and Tagalog), some Catalan, Chinese, Galician, and Spanish (Aragonese and Castilian.

AzMarie Livingston (29) Unspecified Black, Indian, German.

Kesha (29)

FKA Twigs (28) Jamaican, White.

Adele (28)

Sarah Geronimo (28) Filipino, Chinese.

Zoë Kravitz (28) African-American, Afro-Bahamian / Ashkenazi Jewish.

Rihanna (28) Afro-Barbadian, Afro-Guyanese, White.

Jhené Aiko (28) African-American, Japanese, Spanish- and Afro-Dominican.

Alex Gonzaga (28) Filipino (Tagalog)

Jade Ewen (28) Afro-Jamaican / White.

Sayaka Akimoto (28) Japanese / Filipino.

Jessie J (28)

Hayley Williams (28)

Elle King (27) Filipino, White.

Jordin Sparks (27) African-American.

Elle Varner (27) Cape Verdean, French, African American, Indian, Dutch, Irish.

Kat Graham (27) Americo-Liberian / White.

Mary Lambert (27)

Alexandra Reid (27) Unknown ethnicity.

Cassie Steele (27)  Filipino /  White.

Klariza Clayton (27) Filipino  / White.

Ailee (27) Korean.

Gia Farrell (27)

Anna Maria Perez de Tagle (26) Filipino.

Ciara Renée (26) Unknown ethnicity.

Joey Yung (26) Chinese.

Deja Trimble (25) African-American.

Karen Harding (25) Filipino, White.

Erinn Westbrook (25) Unknown ethnicity.

Leigh-Anne Pinnock (25) Afro-Jamaican, Afro-Barbadian.

Hayley Kiyoko (25) Japanese / White.

Jesy Nelson (25)

Hyolyn (25) Korean.

Hyuna (24) Korean.

Jade Thirwall (24) Egyptian, Yemeni / White.

Selena Gomez (24) Mexican / White.

Alexis Jordan (24) half African-American.

Charli XCX (24) Scottish, Ugandan Indian.

Rhyon Nicole Brown (24) Unknown ethnicity.

Jessica Plummer (24) Afro-Jamaican / White.

Charice Pempengco (24) Filipino (including Cebuano and Tagalog), Chinese.

Emmalyn Estrada (24) Filipino.

Demi Lovato (24) Mexican, Indigenous, White.

Nadine Lustre (23) Filipino.

Ariana Grande (23)

Lee Ji-eun (23) Korean.

Aisha Dee (23) Unknown ethnicity, stated as “mixed.”

Ashley Argota (23) Filipino.

Keke Palmer (23) African-American.

Perrie Edwards (23)

Niykee Heaton (22)

Halsey (22) African-American / White.

Dreezy (22) African-American.

Ella Eyre (22) of Jamaican, Maltese and British descent.

Kiersey Clemons (22) African-American / European.

Justine Skye (21) Afro-Jamaican.

Kehlani Parrish (21) African-American, French, Blackfoot Native American, Cherokee Native American, Spanish, Filipino.

Lexi Fernandez (21) Filipino / White.

Dua Lipa (21)

Melanie Martinez (21) Dominican, Puerto Rican.

Jessica Sanchez (21) Mexican, including Spanish, Indigenous Mexican, and African / Filipino, including Aklanon.

Zendaya (20) African-American / White.

Normani Hamilton (20) African-American, Indian, French.

Lia Marie Johnson (20)

Lorde (20)

Birdy (20)

Amira McCarthy (20) Afro-Jamaican / Afro-Gambian.

Hailee Steinfeld (20) Boholano Filipino, African-American, White.

Cymphonique Miller (20) African-American / Filipino, Spanish.

Malaya Watson (19) African-American / Filipino.

Kiana Brown (19) Unknown ethnicity.

Becky G (19) Mexican (Spanish, Indigenous).

Janella Salvador (18) Filipino.

Coco Jones (18) African-American.

China Anne McClain (18) African-American.

Bea Miller (17)

Noah Cyrus (16)

Willow Smith (16) African-American, Afro-/Creole-Barbardian, Afro-/Creole-Jamaican.

Male:

Ozzy Osbourne (68)

Eddie Murphy (55) African-American.

Jon Bon Jovi (54)

James Hetfield (53)

Lenny Kravitz (52) Ashkenazi Jewish / Afro-Bahamian, African-American.

