Nu Thought It Was Just Another Rock Awards…

Un." It’s a two-letter prefix about as monolithic as the smooth black slabs in 2001: A Space Odyssey. "Un" stands in opposition. It defines itself by saying what it isn’t, just as NU-107’s companion station, UNTV, claims to be "unlike" all the others.

So maybe this helps us to describe conditions at Le Pavillon, the setting for last Thursday night’s NU-107 Rock Awards. The weather outside was undry. The drinks inside were unfree. The smoke-filled hall was not uncrowded. And the show itself was not unspectacular, given that this was the first year UNTV has been around to boost recognition of local bands and music even further.

Outside the Pavillon entrance, a sort of red-carpet treatment awaited the arrival of rock nominees, presenters and scene-makers. There were plenty of the usual suspects – Cynthia Alexander, Basti Artadi, Raymund Marasigan. There were new faces, too: Jazz Nicolas (who took a break from Itchyworms to drum for the Eraserheads) and Slapshock’s vocalist Jamir Garcia. And then there was the Babe Brigade: presenters Giselle Toengi, Joey Mead, Vina Morales, Stella Ruiz and others. Fashion-wise, the Blaxploitation Look was definitely in: big afro wigs that would do Pam Grier proud, along with big feather-lined jackets, concealing very little in the way of underwear in many cases.

The rest is rock and roll as usual, right? Wolfgang started things off with a bash, quickly followed by the award for Best New Artist, which was snapped up by Itchyworms this year. Drummer/songwriter Jazz Nicolas appropriately draped himself all over presenter Joey Mead, much to the crowd’s manic approval. There was a definite feel of balance to this year’s rock awards. Performers ranged from Barbie’s Cradle and new band Imago to head-bangers such as Battery, Slapshock and Badburn. Veteran band the Eraserheads did their best to sound new and exciting, adding some jazzy Miles Davis keyboards to "Palamig." A splendid time was guaranteed for all.

Things were maybe a little too contrived and controlled this year, with expert production work preventing enough edgy banter and rock attitude to poke its way through. Things only heated up when Stella Ruiz and Lana Azanin started disrobing during their presentation – down to see-through black camisole and bra, respectively. And hey, it ain’t really a rock awards show until someone yells, "Burn this motherf**ker down!" (as Badburn did during their number).

So what was so unusual this year?

Start with the seamless tie-ins to UNTV, like the on-camera interviewing duo Tado and Erning from Strangebrew who made the rounds, introducing segments and punctuating their spiel with nervous laughter straight out of Beavis and Butthead. (Actually, all the characters on UNTV sound a little like Beavis and Butthead: every other sentence is capped with a self-mocking "Huh-huh-huh…") UNTV, if you haven’t caught it, features about six different programs focusing on various aspects of Filipino music and youth lifestyle. There’s the aforementioned Strangebrew, a whacked-out tour of high and low culture; Out Of Time, featuring Arlo, a hippie dude who looks at the roots of rock and roll, both local and international; there’s Rock Rulez, with an animated Elvis Presley introducing the latest hard rock, while still pointing out that he is The King. Most importantly, there’s In The Raw and Eat My Shorts, two programs that focus on new, unsigned bands and undiscovered filmmakers, respectively.

This is important, I submit, because more and more of our cultural space is going to be defined by the visual and the sonic in coming years. (It already is, actually. Not enough people sit down and read books, which is really sucky news for writers such as myself.) Instead, the cycle of things will be determined by multimedia packaging: music, soundtrack, video, website, merchandise. The other end of this snake’s tail is advertising, which, as it slowly comes to realize the usefulness of marketing tools such as UNTV and MYX (another local music channel that is equally alternative and open-minded), will attach itself with a toothy serpent’s bite.

This year’s "2001: A Rock Odyssey" marks a turning point, of sorts. Since UNTV began airing earlier this year, local musicians and fans have had a real bonanza, publicity-wise. Along with MYX, UNTV provides more alternative videos and exposure for local acts than ever before. That elusive Holy Grail – international status for a local band – seems well within grasp. NU-107 station manager Atom Henares’ rock and roll baby is still too new to radically change the music business here, but the buzz is building. It probably won’t be long before advertisers recognize the potential youth market involved.

Back at the Pavillon entrance, Atom was there on the red carpet, mingling with friends, getting his picture snapped. I told him I expected him to be inside, up in some flying control booth like Captain Kirk. "That’s no fun," he said. "It’s more fun out here, but the trouble is I never get to actually see the show and watch the bands."

I asked him about the advantage of having a radio and TV station, on top of the phenomenon that the NU-107 Rock Awards (now in its 8th year) has become. "Well, the economy’s having such a difficult time now. Raw materials are running out, the infrastructure’s kind of crappy," he said. "But individually, Filipinos are so f**king talented, and they particularly excel in the arts. So what we’d like to do is provide all these artists a showcase for their arts. An incubator, if you will."

I pointed out that UNTV allows unprecedented exposure for both musicians and filmmakers. Where is this all heading in terms of Filipino art? "It’s not only Filipino art," Atom clarified. "It’s worldwide. And with the coming up of the web, I think this would be a great way for Filipinos to launch themselves internationally. Frankly, we’d like to put up an international platform as well."

There’s that desire to "break" internationally again. Atom, as savvy as Dick Clark in terms of fostering musical diver