By Marguerite A. de Leon
Photos by Eddie Boy Escudero

Whether listening to lyrics tinged with tender rage on the radio, head-banging with the throng in concerts, or cradling their own guitars on Saturday nights-in with friends, Filipinos connect with the distinct sound of Pinoy rock’n’roll music through and through.

Pioneer acts like the Juan dela Cruz Band and The Dawn, the alternative edge of ’90s groups such as the Eraserheads and Teeth, and the broad range of recent aural ambassadors like Urbandub and Sandwich make up the current soundscape of Pinoy rock. It helps that the industry is a small and closely-knit one, too; the familial atmosphere among bands makes for a prolific rock scene, with new groups and collaborations sprouting up frequently.

Not surprisingly, Pinoy entertainment is laced with rock influences. Some of the most popular nigh spots in Metro Manila are rock bars: Mag:Net, Saguijo, and Club Dredd, while rock FM stations NU107.5 and RJ100 enjoy solid fan bases. Rock concerts are also common and oft-buzzed about events; the Eraserheads’ reunion concert in August, for instance, can easily be considered one of this year’s pop culture milestones. Rock frontmen such as the Eraserheads’ Ely Buendia, the Juan dela Cruz Band’s Pepe Smith, and The Dawn’s Jett Pangan are personal heroes of many young Pinoys as well.

Its image may get raucous, but rock music remains a mainstream phenomenon in the Philippines. It bodes well with Pinoy sensibilities, an apt soundtrack for a people who embrace friendship and freedom–two pillars this genre is quite vocal about, and stridently so.

See our list of Manila’s best rock bands and rock haunts in our January 2009 issue.