Code Green proves that OPM is far from dead

MANILA, Philippines - Through the efforts of De La Salle University Manila’s Lasallian Youth Orchestra, 10 of the most promising bands slugged it out in Code Green: Bands To The Battlefield last Jan. 25 at the NBC Tent. The event proved that, even with the declining record sales due to a variety of reasons, the heart of the Filipino musician unceasingly pumps new blood into an ailing music industry.

The bands that fought for band supremacy were Save the Nomad, Papa’s Army, Telegrama, Yamato, Yami, Lady Ransom, Mad Hatter Day, Paradigm Shift, Before All Else, and Comfort Zone. In the end, Papa’s Army (first), Yamato (second) and Mad Hatter Day (third) were named winners.

In an interview before the event, Jake Soriano of Lady Ransom expressed, “Our band really wanted to join Code Green because of the cash prize (grand winner received P30,000). We want to win because the prize can help us with the production of our upcoming album.”

Jake, however, quickly clarified that the cash prize was not the end goal of his group’s participation in the contest adding, “We really want to have more means to produce our songs which hopefully will be appreciated by many.”

After the contest, four young bands — Runmanila, Jensen Gomez, She’s Only Sixteen and Never The Strangers — performed as special guests. They, just like the competing groups in Code Green, know the hardships of being in the independent music scene as they were once in their shoes before they got signed by a major label.

Runmanila, a pop-rock-dance-electronica group, opened the showcase with a four-song-set highlighting its penchant for upbeat tunes dashed with electronic flavor. The set served as a preview to its upcoming album under Universal Records, to be released in a few months, and proved that OPM is ready for a new sound.

Jensen Gomez, who jammed with his band, exhibited his own brand of music fusing acoustic, pop, rock and R&B with his amazing vocals and heartfelt performance. He performed tracks from his album Umpisa, under Universal Records. The album, which will be launched tonight at 8 at Saguijo, Makati City, boasts of 11 poignantly-written-tracks that talk  about love and the pains that go with it. The single of the album is the theme to the movie MNL 143.

She’s Only Sixteen, whose EP was named the second most important OPM release of 2012 by www.abs-cbnnews.com, performed its single Dying To Meet You and three unrecorded tracks to the delight of the audience. Its music stands out because of its youthful vibe and playful tunes, which  are reminiscent of the sound of The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys.

Runmanila, Jensen Gomez and She’s Only Sixteen are being managed by Orion Entertainment and are signed artists of Universal Records.

Never The Strangers, who lent its music to a highly-successful toothpaste commercial last year, was the last group to perform. Armed with hits, the group proved that a balance between commercialism and art is highly possible.