| The Itchyworms | |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Origin: | Manila, Philippines |
| Years Active: | 1996–present |
| Website: | Official Merch Shop |
| Current Members: |
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| Past Members: |
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The Itchyworms is a Filipino rock band. The band is composed of Jugs Jugueta on Vocals and Guitar, Jazz Nicolas on Vocals and Drums, Kelvin Yu on Bass and Vocals, Chino Singson on Lead Guitar, Weckl Mercado on Guitar and Vocals and Michael Vargas on Vocals, Keyboards, Violin, Acoustic Guitar, and Percussion. The group made their name in the OPM (Original Pilipino Music) scene in 2006 with their second album, Noontime Show, with songs such as "Akin Ka Na Lang" and "Beer".
Formed in 1996, the band consisted of Jazz Nicolas, Jugs Jugueta, Kelvin Yu (then on lead guitar) and Hadrian "Haji" Cruz (then on bass). The band performed at various school-based events and competitions with a handful of original songs and Beatles covers. Unfortunately, communication and scheduling issues forced Cruz to leave the group. This predicament forced Yu to take up the bass guitar vacancy, effectively making the band a trio.
The group continued as a trio until the middle of 1997, when a common friend in the Ateneo Musicians' Pool recruited Chino Singson to play guitar with the group at a school event. Singson eventually went on to become a permanent member, which solidified the group's current lineup.[1]
In 1998, the band put together Revenge of the Unsigned as their first official CD. They did this with the help of their manager, Earnest Mangulabnan-Zabala, as well as the Eraserheads, Ely Buendia, Buddy Zabala and Romel "Sancho" Sanchez (Loquy, Cynthia Alexander). The band intended for Revenge to be their independently released debut album in the event that no major record label would sign them.
As luck would have it, then-A&R manager at Viva/Neo Records Mike Dizon (Teeth, Sandwich) got hold of Revenge. He helped push for Viva executives to sign the band and eventually release Little Monsters Under Your Bed.
Little Monsters, the band's first major-label album, was released in 2001 and contained songs from Revenge and new compositions by Nicolas and Jugueta. The song "Antipara" was probably the most well-known song on the album. The release of the album was deemed somewhat ill-timed, as its glossy pop-rock sound was an aberration in the Korn-influenced OPM Rock landscape of the late 1990s to early 2000s.
On October 11, 2005, the Itchyworms released Noontime Show, which gave them modest national success and industry recognition. Buddy Zabala and Raimund Marasigan, by this time both former Eraserheads, co-produced the album with the group.
Most notably, the album went on to become Album of the Year at the 2006 NU Rock Awards, with Nicolas winning Drummer of the Year and the group winning Producer of the Year jointly with Marasigan and Zabala.
The song "Akin Ka Na Lang" has been used by KFC and Close-Up in separate television advertisements. In 2008, Pringles used "Salapi" for a nationwide campaign/songwriting contest. In addition, Enervon, Close-Up and San Miguel Beer commissioned the band to write original songs for their advertising campaigns.
The band also wrote and performed "Kabataang Pinoy", the theme song for the first season of ABS-CBN's . This is arguably the band's most widely publicized song because of the series' popularity and media exposure. They also performed the station ID "Para Sa 'yo Kapatid" of TV5.
In early 2016, songwriter Davey Langit asked the band to interpret "Dalawang Letra", his entry to the Himig Handog P-Pop Love Songs competition. The song won the top prize at the finals night in April 2016. In July 2016, the band's drummer/vocalist Jazz Nicolas, with songwriting partner Wally Acolola, won the PhilPop grand prize with their composition "Di Na Muli", also performed by the Itchyworms.
In August of the same year, the band released "Pariwara", a song written in collaboration with Ely Buendia. According to Buendia, the song had been in his chest of unfinished ideas since the days of the Eraserheads. The song remained unused until early 2016, when vocalist Jugs Jugueta asked about any partial songs Buendia may have had lying around. Buendia gave the Itchyworms "Pariwara", and Jugueta and Nicolas delivered more lyrics and a new bridge. Buendia and the Itchyworms then got together at his home studio, known as the Bunker, to hash out a final arrangement.
