Never quite edgy enough to be considered alternative, yet too influenced by '80s new wave to be called pop, the Philippines' RiverMaya have been swimming between the waters of mass appeal and cutting-edge credibility since the early '90s. RiverMaya was actually created by the band's manager, Lizza Nakpil, in 1993. Nakpil wanted to construct a rock group and after auditioning numerous musicians and undergoing lineup changes, RiverMaya was formed with Bamboo Manalac (vocals), Perf de Castro (guitar), Nathan Azarcon (bass), Rico Blanco (keyboards), and Mark Escueta (drums).
In 1994, the band released their self-titled debut album on BMG Records Pilipinas. Caught in the midst of a modern rock revolution in the Philippines, the LP went gold in a few months; it was eventually certified triple platinum. However, Castro then departed from the group to start his own band, Triaxis. With Castro gone, Blanco became the lead guitarist.
In 1996, RiverMaya's second album, Trip, hit the shelves; it toppled its predecessor in sales, going quadruple platinum and receiving critical acclaim. A year later, the group's third effort, Atomic Bomb, continued their massive success. Manalac left RiverMaya in 1998, deciding to stay in America after a U.S. tour. Consequently, the band re-recorded their fourth album, 1999's It's Not Easy Being Green with Blanco singing. Although It's Not Easy Being Green sold well, it wasn't as popular as their previous hits; nevertheless, the group's rougher sound gained them more respect. In 2000, RiverMaya released Free through the Internet; true to its name, it didn't cost their fans a cent to obtain.
When Bamboo and Nathan left the band,Rico Blanco and Mark Escueta remained as members. They recruited three different musicians to fill in the space left by the former members. Completing the lineup were familiar local guitar heroes, Victor "Kakoy" Legaspi (from blues band Mr. Crayon) and Mike Elgar (from 7 Foot Junior) as well as Japs Sergio (from Daydream Cycle) on bass guitar. This new line-up allowed Rico Blanco to handle vocal duties full-time during live shows.
In 2007 Rico Blanco officially announced his departure from the group.Rivermaya held auditions for a new vocalist. The auditions was televised on Studio 23, which was titled Bagong Liwanag. Aside from the band members, main judges are Rivermaya manager Lizza Nakpil, The Dawn guitarist Francis Reyes, and Razorback bassist Louie Talan. On October 24, 2007, then-18-year-old Jayson Fernandez (usually spelled as "Jason") was announced as the winner and new member of Rivermaya.
On February 22, 2011, Rivermaya's official Facebook page announced that they would release their music video titled "Remenis" [Reminisce] and will formally introduce their new members, Ryan Peralta and Norby David of the band Overtone.
Jayson Fernandez and Japs Sergio left the band, Nathan Azarcon is currently joining Rivermaya as a bassist.
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