Yano
Encyclopedia
Yano is a folk
/punk rock
band in the Philippines
formed in 1993. The band members were originally composed of vocalist Dong Abay
and Eric Gancio on guitar
. Onie Badiang later joined them as bassist; Nowie Favila was the usual drummer but declined to join the group due to commitments with Ang Grupong Pendong. Other drummers of the band included Nonong Timbalopez, Harley Alarcon and Jun Nogoy. The band got their name when Abay looked through an entry in "Talahulugang Pilipino", an old Tagalog
dictionary. "Yano" in Tagalog means "simple", a term often used by Tagalog speakers in Quezon
. The group disbanded in 1997 after Dong Abay left the band.
As of 2007, Gancio revived Yano as a one-man band
, although he will continue to use sidemen
as backing musicians for live performances. In 2008, he will be releasing a new album, which he described as the fourth Yano album rather than his second album.
, Eric Gancio and Larry Mapolon met in Patatag, a progressive vocal ensemble. After a year, they decided to form a band called NG ' onMouseout='HidePop("16281")' href="/topics/Filipino_alphabet">Filipino alphabet
) with percussionist Renmin Nadela. Abay and Gancio remained and recruited musical arranger and bassist, Onie Badiang to the group. Eventually, the band's name was renamed to Yano. They recorded their demo at the home studio of alternative artist Joey Ayala
in June 1993. One of the tracks, "Kumusta Na?," ("How Are You?") a song about the "EDSA Revolution", found its way to a local radio station where the group was first heard. This paved the way for Yano to become active in the local club circuit. Mayrics, Club Dredd, 70s Bistro were among the first clubs that Yano performed in. Drummers for the band included Nowie Favila (Ang Grupong Pendong), Nonong Timbalopez (Put3Ska, Ex President's Combo), Jun Nogoy (Coffeebreak Island) and Harley Alarcon (Rizal Underground and POT).
In 1994, the band's self-titled debut album
came out and spawned classic Filipino rock songs such as "Banal Na Aso, Santong Kabayo" ("Holy Dog, Saintly Horse"), "Tsinelas" ("Slippers") and "Esem" (wordplay for SM
or Shoemart mall). This was followed by a string of successful concerts around the Philippine archipelago
. Their first album from Alpha records (re-issued by BMG
) reached quadruple platinum in 1994. After producing three studio albums, Abay quit during the late 1990s because of fame-induced pressure. The group later disbanded after Abay’s absence.
After quitting the band, Abay struggled with clinical depression
and stayed only in his bedroom for about five years. He came out of depression while writing new songs set into poetry
. He later called Badiang to borrow a guitar and jam. Eventually they formed another band, Pan with bassist Milo Duane Cruz and drummer Melvin Leyson. Abay got the term "Pan" after reading Tom Robbins
' novel Jitterbug Perfume
. They released their debut album entitled Parnaso ng Payaso
in 2003. Pan was later disbanded because Abay went back to school in U.P. Diliman. He released "Sampol", an EP
in 2005, which was later reborn into Flipino and released in May 2006. He is currently pursuing a career as an independent artist.
Gancio returned to his homeland in Davao
after the demise of Yano. In 2004, he released an EP
for his solo album Sa Bandang Huli. Gancio did all the instruments in his indie
-released album and mixed the music in a PC-based software. Gancio is reviving Yano as a multi-instrumentalist and is currently performing as Yano in Davao
with two session musicians. He will be releasing an album, which, according to Gancio, will be the "fourth Yano album."
Badiang played bass for Filipino folk/rock band Asin
. He currently reconnected to Joey Ayala
's Bagong Lumad while Favila is currently playing gigs outside the Phiippines.
Milo Cruz, one of the supporting musician, is now living in New Zealand
since mid 2003 and is now a sound engineer. He still plays regularly with various Kiwi bands and founded an all-Filipino band FLIP doing both covers and originals. He also started his own production company named ATBP Productions. ATBP is an abbreviation of a Filipino expression "at iba pa", a counterpart for the Latin "et cetera
".
themes. Their songs censure religious hypocrites like in Banal Na Aso, Santong Kabayo (Tagalog
for Holy Dog, Saintly Horse), corrupt politicians in Trapo (colloquial, pejorative
term for traditional politicians, also literally translates to "dust rag"), the lingo of the Philippine's elite
in Coño Ka P’re ("You're a coño") and abusive capitalists in "Mc’Jo" (alluding to the fastfood chain McDonald's
where Abay once worked as a crew member).
