Higher octave

MANILA, Philippines - We caught up with Ely Buendia at a recording studio in Mandaluyong, where he was working on an album with his new band, Oktaves. Ely was in his element, away from prying eyes, collaborating with creative contemporaries, and surrounded by musical instruments.

In the studio’s garage, legendary guitarist Nitoy Adriano was jamming on a classic, 1950s, eight-string tabletop guitar, the type they use in old American country songs. The band had bought it online for a small fortune, and had it shipped to Manila from the US. The Oktaves are to use it on their debut album.

Ely led us inside the studio, through a soundproof door, and to a set of computers where sounds were being mixed. A song was played through large speakers — a guitar-heavy, nostalgic work-in-progress entitled Langit Express. Ely sat down, crossed his legs, and put his a hand on his chin. He looked like Rodin’s The Thinker. He mumbled a set of orders, asking for adjustments to the song.

With that done, Ely was ready to talk. We sat down in front of a drum set, and asked him about his latest endeavors, his roots, and the shift to digital music.

­­­ You have a new band called The Oktaves. What’s the difference between the Oktaves, Pupil and your other musical endeavors?

The first difference is the sound. We’re more into roots music — rock and roll, country. Like they say, you always come full-circle. From the Eraserheads, I’ve gone on to other types of music. I’ve always been into modern rock; so that’s what Pupil did. I really grew up with the country type of music, ‘cause that’s what they used to play in the province where I grew up. I just rediscovered that, and it just so happened I found a couple of people who share the same passion for that kind of music. So we formed a band, and now we’re recording.

Who did you listen to as you were growing up?

My mom always used to play the OPM staples of the day, like Rico J. Puno, Diomedes Maturan, Apo Hiking Society. And then, the type of country that we have in the Philippines is leaning towards, I think the closest I can think of is the kundiman. “Country” in the sense that people in the province listen to it.

Why this return to the roots?

I don’t know. It just happens. It’s a natural thing for a person to go through these stages in trying to come up with new stuff to do. I don’t really stop and say, “This is what I want to do now.” When I met these guys in The Oktaves, we were doing something that didn’t really entail forming a group together. It was just a one-off kind of thing, with the Asiong Salonga project. They backed me up on the song (I recorded for the film). Afterwards, through jamming, we discovered that we like the same music. Nobody talked about it, it just happened.

We just heard you recording Langit Express. Tell us about the song.

It’s along the lines of a country-style song. It’s about a guy who’s looking for a childhood friend who went to Manila to look for a better life. And we all know how sometimes these things go. They turn bad.

What other songs will be in the album?

We just released the carrier single. It’s called K.U.P.A.L. It’s about what you think it is. It’s available now for download. There’s gonna be a lot of good songs. I’m collaborating with Hilera; of course, Chris Padilla, who is an awesome songwriter in his own right. I think people will be surprised with what they’re going to hear from Chris on this album.

What other things are you busy with now?

I’m finishing up on a movie that I produced with the people from Sony BMG, Rudy Tee, Narciso Chan, Vic Valenciano. It’s their first foray into filmmaking, and ours, too. It’s an anthology of stories about urban myths and crime dramas. I do a cameo, but mainly I wrote and directed one segment. There are three stories. The other two directors are Yan Yuzon, who played guitar for Pupil, and King Palisoc, another good filmmaker from Ateneo. We shot it, and we’re just into post-production. There’s no release schedule yet.

You just finished a North American tour with the Eraserheads. How was that?

It was definitely one of the best times because it’s the first time I brought my family with me on any tour. It was really fun and special.

We notice you collaborate with, say Pepe Smith, Nitoy Adriano — classics. Who else do you want to collaborate with?

There’s a long list. I can’t say now, but I hope my dreams come true.

What other dreams do you have?

Right now, I just want to release the album. (Laughs) I don’t really have any plans. I just go with the flow.

What do you think of the shift to digital? Do you still need labels to release your music?

Even if you’re an indie band, you can release your music. I know some people from indie bands who’ve released on iTunes. It’s a big help. If we had that 20 years ago… (Laughs)

I think now it’s more of a choice, what kind of system you want to work in. Personally, I still prefer collaborating with labels. Firstly, because I’m used to it. I don’t think it would really matter to me, the way I write music or perform, if I did everything on my own label, independent-style and release everything on my own. I would rather have input from other people since they know what they’re doing. And it’s nice to have an objective opinion on your work. I just want it that way.

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Tweet the authors @officialTIMYAP and @PepeDiokno.