COLT 45 Hails Patrick Cruz as Top Shredder in the Land!

The country’s first-ever guitar-glory nationwide contest, the Colt 45 “Shred to Slam” pumped metal at the recent and much-awaited grand finals at Capone’s, Makati Avenue.

What is shredding? Guitar pundit, Francis Reyes, defines it thus: “To ‘shred’ means to play the guitar at speeds generally credited to the equivalent of a hummingbird’s wings, or more to the point, the sound that a shredding machine makes. You get the picture. As a guitarist myself with roots in hard rock and metal, to shred means to play at the limits of your technical abilities. Any ‘serious’ guitar player who claims to be ‘metal’ makes it a goal to be a shredder; I was no exception. Technical knowledge is a must: you have to know your scales and modes. To play them, to shred, you must employ guitar techniques such as sweep picking and rapid alternate picking.”

Three of the country’s guitar gods were named. The Philippines’ top shredder, Patrick Cruz, 22, of Novaliches romped off with not just P20,000 in cash, the chance to see and be seen by the country’s guitar greats, but also to trade licks at the upcoming Pulp Summer Slam 2011. 

First runner-up was Jan Clyde Polintan, 19, of Cainta, Rizal, representing Greater Manila and second runner-up was Emman Saumillan, 35, of Olongapo, representing Northern Luzon. They competed in a hotly contested shred-off with Erwin Espares, 23, of La Carlota City, Cebu, representing the Visayas; and Andre Alay, 32, of Cagayan de Oro, representing Mindanao.

All it took was slash & burn guitar chops and just 11 Colt 45 crowns to enter this search that has taken the country –- and the rock music world -- by storm.

Five smokin’ hot axe-men from all over the country gathered at Capone’s, Makati Avenue in front of a panel of legendary judges, including Wally Gonzales of Juan dela Cruz, Francis Reyes of NU107, Manuel Legarda of Wolfgang, Neil Gregorio, A&R of Warner Music Philippines and Joey Dizon of Pulp Magazine. Hosting the event were Caren Mangaran of General Luna alongside Tutti Caringal of Music UpLate.

The finalists represent the rich cross-section of guitar virtuosity across the archipelago. Finalists were flown into Manila for this momentous occasion courtesy of Colt 45 and Airphil Express. Also joining in this unique musical challenge were Pulp magazine, JB Music, Odyssey Record Bars, Manila Broadcasting, with major sponsor Airphil Express.

Six bands from the Colt 45 limited edition “Lords of Loud” CD, including Arcadia, Switch, Skychurch, Piledriver, Valley of Chrome, and Alex in Wonderland, were also on the grand finals program.

 

Louie Talan, judge at the Colt 45 Shred to Slam says it all: “The Colt 45 shred-offs are a salute, a well deserved hand-salute directed at all the participants wailing away on the stage. Some of them traveled from really far off places, skipped a meal, spent the entire week practicing or even ditched work on the day itself for the chance to participate—a chance to have, quite literally, a few of minutes of shredding metal glory!”

The Colt 45 Shred to Slam nationwide contest is just one of the many music adventures on the road to the Pulp Summer Slam 2011. Also on the playlist are discounts on Slam tickets as well as a commemorative Summer Slam Colt 45 bottle and souvenir “Lords of Loud” CD.