Gary Valenciano (52) Filipino (Bicolano) / Puerto Rican (including Spanish and some either African or Taino), Italian, Portuguese.

Aaron Kwok (51) Chinese.

Dr. Dre (51) African-American.

Serj Tankian (49) Armenian.

Ogie Alcasid (49) Filipino (Tagalog)

Arnel Pineda (49) Filipino (Kapampangan)

Jay Z (47) African-American.

Tiësto (47)

Krishnakumar Kunnath (46) Indian.

Wayne Brady (44) African-American.

Idris Elba (44) Sierra Leonean / Ghanaian.

Eminem (44)

Rico Blanco (43) Filipino (Hiligaynon and Waray)

Sonu Nigam (43) Indian.

Corey Taylor (43)

Damien Rice (43)

Pharrell Williams (43) African-American.

Nelly (42) African-American.

Robbie Williams (42)

Michael Bublé (41)

Jack Johnson (41)

Enrique Iglesias (41) Spanish (including Galician Spanish), 1/8th Puerto Rican (Spanish), some Filipino (Asian/Kapampangan)

Darius McCrary (40) African-American.

Ville Valo (40)

Wang Leehom (40) Chinese.

Jason Mraz (39)

Vhong Navarro (39) Filipino (½ Kapampangan, ¼ Tagalog, 1/8 Ilocano, 1/8 Pangasinan)

Usher (38) African-American.

John Legend (38) African-American (including likely Fula Guinea-Bissauan, Mende Sierra Leonean), some European.

Jericho Rosales (37) Filipino (Bicolano, Pangasinan, and possibly Ilocano)

Rainbow Sun Francks (37) Black Canadian.

Conrad Ricamora (37) Filipino, White.

Ryan Agoncillo (37) Filipino (Kapampangan and Tagalog), some Chinese and Spanish (Castillian)

Adam Levine (37)

Travie McCoy (35) Afro-Haitian / Irish, Native American.

Justin Timberlake (35)

K.Will (35) Korean.

Michael Copon (34) Filipino.

Kelly Clarkson (34)

Macklemore (33)

Jussie Smollett (33) Ashkenazi Jewish / African-American, Native American, Louisiana Creole, White.

Li Yuchun (32) Chinese.

Yesung (32) Korean.

Bruno Mars (31) Puerto Rican, White, Filipino (including Cebuano, Tagalog, and Spanish)

Dan Smith (30)

Junsu (30) Korean.

Drake (30) Black Canadian.

Jaejoong (30) Korean.

Darren Criss (29) Filipino, White.

Frank Ocean (29) African-American.

Kim Ryeowook (29) Korean.

Arijit Singh (29) Indian.

Jay Park (29) Korean.

Changmin (28) Korean.

James Arthur (28)

Taeyang (28) Korean.

Cho Kyuhyun (28) Korean.

Tyler Joseph (28)

Josh Dun (28)

Evan Ross (28) African-American / White.

Khleo Thomas (27) African-American / Moroccan Jewish.

Matthew Healy (27)

Zedd (27)

Daesung (27) Korean.

Xian Lim (27) Chinese-Filipino.

Hozier (26)

Matthew Musto (26)

Chris Colfer (26)

Lu Han Singer (26) Chinese.

Abel Tesfaye (26) Ethiopian.

Jonghyun (26) Korean.

Andy Biersack (26)

Tom Odell (26)

Jesse Rutherford (25)

Ed Sheeran (25)

Minho (25) Korean.

August Alsina (24) African-American, possibly other.

Samuel Larsen (25) Mexican, Spanish, Persian, Danish.

AJ Muhlach (24) Filipino (including Bicolano), Chinese, Spanish.

Jordan Stephens (24) Unknown ethnicity.

Baekhyun (24) Korean.

Chen (24) Korean.

Alex Newell (24) African-American.

Jacob Artist (24) African-American / White.

Mishon Ratliff (23) African-American.

Niall Horan (23)

Lee Tae-min (23) Korean.

James Reid (23) Filipino / White.

Jung Dae-hyun (23) Korean.

Bryson Tiller (23) Unknown ethnicity.

Zayn Malik (23) Pakistani / White.

Jordan Fisher (22) African-American.

Justin Bieber (22)

Harry Styles (22)

Troye Sivan (21)

Martin Garrix (20)

Jacob Latimore (20) African-American.

Shawn Mendes (18)

Cameron Boyce (17) African-American / White.

Sebastian Mikael (?) Unknown ethnicity.

