Bend it like Bamboo

There are bands and there are bands. The new ones are products of the omnipresent talent searches that churn out new finds year in and year out.

Some of them may still be around, long after the latest cellphone models have gone of out style.  Others, however, will fade away together with the latest fashion craze.

We may not know  why other bands stay and others don’t.  But one thing’s sure, Bamboo doesn’t belong to the here-today-gone-tomorrow category.  They have paid their dues in gigs here and there, winning awards far and wide. The members, Bamboo Mañalac, Ira Cruz, Nathan Azarcon and Vic Mercado know all about the new bands sprouting like mushrooms.  And they’re not threatened, although they acknowledge it as a fact of life. But they’re not worried.

The thing is, Bamboo members can’t name a band that  can approximate what they are today. Either there’s no such band or the quartet is just wary of stepping on sensitive toes.

Whatever their reason, the fact remains that Bamboo still lords it over up there.  Proof is their continuous influx of  endorsements. These are  sure  signs that a celebrity has arrived.  It’s a sign that he has attained a level of credibility that will make buyers run to the shelf and purchase the product as if there’s no tomorrow.

Bamboo  is a veteran in this regard.  The pop-rock band has been chosen to endorse such big-name products for the youth  as  Smart and Penshoppe.  Lately, the band is adding another endorsement to the list.

“Pony has been providing our footwear and supporting our shows since we started,” Bamboo relates as he looks down at his white sneakers. “This is why,” he goes on, “when we wake up in the morning, we see a whole stack of rubber shoes in our closets.”

Now that the band is about to release its next album, We Stand Alone Together, the members are expected to romp, jump and cavort around the stage in their ever-reliable Pony.

The band feels lucky since it’s only now that companies see the need to tap on the bands’ drawing power to push their products.  Back when they were just starting, Bamboo notes that companies won’t touch bands with a 10-foot pole.  That’s why band musicians, including him for a time, chose to go abroad instead of staying behind and wallowing in obscurity.

“Staying in a  band was not lucrative then,” recalls Bamboo.  And since music back then can’t feed the body even if it feeds the soul, many bands split up.

But look how times have changed. Bamboo is not  alone in the commercial endorsers block. Others are pushing almost everything, from schools, cars, snacks  and others.  Parokya ni Edgar and Hale invite televiewers to enjoy a cup of Nescafé with them. Parokya ni Edgar also endorses Chippy, AMA Computer, Inc., Mitsubishi Pajero, etc.

And because they cater to young people, these bands are considered the best purveyors of things hip and cool. They speak the language of today as no other group can. They even stand as role models for Generation Next.

Bamboo members have been doing this for the past five years they’ve been around. And they will continue to do what they do best —  reach out to Generation Next through their shows and albums.

That’s why it is staging Rock n’ Rumble! on July 5, Saturday, 7 p.m. at the World Trade Center. 

Pony makes its presence felt once more, as buyers of the footwear brand get two concert tickets for every single receipt minimum purchase of P2,395. The customer may claim his tickets by presenting his receipt to Pony representatives at SM outlets: Megamall, Makati, North EDSA, Cubao, Sta. Mesa, Manila, San Lazaro, Harrison, Mall of Asia, Taytay, Fairview, Pampanga, Clark, Marilao, South Mall, Bacoor, Dasmariñas and Sta. Rosa.

So, are you ready to rumble?