MONDO fuses folk, blues and rock influences in new music

The indie band MONDO promises a night of folk, rock and blues energy at their forthcoming gig on Nov. 16 at the Saguijo Café & Bar in Makati City. The event will also serve as the official launch of their single If I Tell You Why, coupled with a music video.

MONDO, composed of Mondo Castro (forrmely of The Pin-Up Girls) on vocals and guitar, Drei Paman on lead guitar, Dax Balmeo on rhythm guitar, Gaia Royeca on keyboards and backing vocals, Mico Marasigan on drums, and Lui Rodriguez on bass, will be joined by Rise High, Robyn M, Soleil Misalucha and the Violent Playground. The gates will open at 7 p.m. and the entrance ticket is P300.

“The (eventgoers) can mingle with us,” MONDO frontman Mondo told The STAR in an exclusive virtual chat on what the attendees can expect at the show. “Of course, the video will be debuted there. We’ll put up a screen and play the video. A lot of musicians will be there, for sure. So, it’s going to be fun,” he added.

If I Tell You Why is a ditty that the MONDO frontman penned while he was battling with COVID. “So, I put music to the lyrics, I put a melody to the lyrics while having COVID. So, it’s really about expressing your emotions by not saying, I love you. Even if I tell you why, you’re not really saying that you love the person. It’s hard to express for some people,” he mused.

Accompanying the track is a music video that was filmed at Bourbon New Orleans bar in Makati City.

“It’s just a simple performance video, actually. But the visuals are good because Bourbon is beautiful… The stage is beautiful. The ambience is beautiful,” enthused Mondo.

The newly formed group is signed to indie label Cre8MUSIC Records and managed by Cre8Team Multi-Media Management.

Vocalist Mondo shared that people were urging him to go solo at first. But then, he met his bandmates, stalwarts from the indie scene, and together they formed the group.

“Should I think of a band name? And they were all saying, just use your name, Mondo. At first, I didn’t want to. I said, it’s like Bamboo. So, I didn’t want it at first,” recalled Mondo.

“But then, Rick Olivares (Eikon Records) told me to go for it. And then, the formation of the band was very organic. It was like a blessing from God. Because it’s hard to form a band. Sometimes, members come and go or one doesn’t fit. They have to take that person out or somebody quits.”

“So far, nobody has quit. And everything came together. And all these guys are really pros. They’ve been in the indie music scene for quite some time. So, yeah, everything was meant to be.”

MONDO is Mondo’s fourth band after The Pin-Up Girls, The Beautiful Letdown and Violent Playground. And each band sounded different from one another, according to him — The Pin-Up Girls has indie rock slash new wave influence, The Beautiful Letdown is more of alternative pop and Violent Playground is post-punk, new wave, alternative-driven. His newest band, MONDO, on the other hand, showcases folk, blues and rock influences.

A bit of background about him, Mondo comes from a showbiz clan. He believed that he inherited his interest and passion in music from his late dad and veteran disc jockey Benjie Castro and Mondo’s uncle, former broadcaster and actor Angelo Ylagan Castro Jr.

“It may have influenced it because I’ve been around music and my dad and Tito Angelo used to be in bands as well. Tito Angelo Castro had in his house a complete set (of music equipment). He had amps. He had a drum set. So... there. But I’m mainly a songwriter than a guitar player, guys. I suck at the guitar. But I mainly write songs,” offered Mondo.

Actor and presenter Diego Castro III and the late Rico Yan are Mondo’s cousins and he is a proud relative of acting luminaries and veterans Ronaldo Valdez, Robert Arevalo, Liberty Ilagan, Janno Gibbs, to name a few.

Beyond being a musician, Mondo wears many hats as a trainer, speaker and family man. Despite his hectic work schedule, he always finds time for his music, which he considers his stress reliever.

“Sometimes, it gets difficult. Because, like, if I have a session on a day and a gig at night, I get tired after a session. When you train and you speak and you coach, right? But it’s... this is my stress buster. I need it.”

“Making music or performing is a need (for me). It really de-stresses me. If it’s your passion, you don’t really mind when you start feeling tired. When you play at a gig, you get tired, right? (But for me), it’s a must. It’s a need. It’s like... food, water and clothing. It’s up to the Lord in scheduling,” he concluded.