SPONGE COLA - BETTER THAN EVER

Time's still young for the sunset to eclipse Sponge Cola who's getting better than ever. Awards and recognitions that went after and even before their musical inventiveness teases them to a level-up.

Their objective performances are assertive enough that these warm-blooded rock act has something more to prove. This bold thought was just redeemed by the recently concluded Music Video Premiere of their single “Movie.” A music video done with practical and intuitive vision to further spice up the group's searing musical career, with ordinate intent for self-expression and maturation through music. Common artists' sentiments tell us that doing music video is not as easy we think, rather, each scene is worth forty-winks with shared indulgence of time, money, energy and supportive staff.

These guys isn't just geared for any gig schedules and respectable complements, they're also apt for a generous amount of time shared on us despite the tiring schedules. So grateful that we've been favored once more to have them for a photo shot and interview sessions speaking-out their thoughts.

Like any other humble beginnings, Sponge Cola started picking up pieces from their previous experiences, more in particular musical and theatrical. These guys all came from the same academic asylum of Ateneo. This league of young gentlemen was convened during their high school days.

Yael speaks, “Gosh and I were classmates. Si Chris kasama namin sa Theatro Baguntao. Armo was a theater goer. So, ganon kami nagsimula, and actually magkaka-batch kami noong high school.”

And how was Sponge Cola doing better than ever could be partly accounted to their early exposure. Teatro Baguntao and White Chapel were phenomenal in the formation of this group. “To a certain extent my naturo s'ya sa amin na sense of decipline na naincorporate namin sa performance and sa songwriting and in life in general, in work ethic.

In a nutshell it helps shape us hindi lang sa music kundi pati sa aming everyday life, kaya irerecommend namin yan (theater, Theatro Baguntao) sa mga bata kasi ibang klase ng disiplina yan eh,” explains Yael, the bands front man and spokesperson. Well enough that speaks of their 5 years of their musical existence.


Yael speaks wiser now, “well a little bit older, a little bit wiser. We’re just having fun really. Masaya, we enjoy each other’s company.” And it's even wiser with their auspicious rapport with their respective recording label providers. “Ok naman. Maganda. We say hi, hello,” the group chorused.

After such retrospect, the present stream of thought will tell us better than ever. Just after they graduated college, they recorded their second album “Transit.” The album was released on September with a launch party in Metrowalk, Ortigas, under Universal Records. “The material was written naman at the time na parang ang song is written for the album hindi parang a collaboration or compilation of songs. Parang mayroon syang awareness sa amin as writers and as musicians. Meron kaming awareness na it's part of an album. Hindi s'ya mere compilation because compilation is just stringing together songs and putting them on one album. And all songs in transit are all-original songs,” Yael elaborated.

The album was spearheaded by the single Bitiw, which enjoyed a massive airplay and a bonus package when it became a theme song of the ABS-CBN's weekly movie series Pedro Penduko. While the album itself is being figured-out by its containing tracks, revival or original, just happened to ask them if there is any song in the album which became a hit, unexpectedly by them.

Yael with reassuring thought elucidated, “we can't really tell sa totoo lang. We just play them. People will just listen, sometimes they don't. Kaya you can't really tell. Saka minsan parang tsambahan s'ya. Parang kung mabait ka, hindi mo naman masasabing mabait ka eh. Ang nakakasabi lang nyan ay yung mga taong nakakasama nyo. Para kasing mayabang ka na pag kusa mong sinabing mabait ka na, parang ganon. So we can't really tell. To our standpoint we are biased if we say we made it.”

“Music is used to enrich your life and it makes life worth living. Good health is good, but it could be much better with music.”

As expectant fanatics and supporters, we are at the receiving end waiting for more after the foretaste of the recent work of art. Yael reassures, “well, as of now, we just in fact released our new single (music video of “Movie”), kaninang umaga lang yun (that's August 1) . Once again the plan is to come up with songs, it is where the album will come out. Hindi sya parang, oy gawa tayo ng album kailangan eh sige labas lahat (laughs). But as of now we are just focusing on the now of the things. Patuloy pa rin kaming gagawa ng mga kanta na kagigiliwan nating lahat, hopefully kagigiliwan nating lahat.”



