Manila experienced a major blast from the past as the cityβs first-ever throwback music festival took place last Sunday, February 10 atΒ Circuit Makati.
Fans got the chance to relive their childhood through installations and activities before singing along to the music of Blue, Vertical Horizon, Stephen Speaks, and Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer.
At the press conference held at IβM Hotel, Makati the day before the big event, the four international artists expressed their love for Filipino fans and talked to the media about their music, todayβs industry, nostalgia and more in a friendly and intimate atmosphere. Check out the highlights below.
Stephen Speaks
Rockwell Ryan Ripperger, the bandβs lead vocalist, has been in the country the longest out of all the international artists attending the festival. Even in his third visit, he makes sure he could experience all the wonderful islands the Philippines has to offer. In fact, he makes waves addressing some of the local issues, including the Marawi incident and the damaged reefs as part of his advocacy.
On Playback Music Festival, Ripperger is most excited about meeting Vertical Horizon, adding the Washington alternative band have influenced his own songwriting and was a big inspiration to him growing up.
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Ripperger revealed Stephen Speaksβs massive 1999 hit βPassenger Seatβ gets the most song royalties from the Philippines, proving its undying love for the song. He personally believes this has to do with the loving culture of the Filipino people, which is what the song is about to him. This is widely exhibited in the Philippines: Ripperger himself has had the chance to witness a crowd of high school students singing βPassenger Seatβ without missing a word.
Although a casual listener of 90βs music, Ripperger understands that his music can transcend generations. He believes its longevity is the result of fundamental rawness and instrumentality, an βorganicβ quality ascribed to the songs of the 80βs and 90βs but is missing in todayβs mainstream music.
Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer
Like Ripperger, Nash is no stranger to the Philippines. She was, however, still a βbabyβ when she first performed here. Nash shows a great excitement for performing in Manila once again as a woman with a βbetter grasp of lifeβ.
When asked about what she misses most about the past, Nash personally feels that music genres have become βblurryβ and melded into the same generic, repetitive sound. Just like most of us who are big fans of music form yesteryears, Nash feels nostalgic every time she hears old songs on the radio.
But thatβs by no means a sign of discouragement. Nash still writes new material and, if anything, she feels more confident now with all her memorable life experiences, good and bad. βI came for the music, I stayed for the music,β Nash adds. A firm believer of the impact music can have on people, she wants to spread a message of love and beauty through hers.
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Besides songwriting, Nash has creative writing up her sleeves. Asked to give some tips for aspiring songwriters and writers, she says the key to creating art is repetition and revision, with a dash of the artistβs fearlessness.
Vertical Horizon
For the fourth time since their debut in 1991, Vertical Horizon once again set foot in the Philippines. The band express how grateful and amazed they are for the positive energy theyβve received and the connection theyβve made with Filipino fans through the years.
Frontman Matt Scannell shares the bandβs formula in writing songs that live on regardless of ever-changing industry trends: writing the best songs they could possibly write. The band have developed their sound by deviating from trendy hooks and riffs, and creating classics instead. They learned from the very start not to release anything theyβre not proud of, because they might be the songs the crowd requests every single night.
Although they try to look for inspiration for songs in their surroundings for, itβs inside themselves that they often wind up writing about, and one feeling in particular β pain. And in many ways itβs therapeutic. Scannell finds it alleviating to translate his pain into lyrics and melodies.
When asked which musical era they want to go back to, the band members all have different answers. While his bandmates point out the high point of creativity of the 70s and revere the 60βs Motown, Scannell would rather focus on the future. He wants to βkeep moving forwardβ rather than being stuck in a specific era of music.
Blue
The English boyband, represented by members Simon Webbe and Antony Costa, show great excitement about their return to Manila after six years. The boys thank the loyal Filipino fanbase who have been supporting them and to whom theyβd like to dedicate βSing for Meβ from 2013βs Roulette.
On the difference between the group and other OG boybands, Webbe and Costa say their friendship is what sets them apart. The boys have been friends even before the start of their career, something boybands put together by big labels are short of.
Friendship as the foundation of the band really has worked its wonders: it comes across in their music and help Blue stand the test of time. They have a sixth album on the way and there is no sign of stopping soon. They feel as if nothing has changed the Blue of 2000 now that theyβre all back together.
When asked which contemporary artists theyβd like to collaborate with, Blue name Charlie Puth, Ed Sheeran, Adele, and BeyoncΓ©.
