Pop goes the world

The Pin-Up Girls are the Philippines’ best-kept secret. Undeniably the country’s best pop band, the group is only known to a handful of admirers and to their colleagues, their name passed around in whispers and shared looks in underground clubs. This is amazing not only for the fact that their lead singer is the high-profile NU 107 disc jockey known only by his moniker Mondo but that the music itself is so instantly catchy and accessible even for the jaded palates of the current music scene.

In 1996, the band was modestly conceived by Pam Aquino and Jeng Tan - formerly of KELTSCROSS - with Mon Castro in a bar in Davao. After a few drinks and a few New Wave classics playing on the venue’s P.A - always a lethal combination - the three decided to form a band that would provide an outlet for the music they love. A few months later, they roped in drummer Noel Garcia - former manager of seminal outfit Ethnic Faces and sometime session keyboardist for the Eraserheads. The last member to join was guitarist Ryan Nachura who just happened to drop by while the band was auditioning another guitar player. Persuaded to jam out a few songs, he managed to get the job. "Much to the chagrin of the other guy," laughs Castro.

Now, with the line-up complete, all they needed was a name. The band at this point was flirting with different names, none of which would stick. Providence came at a practice session when bassist Tan arrived in a Betty Page T-shirt

Wearing their Stone Roses and Ride buttons proudly on the lapels of their jackets, the band nonetheless occupy a musical territory all on their own, balancing a very Pinoy penchant for melodicism with a very European appetite for experimentation. One need not look further than their independently released debut album Hello Pain to gauge the band’s talent. The album is filled to the brim with pop hooks and catchy choruses that underlie the music’s broken heart, playing up the contrasts and finding a comfort-zone in between. In the song A Cold and Better Place the band lay down a Lou Reed-style groove to convey the emotions of a victim of domestic violence. Not that the album dwells particularly on the dark side; the band do know how to rock, as can be heard on singles like Ride Rocket Wild - a witty send up of psychedelia.

But, alas, the secret is out. The Pin-Up Girls are all set to sign up with Know-It-All Records, an independent outfit based in Tacoma, Washington. The first Philippines-based band to do so. They’ll be joining the label’s roster of talents that include Peter Coyle of the Lotus Eaters, rapper Lazarus and Matt Easton.

On how it all came together, Michael Sutton, A&R for Know-It-All, relates that he was given a tape of one of NU 107’s broadcasts and was struck when the song A Cold and Better Place came on. " It caught my attention immediately," he relates. "It sounded like nothing else the station was playing. I rewound the tape several times, kept listening to it over and over again. I was mesmerized." Scouring the net for anyone who could put him in touch with the band, he eventually got Mondo’s e-mail address. "I feel like I’ve stumbled onto buried treasure," he enthuses.

The country hopefully won’t be losing the band though they’re slated to play a festival in Seattle in September and there are plans for a possible West Coast tour with Peter Coyle. Sutton however is convinced that the band might just crack the U.S market. " I can easily see the Pin-Up Girls being warmly embraced by college-radio stations, and then crossing over into Modern Rock formats," he says. Decrying the shortsightedness of most rock stations, he declares that "the Pin-Up Girls will show them that the world is round, not flat."

As for the band themselves, they’re as excited as ever. When asked what he thinks their chances are of making it in America, Castro replies that "with the out-of-this-world belief of our label and our usual stubbornness, it looks pretty good."

Let’s hope that after years of struggling, one of our own finally makes it to the big leagues. It’s about time.

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A film that this column has heard nothing but praise for is Jon Red’s new film Utang ni Tatang. Aside from fact that it’s directed by one of the most original directors of the independent scene, it also stars the always-brilliant Joel Torre (whose under-use in the mainstream is one of the most unfortunate oversights and is perhaps symptomatic of all that is wrong in our local industry), promising actor Epi Quizon, and Tado (who along with Jun Sabayton is an icon of indie film). Please go see it and support true Filipino cinema.

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