BIRD'S EYE VIEW

What is your impression about your fellow rock artists?
Well, lahat naman kasi ng bands nasa isang scene lang. The more the merrier. Saka kanya-kanyang gawa, kanya-kanyang trip. Hindi naman kami nag-aaway-away, kumbaga, kanya-kanya eh, iba yung trip namin, iba yung trip nila.

What are your opinions about some bands splitting away at this moment?
Di naman actually s'ya trend ngayon or anything. Personal decisions yan of an individuals who work in a group and nagkataon lang siguro na nagkasabay. Wala naman sigurong trend doon. Saka meron silang magandang rason kung bakit nila ginagawa yon na pueding alam natin, pueding hindi.

Do you believe in the possibility that same thing will happen soon to your group?
Oo naman! Totoo naman, di ba! Saka di naman tayo peuding mag-ilusyon na ah, friends tayo lahat forever. Meron talagang possibility, but with us as much as possible, ayaw namin mangyari yan sa grupo.

“Ginagawa lang namin kung ano yung ginagawa ng maraming banda, then in our uniqueness we are all the same.”

How would you explain to your fans if things such as that will happen?
Siguro poproblemahin na lang namin yan pag-umabot na kami doon. Saka di naman namin muna kailangang mag-practice (laughs).

How do you see music? Do you see it as business, career or a sort of hanap buhay?
Circus! (laughs). Marami, music is a many splendored things. Music talaga is pangangailan s'ya ng tao na ma-express ang kanyang sarili. O, pangangailangan ng tao na makarinig ng bagay na hindi pag pokpok ng martilyo or pagbusina ng mga jeep. Kaya kailangan may marinig kang something na puede mong iuwi na ipapaalala sa'yo yung experience na masaya na puede mong ulit-ulitin na maalala mo. Music is used to enrich your life and it makes life worth living. Good health is good, but it could be much better with music. At ang pinakamagandang nagagawa nya is una-una, di rin naman ganon kamahal ang music. Kasi sabihin mo lang sa kapatid mo tsong kanta ka naman dyan (laughs). Para syang asin, mahirap kainin ang pagkaing walang asin.

Given the chance to rate your live performances from 1-10, how would you rate it?
Minsan 10, minsan 2 (laughs). Minsan 11, minsan negative 5 (laughs). My moments din kasi ang pagtugtug ng music eh. Saka minsan maganda rin lumalampas ng ten, kunyari nagiging twelve, ganon, kasi parang pinagpractisan mo pati yung mga sinasabi. Saka possible lang siguro yung 11 saka 12 kung nakaka-experience ka ng mga negative side.


Do you believe music helps in the development of the our society? How?
Of course, maraming ways. Of course music, kapag sinabi nating music na may lyrics and language involved na, nafa-further n'ya ang sense of nationalism ng isang grupo ng mga tao. Nagkakaroon din yan epikto kapag sama-samang kumakanta ang mga tao at may iisang kantang kinagigiliwan, nagkakaroon sila ng feeling of unity and togetherness. Say for example, wala namang bansang walang national anthem. Kasi puede rin namang mag panatang makabayan na lang tayong lahat eh (laughs). Pero maganda talaga yung Lupang Hinirang kasi may tuno s'ya eh. Mas maganda talaga pag may tuno kasi mas naisasapuso mo sya eh. It's also the way na yung pattern ng buhay napa-pass down. Kunyari di natin alam kung ano yung buhay ng seventies, makinig tayo sa music nila then malalaman natin ah ganon pala sila. Kong 'di man eksakto, mayroon kang idea.

What is your opinion about music piracy?
Kanser ng lipunan yun eh! (laughs). Basta...umm(thinking), basta masama yun eh, yun lang(laughs). Parang wala kang magagawa eh, some people just do that. At least matutuwa ka na lang na may iba pa rin namang taong bumibili ng album. Nererespeto pa rin yung mga pinaghirapan namin.

