Franco (band)
| Franco | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Franco Suspitsados [1] |
| Origin | Manila, Philippines |
| Genres | Alternative rock, hard rock, post-grunge, alternative metal |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | MCA Music, Inc. (2009–present) |
| Associated acts | Parokya Ni Edgar Urbandub InYo Frank! Queso Kamikazee |
| Members | Franco Reyes Paul "Poldo" Cañada Dave Delfin Victor Guison |
| Past members | Gabby Alipe Ocho Toleran Buwi Meneses JanJan Mendoza |
Franco is a rock band from the Philippines that was formed in 2008. The band started out as a supergroup with local rock icon members from different well-established Filipino bands. The original lineup, which consisted of Franco Reyes (InYo) on vocals, Gabby Alipe (Urbandub) on guitar, Paolo Toleran (Queso) on guitar, Buwi Meneses (Parokya ni Edgar) on bass guitar, and JanJan Mendoza (Urbandub) on drums,[2] disbanded in mid-2012. The band now has a new lineup which is made up of front man Franco Reyes and session musicians Paul Cañada on guitars, Dave Delfin on bass and Victor Guison on drums.
Contents
History
Franco started as a collaboration project between Alipe, Toleran, Meneses and Mendoza, who are veterans of the Pinoy rock scene. Later on, they decided to look for a front man to help their project band take off. In late 2008, Alipe, Mendoza, Toleran and Meneses collaborated with Reyes, who returned to the Philippines, to form Franco.[3] In 2009, they recorded songs that made up Franco's first album. After the release of their first album in 2010, their songs quickly became hits and topped the charts. The band dominated the 2010 NU Rock Awards with 4 awards and 9 nominations. They also won an award and were nominated during the 2010 Awit Awards. In 2012, Alipe, Meneses, Toleran and Mendoza left the band,[4] but Franco Reyes continued his music, collaborating with his former band mates in Cebu and other touring members. In 2013, he released his sophomore studio album, entitled Soul Adventurer. He now has tours with the new members of Franco - Paul Cañada, Dave Delfin and Victor Guison.
Music
Franco's roots are traced from the Cebu-based band Frank, which Reyes formed in 1996. Franco started by playing songs from Frank! and InYo. Frank was one of the bands that boosted the Cebu rock scene.[3] Though most of its songs were originally written by Reyes with Frank! and InYo, Franco's music is straight to the ears and considerably heavier than the reggae-leaning sound of Frank! and the alternative rock sound of InYo. Interestingly, two songs—“Touch the Sky” and “Song for the Suspect”—have Rastafarian messages such as the spiritual use of marijuana and the belief in Jah, the almighty god of the Rastafarian faith.
Mainstream success
In 2010, they released their self-titled full-length album under MCA Music. Music videos for “Cast Away” and “This Gathering” were aired on Filipino music channel Myx. Franco also dominated the 2010 NU Rock Awards by winning four awards—Artist of the Year, Song of the Year for “This Gathering”, Album of the Year for their self-titled album, and the Listeners' Choice Award. The supergroup also won an award during the 2010 Awit Awards as the Best Performance By A Group Of Recording Artists - "Castaway", and was also nominated for the Best Performance By A New Group Of Recording Artists - "Castaway" and Best Rock/Alternative - "Castaway". [5]
The band was nominated multiple times on MYX Music Awards.
It was announced that four of the members parted ways from the band (Alipe, Toleran, Meneses and Mendoza) in mid-2012 to focus on other projects and their respective bands. Reyes decided to go on and collaborate with some former band mates during studio sessions while recording the second album.
In 2013, Soul Adventurer was released as the band's second album. With the new lineup, the band has won Best Alternative Recording (Awit Awards) for the song Better Days. [6]
On November 9, 2014, Franco launched an EP called Frank! at St.James Power Station in Sentosa, Singapore.
Band members
Current members[3]
- Franco Reyes – lead vocals, guitar (2008–present)
- Paul Cañada – guitar (2012–present)
- Dave Delfin – bass (2012–present)
- Victor Guison – drums (2012–present)
Former members [7]
- Gabby Alipe – guitar (2008–2012)
- Paolo "8" / "Ocho" Toleran – guitar (2008–2012)
- Buhawi "Buwi" Meneses – bass (2008–2012)
- JanJan Mendoza – drums (2008–2012)
Discography
Studio Album
- Franco (2010)
- Soul Adventurer (2013)
- Frank! (2014)
Track listing
Franco (2010)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Seasons" | 3:56 |
| 2. | "Touch The Sky" | 3:43 |
| 3. | "Castaway" | 4:30 |
| 4. | "Memorykill" | 4:44 |
| 5. | "A Mass For The End of Time" | 4:20 |
| 6. | "Last Waltz" | 5:49 |
| 7. | "Next Train Out" | 3:01 |
| 8. | "Song For The Suspect" | 5:06 |
| 9. | "Tetrahydrochloridedub" | 2:15 |
| 10. | "This Gathering" | 5:21 |
| 11. | "For My Dearly Departed" | 5:22 |
|
Total length:
|
48:12 | |
Soul Adventurer (2013)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "032" | 0:32 |
| 2. | "To Survive" | 4:38 |
| 3. | "Moonset" | 5:03 |
| 4. | "Better Days" | 5:01 |
| 5. | "What Is To Be Must Be" | 0:21 |
| 6. | "Renewal" | 5:34 |
| 7. | "Drifter" | 1:19 |
| 8. | "A Beautiful Diversion" | 3:57 |
| 9. | "Across The Milkyway" | 5:15 |
| 10. | "Razor" | 5:41 |
| 11. | "Blame" | 5:24 |
| 12. | "Follow That Light" | 1:18 |
| 13. | "Uprising" | 5:39 |
| 14. | "Babylonian Politicians" | 0:31 |
| 15. | "Muse" | 5:26 |
| 16. | "Lover's Fire" | 4:27 |
| 17. | "A Prayer" | 4:16 |
|
Total length:
|
64:36 | |
Awards and nominations
NU Rock Awards
The NU Rock Awards was an annual recognition program sponsored from 1994 to 2010 by the defunct Metro Manila based radio station NU 107.[3]
| Year | Award | Work | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Artist of the Year | Franco | Won |
| Album of the Year | Franco | Won | |
| Song of the Year | "This Gathering" | Won | |
| Listeners' Choice Award | Franco | Won | |
| Vocalist of the Year | Franco Reyes | Nominated | |
| Guitarist of the Year | Gabby Alipe, Paolo Toleran, Franco Reyes | Nominated | |
| Bassist of the Year | Buhawi Meneses | Nominated | |
| Drummer of the Year | JanJan Mendoza | Nominated | |
| Best New Artist | Franco | Nominated |
Awit Awards
The Awit Awards are the most prestigious music awards in the Philippines given annually by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI) to recognize the outstanding achievements in the music industry.
| Year | Award | Work | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Best Performance By A Group Of Recording Artists | "Castaway" | Won[5] |
| Best Performance By A New Group Of Recording Artists | Nominated[5] | ||
| Best Rock/Alternative | Nominated[5] | ||
| 2013 | Best Alternative Recording | "Better Days" | Won[6] |
MYX Music Awards
The MYX Music Awards is an accolade presented annually by the cable channel Myx to honor the biggest hitmakers in the Philippines.
| Year | Award | Work | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Favorite New Artist | Franco | Nominated |
| 2014 | Favorite Rock Video | “Better Days” | Nominated[8] |
References
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