Catch RIVERMAYA this Oct 27 / 28 Weekend

Oct 27 : OKTOBERFEST : SM MEGA MALL : 11.15 AM

Oct 28 : ZILDJAN NIGHT : MALL OF ASIA : 6 PM

BAYBREAK : MALL OF ASIA : 8 PM

CAFE LUPE : 10 PM


We would like to thank the wonderful crowd in Bacolod (9 thousand!!) last weekend who celebrated the Maskara with us. PADAYON!!

Tune in to MYX as RIVERMAYA rocks the house as CELEBRITY VJ the whole month of OCTOBER.

Rico, Mark, Japs, and Mark pick their favorite videos on OPM MYX, ROCK MYX, and BACKTRAX -- and tell you why.

Check out the Halloween-flavored plug featuring RIVERMAYA.

Rivermaya is : Blanco (on vocals and guitar), Mike Elgar (on guitar), Japs Sergio (on bass) and Mark Escueta (on drums.)

How would you describe your music?

Blanco : Llike sun on your skin

Who (or what) had the greatest impact on your path towards playing music?

Blanco : My bandmates.

The MTV Asia profile states "Rivermaya has treaded between the lines of mainstream mass appeal and the accolades of artistic credibility since its inception". What does 'treading' the line between 'mainstream' and 'art' entail for you? Is there a lot of pressure involved?

Japs : Not really. I guess it comes naturally -- mainly because of what we listen to.

Blanco : We just do what we do, play what we want to play. Everything else is a bonus.

Mike : I don't think we ever really plan the outcome of our music -- or the effect our music has on listeners or on music critics. Frankly, I’m just happy to have any kind of reaction from anyone 'coz it goes to show that they are listening =)

You must have waved in and out of many scenes (rock, indie, MTV, etc). Where do you feel the most at home?

Japs : By now, I can say I'm comfortable with any of those scenes.

Blanco : I'm not sure I understand what you mean by 'scenes.' Besides, I've never really felt like I belonged anywhere. And i don't really like putting labels to the things we do or create. People are free to put them in whatever boxes or folders they want to put 'em in. But personally, I
wouldn't recommend it.

Mike : Anywhere actually, as long as it's about and for music.


What determines which of your songs are written in English and which are in Filipino?

Japs : I guess it depends on how you want to express yourself at the time you’re writing the song. Some things are better said in Filipino; some in English.

Mark : When we write songs, we usually start with an idea which already includes the language we're going to use for the song.

Filipinos are globally known for their musicality. To what do you attribute this?

Japs : I guess because Filipinos are big music lovers in general.

Blanco: Japs is right, if you love something a lot, you're probably gonna be really good at it sooner or later.

Favorite bands in Southeast Asia?

Blanco : Electrico from Singapore! I also like Padi from Indonesia, and I remember hearing a couple of excellent Flure tracks on our last
trip in Thailand. I'd love to hear more Thai bands, but we're always busy when we come here. Hopefully, this time around we can check them out

This will be your third gig in Thailand. What's your impression of the Thai music scene (bands/gigs) been like so far?

Blanco : The people of Thailand are fantastic! They always know how to have a good time, they know how to appreciate music from all genres, they're also very open-minded and supportive of acts they see for the first time.
That's why we always love to play in Thailand!

Japs : Thai people always appreciate the music even if they don't understand the language. We've talked to a few Thais after our shows here and that's also what they told us. As long as the music and the vibe is good, they don't really mind about the language difference.

Mike : The Thais are very open when it comes to music. After performing at the Pattaya Fest, and getting to talk with your artists, I find Filipinos actually have a lot in common with your music fans and musicians.

Anything else to say to Thailand?

JAPS : Sawasdee! Hope you can check us out at the MTV Asia Awards show…

Mike : Looking forward to eating the delicious food!

Mark : Pls check out our website www.rivermaya.net

Blanco : Thanks for your emails, your posts on our website, please keep them coming. Thank you for the unexpected but overwhelming support.

Rivermaya thanked all its listeners and fans -- "the best in the world", the band declared -- for helping it win MTV Pilipinas Favorite Group 2006.

This year's win is a record-breaking 4th time Rivermaya takes home the gold, making a total of six wins including back to back years as MTV Asia Awards Philippines' Favorite Artist.

