'Boom Boom Nights' with MAAC

It felt like taking a trip back in time when I parked at the Caltex station at the Mandaue Reclamation Area last Wednesday night to meet with a group of car enthusiasts, who are very willing to share their love for music with the others.

The scene reminded me of those days when ABC in Barangay Kamputhaw was a haunt frequented by the young ones as well as the Bukid in Barangay Busay.

Then, the groups of friends would gather around somebody’s car that is playing music while they hang out and have lots of fun.

The audio system in my Isuzu Alterra felt a little odd among the line up of vehicles. Well, it could have been the fact that I was tuned in to dySS AM and listening to a late night commentary program to monitor late breaking news.

I decided to visit the group of boom car enthusiasts after reading so many posts about their ‘Boom Boom Nights’ on the Facebook page of a very good friend from La Salle-Toledo, John Chade Alcano.

What I thought was just an informal group of friends, who spend their extra cash on sound systems for their cars, is actually known as the Mobile Audio Association of Cebu (MAAC).

The group gathers at the Caltex station on Fridays and Saturdays, weather permitting, and they got together that Wednesday night to give The FREEMAN a closer look into their activities.

Kimmore Suan, an electrical engineer by profession and a serious car audio hobbyist, is the club’s secretary.

He said that their group has about 20 or more active members and they hang out at that gas station, because it was the only place where they could play loud music without the cops coming to tell them to turn it off.

The group is composed mainly of professionals and businessmen, who are into it as a hobby.

Kimmore said that aside from just listening to the music, there is also dancing and a chance to enjoy the company of friends and family as many wives are also joining the group on their weekend jaunts.

Anson Uy, the group’s president, said that the group was organized by radio station manager and disc jockey Jerome Calatrava and the presidency was later passed to him.

They first hung out at Bukid when they started in the late 1990s and moved to their present lair in 2000.

Boom Boom Nights start at around 9 p.m. and would last until the wee hours of the morning. Anson said that aside from the fun of listening to their music, setting up the audio system is also a major part of the fun.

The group holds competitions among its members where they use the Sound Pressure Level (SPL) to determine the winners.

Anson said that the competitions are fair as they will only pit cars with the same number and size of speakers against each other.

He said that competitions are held some months apart from each other as some would need at least a month to set up the system.

Anson, who is in the business of selling the audio equipment, said that getting into this hobby is not just cramming the speakers into the car, but you also need to tweak your vehicle’s electrical system to make sure it will be capable of blasting your music.

He explained that sometimes after you set up your audio system, you would not be able to get the maximum level from them, so you need to do some tweaking to attain the desired levels.

Kimmore said that the group members help each other with regards to setting up their systems.

Anson said, they are very willing to offer sound advice not only to members, but all those who want to get into this hobby.

Owning a boom car is not cheap. Kimmore said that you can start with a set up that would cost between P30 to 35,000, but this is the lowest you can get. He said that there are those whose audio system is more expensive than the car itself.

Anson said that an ordinary set-up normally costs between P200 to 300,000, which is the reason why they always share their knowledge with the members with regards to acquiring certain equipment.

If you think the group is a bunch of snobs because they can afford this hobby, you are totally wrong. The two officers said that everybody is welcome to join them.

The registration fee to become a member is only P1,500. Anson said that they encourage the members to join the competitions as it is a way to improve their craft and to continue enjoying the ‘setting-up’ part of their hobby.

Next time you pass the Caltex station at the Mandaue Reclamation Area on weekends you know from where the loud music comes from and please don’t hesitate to drop by.