The Spotlight is on Filipino Indie Music for Jack Daniel's On Stage 2024

Jack Daniel’s has long associated itself with music. From small underground venues to the biggest concerts in the country, the American whisky brand has been supporting the music industry for years. 

Here in Manila, the brand is now partnering with different independent promotions and communities to showcase the best young up-and-coming talent. This is similar to the brand’s many pre-pandemic events such as “Future Legends” in 2018 and “Indie Fest” in 2016, when it collaborated and championed many local indie musicians such as Oh! Flamingo, Unique, Autotelic, to name a few. 

On Tuesday, September 24, at the Hard Rock Cafe Manila located in Conrad Hotel in Pasay City, Jack Daniel’s formally launched ON STAGE 2024 alongside Metro Manila’s most sought-after promotions and active music communities who have made a name for themselves over the last few years.

Slogans read “WHERE THERE’S JACK, THERE’S MUSIC” across the venue as live performances blared over the speakers. Psychedelic indie rock band Oh, Flamingo!, whose legendary scene reputation include them being one of the Top 3 bands handpicked by Jack Daniels almost half a decade ago, graced the stage with their tunes and anthems while pop-rock mainstays Autotelic not only launched themselves to the mainstream with their hits but are also participating as a production partner as “Otelik Presents.” 

Gabriel Fajardo, the brand manager of Jack Daniel’s Emerging Asia states that there’s always been a connection between Jack Daniels and the music. “Music has always been part of Jack Daniel’s DNA,” he said. “It’s through music that the brand has solidified its place in culture and how many people have connected with Jack over the years.” 

Jack Daniel’s ON STAGE 2024’s production partners aren’t just tastemakers, they’re known to build community from the ground up. Alongside experienced, veteran production groups such as GNN (Gabi Na Naman Productions), Locked Down Entertainment, and Doc Def Productions, there were also relatively newer partner productions such as SYQL, The Flying Lugaw, the aforementioned Otelik Presents, and Funky Beat Entertainment.

Over the next 2 months, those production groups will be presenting their artist bills. Further details for each show will be announced closer to the show dates. To add more excitement to those showcases and to attract as many audiences as possible, admission to all shows are free. 

Fajardo further explains the premise of these production partners participating in the half-year long event showcase “We want to give up-and-coming artists the avenue to feel the adrenaline of the live stages, of putting themselves out there for everyone to listen and watch. As we’ve said, we want their stories to be heard by people and to give them the opportunity to share their music boldly to the world through Jack Daniel’s On Stage.”

The future's looking bright for brands to finally give independent, artist-run production groups a chance to highlight not only their personality but also their taste in collectivizing the audience in one giant mosh pit and drink the night away with Jack Daniel’s supporting the scene all the way.