High Times with Hemp Republic

Hemp Republic SHIRTS NOW ON SALE!

2011-06-08T11:56:00.003+08:00

Shirts sizes are XS, Small, Medium and XL only.

Get the CD and Shirt Package for only P550++!!!

Limited Stocks only, available while supplies last!!!

Hemp Republic 2011 GIGS this June!!!

2011-05-25T11:32:00.004+08:00

Better catch them on these dates coz you won't be able to see them in quite a long time after this!

Slight change in schedule though, the Boni High Street gig for PUMA has been moved to JUNE 11, SATURDAY at 6PM! See you there!

ELBI Nights!

2008-10-28T11:50:00.002+08:00

The OFFICIAL Music Video for the song ELBI Nights...

Live performance videos shot at ELBI Nights: Back To The Roots Vol. 1 held in Gweilo's Makati (C.Palanca St.) on September 19, 2008. This was, unfortunately, the last performance of Hemp Republic...

Performance videos shot by Vina Hatol and Nico Bantatua. Behind the scenes video from the Fireflies shoot by Caio Cadiz. Photos from the Hemp Republic archives.

ENJOY!

2008-10-12T23:15:00.003+08:00

Sorry, Hemp Republic will not be performing anytime soon... we are on temporary "hiatus"... since Bunny is currently in France, and Eggy is in Canada pursuing their professions.

Watch out though, a new CD is due out SOON!!!

The band recently got together at Tower of Doom Studios to record a few songs before they "parted ways"... an unannounced "last gig" was done last September 19, 2008 at Gweilo's Makati, all for a packed crowd of UPLB denizens and what not... watch out for the video of this "last performance" soon!

2007-10-27T15:18:00.002+08:00

Contact Hemp Republic for bookings thru the
HEMP HOTLINE!
*Sorry, OUT of COVERAGE AREA!*

2007-05-06T12:32:00.000+08:00

View their videos on YOUTUBE

Request for the THIRD music video for "HEY BODY ROCK" on MYX, QTV's MMS and MTV!!!

The album is STILL OUT in the market!!! Check out these outlets for a copy:

Astroplus Dasmari๑as Odyssey Metropolis

Astroplus Megamall Odyssey North Edsa Annex
Astroplus Podium Odyssey Quad
Astroplus SM Makati Odyssey Rob. Dept. Store-Ermita
Astroplus SM Molino Odyssey SM Bicutan
Astroquest Promenade Odyssey SM Manila
Astrovision Ermita Odyssey SM San Lazaro
Astrovision Glorietta Odyssey Southmall
Astrovision Metroeast Odyssey Sta. Lucia Dept. Store
Astrovision Virra Mall Odyssey Sta. Lucia Grandmall
Ever Commonealth Department Store Odyssey Sta. Mesa
Ever Grand Central Caloocan Odyssey Sucat
Landmark Odyssey Tutuban
Micky's Coastal Odyssey XL Bacoor
Music One Greenbelt Odyssey XL North Edsa
Musicplus Galleria SM Bacoor
Musikland Alimall SM Bicutan Dept.
Musikland Farmers SM Cubao
New Radio City Ermita SM Dasmari๑as
New Radio City Manila SM Fairview
New Radio City Megamall SM Harrison Plaza
New Radio City North Edsa SM Hypermart Bicutan
New Radio City Southmall SM Makati
O Music Video Greenbelt SM Manila
O Music Video Rockwell SM Megamall
Odyssey Dasmari๑as SM North Edsa
Odyssey Ermita Mall SM San Lazaro
Odyssey Ever Ortigas SM Southmall
Odyssey Fairview SM Sta. Mesa
Odyssey Festival Mall SM Sucat Dept. Store
Odyssey Gateway Tower Records Alabang
Odyssey Guadalupe Tower Records Glorietta
Odyssey Harrison Plaza Tower Records Megamall
Odyssey Imus Tower Records North Edsa
Odyssey Megamall Tower Records Quezon Ave.
Odyssey Metroeast Tower Records Shangrila

Join the mailing list! subscribe@yahoogroups.com/hemp_republic

2007-02-11T15:58:00.000+08:00

View Hemp Republic pictures HERE. (CLICK ME)
VIEW VIDEOS HERE!!!

