Rivermaya: Redux

To think a single text message would have dug the country’s most beloved band a grave in the cemetery of Pinoy rock is the stuff of absurdity. Even if he who sounded the evacuation alarm was Rico Blanco, the band’s weightiest and most visible persona, what kept Japs Sergio (bass), Mike Elgar (guitars), and its only other original member Mark Escueta (drums), and now new vocalist Jayson Fernandez (the wiry winner of Studio 23’s Rockstar:INXS-like reality search Rivermaya: Bagong Liwanag), afloat was what has always kept Rivermaya swinging steadily into hit charts, music festivals, and the country’s cultural consciousness like an unstoppable wrecking ball: cozy familiarity and steel dedication to the music.

Supreme spends a chilly afternoon of coffee and cigarettes with the remaining members and their iron maven of a manager Lizza Nakpil as they share laughs and quips on the flight of their front man, their new singer’s quirky style and how, when you’re a great band, s#*t just tends to happen.

It’s been a pretty wild year for you guys. What’s keeping Rivermaya busy now?

Mike ELGAR: We did an Okotoberfest closing party, Iloilo shows, and ang pinakanagiging focus namin in the past few weeks is recording our new album.

Japs SERGIO: Wala pang title. It’s definitely still gonna be Rivermaya — iba lang yung kumakanta. Not one pero apat na ang kumakanta.

Mike: So far, we’ve recorded 17 songs and we’ll probably pick 14 from those.  (Motions to Jayson) He’s written a song right now so we’re hoping mahabol pa.

Jayson: Yung ginagawa ko ngayon is tungkol sa broken families. Pumasok lang sa isip ko — slightly from past experience.

Jayson, why don’t you tell us about what you went through to get here?

Jayson: Numg umpisa, nagkaroon ng pahirit na meron daw aalis sa Rivermaya. At the time, tumutugtog ako sa mga cafes and bars ng acoustic — nag-stop ako ng school kasi ‘di ko masuportahan ang pag-aaral ko. Tapos may nag-text sa akin na dating ka-banda ko sa metal at sinabihan ako na may auditions ang Maya at “kaya mo yan”. Naalala ko sa second screening, may kumakanta ng Push ng Matchbox 20, eh yun yung audition piece ko. Pero pinanindigan ko nalang yung gagawin ko, iniba ko nalang yung style, and after singing, sabi ni Sir Louie Talan [Razorback guitarist and judge] na kailangan ko pa ng konting power. The day after the finals, nung nanalo na ako, pumunta ako ng Mini-stop at ang tumutugtog puro Rivermaya songs. I remember Liwanag sa Dilim playing…

So it was fate. What exactly were you guys looking for?

Lizza NAKPIL: Someone sane. (Cackles)

Japs: We didn’t want him to sound like previous vocalists. As much as possible, someone with his own style and madaling makisama.

Mike: Actually, basta willing ka maging part of Rivermaya, pwede kang mag-audition.

Lizza: Behind-the-scenes, the guys were pesky! Hooting, booing…San Miguel had given us 15 cases of beer and they’d invited all their friends. Kamikazee, Parokya were there. So it was like a party! 

Japs: Wink wink. You know what that means!

Mike: Jayson was one of the last people who auditioned and okay siya pero hindi ako sobrang ‘wow! galing nito!’ Actually, tingin ko nga sa kanya dahil sa suot niya ‘nun, parang, ano ba ‘to? Hip-hop o showband? 

Jayson: Ikukuwento ko sa ‘yo kung bakit ko sinuot yun! Kasi wala na akong damit after the first audition so pinahiram ako ng kaibigan ko — hockey jersey ata yun — sabi niya, ‘Ito na suotin mo! Suwerte yan!’ 

Do you think the age gap will prove detrimental? How different will the band’s sound be with Jayson jiving with you guys?

Mike: Kami ni Japs, we’ve been in the band for six to seven years so siguro yun yung hahabulin niya sa amin pero pagdating sa mindset, medyo magkapareho eh…

Lizza: The bad thing is when Japs said he liked Rivermaya when he was in grade school. That was an awful, hurtful thing.

Japs: High school naman! Kinuwento kasi ni Jayson, ‘nung pinanganak ako ‘nun, yun na yung sounds eh…’ (everyone laughs)

Lizza: For a long time, our previous vocalist did not want to sing from the first four albums. Now, people are actually hearing Rivermaya sing Rivermaya songs and with the voice of an 18-year old — the right age, the right voice — ‘cause Awit [ng Kabataan] was written when Blanco was 19, 214 was written when Bamboo was 17 and now he’s 34. When you’re 18, you think you’re invincible — Spartan — and Jayson is really Spartan! He’s half-Greek (laughs) and he never gets drunk. A Spartan rock star!

