Wiseguys faring well with "Kuwago"

Looks like the Wiseguys are all set to make up for the neglect that the boy band sound seems to be suffering among local music producers. Take note that since this worldwide phenomenon came about, the only successful attempt we have had was Nanghihinayang with Jeremiah. After the group's second attempt collapsed with a thud, nothing was heard anymore about pop male groups in the mold of the Backstreet Boys or 98 Degrees. Except of course for Wiseguys which was doing okay in the club circuit but still had to have a really big hit.

Well, it looks like it will finally happen for this diligent foursome and it is all due to the owl. Nightingales, canaries, mayas and even flamingos are the sort of birds we usually find mentioned in relation to romantic feelings in songs, while eagles evoke inspiring thoughts. Although considered wise, this nightbird is a creature of the dark and I cannot recall anybody having written a song about the owl except perhaps in something about Winnie the Pooh and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood which includes an owl named Owl.

The Wiseguys though sing about a different kind of owl. Composed by Carlo Salcedo and produced by Ben Escasa, the song is about the kuwago who stays awake through cups of coffee, HBO, Discovery, the radio na parang mga loko akala mo kuwago nangangarap nang gising hanggang alas kwatro. I am sure this rings a lot of bells not only among the insomniacs but also anybody who has ever had a sleepless night na parang kuwago.

Kuwago is the first single, from the Wiseguys' first album under Viva Records, the boys' new label. Also titled Wiseguys, it is a sleekly produced, tight collection that proves that this is one group that can really dish out the harmonies. There is also a marked refusal to pigeon-hole themselves in one type of music and to sound like any of the popular foreign boy groups today. A combination of 98 Degrees and the Lettermen of the '60s is the closest I can come up with.

The album is mix of old and new tunes of assorted types but which were all rearranged to suit the Wiseguys' styles. There are originals like Kuwago, Ang Buong Akala Ko, Kung Siya Talaga, Sabi Mo, Sa Wari Ko'y Ikaw and Love is Here to Stay. There are Manila Sound classics like Rey Valera's first hit Ako Si Superman and Martin Nievera's Be My Lady. And then there are the covers of time-tested favorites like Fra Lippo Lippi's Light and Shade, Madonna's Crazy for You, Stevie Wonder's Too Shy to Say and Promise by When in Rome. Wiseguys is made up of Guy Gonzales, Jam Capistrano, Jay Roa Yu and Paul Sison. The group was the brain child of the departed fashion designer Cliff Candelaria, who way back in 1994 thought the local music could use a four-part harmony boy group and embarked on a large scale talent search. Only Guy remains of Cliff's original quartet but I am sure that wherever he is in designer heaven, he must be very pleased with the talented, hardworking bunch that Wiseguys has become. Besides, Kuwago is shaping up to be a hit and that is what being part of pop music is all about.

For live music by the Wiseguys, you can catch the group at Strumms at El Pueblo and Makati, the Newsbar Café and the Virtuality Music Lounge.

Remember foodshelter&clothing? This was the rock band from Bacolod that became one of MTV's Out of the Box choices a year or two ago. For some reason or another the group limits itself to selling albums only through mail order. Not one album, and foodshelter&clothing already has five, is available in regular outlets. Which is such a pity because even you are not a fan of the hard-driving sort of techno-rock that they create you cannot help but admire their adherence to their own style and beliefs.

The latest from foodshelter&clothing is Multiplest Abwounds, which features 10 of the best cuts from past albums plus, and here's how the blurb goes, "2 previously unreleased ultra-deep lacerations that won't heal with time!!!" That means two new originals. The collection is released in cooperation with the Alamat Group of Comics.

Now, to listen to what you have been missing, write to DIY Tapes Ltd., Box 543, 6100 Bacolod City, Phils. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a free catalogue and mail order coupon.