CULTURED HEMP

2006-05-23T14:09:00.000+08:00

MANILA STANDARD, MARCH 11, 2006. LIFESTYLE SECTION
Cultured Hemp
By K Lopez

Their rhythm is rooted in the land of Jamaica—a musically diverse and politically charged country—where, in the 1950s and the 1960s, civil unrest found its salvation in the conglomeration of music from the tribal sounds of Africa, calypso from the carnivals of Trinidad, and American rhythm-and-blues.

Their lyrics are dancehall branches—poking on shut eyelids, bearing messages that propagate “One Love,” and reaching out into the Filipino mindset of dancing in times of despair, and singing away the sorrow.

Their determination is as tough as the fiber from which they coined their name.

They are Hemp Republic.

Cultivated in the lush region of UP Los Baños, this band has been around since February of 2000 when only four reggae bands (including them) were existing in the Philippines,. The group started out with Tonton Hatol (lead guitar), Bunny Liwanag (vocals), Mags Gahol (rhythm guitar), Mabs Tolentino (bass guitar), Al Sese (drums), and Alfred Pagsuyuin (keyboards).
The band’s first song, “Hey Body Rock,” sprung forth after a few jamming sessions. They then worked on track covers from the Jamaican Me Groovy CD and played their first gig in March 26, 2000 at the Z Bar in Las Piñas.

After the gruelling process that almost every amateur band goes through—hours of traveling to music joints, faulty equipment, rejections from establishment owners, self-produced gigs at local pubs—the band’s dream finally started to flourish when they got together with Put3ska’s Bing Austria (Juan Pablo Dream). Interested in their brand of reggae, he asked them to play for one of Club Ska’s gigs which were then being held at Freedom Bar in Anonas, Quezon City. Captivated by their performance, he offered to book them gigs in the Manila area—an opening they had long been waiting for.

After countless audtions and rigorous rehearsals, they were given a regular Friday night slot at Mayric’s, alongside Coco Jam. It was then that Caio Cadiz (percussions) joined and added more flavor to the already vibrant music of the group.

It was in November of 2001 that Xaymaca, a reggae bar along Timog Avenue, opened its doors. The second band that played in that joint was no other than Hemp Republic, on the evening of Dec. 15, 2001. That gave way to the rocksteady presence of the band in the Filipino music scene.

In 2002, Glober Calambro (trumpet) and Arjo Ayende (trombone) joined in the fray.
The band released their first full-length album, Welcome to Hemp Republic, in April of 2005. It contained ten tracks of positive music—a welcome relief from the tiresome, pseudo-emotional releases of the time. The music video of their first single, “Sabihin Mo,” was released in September of 2005, followed by “Fireflies” in January of 2006.

The line-up now consists of Tonton, Bunny, Mags, Alfred, Glober, Caio (who took charge of the drums), Eggy Mallari (bass guitar), and Jeck Ceñidoza (trombone).

As more and more reggae bands are coming out today and more and more Filipinos are appreciating the music, members of Hemp Republic are more than enthusiastic to say that there is an increasing awareness of the genre to Pinoys. Gahol shares that it touches their hearts to see people dance to their songs— the reggae beat. “This means that slowly Filipinos or at least those who have watched us and other reggae bands play, see that reggae is something worth listening and enjoying to. Eventually they will dig deeper into its essence,” he said. “It also means that we are open to new sounds and new things in general,” he adds.

When asked if they get in trouble with authorities since reggae is associated with marijuana and because some of them are wearing dreadlocks, Hatol points out: “Anyone who looks different or dresses differently or out of the ordinary are sometimes tagged as a ‘drug-addict.’” He adds, “but no, we have not been in trouble, so far.”

Or maybe some police have not heard of reggae yet.

Hemp Republic has a regular Saturday gig at Xaymaca Bar, Timog. For bookings, contact Tenten at 0927-3059335.

2006-01-17T14:21:00.000+08:00

CELEBRATE WITH US AS WE LAUNCH THE VIDEO OF OUR SECOND SINGLE 'FIREFLIES' AND (RELAUNCH) OUR ALBUM
'WELCOME TO HEMP REPUBLIC'! for Nationwide Distribution!

