‘Scrapmetal’ rockers win a holiday in Cambodia
Call it what you will—Goth rock, steampunk or, in the words of the band itself, “scrapmetal horror.”
Whatever, the rock theater of Mr. Bones and the Boneyard Circus earned for the eight-piece ensemble the right to represent the Philippines at the JS Set Asia Pacific International event happening in Cambodia on April 5, 2013.
READ: Festival review: Conflicted in Malasimbo
The band’s multimedia extravaganza bested the crowd-drawing pop-rock of Paramita and the grunge-inspired hard rock of Kelevra.
Surreal dream come true
The three bands faced off on March 9 at the MetroTent, Metrowalk in Pasig City before a crowd of 1,000 loud music fans.
Boneyard Circus's winning performance at the JD Set also featured contributions from guitarist Jun Lopito, band mentor, as well as guest vocals from The Late Isabel’s Wawi Navarozza.
RELATED: Up close with guitar god Jun Lopito
“The win is just amazing. It still feels like a surreal dream come true,” lead vocalist Bones Frankenstein told Yahoo! OMG.
Toss in some prog-rock and jazz fusion
“We owe much of it to the boils and ghouls, our fans who really supported us through all struggles! For some of us, the win is just beginning to sink in now, especially since the contest has been going on for some time, and we went up against excellent bands,” he added.
The band went through elimination rounds for the Jack Daniels-sponsored competition.
ALSO READ: The lonely musical path of Grace Nono and Bob Aves
Key to the Boneyard’s triumph is their kind of of tongue-in-cheek theatrical macabre performance plus hints of industrial, steampunk, rock opera and a slight touch of avant-garde.
With more than two guitars roaring at any given time, prog-rock and jazz fusion would resound in there somewhere.
For added thrills, the visuals flashed at the background reminded of horror movies where dolls come to life and terror pervades even at daylight.
"Lady Grimm" by Mr. Bones and the Boneyard Circus (Video uploaded by Jorge Amparado)
Stiff competition
The other two finalists were no slouches either.
The crowd danced and sang along to the rock and roll of Paramita. Band mentor Chickoy Pura of The Jerks jammed with the trio for their final number.
Kelevra boasted of Spy’s Sammy Asuncion and Kat’s Magic Express’ Louie Talan for added guitar fury on the band’s rock attack. Overall, the augmented six-piece group played heads-up heavy rock that would have gone down well in festivals anywhere.
RECORD REVIEW: 3 decades of Pinoy rock unite in The Oktaves
The four-hour JD showcase started with a hot electro-rock set by The Diegos followed by the industrial volume of Switch. A slew of bands like hardcore reggae mistahs Spy and John Mayer wannabe Carlos Castano then filled the gap between the three competing acts.
Past winners: Cynthia Alexander and Urbandub
The JD Set Philippines has been showcasing local talents in the ASEAN music scene.
As the Chosen One from the Philippines this year, Mr. Bones and the Boneyard Circus joins the roster of previous JD Set local astists that includes singer-songwriter Cynthia Alexander who performed a one-of-a-kind collaboration with Nyko Maca at the Hard Rock Café in Singapore and Cebu’s rock icons Urbandub who played in a back-to-back concert with international rock band Good Charlotte also in Singapore.
READ BLOG: It’s never about you: 5 rules for rock photographers
In Cambodia, Mr. Bones and the Boneyard Circus will be joined by JD Set winners in other Asian countries.
Mr. Bones and the Boneyard Circus are Bones Frankenstein (lead vocalist), Lipstick (guitarist/ 2nd vocalist), Dr Chan (guitarist / vox), Rubberface (bass), Wolf (keyboards), Beast (drums), The Jester (percussions), and DJ Xombie (samples/effects).
