jeremyvangoghThe 7,107 islands of the Pearl of the Orient Seas boast of cultures, language, sounds, and sights that are as lively as its people
Gigs and Milestones
Philippines
I’ve been a musician pretty much my whole life, but only in 2018 did I really take the plunge and fully commit to music as the drummer for The Vowels They Orbit. Although it’s been a short (but still on going!) musical journey, here are some of my all time favorite places to rock out in and crazy milestones in my drumming career.
Updated 2 years ago
2We didn’t have much to our name yet as The Vowels They Orbit, but a big turning point was when we performed at the legendary bar 70s Bistro. We were the opening act one night, and after our performance a bar regular came up to us and said he loved our sound. He went on and said that every band that performed here had a bright future ahead of them. A year or so later, we would be launching our first single “Selos” (Jealous) at the very same bar.
- +6324338070
46 Anonas, Quirino 2-3, Quezon City, 1102 Metro Manila, Philippines
As a band, we were big fans of the other bands that performed at Route 196, so it was quite surreal going from watching from the booths to performing up on the stage. Route 196's smaller stage made sounds much more detailed and an echo chamber of good tunes, so it was a very intimate experience to perform here.
- +6326370472
196-A Katipunan Avenue Extension, Blue Ridge A, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
- https://www.facebook.com/Route196Rocks
2Back in 2018, way before we were signed to Sony, we were the front act for huge names like Moonstar88, Typecast, Stellar, and so many more insane bands, so it was humbling to perform on the same stage as them at 12 Monkeys since no one’s heard of us at this point. Later that night, we had a brief encounter with the vocalist of Stellar in the restroom and he was like “S--t, man you guys are f--king good!” and they gave us a shout out during their set!
- +63 917 570 3222
Ruby Road, El Pueblo, Ortigas, Pasig City, Metro Manila
- https://www.facebook.com/12MonkeysPH
For 2019 Valentine’s Day, we got to perform our own original songs at Valenzuela City People’s Park. Love or something else had to be in the air because when my singing part came up in our song “Kiliti” (Tickle), my face was all over the giant display and girls were freaking out! It was the first time I felt like a rockstar.
- +63 2 8294 4216
MacArthur Highway, Valenzuela, Metro Manila, Philippines
19 East is a bar that hits really close to home because it’s literally close to my home! But also, this was our first performance in a high-end bar and we got to perform with legends like Imago for a fun Halloween set.
- +6328376903
Kilometer 19, East Service Road, Sucat, Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila, Philippines
- https://www.19east.com/
In late 2018, I was scrolling through my facebook feed and I saw an article of international band Against the Current holding a concert in SM Sky Dome and I noticed at the bottom of the billing, The Vowels They Orbit would be opening for them. We thought for sure this was photoshopped or fake news because it was barely a month since we had a manager, so we called him and had to confirm that this was real and this was happening.
North Ave, Bago Bantay, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Rakrakan Festival at Circuit Makati was a killer experience since we weren’t just performers, but we also got to be spectators. The atmosphere was electrifying and multiple performances were going on at once all over the place. You could just walk over and watch all the other bands and make new friends in the music biz.
Circuit Makati, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
Performing at UST Welcome Party was an incredibly fun, but also an incredibly tiring experience since I sat in as a drummer for my friends’ band Where’s Ramona and then The Vowels They Orbit went right after. It was very humbling to perform for a mix of old friends and a new batch of Thomasians at our alma mater.
- +63 945 722 8999
University of Santo Tomas Central Seminary Building, Plaza Mayor, España Blvd, Sampaloc, Manila, 1008 Metro Manila, Philippines
On our first campus tour, we got to perform at Rizal Technological University alongside the easily much more recognizable December Avenue, but somehow I had my first experience of having actual fans. People were actually coming up to me and asking for pictures!
- +63 2 8534 8267
704 Boni Ave Cor Sacrepante, Mandaluyong, 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines
The UP Fair just last February 2020 was so crazy because when we performed, the crowd actually knew all the words to our song! We got to have a moment of connection with the crowd, so we lowered our volumes and we just vibed with the crowd. Backstage all of these other bands would immediately recognize us, so this performance really cemented that we had a loyal and loving fanbase.
- +63 912 685 7733
Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
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