Non-binary:

Steven Tyler (68)

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (66)

Eddie Izzard (52)

Gerard Way (39)

Ruby Rose (30)

Jinkx Monsoon (29)

Eliot Sumner (26)

Angel Haze (25) African-American, Cherokee Native American.

Olly Alexander (26)

Elly Jackson (26)

Miley Cyrus (24)

Shamir (22) Unknown ethnicity.

[volcanodiamondpress]

Review: O L E C R a M's The Form The Grief Has Taken

Growing up in Pampanga and moving out of there to study always gave me the sense that Kapampangan children were expected to be church-going, obedient and preppy so that one day they can be caregivers or doctors or journalists who work with the local government. Kill your creativity and your urge for self-expression -- the exact, same conflict I hear in Olecram's album "The Form The Grief Has Taken". 

The album explores this with lyrics like Your uncle asking "Why though? From corporate to psycho? in the “Intro” song.

There’s also Writing ain't for ya, rhyming ain't for ya, making movies ain't for ya in the song “Miserable Beginnings” that tells of a loss in the family that was the impetus of this new attitude.

Songs like "Ayye" are promising but you can hear hints of second guessing from the obedient kid every Kapampangan millennial has inside. 

The song "Past Intentions" includes a slam poem called "Sampu". Although the poem itself needs more breathing space and silence, as many slam poets in the Philippines tend to forget.

The best song here, in my opinion is "Flawed", a collaboration with GVNDVLXCXXX$, which apparently only made it to the final mix as an Extro. (I was originally reviewing a set of sound files sent to me). "The Verse" is also catchy and intelligently arranged.

O L E C R a M aka Paulo Marcelo previously shared his insights on his music and poetry, and his work as a local journalist in Pampanga. You can read about it here.

Did I tell you that there’s a little-known planet of young Kapampangan musicians? You can discover them here.

Updated January 22, 2018: This review added more insights based on the final set.

[volcanodiamondpress]

Of Form, FreeVerse Poetry & HipHop With Young Kapampangan Musician O L E C R A M

Poetry is close to my heart (I majored in it). So, listening to the stories of young Kapampangan hiphop artists and spoken word poets definitely piques my interest.

Here, Paulo Marcelo aka O L E C R A M shares what inspires him to create, to keep getting better at his craft. He also talks about how he produced his latest mixtape and where you can go and find it.

1. How old are you and where in Pampanga are you from?

I’m 24 years old, born and raised in San Fernando Pampanga; both parents are from here too.

2. How did you discover your art and what do you do to get better at it?

Since a kid what I’ve always wanted and tried to be was a writer, from writing for my grade school to college newspapers to becoming a local TV news reporter now (GNNTV44Pampanga). So, I guess my art would really be the writing, and I try to get better by doing it. Every single form of it that I can find, short stories, poems, songs, news and feature articles.

In my third year of college (2012 I think), I became the Editor of the Poetry Section of our Colleges Paper (The Nexus) called “Dayang Abias” where I did the lion’s share of editing and writing the poems that got printed out. While doing this, I tried to get a bunch of people help me get a Spoken Word Poetry Event going but it never really happened. Luckily, Spoken Word events were becoming pretty popular in Pampanga a few months later so I started joining them and performing original Kapampangan, Tagalog and English poems.

I wrote poems mostly when I’m having trouble writing longer stuff like scripts or short stories and such. And poetry was at the time one of the more enjoyable forms of writing.

Usually in a gig, bands, artists, and poets would perform. It was during these that I met people and became friends with other musicians. Sadly, none of them were rappers, until Donna Jane (GVNDVLXCXXX$) started producing her music.

With that in mind, I called up friends I knew - including her - who made music.  Because honestly to this day I don’t know how to make beats, I just know how to write lines and make them flow with the music given to me.  Thankfully, a whole lot of friends and artist supported me and gladly gave me music that they had made a few years back, then I started refining some of the poetry pieces I used to perform and make a mixtape: “The form this grief has taken”.

3. You mentioned that your work is a mix of hiphop and poetry. Which hiphop artists are you influenced by and which poets are you influenced by?

Hip-hop artists growing up was (sic) Andrew E and Gangster rap from the US (e.g. Ice Cube, NWA and others). This was why I didn’t really push that hard in making rap music, I mean I love them and grew up listening to them but their music wasn’t really something I could really connect to, I think I was too young to understand Francis M and other rappers back then. In high school friends were listening to Kanye West, Linkin Park, Eminem, Gloc-9 and other musicians that we all listened to in high school but I was busy writing poems and short stories but never really shared them with other people.

