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SB19: Champions of Philippine Music & Lore

By Julienne -
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SB19 (From left to right: Stell, Josh, Pablo, Ken, Justin) Back in my teens, I was mostly updated with music. Music channels like MTV and Myx, which were available on free TV, and radio stations like NU 107 made it possible. But as I got older and priorities changed, my appetite for new music waned. I just listened to what I grew up with or whatever I came upon by chance, and what I found would set the tone for the next few years or so. I have had phases of folk, 90s hip-hop, and K-pop, but never OPM. My relationship with OPM was not as strong as I would have liked. For instance, my pre-teen mind shunned OPM rock at its height in the 90s. Then when I developed a respect for its artistry, music began to change its course. Many new releases were either formulaic, low-quality songs or just not my type of music. So my OPM playlist was sadly stuck in the past. That is until SB19’s 2021 EP Pagsibol . Boy Bands A friend once asked what my guilty pleasure was. I told him I liked boy bands. Wes
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Bardcore: The Rise of Medieval-Style Covers

By Julienne -
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What do the Middle Ages and 2020 have in common? One, there’s the pandemic. The second one, however, is rather unexpected — the production of medieval music, or some form of it. The past few months have seen the rise of a phenomenon called Bardcore , a music genre consisting of medievalesque adaptations of modern popular songs. It is coined from the word bard , a medieval storyteller and singer, and the combining form -core extracted from another music genre hardcore . Although medieval remakes of contemporary music already existed before 2020, most notably Algal the Bard’s cover of System of a Down’s Toxicity in December 2017, it was two viral YouTubers who finally pushed it to prominence this year: Cornelius Link and Hildegard von Blingin’ . The consensus is that this particular trend started on April 20, 2020, when German web developer Cornelius Link released a remake of Tony Igy’s Astronomia . He then followed it up weeks later with an instrumental version of Foster the People’s b
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Victor Secuya Art

By Julienne -
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PROJECT TYPE: Website Development URL: victorsecuyaart.com Victor Secuya is a Davao-based visual artist known for his vibrant abstract expressionist works on canvas and steel. Mostly self-taught, his works have been in 25 solo exhibitions and various group shows for the past 30 years. Victor Secuya Art, the website, is Folkerie’s first undertaking into web development. It highlights a portfolio of Secuya’s selected painting series and sculptures, while his love for the written word is given particular emphasis with sample essays from his books and quotes as accents across pages. Launched on March 22, the site also includes photos of Secuya’s studio — aptly called The Sanctuary — a place of peace and quiet within the bustling city of Davao.  
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The Birds of Davao City Exhibit and Book Launching

By Julienne -
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Martin Y. Pineda (left) and Kublai Millan (right) led the ribbon cutting ceremony of "The Birds of Davao City" exhibit at Abreeza Mall, March 13, 2019. A joint exhibit of wild bird photographer Martin Y. Pineda and artist Rey Mudjahid “Kublai” P. Millan and the launching of Pineda’s two-volume books on Davao City’s birds was held on March 13, 5 p.m. at Abreeza Mall, Davao City. The opening program started with an introduction on birding and wild birds from Alex Tiongco, President of Birders without Borders Philippines and Raptorwatch Network Philippines. It was followed by a short talk on preserving pockets of nature in the city by Dennis Salvador, Executive Director of the Philippine Eagle Foundation, Inc. From left: Alex Tiongco, Dennis Salvador, Martin Pineda, Kublai Millan Salvador said that “if we are to enjoy the many practical benefits of our green spaces, it also becomes a responsibility to help conserve them as well.” But that to want to conserve something, he emphas
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The Head and the Heart Experience

By Julienne -
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There are bands that you listen to in passing and there are those who engrave their mark so deep you can’t get enough of them. For the authors of this blog, The Head and the Heart (THATH) belongs in the latter. For years, The Head and the Heart has been consistently on our playlists, and while we have been on the receiving end of these rewarding songs, we’ve realized we have not even given a proper tribute to the band. To make up for that, and to celebrate THATH’s 10th year anniversary, two of us will be answering four questions about our journey with the band. How did you discover The Head and the Heart? Julienne: It was in 2013 when I registered on a music website called 8tracks and there was this one playlist that I really, really liked. Composed of 11 tracks, the playlist featured new releases that time of indie folk music. Because of its upbeat and happy sound, it became my go-to playlist while working in the morning. One of the songs was The Head and the Heart’s “Shake.” In tim
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UCOG Davao's 1st meet and greet

By Julienne -
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  UCOG Davao 1st meet and greet (Photo courtesy Antonette Venzon) The Urban/Container/Organic Gardening (UCOG) Davao Team, which was recently formed, held its first meet and greet on Sunday, February 24, 2 PM at the People’s Park in Davao City. Fifteen of its members joined the event, with some bringing their own backyard produce to share. Seeds and cuttings of herbs, vegetables and other medicinal plants were given away such as serpentina, blue ternate, insulin plant, different types of radishes, cucumbers, okra, etc. Free blue ternate flowers and seeds. (Photo courtesy Antonette Venzon) The members came from different backgrounds. There were organic farmers and a farm owner who focuses on native trees, but most are backyard and container gardeners who have developed a love for plants and clean living. Other matters pertaining to the direction of the group were also discussed. While officers were not yet selected, it has been decided that the finalization and formalization of the org
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Art Basel shows Filipino artworks at par globally

By Julienne -
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by Lorie Ann HONG KONG—A red flag looks like that of a communist party at a distance. It has a sickle and, instead of a hammer, a wine glass. It was the work of London-based Filipino artist Pio Abad. Modern and contemporary art of Art Basel Hong Kong came in different forms and concepts that without looking at the artists’ names, one would not know which country they represent. “What makes an artwork Filipino is because the artist is Filipino,” said exhibitor Rachel Rillo at Silverlens galleries of the Philippines and Singapore that featured Abad’s works. Art is becoming global, she said, adding that the flag was a satire and a contemporary art dialogue, along with a Hermes scarf painting of the same artist. Silverlens also displayed the works of Filipino artists Maria Taniguchi, Leslie De Chavez, Renato Orara, Bernardo Pacquing, Gregory Halili, Patricia Perez Eustaqiuo and Frank Callaghan, and Yee I-Lann from Malaysia. Displaying at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on
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