Dumaguete’s HOPIA to launch album in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines – Get ready for a night of fresh tunes as HOPIA, Dumaguete’s resurgent band and one of the pioneering bands of the Belltower Project, will make its Cebu City launch on Friday, December 19, 8 p.m. at Handuraw Pizza Gorordo. The group, fronted by singer-songwriter Earnest Hope Tinambacan, will also do the Cebu release of its self-titled album.

HOPIA in Cebu will also feature other acts from the Dumaguete-based Belltower Project, such as Trigger Gypsies and rapper Empithri. Cebu’s leading bisrock band Missing Filemon supports the event by being part of its roster of performers.

The group, which started in 2012, began playing together as a band to accommodate the compositions of Tinambacan, who is an alumnus of 7101 Music Nation’s annual Elements National Singing and Songwriting Camp, which is directed by Ryan Cayabyab. They have since garnered acclaim in and beyond Dumaguete City with songs such as “Mingawon Ka,” “Abby Ko,” “Bulan-Bulan” and “Bisayang Pag-Ibig” being played by local radio stations and with the latter being chosen as one of the best songs of 2013 by Radio Republic.

The Belltower Project is a collective and community of musicians based in Dumaguete that promotes original music. Since 2013, it has released what has become an annual series of anthology albums featuring the original music in various genres recorded by Oriental Negrense singers and musicians. The third album in the series will be released in March 2015. (PR)