No Pussyfooting for 7FootJr
February 8, 2003 | 12:00am
We watch as they tinker with the amplifiers and other whatnots that clutter the stage as we nurse our tepid beers. We engage in idle talk, recognize that we choose to spend our expendable hours in smoky, noisy dives because the last thing we want to do is think. And then they come on, with their songs on rage, protest, someone’s dead dog, melancholia, a car that won’t work, love or the absence of it. We are enthralled. They are oblivious of our presence, consumed by the music they play. After their set, they blend in with the crowd and drink from sweaty bottles like the rest of us. This is a familiar scene in a bar on, say, a Monday night when musicians and their audience come together. What we do not see is that behind this seemingly ordinary gathering is a force so strong that only a few can feel it.
Passion for music is what the members of the band 7FootJr have in abundance. As musicians who have been navigating the fickle and adventure-filled world of show business for a number of years, the Juniors are a solid group of talented – and oftentimes wacky --artists honed by time and experience.
Composed of Leo Amistoso on vocals, Frank de Castro on drums and percussions, Allan Elgar on guitar and backup vocals and Macky Macaventa on bass, vocals and backup vocals, these guys have finally found their stride in the fast-paced, run-don’t-walk world of rock ‘n roll.
Allan, Macky and Frank first got together as members of the Jett Pangan Group (JPG). When that band dissolved towards the end of 1999 because of the reformation of Jett’s former band The Dawn, the members, including then-vocalist and Allan’s younger brother Mike Elgar, decided to strike out on their own.
"Naturally, we had to think about our future as musicians. One option that we considered, (although there was an offer to continue the band simultaneously with The Dawn), was to move on as ourselves," says Allan. The four began to create their own songs and play as 7FootJr. Their first single "Mata" was released and received constant airplay in rock station NU107. "Mahiwagang Oo" followed soon after and the newborn band was on a steady rise, slowly but surely entering the public’s consciousness. However, in May 2001, Mike was offered an opportunity he and his bandmates thought he must not pass up. By June of that year, Mike became one of the guitarists of the supergroup Rivermaya, leaving the remaining three to chart their musical path without him.
"Our first option was to move on as a trio and have Macky sing," Allan relates.
It was then that he remembered a college bandmate who had wanted to jam with them before. He gave Leo a call and 7FootJr was once again on a roll. With the help of friends and acquaintances who believed in the group’s talent and loved its sound, 7FootJr became active in the band scene, scoring gigs everywhere including in areas outside of Metro Manila.
Demo tapes did the rounds of major record labels and some companies have taken an interest in them. However, with the industry in a bind due to piracy, labels have become cautious and rather slow in signing up artists. Armed with enough material to fill an album and guts of steel, the group decided to produce their record independently.
The guys were aware of the risks. But they knew that when it’s time, it’s time.
"The expenses were ours, not a record label’s. So if the album doesn’t sell, we’d be in huge debt," shares Frank.
"We’re hoping that our efforts will be compensated. We’ve worked so hard to get to this stage," adds Leo.
The rewards come in a very different form.
"We finally have something concrete. We have the album. So far, the feedback is positive. Another good point is that since we paid for everything, we control everything. We do what we want," Frank continues.
"The thing that’s also pushing us on is the support and encouraging feedback from people we don’t know," says Macky. He relates that they get text messages out of the blue, praising them for their efforts. The album is a collection of ear candy that deals mostly with matters of the heart. Whether singing about unrequited love ("Daisy"), love lost ("Paalam"), love found ("Kuwento"), love on the rocks ("Dare") or simply hitting the skins and strumming to gut-wrenching, blood-curdling wails that make hair stand on end ("Suck Up My Gut"), 7FootJr is always on target. The band’s debut album "Prick Me" is an assortment of melodious, heartwarming, occasionally irreverent and hard-hitting tunes that are a refreshing break from all the growling, raging and posturing that music enthusiasts have been subjected to in the last couple of years. 7FootJr is in a league of it’s own. Not too heavy, not too soft. It is in that gray area of the spectrum that the band is carving a niche.
"We’re comfortable enough with the kind of music we’ve been producing that we’re not so concerned about how we should sound like," says Macky.
The group also values its creative independence and basks in the freedom to make music on its terms. It is also willing to take greater risks if the music calls for it. Macky says although the members are "older and hopefully wiser now" and still would like to maintain their day jobs, they’d concentrate on the band under the right circumstances.
"We are one in saying that if the band really takes off and is successful enough to sustain us financially, we won’t have second thoughts about quitting our day jobs and focusing on the band," he stresses.
It also helps that they get along really well and it shows in every performance, in the not-so-subtle ribbing over salpicao.
"The good thing about this band is the camaraderie. We’re like brothers," Leo shares. The friendship has also made them grow musically, each influencing the others’ musical sensibilities. "I used to listen to heavier stuff but when I got together with these guys, I became more open to other types of music."
What’s next for 7FootJr? More gigs, a music video and a second album. These are the products of that unseen hand that pushes them, the passion that flows out of them.
So the next time you sit in a bar and watch a band perform, keep in mind that there is more than just music at play. A powerful force is operating in the space that separates you from them. If you listen close enough, go above the din, you just might hear it.
E-mail the author at lmpilapil@philtown.com.ph
BrandSpace Articles
<
>