MANILA, Philippines -Tired of whiny pop-punk? Had it with self-absorbed emo-screamo? Sick of listening to music that keeps reminding you that your life sucks? (As if you needed reminding.)

Hey man, you?re ready for the Bembol Rockers.

Apart from having the best band name since the Aga Muhlach Experience, the BRs manage to neatly sidestep the pitfalls of the modern rock game by ignoring the last five decades of music evolution and harking back to the dawn of rock?n?roll, when the basics of syncopation, swing and just plain having a good time still mattered.

Lest you think the Bembols are some kind of retro nostalgia lounge act, check out their live stomper, ?Boogie Mo.?

These cats party like it?s 1949.

The Bembol Rockers are Marc ?Steady? Liwanag on guitar and vocals, Lakshmi Kirtan Das Ramirez on stand-up bass and vocals, Archie Lacorte on saxophones and Steven Mora on drums and backup vocals.

Marc, Lakshmi and Archie also play in the Brass Munkeys, a horn-driven new swing ensemble. But where the Munkeys play mostly covers in a big-band jazz vein, the Bembols play mostly original compositions and rock a little harder as a four-man combo, with occasional augmentation by keyboards and horns.

Pressed for a label, the Bembols describe their music as a tasty stew of pre- and proto-rock styles: jump blues, swing, doo-wop, latin jazz, with a dash of rockabilly thrown in for good measure. They cite among their influences Louis Jordan, Louis Prima, Ruth Brown, Big Jay McNeely, Plas Johnson, the Treniers, the Harptones and the Cadillacs?acts that had their heyday long before Elvis came along.

?It?s the more negro side of rock?n?roll, when Muddy Waters and B.B. King were still young,? says Marc, who served time in the Brownbeat All-Stars before his current gigs in the BRs and the Brass Munkeys.

The Bembol Rockers are a bit more mature, both in years and in musical experience, than the average indie rock band. The members are seasoned and versatile musicians who have backed, among others, a certain well-known bossa nova chanteuse.

They were kicking around the idea of forming a band based on the members? shared love of the aforementioned styles of music as early as 2005, but it was only last year that things gelled. They toyed with the idea of calling themselves the Lay-Rites, Mark Steady Go, and the Barbershop Quartet, before settling on the inspired choice of the Bembol Rockers, both in tribute to the bald-headed actor and because of the name?s instant recall.

Amazingly, rock club audiences took to the Bembols? music right from the beginning.

?It still sounds new and fresh to them,? says Marc. ?Besides, it was easy for listeners who were used to hearing ska to accept our music.?

The band could also spark a full-fledged revival of the popularity of Dixie Peach pomade, if Lakshmi?s sculpted pompadour ever catches on.

The Bembol Rockers are currently working on their first album, which they hope will see the light of day before mid-year. In the meantime, their demos have seen radio airplay, and the curious can get a taste of originals such as ?Boogie Mo,? ?Oh Cristine,? ?Song for My Baby,? and ?My Angela? on the Internet, or better yet, live at one of the band?s club gigs.

?The band?s music is positive,? says Louie, their manager. ?The songs are about love, relationships, family and friends. There?s no angst, so it?s refreshing.?

Julio Madiaga, Bembol Roco?s movie alter ego, would definitely approve.