K and the Boxers welcome ‘new changes’

Lots of bright new changes are being welcomed by the country’s premier comic-singing band, K and the Boxers, composed of K Brosas, Daniel Lardizabal, and Cris Samonte. The modifications go beyond the obvious name change. After the departure of former lead vocalist Gladys Guevara, fresh newcomer Shanna Hife was added to the group.

Moreover, K and the Boxers’ CD, under Viva Records, has been repackaged, re-released, and continues to sell like the proverbial hotcakes. The special edition CD’s carrier single, Sasakyan Kita, turned out to be the group’s biggest hit since Ako’y Napapa-Uhh. It’s a chartbuster not only on the radio but even on the music video hit lists, like the Myx OPM countdown.

"We’re happy about the song’s success," Daniel and Cris chorus.

"When we hear other people’s ring tone on their cellphones is Sasakyan Kita, we get so thrilled," K points out. "It was even number one. It’s crazy!"

They’re delirious with happiness.

Sasakyan Kita was even used as theme song in the traffic report segment of Magandang Umaga Bayan (MUB) and in the scoring of Extra Challenge. "Imagine, it’s now being heard not only on music channels, but also on two major networks: ABS-CBN 2 and GMA 7," K says, beaming with palpable pride. "Its composer Lito Camo must be so rich now."

The prolific hitmaker, you see, is the genius not only behind Sasakyan Kita, but also behind the two other songs in the album, Hay Naku and Mr. Pogi. "In fact, ‘Hay Naku is also being played on MUB," Daniel pipes in.

"We feel so blessed we were given three Lito Camo songs in our album," Cris chimes in. "It’s almost as if he is the producer of our CD," K quips.

The gang had a ball working with the musicmaker dubbed as "Mr. Spaghetti" and "Mr. Otso-Otso." It was a winning combination, K affirms. They made beautifully hilarious music together.

"He’s such a good guy," Daniel avows. "He’s so simple."

"Inspite of his success, he remains humble," Cris beams. "He’s very low-profile."

"High-profit, but low-profile," K exclaims.

Needless to say, their individual types of wacky humor gelled effortlessly. "He’s a breeze to work with," Daniel professes. "We don’t get ill at ease giving our suggestions to him. He is so easy going. He’s like our kabarkada.

"Our album is a collaboration in the real sense of the word," K attests.

"He’s very open to our comments and suggestions," Cris concurs.

"Like in Sasakyan Kita, the rap portion was our idea," K singles out. "Even the Superferry tagline Sakay na! at the end came from us."

The gang’s other Camo original Hay Naku features a "narration" part that was cooked up by K and the Boxers too. And Lito was always welcoming and happy to listen to our inputs," K asserts.

The first time they heard their smash hit Sasakyan Kita on radio, they were ecstatic, to say the least. "I was on the road then," Daniel recalls. "I was in a taxi. It felt great. It’s a different feeling. I told myself: ‘Wow! That’s our new song.’"

Cris, for his part, was at home. "Our helper rushed to my room and told me our song was on the radio. We were so elated. It was because I constantly played the song’s demo tape at home when I was still studying it. So when we finally heard the finished product, we were so pleased."

"I can’t explain the feeling," Kakai recounts. "I was so happy then. Everyone I bumped into was asking me about the song. They were all excited for us. Parang the song’s success caught us by surprise. We didn’t expect it to do so well."

The shoot for the song’s music video was also a blast.

"Kulitan lang kami," Daniel remembers.

"We were just being ourselves," Cris agrees. "We just did what we usually do onstage in our live gigs."

That is exactly the secret of the group’s sassy sense of humor, their kooky chemistry. That’s the same onstage rapport they now share with new recruit Shanna Hife. Just like Cris before her, Shanna didn’t have much difficulty blending with the rest of the troupe.

"She’s a good singer," K introduces the band’s bodacious belter. "She’s a grand finalist in this year’s Star in a Million. She was the big winner for February. She has a powerful voice, Birit kung birit."

"She knows how to do the whistling falsetto," Cris shares.

"A la Mariah Carey," K volunteers.

Because Shanna is a neophyte when it comes to comedy, K gleefully gave the unsuspecting gal a baptism of fire onstage. "That’s our new comedy routine," Kakai says, with a mischievous smile. "I’m the contravida and she’s the underdog. The crowd loved it the first time we did it."

That’s why the crowd keep lining up for their different gigs all over town. You never know what to expect with them around. Every Tuesday, K and the Boxers are the headliners at Soundstage in Cainta. Every Wednesday, fans can catch them at Klownz Araneta. Every Thursday, they topbill the Ratsky’s Malate lineup. Every Friday, they are the toast of the Ratsky’s Morato stage.

They are also mounting special shows this July. On July 16, they will perform at Will’s Diner in Calapan, Mindoro. On July 23, they will share the concert stage with Erik Santos and Angelika de la Cruz in Lucena City, Quezon province. On July 24, K and the Boxers will be the main attraction at the Casino Filipino in Angeles, Pampanga.

Indeed, the entire gang is busy as a bee – buzzing all over showtown.

K and the Boxers is reloaded, all reserved up to the second half of 2004.