Spontaneous and free

Last week, I interviewed Lee Nandela of Slapshock and Reg Rubio of Greyhoundz in the most unlikely place: A crowded McDonald’s joint. When I got there, I waited for about 30 minutes, wondered where the hell Lee was, and suddenly realized I was at the wrong McDonald’s. Sometimes, I honestly suspect myself of possessing particularly extraordinary intelligence. It never ceases to amaze me.

Anyway, Slapshock and Greyhoundz are popular bands from the local metal scene. The two of them, along with Queso, spearheaded the Pinoy nu-metal movement with their debut in the late ‘90s.

I can’t even remember what music I was listening to when I was that age. It was probably Wee Sing For Christmas or some other wonderfully childish rubbish.

One of the first things I noticed about Lee, Slapshock’s bassist, was something in his teeth. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be metal crosses on both his canines.

"It’s tooth jewelry," Lee explained. "My wife is a dentist, and she did these for me. It’s like studs for your teeth." Pretty dope, I thought. I had never seen anything like it before.

Sporting a close-cropped head, a short goatee, metal plugs in his ear lobes, and tattoos running up his arm, Lee certainly looked the part of someone you’d expect to see performing at the PULP Summer Slam. He was a friendly sort of guy.

According to Lee, Deftones, Kultura, Tool, Metallica and Rage Against The Machine were the major musical influences of Slapshock. "But unlike Rage Against The Machine, Slapshock’s music is not political. We don’t want to be political. When creating songs, the music always comes first. The lyrics come afterwards. It’s all about the bounce and grooving with each other. That’s why we got rid of our first vocalist, he had an attitude problem and he was bossy," said Lee.

When it comes to making music, Lee claims that Slapshock has no problem solving creative differences.

"Our songwriting sessions are like a kitchen. We’re all cooks, and our vocalist Jamir is the head chef. First, we put our instruments down and we talk. We throw all our ideas into the pot. When we think we’ve discussed the music enough, then we pick up our instruments and start playing. Everyone contributes. For example, if I wanted a particular drum beat, I would just go over to our drummer and go (beatboxes a basic drum beat). Then he’d play that beat while we’re jamming. It’s not like ‘I’m the guitarist, so I only do guitar riffs.’ Everyone contributes to everything."

Reg, Greyhoundz’s vocalist, arrived a bit late, since he came all the way from Pateros. He and Lee were wearing surprisingly similar outfits, and they greeted each other like brothers. I asked him, "What can you say about this guy?" and pointed to Lee. "Kaibigan ko siya. Walang pag-away kami. ‘Yan yung nakakatawa," answered Reg.

"It’s all a marketing strategy from, uh, ang mga tao sa paligid," Lee piped in. Reg nodded in assent.

"Hindi nila alam na kung may nakikita kami sa Baguio, pakikisama kami. Hindi nila alam na nagbabasketbol kami. Hindi naman band versus band, halo-halo ang teams," Reg said.

I had a little difficulty understanding Reg since he spoke so quickly in Tagalog (which I am decidedly not very proficient at), but I got the gist of what he was saying. Lee stated that despite the fact that many believe most of what happens on stage is choreographed.

In fact, the opposite is true. "Everything is spontaneous. We (Slapshock) have been together since we were kids, and we’ve had all these years to bond. We’re free spirits, and it’s come to the point where sakto ang tinig. Our groove is so strong that a lot of what we do is spontaneous, even with Greyhoundz or Queso," he said with a touch of humility.

"We want to raise the standards of the Pinoy music industry. Kailangan naming iangat ang OPM. These past years, we have been improving the quality of Pinoy rock. Maintaining honesty and principles to the music is very important to the future of the local music industry.

"We don’t care what the radio plays. The only station that plays our songs is NU 107.5. We’re still around after 10 years, so we must be doing something right. We’ve also never played at Saguijo," Lee added. "Bad vibes there, since our ex-manager whom we fired lives right next to the venue."

When asked to elaborate, Lee only laughed and hinted that their ex-manager had gotten rich off them. Sounds like there’s no love lost between the two. Both Reg and Lee seemed to be looking forward to the Summer Slam.

"This year, we, Slapshock and Queso, are being given recognition by PULP, so to speak. We’re all celebrating our 10th anniversary, and it’s their way of congratulating us for having been around all this time," said Reg

"It’s always been Vernon’s (Vernon Go, PULP publisher) dream to have all three of us playing at the same time. Now it’s finally going to happen. Three stages are being set up, one for each of us, and we’re going to be performing one of the Houndz’ new songs," revealed Lee. "I don’t think it’s ever been done before in the history of Pinoy Rock."

Three of the loudest bands in the Philippines, all playing at the same time in front of a bloodthirsty crowd that desires nothing but a slippery moshpit positively brimming with sweaty, flailing bodies and the distinctive odor of "Uh oh, somebody’s gonna get f—ked up tonight"? This is madness, you might say.

Madness? This is the Pulp Summer Slam! If there’s anyone who can pull off hurling three of Pinoy Rock’s loudest bands together on stage and get away with it, it’s Vernon and PULP Magazine! It’s the craziest, most untamed, most unpredictable rock event this summer. Don’t miss it.

Fil-Am thrash metal band Death Angel is performing at the PULP Summer Slam: Seven Deadly Sins! For more information, visit www.pulp community.com.

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