GET IRIE HIGH ON JAN. 21, 2006 AT XAYMACA BAR IN TIMOG AVE, 10 PM!

New Video for Fireflies OUT SOON!!!

2006-01-03T08:30:00.000+08:00

Hemp Republic is launching their latest video for the song "Fireflies" soon! The launch is tentatively dated on January 21, 2006, a Saturday at Xaymaca Bar in Timog. The Video was directed by International Academy of Film and Television graduate Jerome Brua. His other works include Herbs' "All I Want is You" and Cattski's "Gap", both Cebu-based bands where the film institute is also based.

The Video was shot on location in UP Los Banos where most of the hempers studied college. Here are a few snap shots from the video shoot...

Director Jerome Brua testing the lighting with his Panasonic DVX 100A.

Shot on location in UPLB, at the Espaleklek tambayan...

Pam Galisim, the featured guest actress for the video...

Fireflies Music Video Credits

Director - Jerome Brua
A. Director – Nino Lubis
Producer – Caio Cadiz
Camera – Kim Homer Garcia
Nino Lubis
Jerome Brua

Make Up artist – Noy Subade

Featuring Pam Galisim

2005-09-08T16:38:00.000+08:00

Hemp Republic on MYX!!!

Vote for the single "Sabihin Mo" by typing in MYX(space)VOTE(space)Sabihin Mo then send to 2366!

also, request the song on your favorite radio stations:

Campus Radio 97.1 DWLS FM
99.5 RT
Jam 88.3
WRR 101.9
NU 107
RX 93.1
103.5 K-Lite

and all the other stations!!!

97.1 LS: key in LS REQUEST SABIHINMO by Hemp Republic
LS INFOPOP ur infopop questionthen send to 2344 (globe, 367 (smart) or call 9243093/9278862

MAGIC 89.9: Request SABIHINMO @ Magic 89.9, key in ur message and request send to 29761899, for smart and globe, you can also visit their webby http://www.magic899.fm for online requests, or call 6310899 mon-thurs 3-5PM. ER countdown 5-6pm.

99.5rt: key in RT SONG SABIHINMO by Hemp Republic ur message send to 2299 or key in uur message and request SABIHINMO send to 29761995 or call 6338149 (anytime of the day!)

NU107.5: key in NU SABIHINMO send to 209 (smart subscribers only), or NU MIDNIGHT SABIHINMO send to 2299(globe, smart subscribers)to request key in NU SABIHINMO by Hemp Republic send to 2299

103.5 KLITE: key in KLITE TALLY SABIHINMO by Hemp Republic send to 2299. Vote anytime of the day. Register first so that your votes can be counted. countdown every wednesday at 2pm.

Check OUT Hemp Republic POLYTONES AND MONOTONES FOR DOWNLOAD to your cellphones!

Song: Keyword:

Sabihin Mo sibihinmo
Fireflies fireflies
Move It moveit
Reggae Fiesta regfiesta

For Smart Subscribers, text command:
POLY then send to 483
For Globe subscribers, text command:
POLY then send to 2834

(For monotone downloads, change the word POLY to MONO then follow same procedures)
DOWNLOAD NA!!!!

SALAMAT!

2005-08-29T19:28:00.000+08:00

The Hemp Republic Video Launch Party!!!!

September 3, 2005 at XAYMACA Bar

also launching their album "How Are You World?"

with the special appearance of
the METRO MANILA DANCEHALL AUTHORITY

milagros dancehall collective!

Show Starts at 10pm!!! See you There!!!!
brought to you by XAYMACA BAR, Jam 88.3, and CaiomaN Productions.
special thanks to NU107

"Sabihin Mo" Music Video Shoot in Saguijo Cafe Gallery

2005-07-24T16:30:00.000+08:00

Bunny and Kiko Escora, the only male model on the video.

A shot from the director's monitor...

...and ofcourse, the very beautiful female models with Niko, Bunny and Alfred.

The set... kinda tight and hot too.

Director Mike Cabardo contemplates on the next shot...

The Band? hehehehe....

see more pics...

