These days, when the word “bamboo” is mentioned, you know what…or to be more precise, who comes to mind.
You’d be kidding if the first thing that came to mind is a real bamboo, the green plant sprouting upwards, as in kawayan. If you have thought of it that way, you’ve been living inside a cave, toppled by a rock not just for a year, but for more than a decade now.
Bamboo – the very word immediately calls up to mind that tall guy with a clean-cut hairdo, the deeply etched dimples, the soothing vocals and the suaveness to carry all of it.
Bamboo Mañalac had been the frontman of two of the most influential rock bands in Philippine history. He was in Rivermaya from its inception in 1993 until he left for the US on 1998. At 2003, he came back as the face of the rock band he shared the same name with, known for the songs “Noypi”, “Mr. Clay”, “Much Has Been Said” and “Tatsulok” (cover) among others. The band amicably called it quits on 2011.
Bamboo Soaring Solo
Now pursuing a solo career, Bamboo is most definitely back on his feet. Even as he is stripped to his essentials, manages to concoct music that connects with people; although this time, he had shifted the angsty lyrics to the more relaxed and harmonious melodies relating ordinary joys and woes of life. With the release of his debut album “No Water, No Moon”, he had again proven that his stand as one of the most brilliant musicians of our time.
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