In college you learn a lot, music, art and all that other stuff, the internet was also a big part of my personal growth in finding artists to listen to. Childish Gambino, Lil Dicky (It’s a funny name but the guy is legit), and Token are big influences at the moment (it varies, as you know) I think with how I approach a song, lyrically and rhythmically. Of course the greats can’t be left unsaid, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Jay-Z and all of them.

I try to listen to a new song a day, you end up listening to a lot of bad music but you get gold ones too and that can change a lot.

For poetry it was always (Charles) Bukowski for me. I like Lourd De Veyra and Juan Ekis (Christian Vallez) but I try not to be influenced by other spoken word artists because I get jealous at how good they are (haha) and I don’t want them to influence the way I perform, but writers like Ned Vizzini, Peter Farrely, Carl Hiaasen, Dan Harmon, Chuck Palahniuk… Though not poets, they are huge influences in terms of the way I write.

4. How does growing up in Pampanga influence your stories?

The biggest influence Pampanga has at least for me are the people living here, Kapampangan Artists and Musicians, even ones who do not really listen to rap music have been super supportive considering I’ve only released a couple of tracks and almost every musician I know here has called to express their support.

Of course Pampanga is where I’ve lived my whole life so everything, every story that I put in a song, story, poem has been in one way or another been based in or influenced by Pampanga and Kapampangan Culture.

Being raised by a family rooted in Pampanga has been very good too, I can’t speak for others but my parents supported every single creative thing I have done, since buying Andrew E’s first CD, being there when I lost so many times at so many writing competitions, helping with making short films, though they don’t really know I’m making rap music now, I don’t think it would ever be a problem, them not knowing is actually my thing because I write about my personal experiences and there are certain parts of it that I think they would be concerned (haha) if they heard the lyrics or some lines I don’t want them to hear.

5. Tell us about your creative process, from writing songs to recording them to mixing them.

What happened was with the outpouring of support from other musicians like PROFFET, GVNDVLXCXXX$, MAIZEPAD, KAMPILAN and a whole lot of others, I got a bunch of beats and it was just a matter of finding old poems and writing new ones that I hope would go along with them and make them more rhythmical

“Write what you know” is one of the most well-known phrases out there and its cliché because it’s kind of true, this first mixtape is a mix of me talking about working hard, getting stuff done, coping with loss (my mom dying of Cancer before I graduated College and other personal baggage) being beaten down and getting back up, tuning out the negativity and focusing on what I love to do: writing.

It’s kind of Meta in a sense, some of the songs are about me writing about songs or me working hard on songs. But people seem to like them and I do too and it makes me really happy like finishing a puzzle when I finish making a song.

Luckily, I work for a broadcasting company so there are a lot of tools like recorders, microphones and computers I used at night when work mates would leave the office I would stay for hours and record, edit and mix songs.

The first title of the mixtape was supposed to be “RAW” because I literally made almost all of the songs using the wrong software (ADOBE PREMIERE) because editing films was something I knew how to do, not music. As of right now I’m learning to make beats of my own but again I see the writing as a priority, a few tracks on the mixtape are straight up spoken word pieces that I wrote a long time ago.

6. Where and how can people get a hold of your mixtape?

“The Form This Grief Has Taken” will be coming out online for free by mid-late November and a couple of other Kapampangan artists have pledged to help for my very first upcoming gig/official mixtape release. I hope to produce at least 80 – 100 physical copies to give people again all for free because I really didn’t spend a lot of money making the mixtape and its my first one too so it’s kind of a “thank you” present for the Kapampangan Music Scene for everything it’s given me through the years.

It will be uploaded on my Soundcloud, Youtube and Facebook pages and download links will be given out too.

7. Anything you'd like to promote (social media pages, a website, a gig)?

I haven’t really been performing spoken word poetry for a while now because of the mixtape and my regular job, but I would love to promote my:

SoundCloud (https://soundcloud.com/olecramoluap) 

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/olecramtftghs/)

YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5wauDLxPrVzvtXPO73jiyw)

You can find the first few songs I’ve uploaded as teasers for the actual mixtape there.

After the release I’ll go back to performing, the new songs, the hip-hop scene in Pampanga is starting to grow and it’s pretty exciting but it’s still pretty crazy and disorganized but that’s how it is I guess and I feel like coming from a different background and having a different perspective I could really reach out to others even the ones who don’t think they like Rap and Poetry.