There is a controversy with the song “Crazy For You” that you were identified as the original instead of Madonna, can you clarify?
Dati mayroon, pero ngayon wala na yon. May na skip kasing generation ang music eh. Sometimes 'di naman s'ya umabot to a certain batch of listeners kaya nagka-come up s'ya na parang yung remake naging first time experience s'ya. Kaya, we can't blame people naman for not being born to relieve at that point. Kahit naman yung version namin luma na rin. Ginawa na lang namin live recordings. Tuloy lang ang ligaya.

Yael, how is your career as a vocalist?
Ok pa naman, di pa naman sya past tense (laughs). Ano pa naman sya, 'is' pa naman. Ok, masaya at minsan nakakapagud.

Erwin, as a lead guitarist, how was that?
May igagaling pa (laughs). Patuloy pa rin na magpapagaling. Ayaw ko namang tumigil sa point na, ah ito na lang ang kaya kung gawin, o kaya puede na to, ito lang mga alam ko. Gusto ko matuto ng mga bago.

Gosh, how about being a bassist?
Actually we have the same point. Copy paste na lang (laughs)!

Chris, yours as a drummer?
Ganon din, copy paste (laughs)!

Aside from music, what are those values you've learned as a band?
Well, teamwork, camaraderie, nationalism (laughs), pasensya, being thrifty. Kasi it doesn't matter naman kasi kung nagbanda ka o basketball player ka o dancer ka. Parang bottom line na nasa sa'yo eh kung paano ka matututo. Hindi nagma-matter kung ano yang ginagawa mo, basta gawin mo sya'ng tama. Saka, it is not the spoon that bends, it is you.

What are your claim to fame, what do you have that others don't?
Parang wala eh. Lahat naman kasi ng ginagawa namin nakikita rin namin sa ibang banda eh. (Singing) pantay-pantay lang walang lamangan (laughs). Tumatrabaho naman kami para sa music namin, ginagawa rin naman ng ibang banda yon. Ginagawa lang namin kung ano yung ginagawa ng maraming banda, then in our uniqueness we are all the same.

Do you feel you have something more to prove?
Meron, pero hindi namin sya ginagawang parang driving force. Hindi kami doon naka-fucos na parang lahat ng gagawin namin may kailangang patunayan. Pero ginagawa lang namin kung ano sa tingin namin kung ano yung nararapat.

Despite complements and regards you received from fans, do experience rejection on the other hand?
Kasama naman ata eh. Kung may mga taong pumupuri sayo, di hamak naman na may mga taong aayaw sa yo. Isipin mo na lang si Cobe Bryant, maraming gusto sa kanya, marami din namang ayaw sa kanya. Hindi mo naman maiiwasan 'yon. Kami ginagawa lang namin ang nararapat. 'Di rin masasabi na nakikita yan sa paramihan ng binta ng album. Kunyari nakabinta ka ng isang milyong album pero isang tao lang pala bumili noon. O 'di kaya bumili ang isang tao ng maraming album, wala namang nakinig noon. O 'di kaya'y sinunug naman nila lahat.

If you were to ask me to attend your show, how would you tell me why I should be there?
Pumunta ka, kung ayaw mong pumunta, pumunta ka (laughs). Kung gusto nyo marinig kanta namin, punta kayo (smiles). Saka kung mapipilitan rin lang naman silang pumunta, hindi rin nila mai-enjoy.

What do you think is most important, the image of the group or the image of the music?
Music. Kasi di naman kami 'sikatans' eh, musicians kami. Mas priority palagi ang music kasi, ang kasikatan kasi by-product naman sya ng kung ano yung music nyo. Dapat una talaga palagi yung music.

If ask to sing or perform for the last time what would be that song that you will be singing?
(laughs) Siguro, Jeepney. Every gig naman kasi 'yun yung last song namin eh. Parang live your life like your living it the last day.

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