ASTROJUAN’s journey began ordinarily enough. In 2006, four college boys (Jeff Tuason - vocals, Iking Uy - drums, Randy Echaus - guitars, Mikel Garcia - bass) grouped together to form a band. The dream was simple: to create their own brand of out of the ordinary music for the average Filipino (astro: celestial body + juan: the everyday Pinoy). But Astrojuan’s course in the Philippine rock scene was to be anything BUT “average.”

In 2008, Astrojuan burst into the music scene when it became one of Nokia’s representatives for the Nokia Independent Artists Club (IAC), an online site for indie artists throughout Asia. Being part of the Nokia IAC gave Astrojuan the honor of touring in bars around the metro alongside a-list bands such as The Dawn, Razorback and Urbandub. The song “Astroride” (initially released over the Nokia IAC website) became a cult favorite and an embodiment of the band’s philosophy: music as a fusion of sorts – alternative, dance, riff-driven rock with catchy progressions.

2008 also saw Astrojuan slowly gain recognition in the entertainment industry as a whole. Though the band has remained true to its indie roots, it has been invited by some of the Philippines’ top Music Productions (Revolver, Kerplunk, Splintr.com, Sonic Boom), as well as participating in bigger events in the Philippines such as Fete dela Musique, Myx Slam Jam, and Studio23 Barkada Gimik Events. Astrojuan has also been featured in magazines such as Bounce, Pulp and Inquirer. Riding along the momentum, the band launched its own music production in November 2008. STOMP!, an ongoing, bi-monthly production; aims to bring together young, promising bands to encourage them not only to make a mark in the music scene, but in Philippine society as well, through hosting future benefit concerts and other charity events in support of various social causes.

In September 2008, Astrojuan scored big when they were invited (with the help of their good friend, Rayms Fabul) to perform for Myx, the number one local music channel for the Philippines, on a segment called Bandarito. The segment featured Astrojuan in a live, 3-song set on national television. As a lucky result, the band was nominated for Best Bandarito Performance for the segment and actually bagged the award during the Myx Music Awards 2009!

Today, Astrojuan is looking forward to an awesome year ahead. A new window has arrived for Astrojuan bringing new opportunities as they are featured in splintr.com as "Artists of the Month" for this June 2009. They are currently recording at the Kerplunk! Studios with the talented Pat Jalbuena. The band’s first single “Astroride” has been playing over Philippine radio since March and they are set to release their second single by June of 2009. They are planning to release a full-length debut album at the end of the year, as well as launch more singles on the radio and hopefully make their first music video by the end of this year.

Keep your seatbelts on, everyone, ‘coz Astrojuan is gonna take you for a ride!

IKING UY /DRUMS/

if there's something all bands are struggling about, it would be establishing an identity. music has been around since the beginning of time and probably, almost all the permutations and forms of  music and sound have been explored, discovered and made into song. astrojuan is one of these bands struggling about finding this unique blend of auditory sensation - astrojuan's music identity. with influences ranging from old-school rock, standard classics, to contemporary staples, indie and mainstream, our band tries to formulate something we could call our own. hopefully, the first album we are currently working on would establish this for us.

So what do we really want to sound like? its not practically something new to the ears but we do hope our sound will be great at the very least.

RANDY ECHAUS /GUITARS/

Astrojuan music: it all starts with inspiration. May it be an important event in ones’ life, a style of an idolized artist, getting over breakups, and maybe, getting into new relationships, it all starts with inspiration. Like all our songs, it is a collaborative effort. Everyone injects their own style and feel. No song is the same. Each is unique with its own message and inspiration.

What joins the band together and creates chemistry is our common love for music. We are music lovers first before we are musicians. This passion is what drives us to create art; art that we’d like to share to the rest of the world. Our passion transcends that of fame and money. We are simply four individuals who just love making music together.

JEFF TUASON /VOCALS/

Performing in front of a crowd is a way of expressing myself. Doing this allows me to release stress after a difficult day. It could direct anger to a positive outlook in life, or enhance happiness to the point of ecstasy. Sometimes, the pressure to perform in front of people still racks my nerves, but it is that very same pressure that keeps me striving to do better with each gig and with each performance. This, I believe, is the kind of pressure that one rises above, that separates performers from mere good singers. To grab an audience is a skill: some people have it, some people learn it. Astrojuan is still on a journey towards becoming the performers that people would appreciate and maybe someday be recognized as a band that can knock your knickers off! Haha!

Performing: Ecstasy without drugs! 

MIKEL GARCIA /BASS GUITAR & BGV'S/

Mikel Garcia /bass guitar and BGV's/

I would like to think that Astrojuan's journey into the local music scene was rather an unconventional one. Despite playing on and off for two years after college in 2006, we only had our "big break" when we were included in the roster for Nokia's Independent Artists Club. The bar tours gave us the exposure that we needed plus the experience playing with music greats such as Urbandub and Razorback opened our eyes to the endless opportunities of what "new media" can do for an independent artist like us.

Today, Astrojuan has another chance to spread its music through new media with Splintr.com's invitation to participate as Featured Artist of the Month for June. We are truly grateful for this opportunity and at the same time, humbled by Splintr.com's choice.

So what's next for Astrojuan? As we work on our album, we intend to continue to harness the power of new media by releasing our singles on the internet and through sites such as Nokia IAC and Splintr.com.

All hail the power of new media! Haha!