The members of Mr. Bones and the Boneyard Circus and their friends ham it up at the Jack on the Rocks send-off party last Saturday night in Metrowalk, Pasig.

MANILA, Philippines -- It’s heavy metal. It’s cabaret. It’s horror theater.

It’s the fusion of nearly everything under the underground rock sun that won for eight-piece Mr. Bones and the Boneyard Circus an all-expense paid trip to Cambodia for the Jack Daniels JD Set showcase of Southeast Asian bands from April 4 - 6, 2013.

The band’s graveyard-themed multimedia extravaganza bested the heavy rock of Kelevra and the pop-rock of Paramita before 1,000 patrons of Jack on the Rocks send-off party last Saturday night at the MetroTent in Metrowalk, Pasig City.

The triumph capped a long and winding search that started two years ago. From hundreds of demos submitted, Jack Daniels handpicked the top 14 in 2011, which was trimmed down to a Chosen 7 in 2012. This year, the top three faced off for the right to be called The Chosen One to earn a free trip to Cambodia.

Bones Frankenstein, lead singer of the band, says, “It’s like a surreal dream come true and it’s just beginning to sink in for some of us. We owe it to our fans, all the boils and ghouls who supported us through thick and thin.”

Pinoy rock icon Jun Lopito mentored and played alongside the band in their winning performance. The set was as far away from the blues-inspired rock that guitarist Lopito came to be associated with but the steampunk of Mr. Bones and the Boneyard Circus was cut from a different musical cloth compared to the more mainstream sound of Paramita and Kelevra.

Boneyard’s multimedia spectacle combines standard heavy rock with industrial metal, progressive rock and electronica. The onstage presentation borrows from cabaret and opera and the fashion sense has been handed down from 19th-century American South.

For added punch, the visuals streaming at the background hint at horror films and macabre theater. Bones Franckenstein appears to be telling a story but the narrative thread seems often lost in the din of the instruments.

Dance-rock duo The Diegos started the competition rolling with a party-hardy DJ set. They were followed by Nine Inch Nails influenced industrial combo Switch.

The mentors of the bands also played their music during the show. Sammy Asuncion, mentor of Kelevra, did extended versions of songs by his reggae band Spy. Guitarist Jun Lopito, adviser of Mr. Bones, fronted a three-piece combo to revive original tracks from his solo releases in the ‘90s.

With its Jack on the Rocks promo, Jack Daniels not only exposes promising bands to a wider audience but also allows the opportunity for their fresh music to be heard internationally.

Previously, Jack Daniels sponsored the musical collaboration between singer-songwriter Cynthia Alexander and Nyko Maca in Hard Rock Singapore. The producer of fine spirits also supported the back-to-back concert of Urbandub with American ska-punk band Good Charlotte.

The JD Search for the Chosen One showcased a wide selection of rock and roll from local acts. It’s fitting that the night’s biggest winner was a Pinoy band with influences from rock to metal to theater to opera.