Kumanta.com | Tag Archive

Subscribe via: RSS

Tag Archive | "Jugs Jugueta"

Itchyworms

Posted on 19 October 2009

Tags: Chino Singson, Itchyworms, ithcy worms, Jazz Nicolas, Jugs Jugueta, Kelvin Yu

The Itchyworms is a rock band whose music is mainly guitar-driven rock with manifest 1960s and 1980s pop sensibilities and embellished with two to three-part vocal harmonies. The group made their name in the OPM scene in 2006 with their sophomore effort Noontime Show with songs such as “Akin Ka Na Lang” and “Beer”.

Itchyworms is known as a humorous Filipino rock band. Their single “Beer”, off their sophomore album “Noontime Show”, proved to be a hit among local radio stations. Some of their other hits are “Akin Ka Na Lang” and “Kabataang Pinoy”, the theme song of Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition. They recently won in the Best World/Alternative Music category of the 19th Awit Awards for the song, “Akin Ka Na Lang”.

In 2005, the itchyworms released Noontime Show, which gave them modest national achievement and industry acknowledgment. Buddy Zabala and Raimund Marasigan, by this time both former Eraserheads, co-produced the album with the group. Most particularly, 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. In late 2008, they released their new album entitled “Self-Titled”.

History

Formed in 1996, the band had been composed of Jazz Nicolas, Jugs Jugueta, Kelvin Yu (on lead guitar) and Hadrian “Haji” Cruz (on bass). The group of four performed at various school-based events and competitions with a handful of unique 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 frequent friend in the Ateneo Musicians’ Pool recruited Chino Singson to play guitar with the group at a school event. Singson in the end 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 assist of their manager Earnest Mangulabnan-Zabala, Eraserheads, Ely Buendia, Buddy Zabala and Romel “Sancho”. 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 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.