A metal Christmas carol

Text by: Kimmy Baraoidan I’m really not a fan of Christmas songs, Christmas carols, or caroling. I always dread the –ber months because radio stations, malls, supermarkets, sari-sari stores, jeepneys and buses start to play the cheesy, outdated ones on loop—as if playing them on repeat would hasten the arrival of the most festive season…

Flying Ipis brings the house down in Tentative

Text by: Kimmy Baraoidan. Photos by: Chris Quintana and Kimmy Baraoidan. Thursday night has traditionally been party night among UPLB students in Los Baños (LB), Laguna. Last December 10 was the last day of exams, and what better way to cap the semester than to watch all-girl band Flying Ipis and some of the best…

Local artists take the spotlight in Project Comeback

Text by: Kimmy Baraoidan. Photos by: Chris Quintana. Local acts graced the stage as Project Comeback proceeded after a two-week delay. From Duplex Tavern in Los Baños, Laguna, resonated music from mostly LB-based bands and artists. The music scene here is a tight-knit community, embracing all kinds of genres. Bands and artists who performed included Gnarrate, The…

Lion and the Scouts enlivens UPLB crowd

Text and photos by: Chris Quintana Lion and the Scouts recently headlined a gig in UPLB entitled sE-DI-Tion: Get Up, Stand Up last November 19, 2015. It was the reggae band's first time to play in Los Banos. Backed up by rap group Kartel, they performed in front of an intimate yet spirited and bouncy campus…

New and old faces reunite at Freshmeat

Text by: Kimmy Baraoidan Photos by: Chris Quintana and Kimmy Baraoidan The U.P. Jammers’ Club celebrated their 23rd anniversary last October 8, 2015 at Duplex Tavern with Freshmeat, a night of music from fresh and 'veteran' bands, all products of the socio-cultural organization based in the University of the Philippines Los Baños. Original and cover…

Skrappy Koko wins Bandemonium 2015

Last night's Bandemonium 2015 Battle of the Bands showcased several of the most promising bands from the Los Banos (LB) local band scene. Presented by the U.P. Jammers' Club as part of their 23rd anniversary, the event was held at a recently opened bar Duplex Tavern. The night saw the bands perform various genres of…

BLKD fires up LB with pieces from “Gatilyo”

Text by: Kimmy Baraoidan Photos by: Chris Quintana and Kimmy Baraoidan It was drizzling when we arrived at Los Baños, Laguna-based lifestyle store Fam on the evening of October 1, 2015. Fam was packed with cyclists, their bikes parked along the store's facade, as an alley cat race had just finished. Performers for Wordplay, a spoken-word…