Hemp Republic shot the video for "Sabihin Mo", the first single off their debut album "Welcome to Hemp Republic", last July 4, 2005 at the gallery of Saguijo Cafe in Guijo Street Makati. The video was directed by Mike Cabardo whose work includes a version of Kitchie Nadal's video for "Run" and also a song by Barbie Almalbis.

The video features artist Kiko Escora as the "Main Man" of the video. He was also featured in Kyla's music video for the song "If the Feeling is Gone" off her album. It is basically a performance video, done with a lot of help from model friends, romans, and country men...

There's a little trivia about the video... look out for the guy in dreadlocks dancing around, he's the guy from the album cover!!!

The Video is due out by August so watch out for it!!!

Hemp Republic at the 1st Jam 88.3 Music Fest!

2005-06-10T19:23:00.000+08:00

Bunny Gyal wowing the audience at the Fort Plaza

Bunny wailing...

Ton-Ton Hatol on lead guitar... the "rockstar" shot...

(photos by caio cadiz)

Hemp Republic First Full-Length Album OUT NOW!!!

2005-05-16T23:54:00.000+08:00

Hemp Republic has finished work on their upcoming first full-length effort which is entitled "Welcome to Hemp Republic". The band's first single "Sabihin Mo" is now out on radio so fell free to request it to your favorite DJ's especially on JAM 88.3 and NU 107!. The album contains 10 songs, plus an instrumental version of "Fireflies" and a house remix of "Move It" by SILVERFILTER. Songs included are Hey Body Rock, Himig ng Pag-Ibig, Feel Alright, Doncha Woncha, Soma Holiday, and Reggae Fiesta. Sabihin Mo, a reggae-pop upbeat number; Elbi Nights, a tribute to a place where the band first got together; Move It, a hard dancehall take; and the mellow reggae-dancehall treat Fireflies are among the new additions to the bands original song line up.

From top left, clockwise: Bunny Gyal on da mic; Vince Chacon of Milagros Dancehall Collective plays percussions on the album; Ton2 on da guitar; Niko Dritsopolos, the new bassman; Eric Perlas, album engineer; da PC monitor.

Independently produced with their erstwhile manager Caio Cadiz staying on the production side, the guys had a lot more freedom in creating the sound that they truly like, not sticking to the confines of pure reggae. They managed to combine most of each individual's musical influences into the recording. They recorded the album in Tower of Doom Studios in UP Village, with Eric Perlas on the board, which helped create the outstanding sound quality production of this album.

The album was launched on the 26th of April, in XAYMACA BAR in Timog Avenue. T-shirts, stickers and advanced copies of the album were sold on this night! It is now available in almost all TOWER RECORDS outlets (except Shangri La and Pampanga), and at the following stores...

Sarabia Optical
UP Shopping Center, UP Diliman

The Bukswagen Experience
2nd Floor, Circle-C Mall, Congressional Avenue, QC

iLOVEyou Store
2nd Floor, Cafe Saguijo, Guijo St., Makati

The Chunky Far Flung Gallery
#38 Marikina Shoe Expo, Araneta Center, Cubao (beside old C.O.D.)

Coffee Blends
Lopez Avenue, Los Banos, Laguna near Isis Cafe

Simply Blue Internet Shop
Mt Halcon St. Los Banos Subd., Los Banos, Laguna (found at the complex on the right after entering Umali Subdivision frrom Agapita)

From top: Al Sese on da drums, Mabs on da bass, Ton ton guiding Al on da mic, Mags and Ton2--da two guitarists, and da producer himself.

"Himig ng Pag-ibig" Included in a Robin Padilla-Ruffa Mae Starrer!!!

2005-04-16T19:59:00.000+08:00

A song from the upcoming album of Hemp Republic has been included in Unitel Pictures Inc's Robin Padilla-Ruffa Mae starrer entitled "La Visa Loca" due out in MAY. The song submitted was Himig ng Pag-Ibig, and it made the final cut! Thanks to director Mike Meily for giving the final go signal. It was deemed appropriate by the Hemp Republic Management to be submitted because of the song’s universal theme, which is…L-O-V-E, although the film is not a love story.

