The audio-visual Pedicab

Add Pedicab to the roster of new Pinoy bands. And I really mean A-list because bands are literally popping out of the woodwork these days. In fact, identifying them as this or that is now starting to be difficult. That must be the reason why new band Pedicab is going through great pains just to be distinguished from the others.

The members of Pedicab are familiar names in the local rock scene. I am not familiar with the band history of Jason Caballa who plays the guitar but Pedicab has Raimund Marasigan of Eraserheads, Sandwich and Cambio is on keyboards, Diego Mapa of Monsterbot, Eggboy and Cambio is on lead vocals and Mike Dizon of Teeth and Sandwich is on drums. The innovative addition is R.A. who puts on the live visual feed. They chose to call themselves Pedicab because they like to think of their music as madaling sakyan just like our ubiquitous pedicabs. And they refer to their kind of music as "dunk" because it is danceable punk.

But being a part of Pedicab is not easy. Since bands today are dime a dozen, the members of this group require adherence to a set of rules that they formulated themselves. Like, these are the things you have to do if you want to stay. One is the use of particular costumes for their shows. This is so that their audience could distinguish with which band they are playing during that gig. Like they would not want people to think they are watching the E-Heads or Sandwich because Marasigan is on keyboards and Mike is on bass. Another is the use of audio-visuals. Pedicab never performs without those visuals and that is what R.A. is there for. Other groups might have DJs spinning sounds for effect. Pedicab has sounds and visuals incorporated in its act.

Then there are their names. Along with wearing distinctive and even ridiculous costumes, which can be anything from polka-dotted pajamas to huge 3-D glasses, these guys also assume other names when they are performing with Pedicab. Raimund is Sugaraims. Jason is J. Sonic. Mike is Masterbeat. Diego, who is brother to actor Jao, is Mappy. R.A. is Just Toni. Needless to say, this ploy also helps when their other bands are on the same bill. Just put on the costume to become Pedicab. Then remove it to be with Sandwich.

If this introduction to Pedicab is beginning to make no sense, then you just have to take a deep breath, clear the air and get ready for more of the unexpected. The title of this very energetic first album of the band is Tugish Takish. I am sure that it is not Yiddish or Taglish but just something that these guys concocted up. The first single release is a blend of ‘70s punk and ‘80s New Wave titled Dizzy Boy.

The boys spew more nonsense in the rest of the other tracks included in the album are Ang Kailangan, Dito Tayo Sa Dilim, Bleached Streaks, A Stormy Night, Bukas, I Want It Now, Kanti Na Lang, Giving and Receiving, Sagot Kita. Take the songs as they are. Remember punk started out as chaotic musings but many years later, even the late Sid Vicious came to make some sense.

Tugish Takish would have been perfect if the group were able to use one of those new discs that flips and plays video on the other side. That would have really completed Pedicab’s debut as an audio-visual dunk band. But since our replication facilities are not yet able to supply that sort of service, Pedicab has to be like others and makes do with two discs. One is for the audio while the other one contains the videos of Dizzy Boy and A Stormy Night.

This week’s OPM Top 10

Original Pilipino Music continues to dominate the video hit list at MYX, the local music channel. Here is this OPM week’s Top 10: Tell Me Where It Hurts by M.Y.M.P.; The Day You Said Goodnight by Hale; I Want to Know What Love Is by Sarah Geronimo; Hallelujah by Bamboo; Stay by Cueshe; Sweet by South Border; When You Find Your Voice by Rachelle Ann Go; I Know by Yasmien Kurdi; Di Na Ba Kita Mapipigilan by Jaya and Same Ground by Kitchie Nadal.