JAM SESSION+
Tough Acts to Follow: The Complete TBA Interview
By Joey Cuayo, Photography by Bryan Manzana
TBA is one of the two bands named the champions of this year’s College of Science Battle of the Bands, entitled 3.2.1 BLASTOFF! All of the members are students of the university and most are members of the well-known organization, UP Music Circle (MC). Smiling faces greeted me when I first introduced myself as their ‘interrogator’ for the evening. As we got ourselves comfortable before the interview, they already had me laughing at their antics and exchanges. I felt easily at ease in the company of such a clearly close-knit and friendly bunch, and as I pressed the record button of my tape recorder, I knew that the interview would be fun to conduct and maybe a bit challenging to get down on paper.
Joey (SCIENTIA): Before anything else, please introduce yourselves to our readers.
Lisa (L): Lisa Marie Ramirez, 2nd year, BS Chemistry, and I play the keyboard.
Josef (JO): Josef Mari Olaybal, 4th year Visual Communications sa Fine Arts. I play the triangle (all laugh) Or, uh, guitar.
Justine (JY): I’m Justine Yapyuco, a 4th year BS Mechanical Engineering student. I play the bass.
Dana (D): I’m Dana Michelle Villacorta, 3rd year BS Community Nutrition. I do vocals.
April (A): I’m April Santos, BS Community Nutrition, 3rd year, vocals.
Erik (E): Erik Galvez, BS Applied Physics, 3rd year; I play the drums.
SCIENTIA: Congratulations on your win! How did it feel to be named one of the two first placers?
D: Shocked!
A: Lisa, Josef and I were beside the stage and when they called the third placers, we were like, ‘…Okay, we’re not gonna win. We’re not gonna win anymore.’ They [the third placers, Ang Bandang Mmm] were really good! Tapos, nagtinginan na lang kami ng parang, ‘Okay lang! Okay lang..’ (all laugh) And then when they called TBA, we just stared at each other and were just like uh..
E: Actually, noong sinabi na tied ang first place, tiningnan ko si Dana tapos sabi ko, “Sana tayo ‘yung isa doon, sana tayo ‘yung isa doon.” (pauses) Ewan ko, feeling ko okay naman ‘yung performance namin with respect doon sa..audience? Kasi pumapalakpak naman sila after ng set namin.
D: Noong first part kasi, walang pumapalakpak tapos parang kami parang “aww okay.” Kaunti lang 'yung kaibigan namin sa audience.
A: After our first song, people were clapping and we were like, “Oh! Hey (grins), this is working!”
SCIENTIA: What songs did you play during your set and why did you choose those songs?
E: Noong nasa [Music Circle] tambayan kasi kami, nagiisip kami [ng pwedeng songs] kasi ang vocalist namin noon ay si April pa lang. Tapos naguusap kami ni Justine, “Ano bang bagay sa boses ni April na tingin mong bebenta sa tao?” Tinitingnan namin ‘yung iPod niya tapos naala ko ‘yung Jamiroquai na song na parang (taps a beat out briefly on the table) Tapos na isip ko na heavy bass ‘yung song at magaling si Justine mag-bass. So sinuggest ko ‘yung Virtual Insanity. Umoo naman si Justine, tapos tinanong namin si April kung kaya niyang kantahin ‘yun, tapos okay naman daw. So, ayun, good to go ‘yung Virtual Insanity as first song namin.
Tapos ‘yung second song namin is ‘yung Boston by Augustana. It took a while bago namin na-finalize kasi pinagisipan din namin kung ‘yung Maroon 5 ba o ano na.
JY: Marami ‘yun eh. Mga five songs ata?
E: Tapos noong isang gabi, tumingin ako sa Youtube ng mga videos tapos pinakinggan ko ‘yung Boston tapos tipong “aww…”
All (TBA): Aww… (all laugh)
E: Tapos naisip ko kung ito kaya tugtugin namin since emo naman si Apri so babagay lang siya. (all laugh) Joke lang joke lang!
A: Wow, what a friend! (all laugh)
E: So ayun, sabi ko game, try natin ‘yung Boston.
SCIENTIA: How long have you guys been playing together?
A: We met in Music Circle but we’ve only really been a band for about a month.
E: Actually, we started jamming together with rock and roll, di ba? Yung tumugtog tayo nina Josef.
A: Senior moment!
E: May isang instance kasi na may nag-request sa Music Circle kung pwede kami mag-produce ng bands para tumogtog sa isang rockeoke. Kaming tatlo pa lang nina Josef at Justine nagsasasama-sama noon so nag-jam na kami then. Tapos nagusap kami ni Josef na, “Tara, gawa na tayo ng band.” Tapos nakasama ko si April sa isang frat party. Si Lisa naman… Naisip namin na wala kaming keyboardist so tinanong namin siya since nagko-compose na sila nina Josef at Justine ng mga songs. Si Dana last minute nang nasama siya samin.
