stachemagazineonline:

For an average observer, OPM only involves poorly recorded song covers by famous actors and actresses trying to find other sources of revenue aside from their regular teleseryes. If we’re lucky, we sometimes get original songs from respected composers like Ryan Cayabyab and Noel Cabangon, sung by your average biriteras along the lines of Sarah Geronimo and Rachelle Ann Go. If we’re REALLY lucky, independent artists like The Strangeness, RomCom and Lowleaf magically appear out of nowhere and produce amazing tracks that are enough to inspire other local artists to step up their songwriting games. 

This issue, we featured three artists that are proof that OPM has a bright future ahead of it. Whoever said that OPM is dying clearly doesn’t know what gigs to go to and what radio stations to listen to. The Strangeness, a Meiday veteran, has already come up with their first EP entitled Jesus Camp. RomCom, a bubblegum pop group who has an internet sensation for a vocalist, also recently produced an EP entitled Tight Like Prom Night. Lowleaf, a newcomer in the local music scene, also released an EP recently entitled Giga Gaia. All three bands differ in genre, but their contribution to the industry fuels OPM and the people surrounding it to create more music. Speaking of amazing music, Ellie Centeno and Lambert Cruz also named 20 OPM tracks that you should be listening to and I was honestly blown away by how much talent we have here. I think it’s time to take off the media blanket and uncover the local talents from waaaay underneath the surface.

We have also received a lot of great contributions for this issue including Neil Craver’s Underwater Nude Rock Quarry, Adrian Gonzales’s Gospel Decay and Alfonso Bassig’s song covers and original compositions. One of the greatest mysteries of all (why do we listen to sad songs?) have also been uncovered by our Associate Editor, Carl Millan. Karla Bernardo’s Style Between The Riffs article is exactly six issues late and it’s still worth checking out. Our new batch of photographers also talked about what got them started, what keeps them going, and what they want to do in the future. 

I don’t want to spoil anything else in my letter so I’ll leave it to you to discover what else is in this issue. Again, for the nth time, I can’t believe that we have come this far. From a group of 7 to a community of 40, we’re still alive and kicking and doing our best to give you our best issue after another. 

SUPPORT LOCAL INDIE MUSIC! LONG LIVE OPM! MEYNTEYN!
Maine Manalansan, EIC

P.S. There are also a few upgrades with your magazine-reading experience. We have incorporated hyperlinks in our layout so you can visit the writers’ and photographers’ websites in just one click. Pretty nifty huh?

Read our August 2012 issue here.

mayeemayee:

Bijan Gorospe Photobombing 2k12.

You can now stream our entire EP from our minty fresh Bandcamp page.

As of this moment, we’re still figuring out how we can sell the digital tracks to you, but if you visit the site now, you can download our single “Being Sober Is Such A Drag” for free (or pay us with what you have). 

Physical copies of Jesus Camp EP are still available from us. Hit us up whenever you see us live. You can also email shinjielleazarmanlangit@gmail.com if you want a copy and we’ll figure something out so that we can send that shit to your doorstep.

WHAT CRITICS ARE SAYING ABOUT OUR SHIT:

“The Strangeness is garage rock; but it isn’t young, swarthy Hives or Strokes garage. It’s more Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Pete Doherty post-rehab garage; songs written after getting beaten up at the bar for the fifth day in a row… Jesus Camp references more than just pop culture, it goes deeper.” - Quark Henares, QLE Awards [Best EPs of 2011] 

“The Strangeness, in their debut EP Jesus Camp, is running away with punk rock with the busy rhythms of The Kinks and the reckless abandon of The Ramones. The approximation of lovelorn inebriation in musical form, preferably awash in layers and layers of 90s-style overdrive.” - Aldus Santos, Pulse.ph 

“Drunk on a dash of middle America and the agony of sobriety, the breezy-riffed schadenfreude of their sloth primes you for a great morning session at Alcoholics Anonymous.” - Mara Coson, Esquire Philippines 

“[Jesus Camp] does not disappoint… a nice, modest treat for music fans who dig aesthetically similar acts like Mudhoney, The Vaselines, Beat Happening, The Make Up, and other garage/punk/indie rock & rollers who listened obssessively to Lou Reed and/or Iggy Pop.” - Jason Caballa, PinoyTuner.com 

“A throwback augmented and informed by the in-between of then and now. Probably best not to think about it too much, it’s just fucking fun.” - Luis Katigbak, The Philippine Star 

“The Strangeness is pretty much like bootleg whiskey—you’ll get drunk with their sound and end up dancing until you drop to the floor.” - Men’s Health Magazine

STILL FUCKING AVAILABLE FROM WIDE EYED RECORDS MANILA!

We’re also in these websites:

TWITTER
FACEBOOK
BANDCAMP
OUTSIDE JESUS CAMP