Thank You Bamboo

This is not supposed to be my first post for the year, but we are now embarking on another dark age of Filipino Rock. Radio DJ/TV Host KC Montero announced on Twitter that Bamboo called it quits after an eight-year reign on the OPM Hitcharts. The report was also announced by fellow DJ/host Kat Alano on their radio program on Wave 89.1 on Monday. The younger brother of singer/actor Troy Montero “clarified” that they are not “leaving. They all have decided to move on.” The news came after Hale and Sugarfree also announced their decision to go separate ways.

Now you’re wondering, “What’s the big deal?” According to some observers during Bamboo’s recent concert tour, they saw that Mañalac, the vocalist, was too haggard in his performance one time last month. While it may be a good reason to say that he had not enough rest then, it was also rumored that his tendency to be tired immediately was for another health matter. Bamboo, as you know him, has yet to confirm if a medical condition is a factor to their calling-it-quits. Although KC and Kat decided to keep mum about the real reason, this is definitely a sad day, or as my fellow friend Tommy replied, “a sad month for OPM.” Bamboo is well-known for their originals “Noypi”, “Hallelujah”, and their cover of Noel Cabangon’s “Tatsulok”, and they became the most sought-after band by the youth of today since they started in 2002, the same year the E-Heads disbanded. As of today, various posts on Facebook, Plurk, Twitter, Tumblr, and maybe even on this site are talking about the reports, imminently showing their disbelief about the news.

I, too, am shocked about the news, and everyone are really “into tears” now that Bamboo is officially gone. Perhaps triggered by the revival of Pinoy Hip-Hop through Fliptop and the other battle leagues and the fact that other acts which sprawled at about the same time as Bamboo’s are also inactive in the scene today (Bamboo and Nathan’s former band, Rivermaya, has yet to release their follow-up to their second album with their current frontman, Jayson Fernandez), Bamboo’s decision to disband is really sad for us.  To conclude this post, I just wanna say my gratitudes to Bamboo for bringing back Pinoy Rock to its current state. If they will reunite, that’s what I don’t know for now, but if in case they will go to other bands or go solo, I hope that they’ll gonna bring the Bamboo legacy to their new acts. Kudos to Bamboo!!!

PEACE OUT YO!!!!