PAROKYA NI EDGAR as MIDDLE AGED JUVENILE NOVELTY POP ROCKERS

Seventeen years are like streaks of lightning in time and eternity since Parokya Ni Edgar sparked their plight on the vastness of OPM universe, yet their glow seems never did faded, they're just getting better, and better and funnier as time gets old instead.

They've been so comical, easy coming, happy going all through these years that they've been band of brothers; without substitutes, maybe without compromise to their brotherhood in music. Thus, in life you don't have to be so serious they said, you won't get out alive anyway.

No question, no doubt for longevity perennial questions wave trough interviews, it's their respect for their fellow artists and their amicability with life that dangles their career few miles more.
So what's hot on the store once again with them?

It's a potpourri once again of sizzling comical antic bringing each of our auditory faculty a lift and touch of life's funny bones. Perhaps you won't caught them alive mourning with life. They're constantly surfing with it's turbulent wave light as feather, matured and responsible as middle aged, cunning as juveniles, making novelty out of it as pop rockers do.

Making hefty share on the shelf is the “Middle Aged Juvenile Novelty Pop Rockers.” Made from a playful advocacy of each and every ones mind. Trying to assert more pieces of themselves.

“Middle age juvenile novelty poprockers kasi ano yan eh we're trying to describe ourselves as this point in time kung ano kami 'yun 'yung lumabas parang ninja turtles ah. So nagbranch out dun nagmula 'yung concept ng album,” Chito the middle man and the spokesperson of the band.

Who would dare miss the memory of the past who makes up most of their present? I guess, nobody does. Band's like Parokya, tries to recap and reminisce the past happy go lucky musical moments they've shared without compromising the identity of the tune, tone and the song itself. “Same pa rin pero mas may concious effort pa rin na 'yung tunog gan'un pa rin talaga pero 'yung mood parang sinadya namin gawing parang first album ulit. Medyo raw and basic as always. Back to basics talaga parang Khangkhongkhermitz talaga siya. Noong 90s yun talaga ang gusto naming mood talaga mula sa songwriting hanggang sa recording,” Chito clears the question.

The “Solid” album explains a simple guys-next-door holding a mop, tossing a piece of paper slabs on the street. Teen aged juvinile however is a retrospect of the past albums. “With Solid naman, yung kantahan lang na simple, sa bahay lang, di naman engrande. Sa recording naman most of my bandmates, sa bahay lang kami. Sa Solid, we did that as if no one whould listen. Simple lang sya. It talks about cleaning a room, talks about paggawa ng kanta. Pero dito sa new album na to, balik sya sa kalokohan. May balik sa lab songs, kasi walang lab songs nung huli eh. It talks about barkada – as always chupsuey naman talaga palagi.”

The fun will always be the cream of their craft for without it, it ceases to be an album, or perhaps you'd notice a lack of notes stringed on it. Pressures will just be sidekicks in mending broken potential notes, nonetheless it doesn't seems to bother them.

“Walang pressure. It took a while nga bago ilabas yung Teen-Aged juvinile eh. We make sure to have fun while doing everything things. We try not to stress ourselves over it na parang kailangan may timing. We are two years behind schedule now. Yung Universal (Records) kasi they want to come up with an album every a year and a half, but we were busy touring and ayaw din namin pilitin. Narealize namin na the best way to to do it not to pressure ourselves. But the pressures are always there. Pero yung pressure namin is hindi dahil sa recording company or sa mga tao, na to come up with something na hindi crap. Gusto namin to please ourselves but at the same time edible pa rin naman sa mga tao na nakikinig sa amin before and still being it to intruduce it to yunger crowds. So yun lang naman ang pressure. Gusto lang namin mag-come up with good songs. Pressure pa rin sya pero we don't take it seriously.”

Longevity in other way around is a balance between personal, familial as well as business. When it's time to drop a note on the recording strip one has to do it for business. To complete the melody of life one has to give time to himself and his family. Since each one of them cannot give to the band what they cannot give to themselves.

“Mahirap planuhin kung ano yung magiging concept ng album lalo na for us yung sumisikat each time. Mahirap pantayan ang pinagdaanan ng bawat album. So for this 2 years nagkanya-kanya kaming gawa ng mga personal things gaya ng family and friennds. And when we go back to business, si Chito nerere-mind din kami palaga to give time na dumaan sa recording studio to fill in our piggy bank of songs until such time na nabuo na yung kanta. Kaya yung concept saka na yun pag puno na yung kung baga piggy bank ng mga kanta namin.”


