Pinoy Rock Is Dead And So Are You by Wolf Gemora

PINOY ROCK IS DEAD AND SO ARE YOU.

DEATH OF A FRIEND

DWNU 107.5 FM has closed it’s doors after 23 years of being on the Philippines’ airwaves. There have been different reactions to this.  Die-hard fans are mourning, skeptics aren’t surprised that it happened and others say they aren’t gonna miss it at all.  We may never know the true reason behind it’s demise but I would like to guess that the owners just couldn’t afford to keep it alive.  This isn’t the first time an NU 107 rock station has closed-up shop.  Satellite stations in Iloilo, Davao and Cagayan De Oro have gone off the air a decade ago.  With those closures came the subsequent “cripplings” of local rock scenes in those once thriving rock cities.  Cebu is the only city left with the NU brand and we don’t know how long that’s going to last, especially after the closing of the mother station.

The question that keeps coming back to my mind is ‘why’?  Why, in a nation of rock music lovers, can’t a rock radio station sustain itself for more than 25 years?  I’m not just talking about NU 107 but other stations that have made their mark as well in the past (DZRJ, WXB 102, LA 105).  I’ve even encountered  a couple of local stations in various provinces that would actually play Metallica and Megadeth in the same hour.  Somehow, they all ended up being bought by people who changed the format to either cheap Euro dance music, religious music or rock’s mortal enemy, commercial pop music.

AN “AMERICAN” EXPERIENCE

I have been living in southern California for the past 8 years.  And just like any other migrant who has lived outside the Philippines, I tend to compare shit.  I reside in an Orange County suburb that is geographically in between the large cities of Los Angeles and San Diego.  Being in the middle of these two other counties, I have been fortunate to be able to listen to SIX (6, ANIM, SEIS) rock stations on the radio.  95.5 KLOS, 93.1 The Jack, 100.3 The Sound, 106.7 KROQ from L.A. and Rock 105.3 from San Diego.  All six stations combined run the gamut of the whole rock spectrum.  From classic rock to modern rock to punk rock, heavy metal and everything in between.  KLOS has been on the American airwaves since 1969..nineteen fuckin’ sixty nine.

 

In recent years, satellite radio had been introduced in the U.S. and this format is unbelievable because there are ZERO commercials and each station (all 300 of them) has it’s own specific format.  One station plays ALL punk rock music.  Another plays ALL reggae music.  One even plays ALL Elvis Presley music and another has a complete Frank Sinatra playlist.  And so on and so forth.  With all these music stations transmitting from the ground and from outer space, there is no escaping the sound of good music.  Yes, there are those stations that play all the usual commercial bull crap (and there are a lot of them).  But the opposite side, our side, the dark side has it’s own army that has continued to, pardon my pun, “bring balance to the force”.

DIE, DIE, DIE MY DARLING

Now that I’ve painted a hopefully, clear picture of my experience, let’s compare it to what happened this past week.  Like I said earlier, I tend to compare shit.  Right now, Im assuming that some of you who have reached this point of the essay are asking the same question as I.  “WHY?”.  Why can a small county in southern California have all this music available to them and the one station  that has kept rock music virtually alive in the Philippines for almost a quarter of a century die?  It boggles my mind.  Why, can’t someone, anyone invest in something toward having rock music in overflowing availability to a nation that LOVES rock and even came up with it’s own genre, Pinoy Rock?  WHY?

I definitely don’t have the answers to that question.  The only thing I know is that the power now lies with us Pinoy rockers.  The beacon that was NU 107 has been extinguished but that does not mean that the ‘rakenrol‘ cause is dead.  It’s up to us now to keep good, real rock music alive in our beloved Pinas.  At this point, I’d like to ask a different question.  “WHAT?”  What are YOU going to do about it?  What is going to be YOUR contribution to keeping rock music alive in Southeast Asia.  Will YOU be part of  that army who will “bring balance to the force” and keep the armies of Korean pop music and fakePinoy Rock from overrunning the musical terrain of the Philippines?