Yano’s songs also narrate the situation of Philippine society during the 1990s. Kumusta Na? ("How are you?") discusses the condition of the Filipino
masses after the 1986 EDSA Revolution
while the novelty
-styled song Kaka tells a story of a person named Kaka, who is having difficulty in finding things in the dark after a power outage, a reference to the frequent blackout
s in the Philippines during the early 1990s. The song Bawal
("prohibited") speaks about the effects of rules or laws with excessive restrictions to the point where it leads to suppression of freedom and love. Abno, also known as Abnormal Environmental, tackles the environment
while Kaklase ("classmate") focuses on students facing maltreatment by their teachers. Another social relevant song, Mercy, tells about the story of a crazy peddler in the Philippines known as a taong grasa
("greasy person").
Abay's experiences as a student at the University of the Philippines
, enabled him to write songs in dismay of their school like in State U and their life in the university, such as Esem (in reference to the SM City North EDSA
mall, which is about a mile away from the UP Diliman campus) and Iskolar Ng Bayan ("The Nation's Scholar"). They also made some love songs in their music like Senti (short for "sentimental") and Paalam Sampaguita ("Goodbye Sampaguita"). The latter also tackles the migration of many Filipinos to other countries to seek better opportunities.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
/punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
formed in 1993. The band members were originally composed of vocalist Dong Abay
Dong Abay
Westdon Martin Abay , popularly known as Dong Abay, is a poet and a Pinoy rock musician. He was the founding member, songwriter and lead vocalist of the bands Yano, Pan, and dongabay, which are now all defunct...
and Eric Gancio on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. Onie Badiang later joined them as bassist; Nowie Favila was the usual drummer but declined to join the group due to commitments with Ang Grupong Pendong. Other drummers of the band included Nonong Timbalopez, Harley Alarcon and Jun Nogoy. The band got their name when Abay looked through an entry in "Talahulugang Pilipino", an old Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
dictionary. "Yano" in Tagalog means "simple", a term often used by Tagalog speakers in Quezon
Quezon
-History:Originally, what now forms Quezon was divided among the provinces of Batangas, Laguna, and Nueva Ecija. The area was first explored by Juan de Salcedo in 1571-1572, during his expedition from Laguna to Camarines provinces....
. The group disbanded in 1997 after Dong Abay left the band.
As of 2007, Gancio revived Yano as a one-man band
One-man band
A one-man band is a musician who plays a number of musical instruments simultaneously using their hands, feet, limbs, and various mechanical contraptions. The simplest type of "one-man band" — a singer accompanying themselves on acoustic guitar and harmonica mounted in a metal "harp rack" below the...
, although he will continue to use sidemen
Sideman
A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform or record with a group of which he or she is not a regular member. They often tour with solo acts as well as bands and jazz ensembles. Sidemen are generally required to be adaptable to many different styles of music, and so able to fit...
as backing musicians for live performances. In 2008, he will be releasing a new album, which he described as the fourth Yano album rather than his second album.
History
In 1992, Dong AbayDong Abay
Westdon Martin Abay , popularly known as Dong Abay, is a poet and a Pinoy rock musician. He was the founding member, songwriter and lead vocalist of the bands Yano, Pan, and dongabay, which are now all defunct...
, Eric Gancio and Larry Mapolon met in Patatag, a progressive vocal ensemble. After a year, they decided to form a band called NG ' onMouseout='HidePop("16281")' href="/topics/Filipino_alphabet">Filipino alphabet
Filipino alphabet
The Modern Filipino alphabet , otherwise known as the Filipino alphabet , is the alphabet of the Filipino language, the official national language and one of the two official languages of the Philippines...