A: Yeah, para may second voice.
E: Para maging “thicker” ‘yung vocals. So, first time pa lang talaga naming mag-jam ng sama-sama.
A: Basically, Music Circle is approached by a lot of orgs to provide entertainment for events. A lot of the time, what happens is that whoever is available at the time will just get together, jam kaunti, tapos ‘yun na.
SCIENTIA: So, why TBA? I’ve been told there was a long explanation for the name. (All laugh)
E: Actually, wala siyang explanation. (All laugh) Deadline kasi ng registration form was Friday at 5:30. Hindi pa kasi kami nakapag-decide kung anong pangalan namin so sabi ko, para safe, “TBA” so if ever makaisip pa sila ng band name, pwede naming sabihin sa stage na may excuse kami kung bakit “TBA” ang band name. Pero, since tinamad na rin kaming magisip at okay lang naman din sila [sa pangalan] di na rin namin pinalitan.
D: So, in short, wala lang talaga kaming naisip na name.
A: Yung super weird na spiel [about what TBA means] na ginawa namin ni Dana while they were setting up was just to kill the dead air.
E: Actually, di pa nila alam na ‘yun na ‘yung naging band name namin noong pinass ko ‘yung form. Sinulat ko pa nga as description ay “to follow.” (all laugh)
SCIENTIA: Do you guys take your inspiration from any particular band, artist or genre?
JO: Tokyo Jihen!
E: Medyo weird nga dapat kasi ‘yung gusto naming song noong una Japanese song [by] Tokyo Jihen na more of progressive jazz. Fusion siya.
JO: Sobrang jazzy siya.
E: Pero naisip namin na sobrang hirap makahanap ng vocalist for that so sabi namin tara, hanap na tayo ng pwedeng vocalist para sa battle of the bands. Then sinubukan namin ni Justine na mag-stick to that genre na punk jazz. Eh¸Jamiroquai is more of acid jazz. So, ayun, it’s really more of fusion.
SCIENTIA: But, individually, what are your tastes and preferences in music?
A: They’re quite different, actually.
L: I’m more into alternative rock, but because of MC, napapakinig na rin ako sa jazz.
JO: Iba’t iba ‘yung sa’kin eh. May alternative heavy rock. Pwede rin akong pop rock, like ‘yung dating All-American Rejects (the girls giggle).
JY: Ako, more on really old jazz, parang Weather Report. Mga ganun.
D: Para sa’kin, kung anong marinig ko na okay ‘yung tunog. More on pop at di lang ako masyadong into sa mga heavy rock. Okay din ‘yung mga old song, mga jazz, mga 80s. Yung maganda ‘yung harmonies at melodies – ‘yung mga nagsti-stick sa’yo. Basta, kahit ano.
A: I don’t have a certain genre [of preference]. My taste is very mainstream, I guess? [I just listen to] whatever I hear on the radio, whatever my friends listen to. I guess very generally, I listen to rock and, um, it’s really more of me hearing something and liking it.
E: For me, dating sobrang mainstream. Pero may time sa buhay ko – (all laugh)
A: Okay, life story. (more laughter)
E: May time sa buhay ko na gusto kong nakikinig ng mga old songs kasi naisip ko na nung time na [popular] ‘yung mga ‘yun, inenjoy at inexperience sila. So talagang hahanapin ko ‘yung old songs, pakikinggan ko, [and I would] enjoy them. And gusto ko talaga ‘yung mga fusion: rock jazz, punk jazz, acid jazz. Diyan nanggaling ‘yung [choice ng] Jamiroquai. Tapos ‘yung Boston, it’s more of mainstream.
A: Dahil emo ako?
E: Para mas sure na may appeal sa audience.
A: To be honest, we were pretty sceptical about Boston, but Erik was pretty adamant about it. He really, really wanted to play it, and he had this vision – (all laugh) As in, kino-choreograph pa niya ‘yung gagawin namin on stage.
JO: Ipapakanta daw ‘yung audience
A: Oo, sabi niya na pag-feel mo na feel ka na ng crowd, pakantahin mo sila! (all laugh)
SCIENTIA: Do you ever write and perform your own songs?
E: May sari-sariling bands talaga kami. So, before, may sarili kaming tugtugan. Like, for me, before, doon nga sa genre na gusto ko, ‘yung fusion. Hindi namin ma-perform ng dati kong banda so ngayon tina-try ko ulit with sina Justine. Kasi sabi naman niya, “Gusto kong fusion.” Ako rin naman, gusto ko ‘yun, at pati na rin si Josef.
