King Kapre
Location: Hawthorne, CA, United States
King Kapre puts the “rock” back in to Pinoy Rock! Hailing from Hawthorne California, this four-man group has been quite the buzz all over the L.A. area Filipino-American music scene; bringing the sound and feel of what some call the “LA105 era”, reminiscent of bands such as Wolfgang, Razoback, and other bands from that time period.
With a number of songs in their original repertoire (all Tagalog), King Kapre decided to hit the studio and had recently started recording a 5-song EP. “We can hardly wait for people to hear these recordings… especially back home!” the boys exclaim after reviewing a finished track in one of their recording sessions. A planned Philippine release perhaps?
Guitarist Carlo Coats and drummer RJ Jimenez often find themselves a bit surprised at how fast things are moving and happening for the band. The two long-time friends, growing somewhat restless over their current situations, decided to resurrect their demised band late summer of 2008. Deng Garcia, who was an avid follower and then turned self-appointed roadie, was then called in to perform bass duties. Mark Miranda, a former co-worker of Carlo’s who frequently filled a seat during their Poker nights and lead the drunken singing at house parties, was invited to front the band. Jam sessions were done weekly and a rough demo came out of RJ’s kitchen around January 2009 bearing the name King Kapre. The demo then goes into circulation as the band plays gigs in the local scene venues.
The band has played several shows since early this year; most notable are this year’s Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture in San Pedro California and United We Stand Benefit Show for Victims of Typhoon Ondoy. Future gigs are definitely on the band’s agenda. Especially with the completion of their EP (SIRKEL), King Kapre is primed for even more exposure and new audiences.
Manila Bulletin - 12/12/2009
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/233715/king-kapre-enlivens-pinoy-rock
King Kapre is:
Mark Miranda - Vocals
Carlo Coats - Guitars
John Garcia - Bass
RJ Jimenez - Drums
About Pilipino Artist Network
The Pilipino Artists Network (PAN) is a California-statewide, capacity-building program for established and emerging Filipino American artists in nine different disciplines: Traditional Folk Arts, Dance, Theatre, Music, Visual Arts, Media Arts, Literary Arts, Arts Education, and Presenters. It is designed to promote the growth of multiple disciplines by developing mutually supportive relationships that provide greater access to resources and markets not otherwise available through individual efforts.