MATIRA ANG TOTOO. MATIRA ANG MATIBAY.

I could go on this whole tirade on how NU 107 lost this battle.  How they lost a lot of listeners when they started playing music that wasn’t really rock enough or entirely not rock at all.  But, I shall refrain from that because it really doesn’t matter at this point and I would need a whole separate essay to express my thoughts on that.  Point is, there are mistakes that have been made and hopefully will be learned from.  One good thing that comes out of all of this is that all these bands and their music (both local and international) that pass themselves off as “rock” won’t be able to seep in the cracks and into our conciousness for quite awhile, hopefully forever.  This is the time when the real shit will outlast the fakers.  Every band has aspired to get their song played on NU 107 with the thought of celebrity success if that were to happen.  Now that NU is gone, what is there left to aspire for?  That remains to be seen.  This is the time where musicians will decide whether they really want to play music in a band or if they just want to be “famous”.  Matira ang totoo.  Matira ang matibay.

To many a young band that think this may be the end of their musical dreams, I have this advice.  Dream on.  Make it come true the old-fashioned way.  Practice.  Aspire to write good songs.  Aspire to do a lot of gigs.  Aspire to play outside of your city.  Tour.  Play your songs to real people.  Even if there are only five people in front of you.  If your songs are good, that five will turn to ten, to twenty, and so on and so forth.  If people don’t like it, go back to the drawing board.  Start again.  Practice more.  Aspire to improve your skills.  Write new songs and repeat the process.  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  Matira ang totoo.  Matira ang matibay.

THE PINOY ROCKER

This is also the time that PInoy rock music fans themselves will have to go the extra mile to satisfy their hunger for rock music.  This will test how much you really love rock music.  It’s time to go on the hunt.  Search.  Research.  D.I.Y…do it yourself.  Don’t just rely on a radio station or a television channel to spoonfeed you and control your taste.  Explore the unknown.  Dig.  Dig deep.  There is so much awesome music out there, it’s overwhelming.  And just because it’s OLD does not mean it’s not good or relevant anymore.

Start or keep supporting the local live music scene.  Watch gigs.  Watch a gig that’s not in your usual venue.  Check out a band you’ve never seen before.  Check out music you’ve never heard before.  Listen to something loud.  Listen to something soft.  Purchase an independently-produced album.  Buy the band’s t-shirt.  If something sucks, say so, constructively.

THE NEW DAWN

For us fortunate ones who have unlimited access to the internet, we can still keep ourselves updated with new music from both present and past artists.  Online radio stations, iTunes, blogs and live streaming makes it easier for music lovers to get their fix.  Unfortunately, not everyone in the Philippines has their own computer and rely entirely on the radio.   Manila’s once other and now it’s ONLY rock station RJUR 105.9 has a huge responsibility to deliver big time.  I could go on another whole tirade about that but it’s for RJUR to figure out.  Good luck to them.

It’s gonna be weird to not hear NU on the air  anytime that I’m visiting Manila.  But, I don’t see this as the end of an era but the start of a new one. NU 107, just like WXB 102, LA 105 and DZRJ before it will be another important footnote on this continuing history of Pinoy Rock. Money may have killed an icon but Pinoy Rock, real Pinoy Rock will never die. We will continue and thrive until another station comes along and plays our kind of music again or if nothing comes at all.  These are exciting times indeed.

I would like to thank NU 107 for their support of my musical projects for the past 15 years.  From Wolfgang to Lokomotiv to helping out the band Kastigo.  Thank you.

***Check out these Pinoy online radio stations/radio shows/video channels/podcasts/blogs:

http://radiopilipinas.com/

http://thewolfsdenradioshow.blogspot.com/

http://stoneyburke.com/

http://cebumetalradio.net/

http://splintr.com

http://rakista.com

http://bandstandphilippines.com

http://tunogpilipino.com

***Check out these international online radio stations:

http://www.knac.com/

http://www.955klos.com/

http://www.stonerrock.com/k666/