Having been friends in the local music scene, the members of Chicosci, Typecast, and April Morning Skies have always discussed the prospect of forming a new band together. Calderon, Macatiag, Corvera and Aranza who have, at one point, jammed together and entertained the idea of working on a new project with each other. Savard was the missing piece the boys were looking for.
Despite only being together for a couple of years, the band has already achieved modest success in both the local and international music scene. Save Me Hollywood has been featured in several publications such as Pulp, Chalk and Meg Magazine. Apart from the usual gigs in Manila’s rock dives and schools, Save Me Hollywood has already performed for various events and concerts by ABS-CBN, MYX and Channel V and several international clothing companies such as Vans and Dr. Martens. Most notably, the band was part of Bazooka Rocks festival last August 2013. They performed alongside popular American acts like All Time Low, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Anberlin. In June 2013, Save Me Hollywood was given the chance to share the stage with Southeast Asia’s biggest artists as part of the Baybeats festival in Singapore.
Behind The Curtain
Bassist Calde Calderon is among the founding members of local rock group, Chicosci. Formed back in 2000 as an after-school get-together, the band has enjoyed continued success in the music scene – releasing 6 studio albums, garnering several music awards and ceaselessly touring the Philippines and the Southeast Asia. His successes with Chicosci include 2 NU 107 Rock Awards Bassist of the Year nominations, several MYX Music Awards for Best Video and Best Rock Videos as well as NU Rock Awards for Song of the Year and Listener’s Choice. Perhaps his biggest accolade is winning the Favorite Artist – Philippines award with Chicosci in the 2008 MTV Asia Awards in Malaysia. Calde was also part of another supergroup, Project One, which spawned the hit single and Coke anthem “Ang Sarap Dito”.
Drummer Melvin Macatiag is another seasoned veteran in the local rock scene. As part of the Laguna-bred Typecast, he is among the country’s premiere drummers with 3 NU Rock Awards Drummer of the Year Nominations. As MySpace’s Top Artist in Southeast Asia, Typecast has toured countries like Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. After releasing their second studio album, Every Moss and Cobweb in 2007, the band broke into the local mainstream with the single, “Will You Ever Learn”. Winning Best Song of the Year at the 2007 NU Rock Awards, their success eventually led to the opportunity to open for American bands such as Thursday, Good Charlotte, Saosin, Anberlin, All Time Low, Dashboard Confessional, The Used, Cobra Starship and Taking Back Sunday. Fresh from their 2012 US Tour, the band is still touring and promoting their latest release, “How Your Influence Betrays You”.
Guitarist (and chief songwriter) Aaron Corvera and Kenneth Aranza are part of underground heavyweights, April Morning Skies. Among the country’s top up-and-coming rock bands, AMS is a product of metal, punk, melodic-post hardcore music. Their debut release, “In Darker Days Ahead”, has impressed critics and earned them Best New Artist nomination in the 2009 MYX Music Awards. AMS has consistently wowed crowds all over the country, as well as those from Singapore and Malaysia. Recently making a comeback after a year-long hiatus, the band has begun touring again and has also returned to their roots as pioneers of the revered Moshpit Sundays production.
Singer (and lyricist) Julz Savard is the youngest, not just of actual age, but of experience in the music industry. Working as a model at a very young age, she has only the heart of a musician and is dead-set on making a mark in the local music industry. Previously trying out her luck with local bands in her hometown of Mabalacat, Pampanga, Julz has always wanted to sing and perform. When she won the 2010 MYX VJ Search, Savard met Calderon during his work at the music channel. That’s when Save Me Hollywood found its final piece: the doe-eyed 21-year-old with a powerful voice and a commanding stage presence. She still continues with her modeling career, having been named the MEG Magazine Style Ambassador in 2012. She briefly had a stint on a radio as DJ at JAM 88.3 and host of the daily morning show, “The Morning Breath”.
The band released their debut record, Your Story To Tell, under 12 Stone Records in June 2013 at Eastwood Central Plaza. The latest single, “High”, broken into the Top 10 of both radio and music channel charts, peaking at number 7 of the MYX Countdown. The earlier single, “Reckless”, also reached the music channel’s Top 20 countdown. The band is currently on tour, promoting their latest single, “Changes”. Check them out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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