Hi my name is Michael S. Ong. People know me as Mico Ong. I come from the Philippines. I try to sound like myself whenever i pick up a guitar, As much as possible i don’t want my influences to pop out whenever I play because I’d rather have the listener hear me instead of someone else.
My favorite quote lately since the pandemic is “Bawal magkasit, para makabili ng gamit”. It roughly translates to, you shouldn’t get sick or you can’t buy any new gear!
Been listening to all sorts of stuff, classical music, Kpop because of the misus, Anime Jrock because of the misus as well, but mostly my bread and butter is Rock music, and heavy metal. I listen to fusion and progressive rock music as well from time to time.
My top 3 songs would probably be:
Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin
Limelight by Rush
Test for Echo Rush
I just love Rush. My additional is Ozzy Osbourne, everything!
Music itself keeps my mind in check when I am concentrating on a job in the shop, it helps pass the time, whenever i hear a good riff it gets me really pumped up so I don’t easily get bored doing whatever.
Whenever someone lends me a guitar to try out, I always make it a habit to treat it as if it were my instrument, i should emphasize that respect should always be in order, if it ain’t mine I should take care of it no matter what.
I got into music back in the early 90’s when I thought I wanted to be a drummer, parents said it was too loud and too expensive, then I wanted a saxophone, my mom said it was also too expensive. So she suggested i try playing the guitar, didn;t really know what to do with it at first until i got guitar lessons from my nearby Yamaha school of music, teacher taught me how to do barre chords and play some folk songs, also asked him to teach me how to play “Anak” by Freddie Aguilar ( Anak means Child). Freddie Aguilar is a famous folk singer back here. I also played that song in my school’s variety show with my Yupangco acoustic guitar. Things really got seriously when my best friend Juan Carlos Lontoc invited to his guitar lesson, i didn’t know anything about rock music at that time and i just didn’t understand what i was hearing, so i was there just listening to his guitar lesson as a sit in, when his teacher pluck those notes of the intro of “Stairway to Heaven”, it was like jolt of electricity and the rest was history. Now music has been loud and at the same time expensive! lol!
Aside from being a guitar player, I used to work as a Chef for a couple of catering firms, hotels and restaurants, but the stress was just too much and I wasn’t enjoying myself because music is and will always be my first. love. Another side of music is the guitars, i love guitar so I ended up working on guitars.
A lot influenced me in my music, my parents, my friends getting me into Led Zeppelin and hearing Welcome to jungle, Highway to hell. guitar players, like Jimmy Page, Alex Lifeson, Marty Friedman, George Lynch, Scott Henderson, Allan Holdsworth, and a lot more. Alot became my influences but i never got to learn some of them.
I remember being nominated as best guitarist in one of our local forums Philmusic Manila before, nothing serious but merely bragging rights among other guitarist friends who were known in the industry.
Lately I have been focusing of my shop Papis Guitar, working on refrets. i get to spend more time on it since i don’t have any bands right now, since i left Kastigo a few years back and left my 14 year stint with Fuseboxx, burn out i guess. Also started focusing on my youtube channel since the pandemic begun. Hopefully when the pandemic is done, i can get back on the saddle and have a new band again.
Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/papisguitar You tube: Channel https://m.youtube.com/user/ongsborn
