Rivermaya

Never fitting neatly into alternative circles yet carrying too strong an imprint of '80s new wave to register as straightforward pop, the Philippines' RiverMaya have navigated the divide between broad commercial reach and forward-thinking credibility since the early '90s. The group itself originated in 1993 when manager Lizza Nakpil set out to assemble a rock act. After holding auditions and weathering several personnel shifts, the lineup stabilized around Bamboo Manalac on vocals, Perf de Castro on guitar, Nathan Azarcon on bass, Rico Blanco on keyboards, and Mark Escueta on drums. Their self-titled debut appeared on BMG Records Pilipinas in 1994. Amid the Philippines' surge of modern rock acts, the record earned gold status within months and ultimately achieved triple-platinum certification. Castro soon exited to launch his own project, Triaxis, prompting Blanco to shift to lead guitar. The band's sophomore release, Trip, arrived in 1996 and surpassed its predecessor commercially, attaining quadruple-platinum sales while earning widespread praise. Their third album, Atomic Bomb, sustained the momentum in 1997. Manalac departed the following year, choosing to remain stateside after a U.S. tour. The group therefore re-recorded its fourth effort, 1999's It's Not Easy Being Green, featuring Blanco on lead vocals. Although the album moved units, it fell short of earlier benchmarks; the tougher sonic direction, however, earned the band additional regard. In 2000 RiverMaya issued Free exclusively online, allowing fans to acquire it without charge.