Life without the stereotypical rock star posturing. The nightly routine of facing thousands of screaming fans. The international attention and critical acclaim. The expectations and all that excess baggage has a returning Rico Blanco producing his most personal and most potent release. Strangely, his latest surge of musical genius has come at a time when he doesn't actually give a proverbial flying fuck... Making his rebirth of sorts and his latest disc Your Universe extraordinarily astounding.

Now Rico unveils the story behind his first solo effort in this PULP exclusive and proves that more often than not; moving forward is straying from the comfort zone.

After the overwhelming success of Noontime Show, this mad foursome do the unthinkable and shift record labels yet again for their new record. And contrary to what you might think, their new songs aren't necessarily about you.

Since joining this magazine more than three years ago, i probably written about Itchyworms more consistently than any other local acts. I've written full feature articles for each of their two last records (including this one, which shall tackle the just-released Self-Titled), as well as possitive (if not glowing) reviews for both. I've also covered a number of their events, including album and video launches; heck, I even ghost-wrote a PR piece for the launching gig of their video for "Akin Ka Na Lang," I suppose this all stems from my familiarity with the band, that i've known them personally for at least twelve years now (lead guitarist Chino Singson being the longest - nearing the two-decade mark - as we first met in sixth grade). Thus, writing about them never seems like much of a chore.

That the members of April Morning Skies - Vocalist Andrew Espiritu, guitarist Aaron Corvera & Kenneth Aranza, bassist Bernard Olasco, drummer Macoy Estacio, and keyboardist Tim Gonzales - would choose an electric range of musicians as a lineup for their dream band is entirely unsurprising. Their picks range from Silverchair front man Daniel Johns to John Mayer to Rise Against bassist Joe Principe. "Ang labo," they chuckle collectively, after putting the names together.

And I suppose anybody would say the same thing, if simply given the mix of genres that have influenced these guys individually. From funk to alternative to post-hardcore to metal - the list seems mere lip service, without the benefit of actually hearing them play.

Hi Everyone (Friends, Family, Loved Ones)

I'm proud to announce that Intolerant is getting ready to release it's debut full-length Reasons For Unrest soon. We worked really hard on the album and actually think we didn't do too bad with it, especially when it came to cranking the distortion and writing songs that are angry as fuck.

Please do spread the word about it, flyer is available below!

-Joey Dizon