WORK, TIME AND BOTH

Do you consider it work enjoying the band for a long time?
Work talaga sya. We were tired but we never get tired of it. The good thing about it is enjoy what we were doing. Nakakapagud talaga sya. Everyday is eaten by something by the band talaga; coming up with songs, finishing the album, promote it, then we have to come with with the new material for the next album. Hard work talaga but the thing is we really enjoy it that's why andito pa kami.

Compared to when you first recorded the album, can you talk about how do you think the band is evolving?
Si Buwi nagmature sya ng kunti ng nag Franco sya. Normally tingin ng mga tao sa side band/project nakakagulo kasi it's a destruction but for us nakakatulong lalo na kay Buwi kasi nagkaroon sya ng bagong perspective sa pagbi-base. Pero sa amin, lalo na kay Vince, after 17 years nagsusulat na ng kanta at sya tatapus nun, lol. He has wrote 4 to 5 song already. Yung nga lang tumatanda na kaming lahat. Mahirap na bumangon. May mga rayuma na, body pains lol.

Any collaborations so far in the new album?
Si Vince pina-guest namin, lol. Si Gloc-9 sympre, saka may friend kami dun na si Happy (Happee).

What does it mean to you that you still have followers all through these years of existence as band?
Subrang saya. May nikikita pa rin kaming high school. Mayroon nga simula pa nung elementary hangang ngayon may trabaho na, fans pa rin namin. So, nakakatuwa yung mula kids nakikinig pa rin hanggang ngayon at nakakatuwa pa rin yung mga kids at ang mga tao na nakikinig pa rin kahit maramging magagaling ng mga bagong banda and we are very very thankful for that.

So, what happens next?
Bibili na kami ng ataul, lol. It's either mamatay dahil sa katandaan o atake sa puso, overdose, stroke yan yung chose path namin. Ayaw naming mamatay of natural causes, lol. Pero while waiting for that, gawa ng gawa lang kami ng album.

If you were given the chance to turn back time, what other improvements you might have done to your previous albums?
Wala na kaming pueding palitan dun, sakto na yun. Ayaw na naming galawin yung song, kasi yun na yun eh. Kahit panget sya, part na kasi sya ng growth ng banda eh. Kunyari sa inuman session, dami namin (Chito) reklamo ni darius dun. Pero maganda sana kung mas maaga namin ginawa. Nagstart kasi kami seventeen na kami eh. Kung puede lang talaga first year high school na simulan.

What are your takes on the new music mainstreaming sensations such as K-POP?
(Chito) Ako ok ako sa K-Pop, ayoko ng P-Pop kasi ginagaya lang nila yung K-Pop eh yung mga XLR8 na yan mga Pop Girls na yan. They should come up with something original. Pero yung K-Pop galing talaga nila eh. Girls Generation, 2NE1, jejemon, lol.

How do you skillfully manage between your family and career?
(Dindin) Para sa akin ganun lang din parang ito na yung pinakatrabaho ko eh. Ito na kumbaga yung pinaka ninety-five ko eh. Syempre pag-uwi mo sa bahay kailangan mong magpatulog ng bata, maghatid sa school, magpalit ng diapers. Pero nasanay na rin ako eh.

Any brotherly advise for new coming bands out there?
Kailangan mo ng matinding perseverance, saka mahalin mo yung trabaho mo. Pag walang tiyaga walang nilaga. Sa music wala na silang proproblemahin kasi galing talaga ng music ng generation ngayon as compared before. Although yung generation namin we think that we came up also with brilliant songs like Eheads and Rivermaya, pero yung mga ginagawa ng mga bata ngayon subrang galing talaga like Urbandub, basta ang gagaling nila. Besides siguro for perseverance sa tingin ko (Chito) respect then sa individual sa bawat member for them to last. Kasi without respect, you can be hard working for as long as you want, pero for the band talaga to last restpect talaga sa kapwa nila ka-banda, differences, teamwork din.

Any misconceptions so far about you as a band?
Na makulet kami all the time. Makulet kami when we're together pero on our own we religious. We take drugs, lol. But we really care with each other. Kahit gaano kami kaasar sa isa't isa, wala eh when we were together masaya lang talaga kami eh.

At our end any message to our BANDS readers, subscribers and fans?
BANDS readers thanks sa lahat ng readership nyo. Salamat sa pagsuporta sa local bands, subrang laking bagay nyo kahit exposed kayo sa internet to international you still chose to listen to local bands. We're so very thankful dahil sa inyo hindi namamatay yung local music scene!

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