urbandub
If you think that Metro Manila holds the monopoly of musical talent in the Philippines, you are underestimating the talent in the other areas of our country. Outside our little metropolitan world are little musical hotspots scattered throughout the various cities and provinces. From hardcore to hip-hop to indiepop - if we have them over here, they have them outside of manila too. Some of the scenes in the provinces might not even exist here. All of these little musical scenes are as - if not more – developed than their counterparts in Manila.
One of the foremost examples is the burgeoning Cebu independent music scene and one of it’s main proponents, Urbandub. The members are Gabby Alipe on vocals/rhythm guitars, John Dinopol on back-up vocals / lead guitars, Lalay Lim on bass and Jerros Dolino on drums. I first saw them one night on UNTV. The video for the uplifting song, Come was instantly likeable featuring strong hooks and an even stronger chorus that just kills you. The simple, yet effective video is the band’s first. Conceptualized by Alex Lim, the video was done for free and took a whole day to shoot. It also won a local award for the director Kris Villarino.
Urbandub's songs on their first album, Birth are melodic, feel-good songs that capture the band's youth and enthusiasm. It's like asking members of the Deftones and 311 to form a less aggressive and more emotional side project with more quirky rhythms and guitars that don't bludgeon while still staying heavy. Angst is washed away in favor of melancholy melodies, and pop song structures. The resulting blend is difficult to pigeonhole. Their uplifting harmonies don’t sacrifice the band’s edginess. The personal lyrics perfectly complement the heady mix. John explains, "Gabby wrote the lyrics. The first album was mainly about relationships. Love lost, love gained. Basically "mushy" stuff." On the anthemic Come: "Gabby wrote it. It's about a girl - Nuff said. Hehehe..."
Cebu has recently become a hotspot of great indie music. Urbandub toiled and worked hard playing gigs till they moved on to bigger shows. They all started "in a local venue called Ronnie's Tattoo bar, (and then) Kahayag Café and during San Miguel Beer sponsored events." What can they say about the local audiences that they get? "Cebuanos are slowly being introduced to the Indie Music Culture. The scene has grown leaps and bounds for the past few years. The presence of Indie labels like our label Tiki Sound as well as other labels like Independent Culture Records and Lighter Press to name a few have contributed significantly to the so called boom of the Cebuano Indie Scene. Hopefully, given a few more years, it will reach its full potential." and due to the Southern scene being a new wellspring of great indie music, it's about time the bands get the attention that they deserve. " We think all the bands here should be heard. There's a lot of talent in Cebu. Even our neighbors in Bohol, Davao and especially the scene in Cagayan de Oro deserve some nationwide attention."
The band is under their own label, Tiki Records, "Tiki Sound is an avid supporter of Cebuano music for about 3 to 4 years. After much deliberation, we found it best to remain Indie." This year could be the year that Urbandub booms bigger in the local scene, so keep an eye out for these guys.
MP3
http://music.download.com/urbandubmusic/3600-8573_32-100172421.html
urbandub eloi-loi rocked |