Out of 2,500 entries from 10 countries in Southeast Asia, a Pinoy group called Pancake 8o made it to redAMP's top 10 Best ASEAN Bands, a groundbreaking project of Air Asia and MTV Asia that aims to "connect countries through music."
In a press conference held last June 23 at the Aston Kuta Hotel in Bali, Indonesia, Air Asia's Ancillary Income Head Rafizah Amran told PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal), "Three countries—the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia—had the most number of participants. About 21% came from the Philippines, where practically everyone knows how to sing. But only 10 semi-finalists were chosen."
From May 24 to June 18, unsigned bands were given the chance to submit their own music videos, showing the members' live performance of their original composition.
THE TOP TEN. After several "sleepless nights" of screening, viewing, and deliberation, the huge number of participants was narrowed down to 39 bands, which were asked to do a live audition in Kuala Lumpur. Amran said, "We have to see them perform live. It's not just their music. We should see the way they interact with each other, with the audience..."
From the audition, the number was again reduced to 21 bands. "There were cases of lost passports and unapproved visas," Amran mentioned.
The top 10 semi-finalists that earned the nod of the screening committee:
Karacoma from Brunei
Black Infinity, Vietnam
Winfield, Vietnam
Stonebay, Malaysia
Bizharo, Malaysia
Pancake 80, Philippines
Sixty-Nine, Thailand
Golden Dragon, Indonesia
SandRa, Indonesia
Muztava, Indonesia
PRIZES. These 10 bands will have the chance to bag a recording and distribution deal worth 50,000 ringgit (Php 700,000) as well AirAsia e-gift vouchers worth 10,000 ringgit (Php 140,000), and other great prizes.
The top 3 finalists will also win an all-expense-paid trip to Kuala Lumpur to perform live at an exclusive redAMP concert hosted by AirAsiaRedTix.com.
Prior to the concert, the top 3 bands will be mentored by Roslan Aziz, Malaysia's prominent music producer and engineer who served as the Chief Judge of this online ASEAN-wide regional competition. They will also get training and fine-tuning in terms of vocals, performances, and repertoire in a boot camp.
The other judges of this competition: Zahid Ahmad, a widely respected session drummer from Malaysia; Jason Voo, a renowned musical arranger; and Mac Chew, arranger-composer for major Chinese recording artists in Taiwan, China and Malaysia.
PANCAKE 80. Composed of six members, this band is the only Filipino group able to enter the semi-finals of redAMP. The members are Franz Madriaga (guitarist), Ruthelma Lagamson (vocalist), Christopher Maliwat (vocalist), Rusty Balanquit (guitarist), Richard Navarrete (bassist), and Flecher Hernandez (drummer).
Their music is described as a combination of alternative and rock 'n' roll, and is influenced by the 80's New Wave.
To support them, log on to www.AirAsiaRedTix.com (CLICK HERE), where one can vote once every 24 hours; or visit redAMP's Facebook (CLICK HERE), which can accept a vote from one account every 30 minutes; or text RA 06 and send to 09165955600.
Stay tuned for more updates!