In late August 2022, longtime-lead guitarist Chino Singson announced his move to Canada with his family.[2] In a statement on Instagram, he said that he would remain a member of the band and possibly join in on gigs outside of the Philippines. Guitarists Mikey Amistoso of the band Ciudad and Weckl Mercado became part of the Itchyworms lineup in Singson's stead. In December 2022, a March–April 2023 U.S. tour was announced with Singson joining for the first time since Singson's departure concert in September 2022.[3]
The band announced a tour in Canada entitled "Akin Ka Na Lang Canada," in which they reunited with former lead guitarist Chino Singson.[4] [5] The tour also served as a farewell for member Mikey Amistoso, in which the band concurrently announced his relocation to the Toronto area. Amistoso's last concerts with the band in the Philippines were on October 8 and 18,[6] while he finally closed out his tenure in Canada on November 10 in Toronto. According to his LinkedIn page, he is no longer an active musician for the Itchyworms.[7]
In the following year, Michael Vargas replaced Amistoso as the new keyboardist.[8] [9]
The different members of the group are all influenced from different styles and eras of music, be it Jazz Nicholas' taste for more avant-garde soundscapes, Kelvin Yu's appreciation of R'n'B, hip-hop and even Elvis Presley, Chino Singson's preference for guitar-centred rock, or even Jugs Jugueta being into a more 60s sound, more specifically Paul McCartney's solo career during that time.[10]
Although the individual members of the band draw on distinct influences, their common affection for The Beatles, Eraserheads and 60s pop sensitivities as a whole heavily defines the quartet's musical sound.
To date the Itchyworms have released five full-length studio albums and one EP. They have also contributed songs to numerous compilations, most notably including the Kami nAPO Muna and Kami nAPO Muna Ulit tribute albums. In 2014 they launched their fourth full-length studio album, After All This Time. This new deluxe edition of the album contains six bonus tracks aside from the ten main tracks. These include the current single "Ayokong Tumanda", the title track "After All This Time", and a remake of the classic Juan de la Cruz song "Panahon".
Current members
Former members
Itchyworms lead singer Jugs Jugueta is also a TV noontime host and comedian on It's Showtime on ABS-CBN 2. He has also guested in various TV shows on Channel 2 including Matanglawin, Panahon Ko To, I Can See Your Voice, "ASAP Natin To", Minute To Win It Last Man Standing and has been seen on Kapamilya Deal Or No Deal. Jugueta has also guested in Maynila on GMA Channel 7 where The Itchyworms also performed. Jugueta, together with his longtime best friend Rocksteddy frontman Teddy Corpuz, was also an actor in a Holy Week Lenten drama special on It's Showtime that was held every Holy Week of every year from 2013 to 2016.. In 2019, Jugueta and Corpuz hosted a Lenten documentary special of It's Showtime instead of their traditional Lenten drama special.
Jazz Nicolas also guested on MYX Olympics, a popular quiz show on MYX Channel in 2016.
| Year | Award giving body | Category | Nominated work | Results | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | NU Rock Awards | Best New Artist | [11] | ||
| 2006 | NU Rock Awards | Drummer of the Year | Jazz Nicolas | ||
| Rising Sun Award | |||||
| Album of the Year | Noontime Show | ||||
| Producer of the Year | |||||
| Bassist of the Year | Kelvin Yu | [12] | |||
| Song of the Year | "Beer" | ||||
| Artist/ Band of the Year | |||||
| Best Album Packaging | Apple Sta. Maria for Noontime Show | ||||
| 2007 | NU Rock Awards | Best Music Video | "Loveteam" | [13] | |
| 2008 | NU Rock Awards | Guitarist of the Year | Chino Singson | [14] | |
| Drummer of the Year | Jazz Nicolas | ||||
| Best Live Act | |||||
| 2009 | NU Rock Awards | Song of the Year | "Gusto Ko Lamang Sa Buhay" | ||
| 2010 | NU Rock Awards | Song of the Year | "Suplado Ka Pala sa Personal" |
