The band formed in 2007 out of a shared love for punk rock. Former vocalist Iping Morales christened the band The Ambassadors of Goodwill, “Because we wanted to spread goodwill through music,” says Bai. From there emerged the shortened name, and three albums in two years soon followed together with a solid on-ground following and some zany music videos (including one that involves a blue bear popping up everywhere, shot for the band’s single ‘Smile’ off the last album Question Mark).
Yet after the third album, the band was hit by the departure of Iping. (“Iping left the band for personal reasons,” says Bai simply. “But yeah, we’re all still friends.”) Regrouping, Bai took over frontman duties while the band recruited Chris to fill in the guitar void. And in true testament to the Philippines’ close-knit indie community, members from other acts soon joined in the project. Urbandub frontman Gabby Alipe helped produce some vocal parts, Ga Mendoza from Gabby’s side project Beachhead chipped in vocals for ‘This Is The End’, and the label staff together with other Faspitch and Urbandub members all added the gang shouts. “The Filipino independent music scene just keeps getting better and better,” says Bai. “There are a lot of great bands, musicians and new music. It’s awesome.”
As The Ambassadors get ready to traverse broader shores, they know it will take more than friendly handshakes and fine dining to smooth over the masses. Yet they seem to be all primed for the challenge of making new buddies. “We treat our fans just like we’d treat our friends,” says Joyjoy. “We drink, we hang out and sometimes we skate with them. We definitely respect and love them.”
Nevertheless, proper introductions are in order.
