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Nathan Peter Hachero Azarcon (born January 29, 1975) is a Filipino musician, nationalist, songwriter, and producer. He is currently the bassist, vocalist and one of the founding members of
Filipino rock Pinoy rock, or Filipino rock, is the brand of rock music produced in the Philippines or by Filipinos. It has become as diverse as the rock music genre itself, and bands adopting this style are now further classified under more specific genres or ...
band
Rivermaya Rivermaya is a Filipino alternative rock band. Formed in 1994, it is one of the several bands that spearheaded the 1990s Philippine alternative rock explosion. Rivermaya is currently composed of original members Mark Escueta and Nathan Azar ...
. He was also a member of the rock bands Pinikpikan, Kapatid and a founding member of
Bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
and Hijo (where he was the lead vocalist). His complete body of work includes hits produced while he was a member of four different bands. In recognition of his work, he has been honored by
NU Rock Awards The NU Rock Awards was an annual accolade presented from 1994 to 2010 by the Metro Manila-based radio station NU 107, known for prominent performances by the most influential pinoy rock artists of each year. History The first NU 107 Rock Award ...
; Katha Music Awards;
MTV Pilipinas Music Awards MTV Pilipinas Music Awards was the annual music video awards event of MTV Pilipinas. Award categories * Video of the Year * Favorite Male Video * Favorite Female Video * Favorite New Artist in a Video * Favorite Group Video *Favorite Indie Vid ...
; and the
Awit Awards The Awit Awards are 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. The word "Awit" means "song" literally in Filipino ...
, which are presented and organized by the
Philippine Association of the Record Industry The Philippine Association of the Record Industry ( Filipino: ''Kapisanan ng Industriya ng Plaka ng Pilipinas'', abbreviated as PARI) is a non-profit and private trade organization, that represents the recording industry distributors in the Phi ...
(PARI).


Background

A fierce advocate of South East Asian culture, Azarcon, who was a prominent fixture on magazine covers during the '90s and 2000s is partially credited (along with Karl Roy, MMA fighter
Brandon Vera Brandon Michael Vera (born October 10, 1977), or also known by his ring name as The Truth, is a Filipino and American retired mixed martial artist where he was the inaugural ONE Heavyweight Champion and the 2005 WEC Heavyweight Grand Prix Champ ...
) for the popular resurgence of the Austro-Polynesian/Indo-Malay script Baybayin in modern Filipino culture.


Early career

Azarcon first started playing bass during the early '90s with punk funk rock band, Bazurak. They covered songs from
Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...
,
Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...
, and the
Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of th ...
. The members included Junji Lerma, guitar player for
Radioactive Sago Project Radioactive Sago Project is a Filipino jazz rock band formed in 1997 in Quezon City, Philippines. The band's sound is a fusion of spoken-word poetry, bebop jazz, and punk. Subjects in their material range from politics, drugs, alcohol, random m ...
; Richard Recto on vocals; Paolo Lerma on drums; J-John Valencia on guitars; and
Mark Escueta Mark Edward Penabella Escueta (; born 9 January 1976) is a Filipino musician and one of the founding members of the Filipino rock band Rivermaya. Escueta has been the only constant member of Rivermaya since its inception in 1994. Early life E ...
on drums. In 1998, Azarcon started his apprenticeship under Sammy Asuncion, guitar player of Pinoy funk-reggae-rock band Spy and ethnic rock group Pinikpikan, a group renowned for reinventing musical pieces using indigenous tribal instruments. Azarcon eventually joined Pinikpikan. Notable members include
Grace Nono Grace Nono is a Filipino singer, known for her musical style based on traditional Filipino rhythms. She is also an ethnomusicologist, scholar of Philippine shamanism, and cultural worker. Early life and education Grace Nono was born on May 6, 19 ...
, Rene "Chong" Tengasantos and Bob Aves. Azarcon under the moniker "Elqpal", fit well with the band's ethno-tribal rhythms. In 2000, the band released their album ''Atas'' on the Tropical Records label, a subsidiary of
A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...
. The recording won the Philippine's 2001 Katha Music Award for Album of the Year, Best World Song, and Best Performance for "Kalipay". Other standout tracks on the album include "Aumoon", "Salidumay", and "Singkilan". In February 2001, Azarcon departed from
Rivermaya Rivermaya is a Filipino alternative rock band. Formed in 1994, it is one of the several bands that spearheaded the 1990s Philippine alternative rock explosion. Rivermaya is currently composed of original members Mark Escueta and Nathan Azar ...
after a 7-year stint with the band since its inception in 1994. He eventually went back to the band 15 years later. The band Kapatid ''(lit. English: sibling)'' came together through an informal gathering of friends with diverse musical talents in other bands. The original lineup included Karl Roy of Advent Call and P.O.T.; Marinito "J-hoon" Balbuena of
Kjwan Kjwan is a Filipino hard rock band formed in 2003 by former Sandwich guitarist and lead vocalist Marc Abaya and Dicta License bassist Kelley Mangahas. History Long-time friends and former high school bandmates Marc Abaya (vocals) and Federico K ...
;
Ira Cruz Ira Cara Cruz is a Filipino musician, songwriter and producer. He was a founding member of Filipino rock bands Hijo, Bamboo, Introvoys, Passage and Kapatid. Professional background Introvoys (1987-1991, 2001) Introvoys was formed in 1986 by 3r ...
previously of Passage; Azarcon; and Chico Molina. In 2002, the band went on to release their debut album ''Edsa 524''. The album contains the singles "Pagbabalik ng Kwago", "I Like It Like This", and "Visions". The band split apart rather quickly, with a couple of members leaving for other bands under less than amicable circumstances. Roy later stated of the breakup, "There was lots of talk about brotherhood and respect and the joy of playing music together. Unfortunately, things didn't turn that way". First, guitarist Ira Cruz left, and then Azarcon followed, and the two eventually hooked up with former Rivermaya bandmate Francisco "Bamboo" Mañalac." In 2003, after living in Los Angeles following the Rivermaya tour in America, Mañalac returned to the Philippines. Azarcon introduced Mañalac to Cruz and Vic Mercado (drums) and together, they formed the band
Bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
. Sometime in 2010, Nathan's brother Nick left his band Sinosikat? while Nathan's bandmate Ira Cruz became the new guitarist for Sinosikat?. In January 2011, news had been circulating that
Bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
had allegedly disbanded. DJ
KC Montero Casey Wyatt Miller (born June 17, 1978), known professionally as KC Montero, is a Filipino-American radio DJ and actor currently based in the Philippines. He is currently the Vice President of Marketing and Head of Content at Kumu. Personal li ...
of Wave 89.1 confirmed the breakup on Wave's The KC Show and via Twitter. Montero clarified that all the members of the band "have decided to move on," and that he did not know why they called it quits. The group did not initially release an official statement on the issue, according to ABS-CBNNews.com. Bamboo's lead vocalist Bamboo Mañalac finally confirmed the breakup of his band in an official statement posted before midnight of 11 January on the group's website.


Hijo (2011–2013)

Three months after the breakup of Bamboo, Azarcon, Cruz and Mercado reunited to form the band "Hijo" ronounced as ee'-ho(a
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
word that pertains to a male human offspring or a son). The new band was composed of Nathan Azarcon on vocals and bass, Ira Cruz on guitar, and Vic Mercado on drums. The band also includes Junji Lerma on guitar and Jay-O Orduña on keyboard synthesizer and backing vocals. They performed their first gig at Route 196 on 16 April 2011. In 2012, Orduña was replaced by Wowee Posadas on keyboards and backing vocals and Mercado was replaced by Paolo Manuel on drums. Posadas later left the group on the same year. Two years after Hijo was formed, other band members left the band and left Azarcon as the sole member. Azarcon posted on his
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
account that new members will be introduced in 2015. Azarcon posted teasers on Facebook of his new band called "Disband" which features Bea Lao of General Luna as the drummer. Azarcon then later posted that instead of renaming the band, it will still bear the name Hijo but would be called Hijo 2.0. The band's music influence and genre is described by critics as "
alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...
" however the band rather label themselves as "Kung-Fu rock".


Return to Rivermaya (2016–present)

On January 9, 2016, Azarcon re-united with his former
Rivermaya Rivermaya is a Filipino alternative rock band. Formed in 1994, it is one of the several bands that spearheaded the 1990s Philippine alternative rock explosion. Rivermaya is currently composed of original members Mark Escueta and Nathan Azar ...
co-members, Perf de Castro,
Mark Escueta Mark Edward Penabella Escueta (; born 9 January 1976) is a Filipino musician and one of the founding members of the Filipino rock band Rivermaya. Escueta has been the only constant member of Rivermaya since its inception in 1994. Early life E ...
and
Rico Blanco Rico Rene Granados Blanco (born March 17, 1973) is a Filipino singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, actor, endorser and entrepreneur. He began his career as one of the founding members, and served as the chief songwriter, ...
for a "surprise mini semi-reunion", following de Castro's gig at 19 East,
Taguig Taguig (), officially the City of Taguig (), is the List of cities in the Philippines, fifth-most populous city in the Philippines situated on the eastern shores of Metro Manila, the national capital region. It is a center for culture, finance ...
. Months later, Azarcon returned full-time to the band replacing Norby David for the first time since his departure in 2001.


Personal life

Azarcon is a member of the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity. He is married and has two kids.


Equipment

Azarcon has been known to use Fender, Music Man and Modulus bass guitars. He now uses Warwick basses exclusively.


Discography

;Rivermaya * ''
Rivermaya Rivermaya is a Filipino alternative rock band. Formed in 1994, it is one of the several bands that spearheaded the 1990s Philippine alternative rock explosion. Rivermaya is currently composed of original members Mark Escueta and Nathan Azar ...
'' (1994) * '' Trip'' (1996) * ''
Atomic Bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear expl ...
'' (1997) * '' It's Not Easy Being Green'' (1999) * '' Free'' (2000) * '' Sa Kabila ng Lahat'' (2017) ;Bamboo *''As the Music Plays'' (2004) *''Light Peace Love'' (2005) *''We Stand Alone Together'' (2007) *'' Tomorrow Becomes Yesterday'' (2008)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Azarcon, Nathan 1975 births Living people Filipino rock musicians Rivermaya members