SCIENTIA: How do you guys choose the songs that you play in gigs? Is it more of what you guys feel like performing, or do you try to really cater to your audience?
A: It’s really more of a balance of both. And it has to be something that you’d want to play and something you won’t get tired of.
JY: Kasi iisipin mo rin na pano mong ipe-perform sa harap ng ibang tao ‘yung mga songs kung ikaw mismo hindi naniniwala doon sa music.
A: And there’s no way you’re going to be able to..
D: Perform it well
A: And to get your message across if you yourself don’t relate to the songs.
SCIENTIA: How many times, or how often did you guys practice for the battle of the bands?
D: Four times?
E: Actually, ‘yung totoong practice talaga namin was twice lang. Kasi ‘yung first two times –
D: Nangangapa pa
E: Pinakikiramdaman pa namin noon.
JY: Yung isang practice, parang ‘yung intro lang ata ng Virtual Insanity ang natapos namin.
E: So ‘yung actual na practice namin was Thursday night and Friday night? So ‘yun lang talaga ang mga matinong practice namin.
A: And even then marami pa kaming changes.
JY: So medyo kinakabahan kami noong Thursday kasi wala pang songs.
E: Kinausap ko nga si Garrick [of Run 7] noong morning of the BotB at sabi nga niya sakin, “Hayaan mo, pag bad practice naman, good show yan.” (all chuckle)
D: Kinakabahan talaga ako. Kaya di na nga ako masyadong nagyaya ng bonggang-bongga sa friends ko kasi parang (makes a pained sound and all laugh)
A: We told our friends about it, but we didn’t really tell them to come.
E: So, isang run through lang ‘yung nagawa namin. Kaya nung bago kami mag-perform, feel ko talaga na di pa kami ready kasi one run through lang… Di talaga comfortable for me. Hindi pa yan ready.
SCIENTIA: So, you guys didn’t invite many friends to come watch you perform?
A: We told them, but we didn’t, like, urge them to come.
E: Ako baliktad eh. Sabi ko sa friends ko, nood kayo para mapagyabang niyo ako. (all laugh) “Nood kayo, please, kailangan ng audience [impact].” (more laughter)
SCIENTIA: What are your plans, as a band, for the future?
E: Well, may balak naman talaga kasi kami nina Justine to form a band at may composition na nga sila. Ang problem lang kasi is with the vocalists, dahil super busy nina Dana at April. Sinasabi namin ni Justine na, tara, kung pwede, permanent na sila, pero kung di talaga makuha –
JO: So, can you sing? (at interviewer; all laugh)
A: When we were looking for time to practice, they’d ask, “Do you have time on Tuesday night?” and we’d be like “Ohh… We have a paper to finish and an exam.” Then they’d ask, “Then what about Wednesday?” And we’d still have something due. “What about Thursday afternoon?” And we were just like, “…Okay.”
E: But we have plans.
JY: Iba na siguro ‘yung band name. (All laugh and agree)
JO: Pero kung na-establish na gusto na [‘yung TBA], eh di na kailangan baguhin.
SCIENTIA: If you were to send out a capsule in space containing three items, what would those three items be?
D: Erik Galvez (all laugh) siya na ‘yung makikita na lang ng mga alien life forms.
A: Ay, oo nga. Kung ganun, di pala pwede [si Erik]. (all laugh)
D: Oo nga, kasi kung ikaw ‘yung nakuha (addressing Erik), baka isipin naman nila ang pangit ng human race. (more laughter)
A semi-long discussion, punctuated by frequent bursts of laughter, ensued between the members of TBA that, unfortunately, the word limit for this article can no longer cover. A memorable suggestion for their time capsule contribution was a record of a brilliant drum solo, just in case the alien life forms that would find their capsule might have plenty of hands and Erik wanted to be able to show them how much we can do with just two. Finally, they decided that they’d include a set of movies that best showcased human nature, a record or iPod full of the best songs for every genre and time, and a photo album of different people from and places in Earth. It was, however, very clear to the writer of this article that this band was also not just gifted in talent, but gifted with a friendship and chemistry that is undeniably infectious. This writer left the band positively charmed and hoping to catch the next gig TBA (or whatever they may opt to call themselves in the future) may play.
(This writer should probably mention that Erik would like to thank the judges of the battle of the bands, and Dana would like to thank her yaya for her wardrobe. Personally, this writer would like to thank TBA for being such sports during their grilling session. Thank you and congratulations again!)
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