The upcoming film is a comedy, in line with Unitel’s previously successful “Crying Ladies”, a Sharon Cuneta starrer (who is also the executive producer of the film) which raked in a lot in the box office. The soundtrack in itself is something to look forward to, especially for reggae enthusiasts since most, if not all the songs to be included are reggae--Filipino style, according to our sources. The song is also included in Hemp Republic's album "Welcome to Hemp Republic."

This is something to watch out for!

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS AND ENTOURAGE

2005-04-03T16:10:00.001+08:00

Tech Requirement for Concert Halls / Open Air / Large Venues

1. 2 guitar amplifiers (50 watts and up)
2. 1 bass amplifier (80 watts and up)
3. 1 keyboard amplifier
4. 1 keyboard stand
5. 1 Premier drum set w cymbals (standard set)
6. 5 vocal microphones
7. 1 instrument microphone for 1 trombone and 1 trumpet
8. full miking for instruments
9. 4 stage monitor speakers
10. 4 bagend fullrange loudspeakers
11. 4 cerwin vega l36 subwoofers
12. 4 stage monitors
13. one lot power amplifiers
14. one lot connectors, adaptors, wires

Entourage
1. Ton-ton Hatol-lead guitar
2. Vicente Mallari-bass guitar
3. Mags Gahol-rhythm guitar*
4. Bunny Liwanag-vocals
5. Paulo Bartolome-drums
6. Alfred Pagsuyuin-keyboards
7. Glober Calambro-trumpet
8. Jeck Cenidoza- trombone
9. Caio Cadiz- Manager
10. 1 sound technician

Technical Requirement for Bars and Club Venues

1. 2 guitar amplifiers (30-50 watts)
2. 1 bass amplifier (50-80 watts)
3. 1 keyboard amplifier
4. 1 keyboard stand
5. 1 drum set (standard set)
6. 5 vocal microphones
7. 2-3 instrument microphones (for horn section)
8. 2 stage monitor speakers

Entourage
1. Ton-ton Hatol-lead guitar
2. Vicente Mallari-bass guitar
3. Mags Gahol-rhythm guitar*
4. Bunny Liwanag-vocals
5. Paulo Bartolome-drums
6. Alfred Pagsuyuin-keyboards
7. Glober Calambro-trumpet
8. Jeck Cenidoza- trombone
9. Caio Cadiz-Manager

* - may or may not be performing

PROFILE (for download)

2005-04-03T13:54:00.000+08:00

DOWNLOAD a copy of the band profile! To download, simply click on the links below to view each page...

Page 1 - http://photos14.flickr.com/17192631_c7e46eb158_o.jpg

Page 2 - http://photos12.flickr.com/17192632_f90110db0a_o.jpg

Page 3 - http://photos9.flickr.com/17192633_11486a2025_o.jpg

Page 4 - http://photos10.flickr.com/17192634_c3209d3894_o.jpg

Hemp Republic Performance Agreement

2005-04-03T12:00:00.000+08:00

This agreement made and entered into this ___ day of ______ 2005 by and between:

Hemp Republic Management, represented by Vicente Cadiz, with address at __________________________________ Makati City herein after known as the ARTIST,

The _________________ represented by _________________ with the address of __________________________________________________________ herein after referred to as the PRODUCER.

Witnesseth that

Whereas, the PRODUCER has agreed to engage the services of the ARTIST and is producing the show as follows:

A. TITLE ________________________________
B. DATE AND TIME _______, ________ __, 2005 __pm onwards
C. VENUE ____________________, __________, ___________

NOW, THEREFORE, PRODUCER and ARTIST, by these presents, do hereby enter into this Agreement whereby the PRODUCER engages the services of the ARTIST under the following terms and conditions:

ARTIST shall furnish the following for the PRODUCER’s show:

1.1 As performer, to perform a one (1) hour set.
1.2 Participation in the sound check (the artist will be informed of its exact schedule)
1.3 Appropriate performance attire and the instruments
1.4 Permission to use the name, photographs, song and biographical materials of the ARTIST for advertising and promotional purposes with any restriction. This will not apply to the sale of merchandise bearing the band logo and/or name of any of its songs.

The Producer shall provide the following for the ARTIST:

2.1 Sound equipment specified in the ARTISTS’ Technical Rider.
2.2 Talent Fee of P__,______ for a one (1) hour set.
2.3 Food and three (3) drinks per band member, including the support crew of the band.

