#1: Join The Club

‘Broken-hearted punks’ is one good description of Redrum Music talent, Join The Club. We saw them perform live a couple of months ago (yup, that long ago yet we still remember that night vividly) and though they seem cocky with their perfected rock star (complete with eyeliner from those Glam rock days) posturing, at the core are boys rebelling against (or is that reveling in?) sullied love musically chronicled in their Warner Music Philippines "Nobela" CD.

This quartet of twenty-something’s is one of the most electrifying new bands when it comes to putting on a show; up there with Kamikazee and Pedicab. While others rely on its front man to whip up the crowd into a frenzy, all of Join The Club sasses up the crowd as a unit. Movements by bass player Congie Lulu, guitarist Migs Mendoza and especially drummer Paolo Santiago are hardly limited by the instruments they play. Each adds to the commotion onstage by running here and there, jumping up and down, doing this and that every few seconds or so. Every one makes it his personal mission to turn this muther out, so to speak. Bravo!

Come to think of it, they’re like the animé-inspired rock act, Gorillaz Inc. save that they’re in flesh and blood, not bytes and graphics. Their sound, meanwhile, is amalgam of everything campy: Ye ole 70’s rock (including Hagibis, Cinderella an VST and Company) with Beatle-esque/Beach Boy sounds and, of course, Sex Pistols. Unholy (but supremely interesting) combination, indeed.

If you don’t have their album yet then we’re sure you at least have heard this in their singles "Lunes," "Mahiwaga" and "Nobela." Come to think of it, why isn’t "Nobela" in your collection yet?

Aside from the great music (hallmarked by Biboy’s signature sorprano that, thankfully, doesn’t come across as emo-whiny), know that joining this "club," with genesis from UST that was once known as Extra Rice an Toilet Kamote in the underground scene, comes with lifetime membership.

This rave writeup is your guarantee.

#2: Juana

They started out with the feminist statement of letting chicks man the mic and beat the sticks.

But now that Juana’s debut CD is out in the market and is slowly making headway in airplay, any music lover can tell that at the end of the day, it still boils down to the music.

Composed of Kelts Cross riot girl Sheila Rosete (drummer and brain behind the female fronted Juana), Shirley Manzano de Guzman (vocalist), Magoo del Mundo (bass) and Marvin Dimal (guitar), Juana is not your average pop alternative band. Notice the jazz and funk influences on their singles "Pansinin Mo" and "Goodbye." Consider the Latin, Afro-Cuban touches in the other tracks. Is that Aegis we hear in "Reyna ng Q.C.?" Don’t be surprised if they admit.

As Kyla would put it, Juana is "not your ordinary." They throw you off just when you think you have them down pat. We remember interviewing them during their album launch and one of the first things they told us was "We didn’t want this album launch." How can you not love these guys?

Actually, what they meant (but didn’t say outright because that would’ve been un-Juana) was that the success they enjoy now is product of word-of-mouth. Ben saw them perform live who told Boy who told Dick who told Harry who told Fabio until, poof!, there’s a whole community of Juana fans out there.

Then Warner Music comes by their demo, signs them up and, well, a new super band is now on the rise.

And though some argue that Juana is not even loud enough to merit classification as a rock band, they have sound rebuttal. "Our aggression is not in the arrangement but in the lyrics." Right.

And when asked that night of the album launch if they’re nervous performing live?

"No. We know we’ll make mistakes. Ok, a lot of mistakes. But that’s ok," says Shiela coolly.

Now there’s a rock band if we ever saw one…

#3: Sitti

From the pigeonhole: "Sitti Navarro is the twenty year old Filipino Bossa Babe often mistaken for a Portuguese for her versions of Carlo Jobim songs particularly ‘Girl From Ipanema.’

And with ten years of singing experience (from joining school choirs and contests to having a regular gig at the Stonehouse jazz bar), Sitti is now ripe to release her debut album under Warner Music Philippines dubbed ‘Café Bossa.’

‘I want people in my age bracket to be aware about jazz and bossa nova, and that there’s more to music besides the standard pop and R&B. The lyrics and music of bossa nova is profound. Even if it’s melancholic at times, it’s still easy on the ears,’ she says.

Her relaxed singing style and soothing voice lingering above the complex harmonies of the 18 pop, jazz and samba-influenced covers contained in ‘Bossa Nova’ proves she’s not shooting from the hips. Some of these are Michael Frank’s ‘Lady Wants To Know,’ Frank Sinatra’ ‘Fly Me To The Moon,’ Everything But The Girl’s ‘I Didn’t Know I Was Looking For Love,’ Matt Bianco’s ‘Half A Minute’ and D’Sound’s ‘Tattooed On My Mind’ (banner single).

Sitti (which means ‘princess’ in Muslim) counts Astrud Gilberto, Ella Fitzgerald, Lisa Ono and Stacey Kent among her influences. She performs every Friday night at Stonehouse in E. Rodriguez Avenue, Quezon City.’