Skool of rock

You live, you learn: Shakespeare said that, or maybe I’m thinking of Alanis Morrissette. Anyway, earlier this November, I learned that despite music industry blues, the splintering of audiences, and the death of rock radio stations, dreams of band-based stardom are alive and well in a new generation. What made this realization sweeter was that I happened to be in Boracay at the time (sipping a fruit shake, most likely, or feeling fine white sand sieve through my toes).

I was there for this year’s Nescafé 3in1 Soundskool finals. Soundskool is “an inter-collegiate competition open to young, unsigned bands in the Philippines.” Started in 2005 as a competition between college bands in Metro Manila, over the years, it’s become a highly-anticipated countrywide phenomenon, a combination of workshop and contest, with finalists being mentored by the country’s top established bands and then competing with each other for the big prize: half a million pesos and a record label deal with Sony Music Entertainment Philippines.

The sheer scope of Soundskool is astonishing. I had been aware of the contest before, having interviewed the very first winners, the excellent young punk/rockabilly-influenced Hilera. But I was not aware that its reach had stretched to around 400 colleges and universities nationwide, and that this year alone, over 2,000 bands joined up. (It took two months, if I’m not mistaken, just to sort through the entries.)

SOUNDVENT: Ready for the mainstream

Five student bands qualified for the finals: Ajka (De La Salle University), Soundvent (STI College), Kilos (University of the Philippines, Los Baños), Kaligta (DLS-STI College), and Not So Fast (Datamex Masinag). For a week in Boracay, they attended lectures given by music industry mainstays, and jammed and practiced and learned from the bands Sugarfree, Imago, Rivermaya, Spongecola and Callalily, and then performed onstage with their mentors during the Grand Finals, held on Nov. 13 at Boracay Beach Chalets. (It was there that a certain drawback to the process became apparent: all the finalists tried to hype the crowd up in the same way, spouting similar spiels, and most of the lead singers resorted to lead-singer rock star tricks like kneeling, throwing Christ-like poses, etc. I trust it’s something they’ll outgrow and/or more convincingly grow into.)

Even before the performances, it seemed that Ajka had an edge: their sound differed the most from the others, bearing jazz and soul and other influences, and they displayed an easy skill with their respective band roles during the workshops. Little wonder: the members are all musicians of the DLSU Pops Orchestra, which “taught them to appreciate and play different kinds of music.” It didn’t hurt that they were the only band with a cute female lead singer, either (or indeed, a female member of any sort). Fortuitously paired with mentor band Imago, they had the unenviable task of being the first finalists onstage during the last Soundskool gig in Boracay, but played with spirit and enthusiasm and managed to charm quite a few fans.

Kaligta is an interesting proposition: self-described as “highly spiritual,” prior to Soundskool their regular audience belonged to the Christian Church Music Ministry where they would play every Sunday. Paired with Sugarfree — one of my personal favorite local bands — during the workshops and Grand Finals, they showed a talent for composition, as well as a somewhat surprising (but not too obvious or overpowering) heavy metal influence, which was welcome enough, though perhaps the raspiness of the vocals could be sweetened to better suit their tunes. They are adamant about being an openly Christian band, and reflecting that in their themes and lyrics, and that in itself is laudable.

AJKA: Refugees from the DLSU Pops Orchestra

In some ways, Soundvent is the one that’s most ready for mainstream stardom. I basically ambush-interviewed them in their rehearsal space, and far from freaking out or going into default-surly (or default-cocky) mode, they gathered together and were quick and articulate in answering my questions, covering all the bases in five minutes. They enthused about how the workshop had taught them to better relate to other bands, as well as to each other, and how they had learned much about the workings of the industry (thanks to talks by people like Vic Valenciano of Sony Music Entertainment, as well as band manager Darwin Hernandez), and praised their mentor-band Spongecola. At the Grand Finals, they more than held their own alongside their wildly popular mentor-band, and showed a knack for the kind of anthemic rock that local audiences love.

If you’re the gambling sort of type, though, the safe bet is probably Not So Fast — with the winners being decided by fan voting (“Anyone can be a judge,” says the Soundskool tagline), having the largest online following counts for a lot. They’ve definitely earned it: in one form or another, Not So Fast has been around since 2005 (though the current lineup is more recent), and have been relentlessly gigging and organizing gigs with new bands like themselves. They’re very open about their pop-punk influences (Blink 182, New Found Glory, Rufio), but have expressed an admirable desire to “evolve” their sound further. Sharing the stage with crowd favorite Callalily (oh my God, the screaming girls), they played with skill and confidence and best of all, seemed to be having fun.

Kilos impressed me all around: with their attitude, their performances, and most importantly, their music. Well-informed about the state of the local scene and forward-thinking about ways to bring about another resurgence, they’re in it for the long haul — win or lose, they have decided, this is what they want to do (“lifelong commitment” were the words they dropped). Easy to say, but these guys were convincing — and when they shared the stage with Rivermaya on finals night, I feel that they proved their potential to someday become one of those mentor-bands everyone else knows about. And if not, if it never happens, they’ll be doing their best to make good music anyway.

The winner will be announced tomorrow, Nov. 20. Whoever comes out on top this year will join the ranks of previous champions like Hilera, Letter Day Story, and last year’s Grand Winner, Eevee. After being selected from thousands of bands, and enjoying a week of learning from their idols and performing with them in front of live Boracay audiences, however, it’s safe to say that all of these bands have been given one hell of a learning experience.

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(Thanks to the Ogilvy PR people — especially Joyce, Marco, Hannah and Pia — who treated us so well, and to La Carmela de Boracay, where we stayed.)