Santelmo - "Kawal" (2010)

Santelmo - "Kawal" (2010)

01 Dedikasyon

02 Kalayaan Base Sa Amerika

03 Eleksyon

04 Huwag Mong Sabihin

05 Media

06 Mayoridad

07 Sa Ilalim Ng Diktaturya

08 Intelihenteng Bisita

09 Kawal Ng Malacañang

10 Militar Imperyalismo

I feel awkward not being made aware this band even existed until one day, a friend of mine told me he had cd's to sell of his friend's band and was singing praises for it. This band landed an interview on Incidental Afterthought zine's 9th issue (May 2009) and got me curious. After getting this record, I was glad I got this gem. Quality Pinoy "Tibak-Punk Rock" in all it's glory.

The band was rad enough to include the lyrics sheet on this release so it gave me a chance to know what they are all about. Imagine Dead Ends circa late 80's and Bad Religion before 1996 and you can imagine how these fellas roll. Props for the band for doing all 10 songs in the vernacular (Tagalog) as not many, in the Hardcore-Punk scene, at least, can ever achieve that. This recording is a culmination of songs done and recorded from 2007-2010. The title track is chilling. I sure wish one of these days I can get my lazy ass to see them and shake hands with these fellas.

Kids, stop listening to Terror and forget about that shit. They already played Manila and that's all there is to it. Support your local bands and Santelmo is one such band that would deserve all the support we can give them. The band is right up there with the likes of The Beauty Of Doubt, who I consider to be the best punk band to ever come out of our local shores this decade. The fact that Santelmo are a 3-piece band made it all the more better.

Incidental Afterthough:

"What are your thoughts about the importance of music in a political setting?"

Santelmo/Boyet:

"Music is a powerful tool to convey messages, so why not use that advantage to put our ideas and let it be heard? There are so many bands out there that don't want to have an opinion politically; maybe they don't want to affect their major label "connections" or their fan base. I think punk music should always be about social and political consciousness. It's rewarding to put ideas out there and make people think. Concentrating on issues we think are important for people to know, of course, the aim is that once people are informed about ideas, they will take action in some way. And in the end, with any luck, we can put our arguements out there and somebody will consent with us."

Santelmo is

Richard - Bass

Jay - Drums

Boyet - Vocals/Guitars

santelmo_bc@yahoo.com

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Santelmo - "Kawal" (2010)