In the course of a 15-year musical career, many words have been used to describe TROPICAL DEPRESSION, but actually, their name still says it all: a band that delivers one hell of a storm wherever it performs. TROPICAL DEPRESSION has shattered stylistic barriers and scrambled musical genres like no other band performing today.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION specializes in a unique brand of domestic and exotic riddims that of world-wise, conscious and spiritual music. Growing out of the band members love and affinity for the Reggae sounds of Jamaica and its offshoots, TROPICAL DEPRESSION created a new idiom in music and at the same time functioning as the gateway in introducing the essential reggae riddim to the country.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION built a reputation for creativity that saw reggae fused with local themes. As The Beat described its first release KAPAYAPAAN, it shows reggae has taken root in the Philippines and displays throughout the imprint of inspirator Bob Marley while containing elements no other reggae band I know of could draw from. Chuck Foster continues, the bulk of the album is sung in the band's native language and is some of the prettiest music I've heard in a while. TROPICAL DEPRESSIONs second release AABOT DIN TAYO further affirmed its unique reggae synthesis - not exactly east, not west either.

Seeing TROPICAL DEPRESSION live is an experience of a lifetime that one should not miss out on (Sevilla, The Philippine Star). The band has headlined several concerts throughout the Philippines. Its performing career includes some 50 dates a year, at venues ranging from clubs to music festivals; from high profile shows to benefit concerts--all to the delight of enthusiastic audiences, captivated by TROPICAL DEPRESSIONs infectious riddims.

But behind such fearsome experimentations in ethnic sounds lies a serious purpose as TROPICAL DEPRESSION continues to live up to the universal message of reggae music:
One World, One Love, One People.

Asin (sometimes spelled ASIN, in all capital letters) is a Pinoy rock and folk rock band from the Philippines. They were formed during the 1970s and originally known as Salt of the Earth from the song of Joan Baez, but later Filipinized their name into "Asin", which means salt in Filipino language.

History:
bands during her teens, Lolita Carbon met Cesar "Saro" Bañares, Mike Pillora, and Pendong Aban in Kola House, a folk rock club, and then decided to form their own musical group, naming it Salt of the Earth.

They had signed a major record label and renamed their band to Asin after a record producer was searching for a "female" Freddie Aguilar, taking advantage of the Filipino folk rock boom during the late 1970s. Their eponymous 1978 debut album includes a cover of Freddie Aguilar's "Anak" and the rest are all original works.

Some of their popular songs include the environmental song "Masdan Mo Ang Kapaligiran" (See the Environment), "Ang Bayan Kong Sinilangan" (The Land Where I Was Born), "Pagbabalik" (Comeback) and "Balita" (News). According to Pendong Aban who grew up in Agusan del Norte, most of their songs were based on the experiences in Mindanao. Because of too much illegal logging and violence in their homeland, they wrote lyrics that hoped for peace and a better environment in Mindanao. They sometimes use kulintang and other traditional instruments of the southern Philippines to give their music a more indigenous spirit.

In 1993, Saro Bañares was murdered in a bar brawl in South Cotabato because he refused to sing for a lawyer, causing the group's members to part ways. Aban had his band Ang Grupong Pendong, while Carbon went solo.

One July evening in 1999, at a concert in Bahay ng Alumni at U.P. Diliman, while waiting for their respective turns to perform in a concert for press freedom, Pendong and Lolita sat together to share about their experiences as each carved a career of his/her own. One of the most common experiences they had in their concert tours is the audiences reaction when they sing songs of ASIN as part of their repertoire. From children to teenagers to old folks, the same reaction would be observed. It is both of reminiscence and amazement at hearing the songs again and watching an ASIN member performing live.

Later in 2000, they decided to reunite but Pillora backed out later, although Pillora gave his blessings to the new album that Carbon and Aban would release. The record album Pag-ibig, Pagbabago, Pagpapatuloy, the first Asin album after 12 years, features unreleased materials of the late Bañares.

Pendong and Lolita both acknowledged the fact that their songs have transcended three decades and yet the message that each song carries (from the seven albums that ASIN recorded) is still as relevant and as meaningful to the present times. Both recognized the fact that there is hunger for the music that relates to the present situation that Filipinos are in, whether they are in the country of their birth or in some other adopted land across the seven seas; music that tells of every Filipinos dream, aspiration, desires, even heartbreaks or social commentaries that reflect the true Filipino culture.

The Jerks was formed in 1979 and is perhaps the original alternative rock and blues band in the Philippines. The band has undergone a lot of member changes and notably a lot of the previous members of the band are now certified icons themselves in the music scene. Members like Jun Lupito, Angelo Villegas, and others have carved names in their respective niches. Former Put3ska drummer Brutus Lacano also plays session with the band..

Despite having been formed in 1979, they only released their debut record in 1994 entitled The Jerks Live, released under Gary Granada's Backdoor Records. It was recorded live at the legendary Mayric's bar and showcases the raw, passionate musicality of the band never before put into record.

By 1997, Star Records managed to convince the band to record a major label album called Haligi Ng Maynila produced by ABS-CBN's Gabby Lopez, which gave the band the opportunity to reach wider audience. This pave the way to band winning the 1998 NU Rock Award for Best Album and the 1998 Katha Award for Best Rock Song "Reklamo ng Reklamo".

The Jerks still perform regularly around Manila in bars like The 70s Bistro, Tiendesitas and Route 196 in Katipunan Extension.