Music photographer and writer Niña Sandejas has documented nearly two decades of Greyhoundz’ journey in Philippine music through her debut book, “GREYHOUNDZ,” a 408-page hardcover published under her independent imprint, alt164 Press.
Known for helping bridge hip-hop and metal in Philippine rock, Greyhoundz became a defining name in the country’s nu-metal scene. Its sound helped popularize “Kupaw,” an unofficial term associated with the genre that takes its name from “Hupaw!,” the chant and battle cry in the band’s song “Pigface.” The word is also Visayan for a sigh, or breathing heavily and deeply.
The movement also included bands such as Slapshock and Queso, known for songs including “Shoot to Kill” and “Mr. P.I.G.”
Greyhoundz also has Visayan roots. Cousins Audie and Niño Avenido spent their early years in Cebu before moving to Manila, where they formed the band in 1997 while living inside Camp Crame. Mindanao-born vocalist Reg Rubio later joined as frontman.
Through photographs and other archival materials, Sandejas’ book offers an intimate look at the band and its place in the Philippine music scene.
Preserving PH music
through print
Beyond documenting Greyhoundz, the project addresses a growing concern for Sandejas: the loss of the country’s visual music history. With limited archival infrastructure, much of the photographic record of Philippine music remains stored on personal hard drives and mobile phones, leaving it vulnerable to loss.
“The question I kept asking myself was: if something happened to my drives tomorrow, would anyone know this band the way I knew them? The answer scared me. So I made the book,” Sandejas said.
For the photographer, a physical book offers a way to preserve these images beyond personal digital collections.
Sandejas has photographed other Filipino acts since 2004, including Rivermaya, Sponge Cola and Kamikazee. She has also documented the FlipTop Battle League, serving as its official photographer since 2016.
“GREYHOUNDZ” is the first in a planned series of books dedicated to documenting Philippine music culture. Through her own imprint, Sandejas hopes to preserve photographs, concert flyers and recordings that might otherwise remain scattered among private collections.
The book is a numbered limited edition featuring a Smyth-sewn hardcover, a gold-debossed cover and sprayed gold edges.
In an era when photographs and memories are often kept on hard drives and phones, putting them in print is a reminder that cultural history needs more than digital storage to survive. The Manila-based archivist’s decision to document Greyhoundz in a book offers a model for others who hold pieces of the Philippines’ creative history to consider how these can be preserved and passed on to future generations. S