Discover more young Kapampangan poets, hiphop artists, and musicians.

[volcanodiamondpress]

Young, Kapampangan, Female & Fearless: HipHop Artist GVNDVLXCXXX$

With her mad curly hair and her fisherman's cap, GVNDVLXCXXX$, who grew up in Pampanga, tells us her process for finding sounds and putting them together to share her experiences.

1. How old are you and where in Pampanga are you from?

I'm 22 and I'm from Angeles City.

2. How did you discover your art and how did you develop it?

Well, I was 6 years old back then when my sister kept playing the track 'All I Have’ by J. Lo and LL Cool J' then every time the rap part comes on, I’d rap along until I memorized the lyrics. 

Then growing up I got really into R’n’B and Hip-Hop. Then came a time when I met someone who knows someone who owns a recording equipment back in '10 (I was really shitty back then lol). Then ever since, I never stopped writing. Until now.

3. Who are your influences?

Death Grips, Flatbush Zombies, The Underachievers, Rome Fortune and Father.

4. How would you describe your genre?

To be honest, I have no idea. I just channel my thoughts on a paper about everything that I ever felt and experienced.

5. How does growing up in Pampanga influence your stories?

I was born and raised here in AC and I never really had a chance to stay out of town and country for more than a month so I really did spend a lot of time here in AC and most of my songs are all about whatever happened to me. Here. In AC.

6. Tell us about your creative process, from writing songs to recording them to mixing them.

Normally, I search for free beats on YouTube and if I feel the beat, I channel my thoughts on paper. 

My songs ain’t deep, they’re more of a expression of whatever comes on my mind, I don’t even have an agenda on every track like when the song is done I'll be like "Oohh ok, so this song is about a girl” or “this song is about how fucked up I got”. (Crazy, right?)

Then I let my friends hear it (cuz when you're drunk that’s when your confidence boosts, right?).

Then if it's approved by them (s/o to my friends, aye!) that's when I ask Kuya (King PDK) to cook my tracks. He manifests my idea on how I wanted it to sound like.

7. Anything you want to promote (an album, a festival, a gig, social media pages?)

Nothing much, just a page. New Age Production (@newageproductionac); it's a page where young and up risings artists of Angeles City (music & arts) post their art works and tracks so that they will know and feel like you don't need to be someone to be supported. As long as you believe in yourself we got you. Thank you very much.

Go beyond food in Pampanga (though the food here is really good). Discover more Kapampangan musicians and hip hop artists.

[volcanodiamondpress]

We mentioned that Pampanga's PWR representative the Machine Mavericc Knight also spends his time creating and collaborating in Angeles city's hiphop scene.

Because we love you, you can listen to his beats via SoundCloud.

You can also explore more new Kapampangan music here.

[volcanodiamondpress]

Young Kapampangan Percussionist Jasher Villavicencio Of Adinkra Lumads Djembe Community

One night, I was checking out “Vessel” - the second recital of Contemporary Japanese drum (WADAIKO) group at the Tiu Theater in Makati. It was surprising to also learn about the Philippine percussion group Adinkra Lumads Djembe Community. More surprising still was learning about Iya Jah, one of their members from Pampanga. 

After some searching (on Facebook), I found Iya Jah or Jasher Villavicencio who was then gracious enough to share his story. 

Read his interview here.

1. How old are you and where in Pampanga are you from?

27 years old from the City of San Fernando, Pampanga

2. What got you started with drumming and how do you develop your craft?

Mig start mu keng pa jam jam around McKinley Hill keng Taguig; atin metung gathering event karin kareng flow artist. Then at the same time pu, atin drum circle. 

First time kupu manakit makanitang event anya pu, bala mu pu buri ke pagaralan itang djembe (tambul). Maka nanu keng a develop ing craft ku? Simple mu: makyabe kamu kareng kapwa mung artist. Mini talks, sharing ideas, listening to each other. 

Para karin me akit ing sarili mu nung mag develop neh. Ing pamag drumming kasi ing soul mu ing lulwal karin, apin ing kaladua makisapi ya keng musika naning tambol.

3. What is Adinkra Lumads Djembe Community?

ADINKRA refers to African symbols, kasi halos reng pyesa mi more on African beats la then mag fusion kami kareng aliwang instrument para midinan lamu aliwang flavor.

