Red Horse Muziklaban Semi-Finals in Cagayan De Oro

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If football has the superbowl and the LGBTQ+ have the Miss Universe Pageant, what do Filipino rock bands have? I guess it would have to be the Red Horse Muziklaban!

And for the past five years, we haven’t had one until 2024. I guess the pandemic really hit us hard. The last one that I attended was the one with MOAWH and Cross T26 in 2019. We didn’t get the grand prize for either category but it’s ok.

Life goes on.

That wasn’t my first Muziklaban. I’ve been to several as a fan, a band supporter or a competitor. And every time I went to one was a load of whether it was for eliminations, semi-finals or grand championship.

I bet the semi-finals will be just as fun!

What is the Red Horse Muziklaban?

For those who don’t know what the Red Horse Muziklaban is, it’s an annual rock band competition sponsored by San Miguel Brewery to support its Red Horse Beer brand.

Not that it doesn’t need promotion.

Everyone loves that beer.

Everyone loves Red Horse Beer!

It is a competition for unsigned bands with the grand champion getting a record contract and Php 1,000, 000 as a cash prize.

It’s held all over the Philippines and is divided into 3 competitions for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao representatives. First there’s the eliminations, and then the semis, and finally the grand championship.

In 2018, more chances were given to bands when the competition was divided into two categories which is the Lakas and Aklas category.

The Aklas Category features lighter rock genres and also includes pop, reggae, and other musical styles.

The Lakas Category features the heavier end of the spectrum with heavy metal being the center focal point.

The Red Horse Muziklaban competition has been an ongoing competition since 1999 and only stopped because of the pandemic. It came back this year an it seems like it hasn’t lost its steam despite the 5 year hiatus.

How Does it Work?

There are a lot of rules in the Muziklaban competition. Sometimes it changes from year to year. Here’s the most recent.

Recruitment and Screening

This starts during May to July were interested bands can submit their intent to join. Red Horse then chooses 1000 bands to continue in the competition. That number is evenly split between the Aklas and Lakas category.

Eliminations

Successful applicants who pass the screening then go through the eliminations where 24 bands (again, evenly split between Lakas and Aklas categories) are picked. These bands will represent the regions they came from mainly GMA, Central Luzon, South Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Semi-Finals

The 12 bands for each category will then compete in their respective regions. Out of the 12 bands, 5 from Lakas and 5 from Aklas categories will progress to the Grand Championship.

Grand Championship

The grand championship will result in one winner for the Aklas category and one winner for the Lakas category. That means every year we’ll have two champions until Red Horse decides to change it up again.

Criteria for Judging

Style and Creativity (35%)
Originality (25%)
Diction and Delivery (20%)
Showmanship (20%)

There used to be a younger age limit but from what I read, the age limit has been set at 45.

A Little of My Red Horse Muziklaban Personal Experience

If I’m not mistaken, it was the 1999-2000 Muziklaban competition that my friends and I entered in but in the interest of winning, they chose a different vocalist to front the band. I became the songwriter instead.

Ooohhhh that was a painful gut shot to my pride which made me practice a lot to become a better singer. I’m still not at Premier’s (our charismatic front man) level though.

We didn’t win though. Yeah, I still say we because I was still fully invested in my band’s success then.

Fast-forward to 2005-2006 and I entered again. And didn’t win again.

So, I resolved to playing support because not everyone can be the quarterback. And here I am writing my support for the bands Project Satellite and QUORA.

23 Red Horse Muziklaban Winners with 2 More Coming

To date, there have been 23 winners. 23 bands that have gone on to succeed in the music business. Granted there are a few who’ve succeeded more than the others like Mayonnaise and Lilith but everyone is still a winner in their own right.

This just goes to prove that the Red Horse Muziklaban delivers on their promise to promote the music scene and help unsigned bands succeed.

Here are the winners:

2000 – Tears and Afterglow
2000 – Jack in the Box (Mindanao Champion)
2001 – Zoom Zoom Lunacy
2002 – 18^th Issue
2003 – Fuseboxx
2004 – Mayonnaise
2005 – Sunflower Day Camp
2006 – Hardboiled Eggz (now known as Ibarra)
2007 – Gayuma
2008 – Even
2009 – Hatankaru
2010 – Light of Luna
2011 – David Vs Goliath – from Davao
2012 – A Music Theory
2013 – Manila Under Fire
2014 – Nobela – from CDO
2015 – Insekto Pares
2016 – Shotgun Combo
2017 – Woopis
2018 – Lilith (Lakas Category) – from CDO
2018 – Happy Three Friends (Aklas Category)
2019 – We The Dying (Lakas Category)
2019 – Pikaso and the Riots (Aklas Category)

Of the 23, I could only find 22. I guess I’m not that good of a researcher because I can’t seem to track down where the band Tears and Afterglow are. I don’t even know who the members are. Maybe knowing one or two members will lead to better search results.

For now, these are the bands who’ve won the Red Horse Muziklaban competition.

Our Red Horse Muziklaban Semi-Finalists from Davao: Project Satellite and QUORA

The bands Project Satellite and QUORA are set to leave for CDO to compete in the Red Horse Muziklaban Semi-finals on October 26, 2024. Just a few more days to go.