Beautiful N(y)oise

The musical strategy nowadays seems to be–go acoustic. But given the plethora of artists, bands and acts that have taken the strategy to heart, it’s now time to separate the men from the boys, as well as the posers from the genuine articles. A recent acoustic concert series in Makati was proof evident of just how pervasive and abused a notion "acoustic" can be. Four weekends with different acts and only one was a true blue acoustic artist; the rest were established commercial bands unplugging to join the bandwagon. Not to belittle these bands, but after those weekends, they went right back to the "plugged in" formats that established their careers. While on the other hand, you have a breed of acoustic artists who night in, night out, use the format to express themselves.

Nyoy Volante and Mannos (his three-piece band consisting of Jerome Nuñez on violin, Cocoy Aranas on bass and Glenn Dalit, percussionist on the ubiquitous kahon) is the "real thing". They formed the acoustic group at the start of the year, made beautiful noise together, and have not looked back since.

As Nyoy recalls, "In 1999, Vehnee Saturno discovered me and I actually put an album out. I was packaged as some pop star and while that wasn’t really reflective of the kind of musician I wanted to be, at that point you were just grateful for the opportunity."

Way off the public’s radar with that release, Nyoy languished with show bands and even dabbled in theater (he was in the cast of Bobby Garcia’s production of Dreamgirls) just to keep his involvement in the industry afloat. Putting together a band that consisted of friends and pick- me-up’s from other bands, they got together one night, jammed on acoustic instruments, and found they possessed a chemistry that had to be given its shot.

Lucky for us! A night with Nyoy Volante and Mannos gives one a newfound appreciation of just what one can achieve within the acoustic genre. As Paolo Santos, a solo artist who’s at the vanguard of the acoustic renaissance, echoed in a previous article, acoustic has nothing to do with a specific type of music; it’s not just folk, it’s not just country, it’s not just standards or mellow, easy listening music. Defying easy pigeonholing or categorization, "acoustic" has more to do with the sound and the choice of how to present the music. And within that definition, the acoustic artist is free to push the envelope and stretch the limits of what can fall under "acoustic".

While there are covers and standards dominating their sets, it’s the rearrangement, given the unique band instrumentation, and bold and broad choice of songs, that make Nyoy and Mannos’ music special. There’s a jazzed up version of Sting’s Englishman in New York, a violin-driven interpretation of the Chuck Mangione instrumental Feels So Good, and Nyoy’s crowd stopping cover of South Border’s Kahit Kailan. Nyoy’s readiness to weave in opm (Original Pilipino Music) sets him apart from a host of other acoustic artists.

As the acoustic scene first developed in the 1970’s, the trend was to be the James Taylor or Kenny Rankin of the Philippines; you literally had singers faithfully performing the whole album of some foreign artist. Freddie Aguilar’s breakthrough international hit Anak gave gravitas to the concept of Filipino acoustic music, but by and large, acoustic musicians held on to the notion that if a song was opm and you had the original singer right here on your shores, why choose the song for reinterpretation?

Nyoy brings a fresh rebuttal to that notion. "As long as I love the songs, it doesn’t matter whether they’re songs from abroad or local hits. We pick up the song and give it a fresh feel"–the Mannos stamp, so to speak.

To hear is to believe. From the first few bars, that "Mannos stamp" means we’re taken on a journey of musical discovery and wonderment. They play with the introduction, or inject teasing elements to give us a hint of what’s to come, so the audience shares in the joy as it dawns on them what the song is. Nyoy’s vocal range gives him the capability to interpret a host of songs, and the 50’s crooner microphone he brings with him to all his gigs adds a special touch. Asked if this was some signature element of the act, he laughs, "Not consciously. The mike was a gift I gave myself early this year and it’s become something of a lucky charm; so of course I’ve made it a point to bring it to every gig. Visually, it does make an impact, so that helps in establishing an identity; but it is secondary to the music," he insists.

His CD is out this weekend, and Nyoy credits their manager, Hanzel Villafuerte, for helping them fulfill so many of their dreams. "My first brush with recording has to be termed a disaster; so of course, I was wary of how Vicor Records would treat us. Thankfully, Hanzel negotiated the deal and we have something that allows us to stay true to our musical vision. So often, so much compromise is made for the sake of making the venture ‘commercial’. Vicor understood and appreciated why they were signing us up in the first place and allowed us substantial freedom in the direction of the album."

There’ll be five original compositions in the CD, a number of covers and some songs, like the one of Ogie Alcasid, that were gifts to Nyoy. As regular musical guests on the abs-cbn Sunday noontime show, Nyoy and Mannos have been garnering all important television exposure. The fate of these guestings, however, is that the network always formats other singers to join in on their production numbers. But Nyoy counters, "We’re okay with that. Some have commented that it doesn’t really allow us to showcase what the band is all about, but think about it, seven months ago you wouldn’t even have had me on TV at all, so who am I to complain?"

Asked if there were any frustrations to all that has been transpiring, Nyoy admits, "Well, with the number of gigs we’ve been doing and the tremendous support we’ve been getting, we can’t seem to find time to rehearse and bring new songs into the playlist. That we really have to prioritize very soon."

He goes on, "More important is the frustration of how a segment of the public insists on looking at me as a solo artist. My playing with Mannos makes us a unit; my musical vision does not exist exclusively of Mannos. We developed the music together and it’s what sets me apart from the other acts on the acoustic scene. Sure, I can guest as a solo act, but to book me as a solo singer defeats all the effort we’ve placed into putting this act together."

Nyoy can’t say how long the public’s love affair with the acoustic scene will last. As with all trends and fads, the intensity of today’s acoustic craze will fade. What can be promised though is that the real talented ones will endure; playing to smaller but loyal audiences, or evolving to formats which will allow the raw talent to still shine through. This early, we can safely say that Nyoy is here to stay; one way or another, his beautiful n(y)oise will be made and heard.