Hot on the heels of its major win at the MTV Asia Awards, “Ang Banda ng Bayan” Rivermaya continued its winning streak with more awards from the 1st MYX MUSIC AWARDS as well as the Awit Awards 2006.

The band continues to be the only artist this 2006 to get a unanimous thumbs-up from award-winning bodies across the board.

“You’ll Be Safe Here” – the band’s moving ballad that catapulted it to an international stage at the MTV Asia Awards 2006 – also scooped up the top prize at the recent 1st MYX Awards, for MYX FAVORITE MUSIC VIDEO 2006” as well as MYX FAVORITE MEDIA SOUNDTRACK.

The 1st MYX Awards is a popular vote of MYX viewers – and over 2 Million votes were cast through nationwide text voting.

Rivermaya’s “You’ll Be Safe Here” garnered a whopping 42.xx% of the vote in the MYX awards’ main category and evening’s finale.

Completing the grand slam of wins from both international and Filipino award-winning bodies was the band’s most recent win at the 19th Awit Awards, where “You’ll Be Safe Here” was once again recognized as Music Video of the Year and the “Best Recording for a Movie/TV Soundtrack.”

Rivermaya also received a special tribute for its win at the MTV Asia Awards 2006 alongside other winners of international festivals. The band was the first Filipino artist ever to perform a piece of original Filipino music in a highly-coveted solo spot number alongside such international stars as Kelly Rowland, Korn, Hoobastank, and Daniel Powter. Rivermaya is a record-breaking 5-time winner of the “Favorite Artist” award, with a combined total of 2 wins at the MTV Asia Awards and 3 for MTV Pilipinas.

For new listeners…What is Rivermaya's music like? "Like sun on your skin," says Blanco, lead vocals for the band..... "I don't really like putting labels to the music we do. People are free to put them in whatever boxes or folders they want to put 'em in. But personally, I wouldn't recommend it," he smiles.

"I don't even want to call myself the band's frontman," he continues. "There are no roles – or rules with Rivermaya."

Sage advice if you're listening to the music of a band that creates songs so diverse – from soaring anthems, to headbanging rock, to poetic melodies that simultaneously make you smile and wince all at the same time.

The one common thread is a total passion for music – and an uncanny ability to hear the invisible melodies and rhythms of everyday life and then translate that into songs that magically capture the moment.

It's a footloose spirit to be found in every Rivermaya song – with no two songs coming close to being alike. "Maybe it's because I've never really felt like I belonged anywhere – so I'm always up for something new. In fact, I insist on something new, all the time," explains Blanco.

Blanco says he's been into music even before he could walk or talk. The same can be said for his bandmates (Mike Elgar on guitar, Japs Sergio on bass, and Mark Escueta on drums), who are all self-taught musicians, who started playing a variety of instruments at an early age.

"Even if we hadn't ended up in a band, we would all be involved with music in one way or another," says Mike. "And if you asked me what we would be doing ten years down the road, we'd all still say music," nods Mark.

"We just do what we do, play what we play.. Everything else is a bonus," Japs says.

On the wings of a mesmerizing performance of its hit song "You'll Be Safe Here" at the recent MTV Asia Awards 2006, Rivermaya releases a full album in Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia. with Malaysia soon to follow suit.

The Bangkok Post described the awards performance -- measured against an international roster of stars such as Kelly Rowland (formerly of Destiny's Child), Korn, Hoobastank, and Daniel Powter in these words: "Rivermaya did all of Southeast Asia proud."

It was a tour de force in what has been described as the biggest musical event in Asia (this year set in the posh Siam Paragon in Bangkok), beamed to over a million televiewers across the region.

Warner Music Asia Pacific, one of the region's leading record companies, has taken the lead by releasing a Rivermaya album in Singapore last August 18th, September 29th for Indonesia and is now in stores in Thailand.

The album is entitled "You'll Be Safe Here" after the song that brought the group to intense international attention. The song is making waves on Singapore, Malaysian, Thai, and Indonesian radio.

Rivermaya is a favorite on the Asian festival circuit, including the prestigious Mosaic Music Festival 2006 at The Esplanade, Singapore, alongside Jason Mraz, Kings of Convenience, and Pat Metheny; as well as back-to-back performances at the Pattaya Music Festival in 2005 and 2006 in Thailand. It has built a cult following of musicians across Asia and is now set to cross into the region's mainstream.