Fifth gear in heavy traffic

There’s another kind of traffic brewing in the metropolis, but thank heavens, it’s got nothing to do with those leg-numbing, curse-inducing freeway jams.

Instead of keeping you forever fiddling between neutral and first gear, this kind of traffic makes you crank the gas, rev your engines and zoom full speed into a time warp – back to those turbulent and permissive years that saw the birth of good old classic rock and roll.

Apparently, there’s more to heavy traffic than just blaring horns and idling engines. It’s also the raw, guttural screams of a wailing Fender Telecaster through a Tube Screamer and a Blues de Luxe pushed to its limits. Amid a frenzy crash of cymbals and the ceaseless thumping of a stock Fender Jazz Bass, the searing solo soon fades out as a raspy voice emerges from the din... ‘Scuse me while I kiss the sky!!!’

Jimi would have been proud. So would Clapton, Jimmy Page, Duane Allman, Keith Moon, Jim Morrison, John Bonham and all the other long-haired rebels who’ve rewritten rock history. Despite having been pushed almost to the brink of extinction by boybands and belly-button babes, classic rock is alive and well in Manila – thanks in large part to the efforts of a new powerhouse blues/rock quartet: Heavy Traffic.

"Traffic is a blues term," explains guitarist Loren Orendain, "but it could also mean things coming from all directions. So, in a musical sense, it refers to our varied influences... jazz, blues, rock, reggae... all meshing together in one place."

"‘Heavy’ could mean anything," Loren continues "but for us it connotes a certain musical depth – an attitude that goes deep in the heart, deep into the groove, but not necessarily deep music that could alienate our audience."

While this may sound like good news for survivors of the Flower Power era, this timely reprise augurs just as well for the younger MTV generation curious – and brave enough – to reacquaint themselves with the ghosts and echoes of a distant era.

After all, it’s a history lesson worth relearning. With nothing more than cranked-up guitars and amps and brilliant prose, yesterday’s heroes made more sense and wove more magic than today’s flatulent pop cliches.

The Guess Who, Cream, The Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, ZZ Top, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles – these are just some of the staples in Heavy Traffic’s eclectic repertoire.

With the same manic abandon, the band has unleashed its incendiary grooves in the dimly-lit confines of the city’s favored blues rock haunts, such as Mayric’s, Pipers, Club Sex, and Ayala Bar. Veteran rockers all, Heavy Traffic is composed of Loren Orendain on guitar, TJ Trinidad on vocals, Lawrence Ferro on bass, and PJ Cura on drums.

A big fan of the Seattle sound, TJ’s strongest influences range from The Who, Creedence Clearwater to Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder. The 26-year-old Traffic frontman has collaborated with Loren on a few original compositions that make up a minor chunk of their nightly gigs.

On the other hand, Lawrence, the shy and baritone-voiced bassist, takes his hat off to jazz maestro Marcus Miller and the funk-flavored grooves of Jamiroquai and the Brand New Heavies.

From his formative years onward, lead guitarist Loren Orendain never embraced the shred school of rock guitar. Opting for the slower, blues-laden riffs, Loren finds more substance and meaning in the rawer, gutsier pentatonic flurries of Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, David Gilmour and of course, Mr. Slowhand himself, Eric Clapton.

PJ, the group’s drummer, had already saturated himself in heavy metal from his college days, and has only recently dug up his "classic rock" archives. "I have never enjoyed being stuck in heavy traffic as much as I do now," he exclaims. "This is the fastest heavy traffic that I’ve ever seen!"

A teacher by day, PJ stumbled on a rather unique learning incentive. "I’d tell my students, ‘If you pass your exams, I’ll teach you to play guitar or drums for free!’," he narrates. "It’s amazing how well it works! I guess I’m lucky enough to do something that allows me to stay connected with my music – unlike being in the corporate world."

While still redefining their music, Heavy Traffic has laid down a demo track of originals that, as Loren explains, "we want to ripen further by playing at the gigs before we finally record for posterity."

Gentlemen, start your engines. With Heavy Traffic ahead, there’s no red light in sight.