Itchyworms
Encyclopedia
The Itchyworms is a Filipino rock
band whose music is primarily guitar-driven rock with pronounced 1960s and 1980s pop
sensibilities and embellished with two- or three-part vocal harmonies. The group made their name in the OPM
(Original Pilipino Music) scene in 2006 with their sophomore effort Noontime Show with songs such as "Akin Ka Na Lang" and "Beer".
The group continued as a trio until the middle of 1997, when a common friend in the Ateneo Musicians' Pool recruited Chino Singson to play guitar with the group at a school event. Singson eventually went on to become a permanent member, which solidified the group's current lineup.
In 1998 the band put together Revenge of the Unsigned, their first official CD. They did this with the help of their manager Earnest Mangulabnan-Zabala, Eraserheads, Ely Buendia
, Buddy Zabala
and Romel "Sancho" Sanchez (Loquy, Cynthia Alexander
). The band intended for Revenge to be their independently-released debut album in the event that no major record label would sign them.
As luck would have it, then-A&R manager at Viva/Neo Records Mike Dizon (Teeth, Sandwich (band)
) got hold of Revenge. He helped push for Viva executives to sign the band and eventually release Little Monsters Under Your Bed.
Little Monsters, the band's first major-label album, was released in 2001 and contained songs from Revenge plus new compositions by Nicolas and Jugueta. The song "Antipara" was probably the most well-known song on the album. The release of the album was somewhat ill-timed as its glossy pop-rock sound was an aberration in the Korn
-influenced OPM Rock landscape of the late 1990s to early 2000s.
, by this time both former Eraserheads, co-produced the album with the group.
Most notably, the album went on to become Album of the Year at the 2006 NU Rock Awards
, with Nicolas winning Drummer of the Year and the group winning Producer of the Year jointly with Marasigan and Zabala. Also in 2006, Itchyworms covered a song Awit Ng Barkada originally by the APO Hiking Society.
In 2007, the band covered Princesa which was also sung originally by the APO Hiking Society.
In late 2008, they released their new album entitled "Self-Titled".
and Close-Up
in separate television advertisements. In 2008, Pringles
used "Salapi" for a nationwide campaign/songwriting contest. In addition Enervon, Close-Up and San Miguel Beer have also commissioned the band to write original songs for their advertising campaigns.
The band also wrote and performed "Kabataang Pinoy", the theme song for the first season of ABS-CBN
's Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition
. This is arguably the band's most widely-publicized song because of the series' popularity and media exposure. They also made a song for Motorola
Philippines' Hello Moto campaign.
and The Eraserheads
heavily defines the quartet's musical sound.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band whose music is primarily guitar-driven rock with pronounced 1960s and 1980s pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
sensibilities and embellished with two- or three-part vocal harmonies. The group made their name in the OPM
Music of the Philippines
Music of the Philippines are performance arts composed in various genre and styles. The music of the Philippines is a mixture of indigenous, other Asian, European, Latin American, and American influences.- Traditional music :...
(Original Pilipino Music) scene in 2006 with their sophomore effort Noontime Show with songs such as "Akin Ka Na Lang" and "Beer".
Early years
Formed in 1996, the band had been composed of Jazz Nicolas, Jugs Jugueta, Kelvin Yu (on lead guitar), Kevin Santos (on back-up vocals) and Hadrian "Haji" Cruz (on bass). The band performed at various school-based events and competitions with a handful of original songs and Beatles covers. Unfortunately, communication and scheduling issues forced Cruz to leave the group. This predicament forced Yu to take up the bass guitar vacancy, effectively making the band a trio.The group continued as a trio until the middle of 1997, when a common friend in the Ateneo Musicians' Pool recruited Chino Singson to play guitar with the group at a school event. Singson eventually went on to become a permanent member, which solidified the group's current lineup.
