Music and skateboarding fusion on Circuitfest 2013

457 – American bands Yellowcard, Mayday Parade, We Are The In Crowd, Downtown Fiction, This Century, All Star Weekend, A+ Dropouts, Before You Exit, and Megan Nicole answer questions from Philippine media during a press conference to promote Circuitfest 2013: Music and Skate festival on May 25 in Circuit Makati.

MANILA, Philippines – Makati City is set to host the Philippines’s first ever international music and skateboarding festival with several American bands and famous skateboarders coming over to perform live this Saturday.

The event, dubbed Circuitfest 2013: Music and Skate, will fuse “the intensity of music and the culture of skate,” by bringing together eight bands, a YouTube singing sensation, and famous skateboarders Willy Santos, who is a Fil-Am born in Subic, and Riley Hawk, son of skating legend Tony Hawk.

The bands Yellowcard, Mayday Parade, We Are The In Crowd, Downtown Fiction, This Century, All Star Weekend, A+ Dropouts, Before You Exit, will be performing at the Globe Circuit Event Grounds in Circuit Makati along with Megan Nicole.

Santos and Hawk will perform their skating tricks during regular intervals between the bands’ performances.

Born in Subic to a Filipina mother and American father, Santos had spent a few years in the country. He however spent majority of his growing up years in San Diego, California.

It was that he first fell in love with skateboarding after he saw skateboarders performing in a local school.

Santos visited the Philippines several times previously to perform and promote skateboarding.

“I was here last March for Gawad Kalinga’s Bayanihan Challege. I brought my skateboard and went around skating in Manila and Pampanga,” Santos said during the press conference Friday.

“Skateboarding is growing really big here in the Philippines, so its great to be back here,” he said.

Santos said he would be back again in the country on June 21 for the international celebration of Go Skateboarding Day.
When asked in a separate interview what he thought was needed to help the sport grow in the country, Santos cited it needs more government support.

“I think it’s important that the government sees [skateboarding’s benefits], just like you see so many basketball courts here in the Philippines,” Santos said citing that it helps foster fellowships between people just like other sports.

“The beauty of skateboarding is you can do it anywhere as long as its a smooth surface,” he said. “The talent here is growing for sure.”