IN WITNESS THEREOF, the parties have hereunto set their names this ___ day of _______ 2005.

ARTIST: CONFORME:

________________ ___________________
Vicente Cadiz

Hemp Republic Management

The Hemp Republic 5th Anniverary Party!

2005-03-14T16:30:00.000+08:00

Whew! Anyone who was there could tell that it was a blast! More than 200 people were in attendance during that Tuesday night Hemp celebrated their anniversary. The actual date of Hemp's birthday is on March 26, but it is a Nlack Saturday so we opted to celebrate it on a Tuesday. That date was based on the band's first ever gig in 2000, in a bar somewhere in Las Pinas, where showbands usually play. The band just jammed in between the showband's set.

Unfortunately, the party ended with Bunny and our friend Vina losing their bags when some stupid guys stole it from the DJ's booth in Xaymaca. Bunny lost her fone and a whole other stuff. Well, goodluck to those cleptomaniacs, hope you get your fair share of karma... soon!

Overall, it was a good night, the set of Milagros was tight, friends from other groups jammed with the band, and everybody had fun. Hope to see you all again on the album launch!!!

Watch out for some pictures soon!!!

Bob Marley’s 60th Birthday Celebrated with a Blast

2005-02-08T10:40:00.000+08:00

Clockwise, from top left: Peace Pipe; Irene of Reggae Mistress flashes a smile; Coffee Break Island; some of the Hemp Republic guys waiting for their turn to play and getting drunk; Sunflower with Skarlet; the Hempers; Skarlet / Wunjo manager Miren and Luv of CBI hang-out back stage; Reggae Mistress Chang tells the boys something.

The 60th birth anniversary of legendary reggae icon Bob Marley was celebrated last February 5 at XAYMACA Bar in Timog Avenue with a blast. The event featured Xaymaca’s best bands and some guests as well, with Peace Pipe starting off the set.

Milagros Dancehall Collective (MDC) kicked the vibe up a notch with their almost all original dancehall set. This is where the people started to feel the irie of the party, feet started stomping and bodies moving to the dancehall beat. Up next came Reggae Mistress with their brand of upbeat classic reggae I-Threes style, which revved up the crowd even more. Saturday night Xaymaca staples Coffee Break Island came next with their reggae-ska set, the crowd by which time had all been standing up. A band from Baguio City, Sunflower, played a highly powered, very long punk-ska set with Skarlet of Brownbeat jamming with them on a few songs.

It was 3:30 AM when Hemp Republic’s turn to play finally came. After Sunflower’s set, people thought the event was over; most had gone outside to get a breath of fresh air. The bar was almost empty but when Hemp Republic finally came onstage, like bees, all the people came right back the hive to get a last dose of the music they came for—reggae music.

The band decided to play mostly classic Bob Marley covers “Could You Be Loved”, “One Drop”, “Three Little Birds”, and the song that first put reggae on the charts “No Woman, No Cry”. The band played only around 6 songs since it was late and every one was tired from dancing the night away. Nonetheless, it surely was a BLAST!

Sigma Beta’s Drink All You Can at XAYMACA Bar a BLAST!!!

2005-02-04T11:17:00.000+08:00

It was the wildest Tuesday night in da history of Hemp Republic’s playing at Xaymaca! Thanks to the UP Sigma Beta Sorority Diliman Chapter’s drink all you can bash! Almost 350 people showed up on January 25 for the highly successful event sponsored by San Mig Light, Frenzy Condoms, and Yehey.com. It almost felt like a Friday night, with the dance floor filled up nice and tight, people dancing and drinking like there was no tomorrow, nice reggae grooves blowin’ out da speakers, and everybody just having an irie time.

Session Road shared the bill with the Tuesday night staples Hemp Republic that night. It was nice meeting up with long time friends from that band Coy, JV, Chavi, Richard and Hanna. Too bad they only played around 4 or 5 songs, mostly originals from their debut album under Alpha Music entitled Suntok sa Buwan.