In 1998 the band put together Revenge of the Unsigned, their first official CD. They did this with the help of their manager Earnest Mangulabnan-Zabala, Eraserheads, Ely Buendia
Ely Buendía
Eleandre Basiño Buendia, popularly known as Ely Buendia, and also once adopting the stage name, Jesus "Dizzy" Ventura, is a Filipino writer and musician who gained fame as guitarist, songwriter, and lead vocalist in the popular Pinoy rock band The Eraserheads...
, Buddy Zabala
Buddy Zabala
Hector "Buddy" Avanceña Zabala is the bassist of Filipino new wave band The Dawn, indie band Cambio, and widely known as the bassist of the now disbanded alternative rock band, The Eraserheads.-Eraserheads bassist :...
and Romel "Sancho" Sanchez (Loquy, Cynthia Alexander
Cynthia Alexander
Cynthia Alexander is a highly respected singer-songwriter and musician in the Philippines. Her music infuses prose-poetry and haunting melodies with indigenous Philippine and Asian rhythms...
). The band intended for Revenge to be their independently-released debut album in the event that no major record label would sign them.
As luck would have it, then-A&R manager at Viva/Neo Records Mike Dizon (Teeth, Sandwich (band)
Sandwich (band)
Sandwich is a Filipino rock band that was formed in 1995 by Raimund Marasigan and Diego Castillo for the purpose of fulfilling their mutual desire to work together. Castillo recruited former band mates from The Aga Muhlach Experience Mike Dizon to play drums and Myrene Academia to handle bass...
) got hold of Revenge. He helped push for Viva executives to sign the band and eventually release Little Monsters Under Your Bed.
Little Monsters, the band's first major-label album, was released in 2001 and contained songs from Revenge plus new compositions by Nicolas and Jugueta. The song "Antipara" was probably the most well-known song on the album. The release of the album was somewhat ill-timed as its glossy pop-rock sound was an aberration in the Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
-influenced OPM Rock landscape of the late 1990s to early 2000s.
Breakthrough success
In 2005, the itchyworms released Noontime Show, which gave them modest national success and industry recognition. Buddy Zabala and Raimund MarasiganRaimund Marasigan
Raimund Emmanuel Parcon Marasigan, or simply known as Raimund Marasigan, is a ballad musician and record producer in the Philippines. Oftentimes, his first name is misspelled as Raymond, Raymund, Raimond and other variants. The breadth of his projects has made him one of the most well-respected...
, by this time both former Eraserheads, co-produced the album with the group.
Most notably, the album went on to become Album of the Year at the 2006 NU Rock Awards
NU Rock Awards
The NU Rock Awards was an annual recognition program sponsored from 1994 to 2010 by the defunct Metro Manila based radio station NU 107.1. 1994 saw the birth of what is to become the biggest annual gathering of the finest rock musicians in the country—the NU 107 Rock Awards! The very first NU 107...
, with Nicolas winning Drummer of the Year and the group winning Producer of the Year jointly with Marasigan and Zabala. Also in 2006, Itchyworms covered a song Awit Ng Barkada originally by the APO Hiking Society.
In 2007, the band covered Princesa which was also sung originally by the APO Hiking Society.
In late 2008, they released their new album entitled "Self-Titled".
"Commercial" endeavors
The popularity and radio-friendliness of the band's songs have gained the attention of several well-known commercial brands in the Philippines. The song "Akin Ka Na Lang" has been used by both KFCKFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
and Close-Up
Close-up
In filmmaking, television production, still photography and the comic strip medium a close-up tightly frames a person or an object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium shots and long shots . Close-ups display the most detail, but they do not include the broader scene...
in separate television advertisements. In 2008, Pringles
Pringles
Pringles is a brand of potato and wheat based snacks originally developed by Procter & Gamble. Pringles are sold in more than 140 countries and have yearly sales of more than...
used "Salapi" for a nationwide campaign/songwriting contest. In addition Enervon, Close-Up and San Miguel Beer have also commissioned the band to write original songs for their advertising campaigns.
