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M.Y.M.P.(Philippine Daily Inquirer Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)YOU cant see them, but you know theyre there. Its close to midnight on a Friday night, and Bagaberde, the white-hot music spot in Pasig, is packed. Not a seat remains empty, the restless dark broken only by the occasional blinking of cellphone screens. In a separate room, the band theyve all come to see prepares to take to the stage. Tonights SRO crowd is by now a regular experience for M.Y.M.P., the acoustic all-stars who have quietly come to dominate the Philippine music scene. Yet there is gifted guitarist Chin Alcantara, laughing out loud even while he meticulously examines his guitar for the night. There is vocalist Juris Fernandez, she of the exquisite cheekbones and vocal range, quietly readying herself. She is quite shy, you see. I think Im more shy off-stage with people, Fernandez explains. I feel more comfortable on stage. The shyness goes away. Words such as purr, lilt and velvet are easily applied to Fernandezs voice. She wields it like a delicate but powerful instrument of precision, hitting notes exactly and effortlessly. This melds seamlessly with Alcantaras guitar work, displaying his ability to melt a song down and then reforge it in M.Y.M.P.s signature style. It is the bands chimerical ability to play anythinganythingand still sound like M.Y.M.P. that has allowed them to outsell pretty much anyone else out there. Yet theirs has been an ascent that is far more adagio than allegro. No formal training There is an uncanny number of qualities shared by Alcantara and Fernandez. They both have virtually no formal musical training and, amazingly enough, cannot read sheet music. They describe themselves as homebodies, although that can also be a consequence of their superhuman gig schedule. I just like staying home and sleeping, Alcantara says with a laugh. What they do not share is a romantic connection. Despite working together closely and becoming instinctively complementary, musically speaking, Alcantara and Fernandez have never been involved and never plan to become so. Jacques Chin Alcantara founded the band back in late 1996. It was Alcantaras elder brother Julius who gave the band its name. Alcantaras mother Stella had died of complications from breast cancer when Alcantara was 17. Back when it was originally formed, Make Your Momma Proud was a four-man rock band, whose arsenal included Jimi Hendrix, The Doors and, as Alcantara adds, a little Mr. Big. He was still a student at Miriam College then, taking up Communication Arts, major in Advertising. My mom played the piano but she didnt get to see me play professionallyshe did get to see me start out, Alcantara says. In the year after his mother died, Alcantara took up the guitar and, in his words, really got obsessed with it and thats when I knew what I wanted to be, a musician. Alcantara had tried going to a classical guitar teacher, but stopped after a month. It wasnt for me, he explains. So Alcantara taught himself how to play. It was a long transition, he says. As a college band, M.Y.M.P. appeared in college fairs and shows, but as they became more earnest in their intent to pursue music as a career, they encountered difficulty in lining up gigs due to their repertoire. M.Y.M.P. added a keyboard player and began working on a more pop sound, completing the transformation with the addition of a female vocalist in 2000. New female lead That first lead vocalist was Marifil Nina Girado, better known today as R&B singer Nina after leaving the band to go solo. M.Y.M.P. then industriously performed in bars, clubs and shows for years, building an identity. In 2001, Alcantara was auditioning for a new female leadand found one in someone he already knew. Julie Iris Juris Fernandez went to Miriam as well, taking up Psychology in the hopes of becoming a doctor like her mother Juliet. Originally from Davao, Fernandez explains she didnt grow up exposed to music on a regular basis. Its only now that I sing a lot. Like Alcantara, Fernandez did not study music formally for long, eschewing the training to learn on her own. After graduating from Miriam, Fernandez was studying at the Ateneo, working towards completing her pre-med requirements when she decided that, like Alcantara, she wanted to immerse herself in music. After singing with Jimmy Bondoc, she fatefully auditioned for M.Y.M.P. It was the trio of Alcantara, Fernandez and percussionist Mike Manahan that established the beachhead for M.Y.M.P.s frontal assault on the sales and radio charts. When we released our first album, it reached platinum in seven months because we really worked hard to promote it with gigs. It was the second album that happened quickly, Alcantara says. As the band steadily built its following, it underwent one more shakeup when Manahan left the band in 2003 due to what Alcantara called professional differences as well as fallout from Manahans breakup with Fernandez; the two were in a relationship for a while. Manahan now appears in a band named Michaelangelo with his brother. Packing Araneta Taken under the wing of producer and radio brain Raymond Ryan, M.Y.M.P. released the Little Album That Could, Soulful Acoustic, under Ivory Records in 2003. This debut album, together with M.Y.M.P.s follow-up Versions & Beyond has sold over 200,000 copies in a marketplace surrounded by piracy. This was a blitzkrieg bolstered by original singles like A Little Bit and Get Me as well as covers of Waiting in Vain (Annie Lennox), Every Little Thing (Sting) and Especially for You (Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue). They did bar after bar and venue after venue. