SANDWICH’s lead rocker Raimund Marasigan mentors aspiring Pinoy bands for Philips Bandwidth.

There are few musicians who have achieved as much acclaim in Pinoy Rock as Raimund Marasigan.

As the front man of Sandwich, drummer of Cambio, keyboardist of Pedicab, one-man techno machine in Squid 9, and co-conspirator in numerous musical projects – oh yes, and as the drummer of the Eraserheads – he has gained acclaim as a versatile multi-instrumentalist, prolific composer, and successful hit-maker.

A key figure in the massive band explosion of the ’90s, Raimund says with confidence that the current band scene is on a similarly huge upswing. “Ang daming banda ngayon, madaming magagaling, and the amazing thing is, many of these kids have gotten really good at a very young age,” he enthuses.

But he can see one key difference that the current rock generation has compared to the ’90s scene: Rapid advancements in technology. “In the past, bands needed to have a record deal before they could have a lot people hear their work,” Raimund says. “Nowadays, with the advent of cheap audio software, YouTube, and mp3, virtually anyone with a decent desktop computer can put together songs that people will hear.”

The one downside to the great access to information that the Internet provides is that it becomes harder and harder for young bands to break out and get noticed. Raimund says, “Marami silang kasabay sa scene, at madami pang bagong banda na lumalabas. You have to be really good, and you have to have great songs.”

Raimund says he wants to share his knowledge and experience so that talented young bands can further hone their skills, and hopefully get that big break that everyone is going for.

“I’ve been working as a judge and mentor in the Philips Bandwidth Virtual Battle of the Bands, and the advice I’ve given the kids is the same as what I’ve advised to young bands before: Play tight, have great dynamics, entertain the crowd, polish your lyrics, prioritize substance over flash, and wear great clothes!” he says with a smile.

Most definitely, kids who are just starting out with their bands can find comfort in the fact that guys like Raimund are here to show them the path to rock n’ roll greatness. Raimund relishes in sharing his knowledge, and gives this advice to young Pinoys who are justing starting to pick up a musical instrument: “Go out and form a band!”

Boys Night Out DJ’s go BANANAS!

Crossing over from radio to television is no big feat, but for DJ’s Tony Toni, Slick Rick and Sam YG they are reaping the success of their ballsy move. These Magic 89.9 disc jockeys can now be seen every Wednesday night at 10 p.m. on MTV with their breakthrough lifestyle comedy program called “Hanging With The Boys.” The hilarious trio are elated that their television show is now on its second season and doing quite well!

Employees at the ePLDT Ventus call center in Fort Bonifacio were pleasantly surprised when they visited their mess hall during break time recently to find the touring Dole Banana Diet Challenge booth with no other than Tony Toni and Sam YG of Boys Night Out at the helm.

Themselves big health buffs, the boys were there to talk to about the many health benefits that bananas have for people looking to lose weight.

“I feel great these days – much better than before I decided to become conscious about my health,” said Sam YG. “I just want to share the experiences I’ve accrued with the good people here at Ventus, and the other call centers we’ll be visiting. Getting down to a healthy weight really does wonders for how you feel as you go through the day.”

“It’s especially important for those of us who keep really busy –  like those who work in call centers – to keep track of what we put into our bodies,” added Toni Tony. “Simply swapping fries for bananas can do a lot. This is a very interesting event to feature on HWTB.”

The road show was in support of the aforementioned Dole Banana Diet Challenge, a weight loss contest open to all call center workers in Metro Manila. The team that loses the most weight collectively at the end of the contest wins an all-expenses paid trip to Singapore and free access to the ZoukOut party on Silosa beach. This roadshow was powered by Dole, Cebu Pacific, Slimmers World. Chris Sports, Sanuk, Glutamax, YSA. eTelecare, Stream, Sykes, Teletech, www.hirepoint.com, ePLDT Ventus. Magic 89.9, Food, Foodie, Fudge, Garage, Hipp, Manila Bulletin Lifestyle, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, and Stella Magazines.

At the booth, call center workers were given free health and fitness checkups by trainers and nutritionists from Slimmer’s World. The DJs meanwhile handed out free Dole fresh fruit products including Banana Singles and Apple Slices, and encouraged the agents to sign up for the contest. Participants also got their hands on the latest Stella, Garage and HIPP Magazines just for checking their health.

Bananas are now viewed by many as a perfect addition to weight loss programs, following the recent morning banana diet phenomenon in Japan. Studies have revealed various weight management benefits that the yellow tropical fruit presents. Bananas in particular help preserve muscle mass, control your appetite, and cause fat and calories to be burned in the body more quickly. Bananas are also low in fat and sodium, and provide essential vitamins, nutrients and dietary fiber.

Visit www.dolebananadiet.com.ph for more details on the Dole Banana Diet Challenge. You can log on to www.coolorb.com to catch past episodes of Hanging with the Boys on MTV or listen to them live on Magic 89.9 via www.magic899.fm!

MTV EXIT goes to Angeles City

MTV Philippines, Visayan Forum Foundation and the US Agency for International Development are joining the fight against human trafficking by staging four FREE MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) concerts across the Philippines. The concert series kicked off in May at the SM MOA Concert grounds in Manila with over 30,000 supporters. Now, with its second show, MTV EXIT will be visiting Angeles on Sept. 26. Joining the campaign are Sponge Cola and Sugarfree, who will perform at 6 p.m. at the Event Centre, SM City Clark.

Prior to the concert, advocates will gather to show their strength, unity and commitment in fighting human trafficking through the Freedom March. The marchers, to be led by Visayan Forum Foundation, Diosdado Macapagal Airport Authority Task Force on Migrant Protection and Trafficking in Person, Clark International Airport Corporation and Ing Makakabaying Aksyon Foundation, will articulate their battle cries against human trafficking and encourage others to join the war eliminating this escalating social problem. At 3:30 p.m., marchers will assemble at Diamond Park and will rally through MacArthur Highway to SM City Clark - Entertainment Center.