General Luna gives rock 'n roll a new twist

MANILA, Philippines - General Luna is the newest all-female, all-Filipino rock band, a group of seriously gifted and drifted individuals who have both the looks and skills that kill.

During the infant days of General Luna, NU107 served as home to its music. With pure talent and a fresh take on rock music up each member’s sleeve, plus the pretty good response the band was getting from the listeners, NU107 made General Luna its first-ever Rock Recruits for the month of April.

General Luna is composed of Alex Montemayor on bass; Audry Dionisio, rhythm guitar; Bea Lao, drums; Caren Mangaran, lead guitar; and Nicole Asensio, lead vocals. Just as they were starting out, Warner Music was scouting for a group who can really rock out and at the same time, give a new face to the usual façade of rock ’n roll. But why the name General Luna?

General Luna’s single Red Heaven is a combination of loud guitar riffs and catchy melodic verses, which tells about the stomach churning experience of a nightmare. With the single’s steady climb to No. 1 on NU107’s chart Stairway to Seven, the band and listeners alike proved that their music truly deserves a spot in the local music scene along with other serious rock acts in the country.

Serious work was exhausted to put together General Luna’s self-titled debut album crafted together with topnotch artists and songwriters. Among them are Typecast frontman Steve Badiola for Red Heaven; Mayonnaise vocalist and guitarist Monty Macalino for Nandito, a song which talks about parent-child relationships and the struggles they share with each other. Ebe Dancel of Sugarfree wrote the song Maria, a personal favorite of bassist Alex Montemayor.

General Luna’s self-titled debut album is available at all record stores nationwide. The band’s caller ring tunes can now be on your phone by texting GL to 5677.