Petrified Anthem was a well known rock band that played in the Philippines from 1971 to 1979. Although the band never released a commercial recording, their self-produced and recorded original material was played frequently over DZRJ-AM as early as August 1973. They were a mainstay on the popular Pinoy Rock & Rhythm show, created by the station to showcase local talent, and their songs would often be heard during regular broadcast hours as well.
Petrified Anthem, or PA, as the band often called themselves, were known for their blues-rock musical style influenced by bands like Cream, Led Zeppelin, Atlanta Rhythm Section, and The Allman Brothers Band. Not content with playing note-for-note covers of the popular songs of the day, they emphasized improvisational skills and extended solos particularly during live performances. They often appeared at rock concerts, rock clubs, TV shows, and other various gigs including the two Manila premieres of the motion picture “Concert for Bangladesh” in March and April, 1973.
PA formed in June 1971 and played their first gig on September 24, 1971 at the old Makati Elk's Club. The original members, in alphabetical order, were
Noel Fallarme - keyboards
Rod Medina - guitar, vocals
Alan Tabhan - vocals, conga, guitar, drums
Bob Wirth - drums
John Wirth - bass
Walter Wirth - guitar
Other members through the years were
Paul Pascal - vocals, guitar (1973 - 74)
Sam Lubus - keyboards (1975)
Willy Rebaño - keyboards (1975)
Sam Sen - guitar, bass, vocals (1975 - 79)
Mon Alberto - keyboards (1977)
Jose Hilario - guitar (1978)
Jun Reyes - drums (1978)
The band was committed to writing original songs from the very start. The first one, an instrumental titled "Joey's Jam", was recorded live in concert in December 1971. "Wake Up" and "Leave It Behind" followed in mid 1972.
On July 14 and 23, 1973 they recorded Paul's composition "Let Down Lady". A Martial Law era regulation required radio stations to play a certain percentage of locally originating music per hour and popular AM rock radio station DZRJ, anxious to find local music suitable for airplay, asked Paul for "something, anything" they could use. "Let Down Lady" was aired on DZRJ for the first time on August 1, 1973.
After the enthusiastic response to "Let Down Lady", DZRJ asked for more. PA had recorded "Waiting To Be Found" on January 27 and 28, 1973 and performed it on the March 16, 1973 telecast of "Alice Zerrudo In Concert" on IBC Channel 13. PA gave "Waiting To Be Found" to DZRJ on October 27, 1973 and they started airing it on the same day. The two songs received frequent airplay and DZRJ began building up a stock of local rock material that would enable them to launch the Pinoy Rock & Rhythm show.
Many more PA originals followed in 1974 including the frequently requested “Drinkin' Wine”, “Country Aire”, “Never Know Until You Try”, and “Something For Everyone”. The band kept writing and recording up to April 1979. In total, there are 27 original songs in the PA catalog, some of which have never been released.
Petrified Anthem's final public appearance was at the New Moon Concert in December 1978 at the Rizal Football Stadium. Between January and April 1979, they wrapped things up with the recording of several original songs.
In the 30 odd years since they played their last note, their music has remained alive in the hearts and minds of both band members and fans and some PA songs can still be heard today on several radio stations in the Philippines. For Petrified Anthem, it was a pleasure to have played for all their fans and an honor to be remembered by them.
