Filipina music photographer Niña Sandejas launches photobook on Greyhoundz

Seasoned Filipina music photographer Niña Sandejas has launched alt164 Press, an independent publishing imprint dedicated to the visual archive of Filipino music, alongside its first release, a photobook on the band Greyhoundz.

Simply titled “Greyhoundz,” the hardcover book has 408 pages with over two decades of photographs Sandejas has of the band. According to a press statement, it features live concert shots, backstage access, and unguarded in-between moments across 20 years.

The release added that it is “the first comprehensive visual record ever published of the band, and the first release from an imprint whose mission is to document what Philippine music history has largely left undocumented.”

Sandejas began photographing Greyhoundz in the early years of her career, as an assignment. She has seen them across the highs and lows, peak years, periods of hiatus, and ongoing return, which is what the book will also feature.

“I was photographing Greyhoundz for years, and when I finally sat with all of the photographs, it became clear I was actually documenting something about survival. Theirs. Mine. The way music holds people together when nothing else does,” Sandejas said in the press release.

Pre-orders are open now at alt164.press for P4,990.

Greyhoundz was formed in 1997 in Manila. The band, comprising Reg Rubio on vocals, Audie Avenido on guitar, Niño Avenido on bass, and TJ Brillantes on drums, built a reputation across the Philippine rock underground for fusing metal, rap, and funk: a loud, precise, and distinctly Filipino sound. Their music is widely credited with defining kupaw, a homegrown subgenre of nu metal.

They broke the barriers between rock and hip-hop in the ‘90s, and have collaborated with legendary rappers such as Francis M., Loonie, and Gloc-9.

Meanwhile, Sandejas, who has been working as a photographer since 2004, has photographed bands including Foo Fighters, Radiohead, Metallica, MUSE, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eraserheads, Rivermaya, Razorback, Urbandub, Slapshock, and more.

Since 2016, she has served as the official photographer for FlipTop, the world’s most-viewed rap battle league.

Alt164 Press is an independent Filipino music photography publishing house that produces limited-edition physical photo books, with a mission centered on cultural preservation through documenting the Filipino music scenes.

“Greyhoundz” is the first in a planned series of titles. Future releases will feature other artists, scenes, and photographers from the Philippine visual arts community.

Pre-orders are open now at alt164.press for P4,990. — Nika Roque/LA, GMA News