) with percussionist Renmin Nadela. Abay and Gancio remained and recruited musical arranger and bassist, Onie Badiang to the group. Eventually, the band's name was renamed to Yano. They recorded their demo at the home studio of alternative artist Joey Ayala
Joey Ayala
Joey Ayala is a contemporary pop music artist in the Philippines. He is well known for his style of music that combines the sounds of Filipino ethnic instruments with modern pop music. His professional music career started when he released an album recorded in a makeshift-studio in 1982...
in June 1993. One of the tracks, "Kumusta Na?," ("How Are You?") a song about the "EDSA Revolution", found its way to a local radio station where the group was first heard. This paved the way for Yano to become active in the local club circuit. Mayrics, Club Dredd, 70s Bistro were among the first clubs that Yano performed in. Drummers for the band included Nowie Favila (Ang Grupong Pendong), Nonong Timbalopez (Put3Ska, Ex President's Combo), Jun Nogoy (Coffeebreak Island) and Harley Alarcon (Rizal Underground and POT).
In 1994, the band's self-titled debut album
Yano (album)
Yano, is the debut album of the now defunct Filipino rock band, Yano. It has 12 tracks and released under Alpha Records in 1994 and re-released under BMG Records Pilipinas in 1998 with additional two tracks from their second album Bawal.- Track listing :...
came out and spawned classic Filipino rock songs such as "Banal Na Aso, Santong Kabayo" ("Holy Dog, Saintly Horse"), "Tsinelas" ("Slippers") and "Esem" (wordplay for SM
SM Prime Holdings
SM Prime Holdings, Inc. or SM Prime is the parent company of the SM Group's shopping malls. It is the largest shopping mall and retail operator in the Philippines...
or Shoemart mall). This was followed by a string of successful concerts around the Philippine archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
. Their first album from Alpha records (re-issued by BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
) reached quadruple platinum in 1994. After producing three studio albums, Abay quit during the late 1990s because of fame-induced pressure. The group later disbanded after Abay’s absence.
After quitting the band, Abay struggled with clinical depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
and stayed only in his bedroom for about five years. He came out of depression while writing new songs set into poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
. He later called Badiang to borrow a guitar and jam. Eventually they formed another band, Pan with bassist Milo Duane Cruz and drummer Melvin Leyson. Abay got the term "Pan" after reading Tom Robbins
Tom Robbins
Thomas Eugene "Tom" Robbins Thomas Eugene "Tom" Robbins Thomas Eugene "Tom" Robbins (born July 22, 1936 is an American author. His best-selling novels are serio-comic, often wildly poetic stories with a strong social and philosophical undercurrent, an irreverent bent, and scenes extrapolated from...
' novel Jitterbug Perfume
Jitterbug Perfume
Jitterbug Perfume is Tom Robbins' fourth novel, published in 1984. The major themes of the book include the striving for immortality, the meaning behind the sense of smell, individual expression, self-reliance, sex, love, and religion. Beets and the god Pan figure prominently...
. They released their debut album entitled Parnaso ng Payaso
Parnaso ng Payaso
Parnaso Ng Payaso , is the only album of the now defunct Filipino rock band, Pan formed by former Yano members, Dong Abay and Onie Badiang.-Track listing:All tracks by Dong Abay.#Mabuhay! ...
in 2003. Pan was later disbanded because Abay went back to school in U.P. Diliman. He released "Sampol", an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
in 2005, which was later reborn into Flipino and released in May 2006. He is currently pursuing a career as an independent artist.
Gancio returned to his homeland in Davao
Davao
Davao refers to several closely related places in Mindanao in the Philippines. The term is used most often to refer to the city.*Davao Region, an administrative region*Davao del Norte province*Davao del Sur province*Davao Oriental province...
after the demise of Yano. In 2004, he released an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
for his solo album Sa Bandang Huli. Gancio did all the instruments in his indie
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
-released album and mixed the music in a PC-based software. Gancio is reviving Yano as a multi-instrumentalist and is currently performing as Yano in Davao
Davao
Davao refers to several closely related places in Mindanao in the Philippines. The term is used most often to refer to the city.*Davao Region, an administrative region*Davao del Norte province*Davao del Sur province*Davao Oriental province...
with two session musicians. He will be releasing an album, which, according to Gancio, will be the "fourth Yano album."
Badiang played bass for Filipino folk/rock band Asin
Asin (band)
Asin is a Pinoy folk and folk rock band from the Philippines. They started as a trio in the late 1970s, and was originally known as the Salt of the Earth]...
. He currently reconnected to Joey Ayala
Joey Ayala
Joey Ayala is a contemporary pop music artist in the Philippines. He is well known for his style of music that combines the sounds of Filipino ethnic instruments with modern pop music. His professional music career started when he released an album recorded in a makeshift-studio in 1982...