Why were these auditions so important?

Lizza: Because of the sad example of the ones who have left (laughs). Talent is a great thing and it can’t be underestimated but attitude is…

Japs: It’s hard to get someone from another band kasi paano yung banda niya? Eh ang daming nangyari sa aming ganon tapos gagawin namin sa iba? So kuha nalang kami na may gusto talaga.

What was the band’s initial reaction to Rico’s announcement that he wanted to leave Rivermaya?

Japs: It caught us off-guard. Kasi yung timing, meron kaming gigs na two months halos every day magkakasama kami, so medyo mahirap din isipin.

Mike: There weren’t even rumors, talagang biglaan. Started with a text message to Ate Flor (the band’s road manager). It said there na nag-organize siya ng gig for a certain candidate and then the last line was, ‘huling hirit ng ‘Maya’. As far as I can remember on the meeting after that, he was telling us that he wanted indefinite leave and he didn’t know if he would come back. So ang weird — leave na hindi sure kung kailan babalik.

Japs: If you ask me, nung pagdating ng May, which was supposedly our last gig, I really had my doubts na kung itutuloy pa. Baka ako rin actually, aalis na rin kaya ako? Tapos yung lahat ng tao walang kamalay-malay. Eventually, I came to my senses and I think I made an excellent choice.

And the fans? What did they think about ‘Maya without a captain at the time?

Mike: There were a lot of fans who were loyal to the band and not to individual members pero ang daming maririnig o mababasa na talagang ‘itigil niyo na yan’ o ‘di na yan Rivermaya without him!’

Lizza: But a small percentage lang… nothing compared to what happened to us in ’98. After 14 years, people don’t wanna let go of and they’re already in-love with the concept of Rivermaya. I felt we did have an obligation not just to our record label but to all the people who were part of Rivermaya history. It’s really like Japs said in his song (Banda ng Bayan, part of the EP Bagong Liwanag, released after Blanco’s departure), Banda ng Bayan doesn’t mean ‘of’ but ‘part of’. It’s ‘for’, ‘with’, ‘alongside’ — ng bayan. It became almost a responsibility and I’m a big believer in responsibility.  

I’m just curious about what Rico’s reaction was to everything that was going on after he left.

Japs: We have no idea. Although I’m sure na alam niya nung time na yun, sinabi ko sa kanya na itutuloy namin yung ‘Maya. Eh ako lang naman yung pinaka-likely na magsasabi sa kanya but I didn’t tell him that we were going to have auditions, etc etc. I didn’t really want to talk about it with him.

Mike: Ako naman, hindi ko pa rin nakakausap. Wala pa akong naririnig na comments from him at hindi ko rin inaalam kasi para sa akin, hindi ko kailangan marinig yun eh. I have no idea kung anong iniisip niya o sinasabi niya and I think Mark will also say the same thing kasi kaming dalawa yung talagang nag-stop ng communication sa kanya.

Where is ‘Maya headed now and why did you feel it was so important to keep going?

Lizza: There’s the Vertical Horizon show on Dec. 7, Jayson’s baptism of fire!

Mike: Actually, marami na siyang baptism of fire — two days after he got the job for Oktoberfest, umiikot-ikot siya kung saan-saan, parang ‘di first gig, and then there’ll be Asian Idol in Indonesia — ilang viewers yun?

Lizza: 150 million with six countries watching — not to put any pressure on Jayson!

Jayson: Hinahanda ko nga sarili ko eh. Kailangan talagang makipagsabayan sa kanila kung kaya nilang gawin.

Mike: And then after Indonesia, we’re coming out with our album in January of 2008. Nakalabas na yung first single (released Nov. 24). Care to elaborate, Mr. Songwriter?

Japs: Yes, it’s called Sugal ng Kapalaran and it’s a song about free will — about living with the decisions you make. Buena mano for 2008.  Hindi pa tapos yung kuwento eh. Hindi pa namin nasasabi lahat ng gusto naming sabihin — so this is a new chapter in Rivermaya’s history and unfortunately, kasama na sa history yung drama. 

Lizza: Bad things happen to good bands. We do get a lot of great stuff — so that’s the universe’s way of balancing it. I don’ think it’s personal — that any of the former members were intrinsically evil. They just became…(laughs). No, no…I think that you cannot have a band that gets all of this and does not have s**t happen to them.

Japs: Simple as that — s**t happens. Maybe that’s the new album title…