The event was filled with lots of games with prizes presented by Yehey.com and San Mig Light. Beer drinking contests, Bring Me and others started the event. The first set of the band was already rockin’ and looked very promising, and considering the people hardly ever had beer yet, it gave a glimpse of what was to come when all them gets drunk. Hemp played some original songs from their upcoming album on the first as well as the second sets namely, Himig ng Pag-Ibig, Sabihin Mo, Reggae Fiesta, and Hey Body Rock.
It would be such a blast if this was an every week thing… to all those who came, see you all again soon! And for those who missed it, well, dats wat yu get when yu mis an event!

History

2000-03-06T22:14:00.000+08:00

The idea of playing reggae started to come up in Mags' head around September of 1999 during the time when most of them were still in UP Los Banos and were very much active in their org, the UP Jammers' Club. Most of them had other bands then, busy doing their own thing. Mags got the thought of putting up a reggae band going around but never really came off the ground.

Ton-Ton was playing for this band then, The Spank, when their manager Dennis Empalmado introduced him to reggae music. By January or February 2000, Bunny Liwanag and Ton-Ton Hatol seriously thought of putting up a reggae band of their own, thus first tapping Mabs Tolentino on Bass, Al Sese on Drums, Mags Gahol on rhythm guitar, and Alfred Pagsuyuin on Keyboards. Their drive was more on doing original music of their own. After a few jamming sessions, their first song "Hey Body Rock" was born.

They rehearsed until they could play around 6 songs, most of them covers from the pirated "Jamaica Me Groovy" CD, then went on to embark on a "gigging spree." They were officially formed (well, at least this date is what they consider) on March 26, 2000 when they first played in front of a live audience along with sister band then Sucker Fish. They played in between the set of a show band somewhere in Las Pinas City, in a bar called the “Z Bar.”

After this one night stint, they went on looking for other places to play in and found the now defunct ORA Café along Kamias Road in Quezon City. Monday nights were theater nights, but usually the plays end early. So as fillers, they played a set there after the plays, driving or commuting all the way from Los Banos to QC just to play for a square meal. This was during the summer days of 2000.

When school started in June, they had lined up some productions of their own in small bars in UPLB, usually selling the tickets, making and putting up the posters, etc. by themselves. This served as their training ground for playing longer, as they played 2 sets, again playing together with Sucker Fish. This was also the time that they got Caio Cadiz to play percussions, since when they jammed at his studio, he would always toy around a spare snare drum, playing it like a timbale.

By September, they hooked up with Put3ska’s keyboardist Bing Austria, who got interested with the band the moment he heard that they played reggae. The band was booked by Bing in one of the Club Ska’s gigs, then in Freedom Bar, so he can see the band play live for the first time. Apparently impressed with Hemp’s performance, he offered to book the band around the Metro, a scene the band has longed to break in to.

The first real booking Bing gave the band was in Mayric’s, “where all the great bands are born…”. That night, Ton-Ton was not available as his other band had another gig so a session player filled in for him. Unfortunately, almost everything had gone haywire because of a cut string, a faulty guitar-tuning machine or something, that the band did quite badly that night. After the set, the band was told to come back again after they’ve had enough practice… So life goes on and the band continued to audition around and play in Freedom Bar on some Wednesdays, building a reputation. After a month, Mayric’s called back and wanted to book the band on a regular basis every Fridays together with Cocojam! This is where it all started to roll. By November 2001, a new reggae bar was opened in Timog avenue called XAYMACA Bar. They were looking for reggae bands to play on Fridays and Saturdays. Brownman Revival was the first band ever to play in Xaymaca, on December 14, 2001, the second band was Hemp Republic, on December 15, 2001, a Saturday. They played regular gigs there on a Saturday for a good year or so.

In May 2002, they thought of getting horn players to spice up the sound of the band and give the music a more festive feel. They got together with trumpet player Glober Calambro and trombone player Pards of the Radioactive Sago Project. Both of them are from the UP College of Music in Diliman whom they got in contact with thru trombone player Jason Cuevas of Brownman Revival. However, Pards couldn't commit because his real band is still Radioactive Sago, so Glober got Arjo Ayende to replace Pards, thus completing the line up.

Since then, Hemp Republic has been playing (more or less) the kind of reggae that they are known for today.

(from the very vague memory of Caio Cadiz)