Sponge Cola – How They Came To Be?

Spong Cola is undeniably one of the most popular bands in the  Philippine Music Industry. Their songs are on MYX, MTV and several music television channels. Their songs are also among of the most played on radio. But did you know how Sponge Cola came to be?

Here’s their story that you might want to read:

Between 1998 to 2002, Ysmael “Yael” Yuzon and Reynaldo “Gosh” Dilay, both from Ateneo de Manila University – High School, met through the school’s theater guild, Teatro Baguntao. Yael Yuzon was then the frontman of a hard rock/metal band called White Chapel. Nevertheless, he decided to form a band with Gosh and two other members of the theater guild. They named the group Sponge after R.S. Surtee’s Mr. Sponge Sporting Tour.

The band won in several high school competitions boosting their popularity not just in their school but in other campuses, as well. Some members of the old lineup left and were replaced by Christopher “Chris” Cantada and Erwin “Armo” Armovit. The latter is the guitarist of another band Rampqueen, which was managed also by Sponge’s manager Raymond Fabul. Later however, they learned about a Detroit grunge band already using the name Sponge. “But we wanted to keep the word Sponge in our band name because people have already associated us with that name,” according to Yael. “So we decided to add ‘Cola’, since it’s an easy enough word to remember.” Sponge Cola was officially formed in summer of 2002.

source: wikipedia.com

Eraserheads (1989)

Eraserheads, or E-Heads was a prominent Filipino rock band of the 1990s, formed by Ely Buendia, Raimund Marasigan, Buddy Zabala and Marcus Adoro. The band is one of the most successful, critically-acclaimed, and significant bands in the history of Original Pilipino Music,earning them the accolade, “The Beatles of the Philippines.” Eraserheads are also credited for spearheading a second wave of Manila band invasions, paving the way for a host of influential Philippine alternative rock bands 4.

The band released several singles, albums, and EPs that reached number one. This commercial success was most evident in the release of their third album Cutterpillow, which achieved platinum status several times. Eraserheads are one of the best-selling musical acts of all time in the Philippines, paving way for an international career that earned them the “Moon Man” in the MTV Video Music Awards. (more…)