The band also wrote and performed "Kabataang Pinoy", the theme song for the first season of ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN
ABS–CBN Corporation is a Philippine-based media conglomerate. It is the Philippines' largest media and entertainment conglomerate. The corporation was the merger of Alto Broadcasting System which at that time owned by James Lindenberg and Antonio Quirino, and the Chronicle Broadcasting Network ...
's Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition
Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition
Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition began airing on April 23, 2006, three weeks after the end of the first Celebrity Edition. It ran for six weeks and closely resembled the original show, unlike the relatively short Teen Big Brother, its British counterpart...
. This is arguably the band's most widely-publicized song because of the series' popularity and media exposure. They also made a song for Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
Philippines' Hello Moto campaign.
Influences
Although the individual members of the band draw on distinct influences, their common affection for The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and The Eraserheads
The Eraserheads
Eraserheads, or E-Heads was a Filipino rock band of the 90s, formed by Ely Buendia, Raimund Marasigan, Buddy Zabala and Marcus Adoro. The band is one of the most successful, critically acclaimed, and significant bands in the history of OPM...
heavily defines the quartet's musical sound.
Current members
- Jazz Nicolas - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, lead vocals (1996–Present) - Jugs Jugueta - rhythm guitars, lead vocals (1996–Present)
- Kelvin Yu - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals (1996–Present) - Chino Singson - lead guitars, backing vocals (1997–Present)
Full-length Albums
- Little Monsters Under Your Bed (Viva/Neo Records, 2001)
- And The Worm Jumped Over The Moon (Independently released, 2003)
- Noontime Show (Universal Records, 2005)
- Repackaged Noontime Show (with Commercial Break bonus AVCD, Universal Records, 2006)
- Self-Titled (Sony BMG Philippines, 2008)
Compilations
- Songs from NU107 In The Raw (Sony Music, 1998)
- Pulp Freakshow (Viva/Neo Records, 2001)
- Gimik Nation (Viva/Neo Records, 2002)
- Kami nAPO Muna (Universal Records, 2006)
- Close-Up Season of Smiles Christmas CD (Universal Records, 2006)
- Astig...The Biggest Band Hits (Universal Records, 2006)
- AYUZ! Pinoy Alternative's Power Cuts (Viva/Neo Records, 2006)
- SUPER - The Biggest Opm Hits Of The Year (Universal Records, 2007)
- Kami nAPO Muna Ulit (Universal Records, 2007)
- Musika Sa Bahay Ni Kuya: The Best Of Pinoy Big Brother Hits (Star Records, 2008)
- Gusto Ko Ng Rock (Sony Music, 2009)
- I-Star 15: The Best of Inspirational Songs (Star Records, 2010)
Singles
- Antipara (2001)
- Akin Ka Na Lang (2005)
- Awit Ng Barkada (Original by APO, 2006)
- BeerBeerBeer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
(2006) - Buwan (2003)
- Freak Out Baby (2009)
- Gusto Ko Lamang sa Buhay (2009)
- Kabataang Pinoy (Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition Theme, 2006)
- Loveteam (2007)
- Misis Fely Nimfa Ang Pangalan (2009)
- Penge Naman Ako Niyan (2008)
- Princesa (Original by APO, 2007)
- Salapi (2006)
- Suplado Ka Pala Sa Personal (2010)
Music videos (Note: Funny Music Videos with (*) by Itchyworms)
- Antipara *(2001)
- Buwan (2003)
- Akin Ka Na Lang (2005)
- BeerBeerBeer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
*(2006) - Salapi (2006)
- Loveteam (2007)
- Penge Naman Ako Niyan *(2008)
- Freak Out Baby (2009)
- Gusto Ko Lamang sa Buhay (2009)
- Misis Fely Nimfa Ang Pangalan *(2009)
- Suplado Ka Pala Sa Personal *(2010)