Tuesday night last week found me at the performance area of Tiendesitas to check out a series of shows to celebrate Philippine Independence month. Playing that evening were The Oktaves and Rivermaya. I had seen Ely Buendia’s new band play during the launch of guitar icon RJ Jacinto’s album a few months ago, and from what I remember they sounded great. This was a chance to check them out again and see if my initial impressions were correct.
The Oktaves are composed of three generations of rock stars—Hilera’s Chris and Bobby Padilla and Ivan Garcia); The Jerks’ Nitoy Adriano; and the Eraserhead’s Ely Buendia