's Bagong Lumad while Favila is currently playing gigs outside the Phiippines.
Milo Cruz, one of the supporting musician, is now living in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
since mid 2003 and is now a sound engineer. He still plays regularly with various Kiwi bands and founded an all-Filipino band FLIP doing both covers and originals. He also started his own production company named ATBP Productions. ATBP is an abbreviation of a Filipino expression "at iba pa", a counterpart for the Latin "et cetera
Et cetera
Et cetera is a Latin expression that means "and other things", or "and so forth". It is taken directly from the Latin expression which literally means "and the rest " and is a loan-translation of the Greek "καὶ τὰ ἕτερα"...
".
Music
Yano’s music was well known for their political and socialSocial
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
themes. Their songs censure religious hypocrites like in Banal Na Aso, Santong Kabayo (Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
for Holy Dog, Saintly Horse), corrupt politicians in Trapo (colloquial, pejorative
Pejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
term for traditional politicians, also literally translates to "dust rag"), the lingo of the Philippine's elite
Elite
Elite refers to an exceptional or privileged group that wields considerable power within its sphere of influence...
in Coño Ka P’re ("You're a coño") and abusive capitalists in "Mc’Jo" (alluding to the fastfood chain McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
where Abay once worked as a crew member).
Yano’s songs also narrate the situation of Philippine society during the 1990s. Kumusta Na? ("How are you?") discusses the condition of the Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
masses after the 1986 EDSA Revolution
1986 EDSA Revolution
The People Power Revolution was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines that occurred in 1983-86. The methods used amounted to a sustained campaign of civil resistance against regime violence and electoral fraud...
while the novelty
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
-styled song Kaka tells a story of a person named Kaka, who is having difficulty in finding things in the dark after a power outage, a reference to the frequent blackout
Power outage
A power outage is a short- or long-term loss of the electric power to an area.There are many causes of power failures in an electricity network...
s in the Philippines during the early 1990s. The song Bawal
Bawal (Yano album)
Bawal, is the second album of the now defunct Filipino rock band, Yano. It has 10 tracks and released under Alpha Records in 1996.- Track listing :All tracks by Dong Abay# "Metro" – 2:25# "Dayo" – 4:15...
("prohibited") speaks about the effects of rules or laws with excessive restrictions to the point where it leads to suppression of freedom and love. Abno, also known as Abnormal Environmental, tackles the environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
while Kaklase ("classmate") focuses on students facing maltreatment by their teachers. Another social relevant song, Mercy, tells about the story of a crazy peddler in the Philippines known as a taong grasa
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
("greasy person").
Abay's experiences as a student at the University of the Philippines
University of the Philippines
The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...
, enabled him to write songs in dismay of their school like in State U and their life in the university, such as Esem (in reference to the SM City North EDSA
SM City North EDSA
SM City North EDSA is the largest mall in the Philippines, and the world’s third biggest in terms of leasable area . It is operated by SM Prime Holdings, a local holding company in the Philippines, the biggest retail and mall operator in Southeast Asia...
mall, which is about a mile away from the UP Diliman campus) and Iskolar Ng Bayan ("The Nation's Scholar"). They also made some love songs in their music like Senti (short for "sentimental") and Paalam Sampaguita ("Goodbye Sampaguita"). The latter also tackles the migration of many Filipinos to other countries to seek better opportunities.
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Yano Yano (album) Yano, is the debut album of the now defunct Filipino rock band, Yano. It has 12 tracks and released under Alpha Records in 1994 and re-released under BMG Records Pilipinas in 1998 with additional two tracks from their second album Bawal.- Track listing :... |
Alpha Records and then re-issued by BMG in 1998 |
| 1996 | Bawal Bawal (Yano album) Bawal, is the second album of the now defunct Filipino rock band, Yano. It has 10 tracks and released under Alpha Records in 1996.- Track listing :All tracks by Dong Abay# "Metro" – 2:25# "Dayo" – 4:15... |
BMG |
| 1997 | Tara Tara (Yano album) Tara , is the third and last studio album of the now defunct Filipino rock band, Yano. It has 11 tracks and also its first album for major label BMG Records Philippines, having moved from local independent, Alpha Records.-Track listing:... |
|
| 2001 | Best of Yano |