The Philippines is a great place to discover music. The burgeoning independent music scene is full of talented acts that are ripe for the picking. Brisom, a blossoming indie outfit from Manila is a great example of a local band that carries an undeniable crossover and international appeal. The group was put together by Brian Sombero, former front man for the cult band Menaya, whose album “The Worst News” is considered by local underground music purist as one of the best album you have never heard.
Brian initially wanted to record songs just for the heck of it. Friends from the local band scene who listened to the new materials liked them so much that they prodded him form a live core group. Brian arranged the songs and mixed it with the talents of Tim Abbott, Jason Rondero, Jeffrey Castro and Terence Teves.
Peers describe them as a “new band with old souls”, which may be the reason why though admittedly the band is relatively new, they have been getting rave reviews. Last November, the band opened for Dave Elkins, front man of seminal American rock group “Mae” on his Manila leg of his Asian Tour at the Hardrock Café, Makati and in Tab, Singapore. Brisom also had a show in Blu Jaz Cafe, SG last March 2013.
They were also invited to play in the most recent Sonic Carnival, an international festival featuring bands like Razorback, Urbandub, UpDharmaDown and international DJ acts such as Laidback Luke and Steve Aoki.
Scoring a major label deal might be a pretty steep climb for Brisom especially in today’s ever-changing music market, but their material is a sign of brighter and bigger things to come—thanks to Brian Sombero’s persistence to expand their stadium-filling sound and incorporate DIY ethos without necessarily coming off as self-patronizing or excessive. Perspectives, their debut EP was officially launched on March 14, 2013 at Craft Pub and Grill. It lays claim to this ambition, with a drive to turn grand gestures into melodic and sensible alt anthems that also sound good on radio and noise-cancellation headphones as much as it is on open air venues.
Members of the band includes Brian Sombero for the Vocals/Guitars/Songwriter, Terence Teves for the Guitars/Wingman, Timothy Abbott for the Synth/Beats/Programmer, Jason Rondero for the Bass, and Jeffre Castro for the Drums. Copies of the EP were available now at P200 each.
For more info about Brisom, visit their FB page at https://www.facebook.com/brisom or follow them on Twitter at https://twitter.com/brisomph