THE Rolling Stones sang it first: “It’s only rock and roll but I like it.” And don’t we like it? Musical trends come and go. We were plagued by the mushy sweetness of acoustic music all through the early years of this decade and then half-way through we were bombarded with Bossa Nova. The musical landscape was bleak and, yes, we did blame it on the Bossa Nova, thank you very much. But the Home of NU Rock NU107 kept on playing the rock tunes and for the legions of fans of Pinoy rock, we were grateful.

Now, rock music is back on the center stage with a lot of bands doing well with record sales and live performances. Appreciation for it is at an all time high and this makes for an exciting year for the NU107 Rock Awards.

Fourteen awards will be handed out and the winners for some of the categories will be determined partly via online voting through the website. Who rocked it hardest this year? Well, you get to help decide.

And what’s a rock award without some help from their friends? Red Horse will be awarding a special award called “In the Raw.” Smart will be presenting the “U Rock College Band of the Year” and the Smart Buddy Listener’s Choice Award and Nokia has their IAC award.

And who’s going to be rocking it on the night itself? Markus Highway, The Dawn, Greyhoundz, Urbandub, Radio Active Sago Project, Pupil, Rico Blanco, Razorback, Sandwich, and Bamboo.

Catch the NU 107 Rock Awards on Nov. 27 at the Silver City at Frontera Verde Pasig City. Gates open at 5 p.m. Get your tickets at Ticketnet (911-5555).

And the nominees are…

BEST NEW ARTIST
1. TAKEN BY CARS
2. ANGULO
3. THE OUT OF BODY SPECIAL
4. REKLAMO
5. THE CAMERAWALLS

VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

1. GABBY ALIPE of Urbandub
2. ELY BUENDIA of Pupil
3. RICO BLANCO
4. NILES CHONG of Angulo
5. CARLOS MAGNO of The Out of Body Special

GUITARIST OF THE YEAR
1. JOHN DINOPOL of Urbandub
2. RICO BLANCO
3. KELVIN UY of Angulo
4. CHINO SINGSON of Itchyworms
5. LC DE LEON of Reklamo

BEST LIVE ACT
1. URBANDUB
2. SANDWICH
3. GREYHOUNDZ
4. ITCHYWORMS
5. THE SPACEFLOWER SHOW

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
1. URBANDUB
2. SANDWICH
3. PUPIL
4. RICO BLANCO
5. THE OUT OF BODY SPECIAL
6. ANGULO

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
1. “UNDER SOUTHERN LIGHT” of Urbandub
2. “MARKS THE SPOT of Sandwich
3. “WILD LIFE” of Pupil
4. “IS LOVE” of The Out of Body Special
5. “ENDING OF A NEW KIND” of Taken by Cars

SONG OF THE YEAR
1. “BETAMAX” by Sandwich
2. “MONOBLOC” by Pupil
3. “CASTAWAY” by Inyo
4. “EVIDENCE” by Urbandub
5. “THE BEST MISTAKE” by Angulo
6. “PASUBALI” by Spongecola

BEST MUSIC VIDEO
1. “GUILLOTINE” of Urbandub (Directed by Pancho Esguerra)
2. “ANG PUSA MO” of Pedicab (Directed by RA Rivera)
3. “MONOBLOC” of Pupil (Directed by King Palisoc)
4. “FALLEN” of Drip (Directed by Juan Alcazaren)
5. “MASKARA” of Rivermaya (Directed by RA Rivera)

IN THE RAW AWARD
1. SOUL BROTHERS
2. SHUT EYE VIEW
3. CHROMOSOM
4. BEMBOL ROCKERS
5. PLAY

XIV. SMART / UROCK COLLEGE BAND OF THE YEAR
1. FUZZ from ATENEO
2. MITHI from UNIVERSITY of STO. TOMAS
3. BATTLE CITY from COLLEGE of ST. BENILDE
4. THE EIGHTEENS from LETRAN
5. TWIN LOBSTER from ST. SCHOLASTICA’S COLLEGE