Music
Press
The power of the eight voices, however, was already enough to make you sit through their whole performance.
- Stella Estremera, Sunstar Davao
"Panaw," which was staged several times in India, is an hourlong musical packed with soulful voices, rousing but candid lyrics, and dances by Davao's contemporary women's group Mebuyan Peace Project.
- Jeffrey Tupas, Philippine Daily Inquirer
The ensemble of six women uses rousing music employing indigenous vocal and instrumental techniques and Mindanaoan inspired dance to transport the viewers into a truly visceral response. My response was so physical I can still only describe it as an encompassing rush of homesickness for an unknown place.
- Maura Nguyen, Flash Review Dispatch
"The musical presence is so powerful that there are moments when one almost felt as if the whole auditorium is enveloped in musical notes...As the chant of "...deyin de..." rant the auditorium signaling the end the spectators didn't quite leave their seats as if they haven't quite had their fill of the 'spectacle.' - Wahengbam Tiken, Manipur Mail
A purple chorus, a vocal powerhouse ….soulful all-female performance group with their own brand of world music… Rock and roll. Tribal drums. A lilting acapella chorus singing lullabies. Powerful harmonies weaving messages of motherhood, love, the goddess, domestic violence and women's strength. The funky twang of the Mindanao mouth harp mixed in with rock and soul. …They were wonderful. - Christina Newhard
“Music—atonal, multi-rhythmic and idiosyncratic, keeping the ‘tribal’ character of Mindanao—was composed long-distance by Geejay and her Mebuyan group, with nary a music sheet to base the work on except for my flimsy scenario. But by strokes of artistic ingenuity, the music snugly fit into parts of the scenario.” - Steven Patrick Fernandez, Philippine Daily Inquirer
Discography
"Mga Kuwentong Bata" (Children's Stories), 2007.
Baking in the oven: "Mga Kuwentong Mindanaw" (Mindanao Stories), "Mga Kuwentong Babae" (Women Stories), and "Panaw" (Journey). You may listen to more samples of our music at our website.
Photos
Bio
Mebuyan has released one album to date: "Mga Kuwentong Bata" (Children Stories). The album contains songs and music for and about children, with emphasis on children's rights (to play, to go to school, to have a home, etc). It is a response to the call for more vigilance towards the safety and the rights of children, and the United Nations Decade of a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence to Children of the World (2000-2010).
Baking in the oven is a second album entitled "Mga Kuwentong Mindanaw" (Mindanao Stories), in collaboration with various music artists in Davao, Philippines. It features the winning (and finalist) entries to the "Tunog Mindanaw (Mindanao Sound) Annual World Music Competition" in Davao City, Philippines, where members of Mebuyan competed against each other for the plum prize. It also includes the entries to the "2007 Global Cooling: the first Mothers for Peace Singout and Songwriting Competition" where again, Mebuyan members also competed against each other.
Bassist Paolo Sisi's song “Mag-iban Kita,” won first place at the Tunog Mindanaw 2008, vocalist-percussionist Geejay Arriola's "Hohoy" won second place. Maan Chua and Gauss Obenza won the plum at the Global Cooling competition with "Dahon Puno Ugat Lupa" and Gauss Obenza reaped the second place with "Celebrate, Glorify, Spread the Peace."
Sisi’s winning piece was performed by Renee Baker Project 6 at the Annual Chicago Calling Festival as part of Mebuyan’s participation in the festival.
It is difficult to put Mebuyan's music into just one category although the sound of Mindanao indigenous instruments such as the "kulintang," the "agong," and the "kubing," provide vernacular color to what otherwise would be categorized as simply folk, acoustic, pop, rock, or adult contemporary music. Safely, though, they can be grouped with bands under the category World Music.
Mebuyan is an aggregrate of composers-musicians, each with his/her own wealth of musical background. Geejay Arriola, has been writing music for various theater and dance productions in Mindanao, Philippines for 17 years, where indigenous artistic expressions are naturally woven into contemporary performances. Gauss Obenza has been a folk and jazz musician for 20 years. Her major work to date is writing the music and score for Arnel Mardoquio's film "Hospital Boat." Paolo Sisi is a music teacher and has been a session artist for many bands in Manila and Davao for about 15 years. Chico Zambrano has likewise been session percussionist for various bands for about the same number of years as Paolo. And the younger ones--Maan Chua, Maree Contaoi, and Maia Tampoy---have been having regular gigs as solo musicians-singers for the last 7 years or so.
Mebuyan participated in the following productions as composers, arrangers, and/or musicians:
---"Panaw," a dance-musicale written by Malou Tiangco and Geejay Arriola, produced by Mebuyan Peace Project, Inc. Performed at the Asian Theater Festival in India, and at the Asia-Pacific Festival for Women in the Arts in Manila, 2003
---"Salima," a concert-theater production on peace in Mindanao conceived by Geejay Arriola, written by Arnel Mardoquio, produced by EarthMusic Foundation, Inc., 2004
---"Uwahig," a dance-drama written by Steven Patrick Fernandez, produced by MINDULANI, Inc., and performed at the International Theater Institute Festival in Manila, 2006
---"Madonna Brava," an adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's "Mother Courage and Her Children," written by Don Pagusara, produced by Tanghalang Pilipino, 2009.
---"Hospital Boat," a film by Arnel Mardoquio.
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