LUMADS is a term from Mindanao referring to the katutubo or indigenous people.

DJEMBE itang gagamitan ming instrument.

COMMUNITY kasi halos deng members mi aliwa aliwa la roots, anya gewa dane mung community.

4. How did you come to be a part of it?

Mumuna kasi katribu collective kami then medyo mig ka problem mig decide la mag adwa nung ninu man reng tuki keng metung ila reng maging adinkralumads etc. iota in short keta ku kerakalan anya me buo ya ing adinkralumads. Metung ku naman founder karin or ing original members.

5. How does growing up in Pampanga influence your music?

Back in 2015, ginawa kung grupu ku na PAMPANGA DRUM COLLECTIVE naman. Aburyan dano man reng music mi kasu mu medyo atin busy anya mi tuknang ing eksena mi. Ing influence na mimagluwal la ngan reng percussion keng Balibago, kasu mu ngeni metuknang, mig focus naku pa keng group ku keng Menila.

Follow Adrinka Lumads Djembe Community on Facebook.  You can also follow their story on Instagram.

You can invite them to perform, join one of their workshops, participate in anti-stress drum healing sessions and watch them jam with other artists on full moons. Just reach them via  09184841516/09065062968 or adinkralumads2012@gmail.com.

Meet more Kapampangan musicians here.

[volcanodiamondpress]

Of Amitié & Pamikalugud at Fête de la Musique’s Pampanga Stage

This year, Pampanga will have its own Fête de la Musique stage on June 29, 2019 at Anchor Bay Gastro Pub in Angeles City.

(Photo: Fête de la Musique 2019: Pampanga Main Stage Event Poster by ATB)

Music lovers can look forward to performances by Kaymito, Ian Penn, Sentiments of a Phoenix, $ebastian Kid, Dating May, Headroom, Stories and Alibis, Southeastmob, Space Kambing, Prettytaco, PsychoMgmt, Keane Trinity, Chiquerella, North Side Allegiance, Mt. Lewis, and t u r n t i d e s.

You'll note from the line up that while many of the bands are from Pampanga, the stage will feature two bands from Bataan, one from Bulacan and three from Metro Manila.

In an interview, Karen Tausing of At The Back MNL (ATB) sums this up and the rationale for putting up a Pampanga stage in one word: friendship.

Through members of the band Mt. Lewis, the volunteers of ATB discovered the world of Kapampangan arts and music. They found the hiphop scene here so welcoming and alive. They got to experience Summer Shred. Soon enough, they began promoting and bringing Kapampangan musicians to Manila to help showcase their talents.

(Photo: L'Impératrice - Fête de la musique 2018 à l'Assemblée nationale from Wikimedia Commons) 

This story seems to stay true to the history of the festival.The Fête de la Musique has become an annual tradition where music fans can get to discover new and old music and genres via different stages. Launched in France in the 1980s and then initiated by the French cultural centers abroad, the annual day of music-making Fête de la Musique has since expanded to over 800 cities and 120 countries with thousands of events worldwide. In the Philippines, it's become a celebration of the friendship between the two countries and of the concept of amitié. In Pampanga, this concept translates to pamikalugud, a friendship that offers a deep regard for the other.

My first ever Fête experience was in 2004, I had just moved to a university in Diliman from Los Banos. The World Music Stage was just in Julia Vargas near my dad's house. But what made it exciting for me was meeting up with my then new writer friends.

This 2019 event is produced in cooperation with TMR productions, B-Side Productions, and Alliance Française de Manille. Sponsors include Wear Kapampangan, Line of Se7en and Food Panda.

The event will also feature a freedom wall where guests can celebrate and express LGBT rainbow pride in Pampanga.

(Photo: Sentiments of a Phoenix, TMR Productions & the ATB team) 

Last June 16, 2019, representatives of ATB, TMR, Sentiments of a Phoenix, PsychoMgmt and  Mt. Lewis met at Blackfish Pub + Kitchen to discuss the details of the production, sign contracts, and share insights on how to make the event as organized as possible. 

At The Back MNL is an independent music, events,and management team based in Metro Manila that aims to shine the spotlight on new local independent artists. They will be celebrating their first year anniversary in July. This year’s Fête Pampanga stage is their gift to the friends they’ve made. 

So come through on June 29! If you’re from Pampanga, you can discover contemporary artists and musicians from your own backyard. And if you’re visiting, you’ll see a side of Pampanga unlike any featured in travel and lifestyle shows.