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HOW do
you keep the flow? How do you go on if people keep on
leaving? How do you last longer than your detractors
expect you to? For a while, these questions—which sound
like addressed to minimum-wage earning Filipinos
contemplating on working abroad—kept on pounding the
present members of Rivermaya. “That’s always been the
case. When I came in, Bamboo [Mañalac, former lead
vocalist] just left. Now, it’s Rico [Blanco, former
keyboard player-vocalist] they’re looking for. As a
band, we’ve gotten used to the comparisons. We kinda
expected those reactions. Sanay na kami. We just
go on and play,” said Japs Sergio, present
bassist-vocalist-composer.
We
recently caught up with one of the longest-lasting rock
bands of today at Metrowalk in Pasig City, where
Rivermaya played for the “Energizer Longest Lasting
Extreme Invasion,” a series of open-to-the-public rock
concerts with extreme-sports contests and raffle prizes.
Depending on how you look at it, Rivermaya’s original
members have moved on to bigger bodies of water, or,
simply out on land. Being managed by professionals—Lizza
Nakpil and director Chito Roño—Rivermaya is a rare case
in the local rock-band scene. They can’t just call it
quits like the Eraserheads. The name has a franchise
element and seems to be bigger than the musicians who
came in and out.
For
Rivermaya, any member seems to be just another session
player.
Among
the well-known casualties are Kenneth Ilagan (now with
Mulatto) Perf de Castro, Kakoi Legaspi (Mr. Crayon),
bassist Nathan Azarcon (now with Bamboo), vocalist
Mañalac and Blanco.
De
Castro formed his own band, the blues-based Tri-Axis
right after Rivermaya released its self-titled first
album in the mid-1990s. The last time we saw de Castro
was sometime in 2006 at the Philamlife Theater, where he
had a solo recital as a classical guitarist. He was
wearing a tuxedo.
Then it
was Mañalac after the third album, Atomic Bomb. Like an
omnipresent holy ghost, Mañalac would literally and
figuratively leave a voice that still haunts Rivermaya.
Or it could be the other way around.
When
Manalac formed his eponymous band with Azarcon, in live
performances people would request him to sing all those
hits from the years he was with Rivermaya. He’ll oblige
and people would go crazy hearing again the original
voice behind the Blanco-penned “214,” “Ulan,” “Kisapmata,”
“Bring Me Down” and “Hinahanap-hanap kita,” among
others.
Blanco,
the brilliant but so-full-of-himself composer (show biz
scribe Jobert Sucaldito once described him as “feeling
gwapo”) left early last year and fans are still waiting
for his return. He once dabbled in fashion design and
the last song he composed that got noticed by fans and
music reviewers is “Control” for VJ-model-actress-singer
Nancy Jane Castiglione’s just-released debut album.
Still,
nearly 90 percent of the hits by Rivermaya came from
Blanco’s creative garden. Contrary to what his surname
means in English, Blanco was full of—aside from
himself—radio-friendly songs. Even KC Concepcion was
said to have been smitten by his ballads and he was once
rumored to be her, for lack of a better term, boyfriend.
Not
surprisingly, all this put pressure on the shoulders of
the present Rivermaya members, whose lead vocalist is
19-year-old mestizo Jayson Fernandez, the product of a
televised search.
“We’re
in the process of practice pa rin. Practice
stage. We have bar gigs everyday,” said present lead
guitarist Mike Elgar. He expounded that since
Fernandez’s inclusion and the band’s semi-hiatus last
year after Blanco left, they still need to be sure that
everything is in place before they plunge into a major
concert.
But with
Fernandez already on vocals, they bravely released the
Buhay album under Warner Music
Philippines
in February this year. The vacuum that Blanco left is an
opportunity for all to fill in. The must-do composing
chore is shared by all members. As Elgar put it: “Now,
all of our songs can be heard.”
He
emphasized that as musicians, they continue to grow.
They have no pretensions that they’re already full-blown
local “rock stars” like Mañalac or Blanco.
“Every
year, we grow. The process continues until our career
ends. We still want to learn,” Sergio agreed. They see
the inclusion of Fernandez as an invite to a new
generation of listeners, since all the other three
members are in their early 30s.
Most
important, the present members are in good terms with
the past. Upon the invitation of drummer Mark Escueta,
who is a member dating back to the first-generation
Rivermaya, former bassist Azarcon jammed with them in a
rare gig at The ’70s Bistro.
“He
played bass, drums and sang original ‘maya’ songs. And
he arrived earlier than us. Ang galing ’di ba?”
said Sergio. There have also been instances when Bamboo
and Rivermaya would play for the same gig. Unlike the
figureheads of
Sandwich and Pupil, they greet each other backstage.
As for
the future, Rivermaya looks forward with a positive
attitude. They have flushed the ones that brought bad
vibes and consider music as the cohesive factor, not any
single one of the band members who have left.
Elgar
sees it as a rebirth. “We’re not aiming to be No. 1,
we’re here for the music. Araw-araw kami magkakasama
pero ’di kami nagkakasawaan. Awa ng Diyos, since
Jayson came in, we felt like we’re also starting and all
the simple things he enjoys, we also do. For him, it’s
all new experiences. Nahahawa kami.”
Sergio
agreed: “Nag-patahi kami. Balik virgin [We all
had a stitch operation. We’re virgins once again].”
***The Energizer Longest Lasting Extreme Invasion will
be at Market! Market! in Taguig on June 1 with Urbandub,
and Riverbanks Marikina on June 15 with Kjwan, with the
support of Magic 89.9, Wave 89.1, Jam 88.3, Schick,
Power Up, Revicon I-on, Samba Corned Beef and Palmolive. |
