Silk: Rare threads for bare midriffs

Navel-gazers, rejoice! It’s the season for the belly-button babes!

If the ’60s had the Fab Four and the ’90s spawned the Ab Fab trend, a new generation of brazen sex kittens whose entire concert wardrobes could all fit in a coin purse. Madonna, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera are just some of the more popular pop icons whose careers have been spurred, not just by their silky voices, but by the sheer power of their bare midriffs as well.

In today’s music industry where looks matter more than inherent talent, the Ab Fab formula is indeed a sure-fire crowd-drawer, so much so that majority of today’s young upstarts have traded their frilly costumes for the more seductive tubes and halter tops.

In fact, one of today’s more popular groups in Manila’s live performance circuit, the Silk Band, has gotten more mileage from their eye-popping costumes rather than the band’s collective sound.

"It wasn’t intentional," explains mainstay Coline Hofer. "It was the trend before, and we just took to it, and before we knew it, we had already been branded for our bare midriffs."

It can’t be helped, that’s for sure. With three ravishing female frontliners dishing out everything from classic R&B to groove-inducing party funk, their lithe bodies gyrating in unison, how can their male fans be disappointed?

Silk was the brainchild of long-time band manager Henry Onglatco who is also responsible for the success of such groups as Passage, Next Level and Unity. "It was Henry’s idea," adds the charming mestiza. "He wanted a band with three female vocalists. At first, we started out as an R&B group, but we realized that music wasn’t really for us. We were more of a party band, so we shifted to pop."

"Henry was the one who came up with the name, and from the start, we liked it as well," Coline asserts. "After all, silk is smooth, strong and precious."

Only three of the original members remain – namely Coline, guitarist Warren de Leon, and bassist Anier Dayan – since the group’s inception in June 1999. The other newer members include vocalists Mae Caragan and Elaine Tadena, keyboardist Ruel de Los Santos and Jason Balunes on drums.

Compared to other lesser-known showbands who haven’t landed any juicy contracts despite long years in the biz, the Silk members have come a long way in three years’ time. That is, aside from a fully-booked weekly sked, the band has earned the nod of Sony Music Phils.

"They had this Star Search about two years ago," Coline narrates. "It was a nationwide contest on TV for all amateur bands. We won, and part of the prize was this deal with Sony. We signed up with them last year."

Recently, Sony Music released Silk’s maiden effort, Nice and Nasty, which includes their debut single Bakit Ngayon Lang, a remake of a Bodjie Dasig original. Aside from the group’s collective efforts at composing and arranging, even their manager gets to flaunt his songwriting flair in Kakaiba. Some of the other cuts include My Baby, Everything, Not Gonna Waste My Time On You, Lover Boy and Nice and Nasty.

It was a grueling, sleep-deprived, one and a half months of tedious recording. Shuttling to and from Pink Noise Studio from early afternoon to 4 a.m. the next day, the Silk members manned the consoles as they carefully laid down each track, tweaking dials, and attempting to nail "that perfect sound."

Now, here’s what separates Silk from the rest of the crop. Unknown to most Silk oglers, the band’s rhythm section is one of the tightest ensemble this side of town – armed with a sonic palette that could shame any self-professed instrumentalist.

The best time to catch the Silk ensemble at their element would be at their soundchecks, when they could blitz through a furious fusion number with much finesse and aplomb, quoting licks from a diverse range of influences including Pat Metheny, Larry Carlton, Frank Gambale, Jaco Pastorius and the Yellowjackets.

Bassist Anier Dayan doesn’t lament the fact that the public doesn’t really get to hear the stuff they really want to play. "It’s a job, basically," he reiterates. "And besides jazz isn’t that popular here in Manila."

"And besides," he quips, "pareho din naman ang bayad eh!"

Guitarist Warren de Leon agrees, though he managed to inject some of his jazz tonalities in the album. "If you listen closely to the title track," he enthuses, "you can hear some of my Larry Carlton influences, which I fused with my own pop style."

While not as solo-oriented as his other bandmates, keyboardist Ruel de los Santos concentrates more on moods and textures, recreating the tonal wizardry of his idols Jim Chappelland David Foster.

For their part, no matter how easy they may seem to make their singing chores, it’s not all fun and games for the femme fatales. "We work hard at our harmonies," explains Elaine. "I handle the soprano parts, Coline takes care of the lower ranges, while Mae’s voice is more suited to the R&B songs."

With a fully-booked schedule that includes such venues as Streetlife, Taza, a bar tour and even a provincial tour spanning Cebu, Bacolod, Dumaguete, Baguio, Tarlac, Dagupan and Naga, one cannot help but wonder… "When the h___ do they get to do their sit-ups?"