Archipelago Music Intro

The Music Village

Dec 4, 2008

Kreak Bathala and their Bikol song "Kagadanan"

Krear Bathala is a band formed in Tabaco City, Albay, Philippines in the year 2000 by Jimple Borlagdan , Nukie Cañon , and Rodel Aguilar as Haunted Garage—a tribute to the old room in Jimple’s Lola’s house, where the band jams. When Nukie and Rodel eventually left the band in 2003, Jimple’s brother Jimzzy Borlagdan , Waxx Ko , and Binat Pelaez on bass, all from other groups, joined in.

The band was among the poineer bands of the Tabaco City, Albay, Roots series, created by Auwgz Pelaez, Binat’s Brother, which booked 13 major gigs in Legazpi City and Tabaco City, Albay for four years. Then when Binat Pelaez was voted out of the band, due to differences, Jun Lim was taken in. During this time two singles (Clowns and Hari ng Walang Hanggang Parusa) by the band were recorded. In the end Jun Lim had to go and Waxx assumed the jinxed bass slot.

Recently, the band gave in to a foreign band of the same name (Haunted Garage) after years of cyber disputes, and adopted Krear Bathala as the band’s name, for it heralds a new musical direction that veers more to Bikolano-sensitive songs, and it repackaged the band’s new three-piece line-up.

This year, three of their singles (Clowns, Hari ng Walang Hanggang Parusa, bootlegged Kagadanan) were included in the “Tanog Tabaco: A definitive Original Tabaqueño Music Compilation” album, and their newly recorded song “Kagadanan” will come out in the Albay music compilation “Ribok.”

Musically, the band is hard to define, as they fuse unpopular mixtures of traditional colonial music with old and new schools of rock. Some categorize them as old school metal, like Iron Maiden and Wolfgang, while others label them as prog rock or just plain rock. In spite of this, Krear Bathala is clear on one thing: They exist only for the attainment of Tanog Tabaco, the mythical true Bikolano Sound.

Their works can be sampled at their official website, www.krearbathala.multiply.com.

Check out our profile at http://www.last.fm/music/Krear+Bathala

Jaime Borlagdan, Correspondent

No comments: