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Band Details
 
Genre: Pop Rock Jazz
Years Active: 2002 - present
Label: EMI Philippines, Inc.
Website: Bamboo Site
Members: Bamboo Manalac
Nathan Azarcon
Ira Cruz
Vic Mercado
 
 
 
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About Bamboo

Mañalac serves as the band's frontman. Contrary to popular belief, the band is not named after him. In fact, he had some trouble agreeing upon the name of the band for it is named after him. According to Ira Cruz, the guitarist, the word bamboo relates to strength and durability with an island feel to it. Two of its members, Bamboo Mañalac and Nathan Azarcon, were formerly part of Rivermaya. The other two members, Ira Cruz and Vic Mercado, were former instrumentalists of another band, Passage.

Four years after their departure from Rivermaya,
Mañalac and Azarcon caught up again with each other, during which Azarcon introduced him to Ira Cruz and Vic Mercado who were then members of pop ballad band Passage.

Bamboo released their debut album, As The Music Plays, in February 2004 where it received positive response from fans and critics alike. The album also won numerous awards at the AWIT Awards, NU107 Rock Awards, and MTV Pilipinas 2004.

Their second album, Light Peace Love, which was released in 2005, consists of ten songs with differing moods and subjects, and took only 3 months to record. This album has a softer sound with both its lyrics and delivery. For this album, the band added more strings and a variety of other instruments, including a trumpet. The band admitted that this album had a personal feel to it. They experimented with several new styles that may please new listeners, at the risk of disappointing fans of the more conventional rock of their first album.

Their third album, We Stand Alone Together, was released in 2007. It contains revived local songs such as Buklod's "Tatsulok" and international songs such as Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" from different generations. It also includes bonus tracks like unplugged versions of their hit songs from previous albums such as "Mr. Clay", "These Days", and "Hallelujah". Once again, opting to do away with the conventional rock image that was attached to them , they produced sounds which were more jazzy than expected.

Star Records--backed up by ABS-CBN TV Production and MYX--produced and created the official soundtrack for the tele-epiko "Rounin", wherein the title track "Argos" was performed by Bamboo. A new avenue was opened to the band, as "Argos" is said to be the band's first venture to record a song for a primetime television show. It is also the first time for the multi-awarded band and Star Records to work together.

The band is also part of the "Days of Peace" Campaign by UNICEF with Gary Valenciano.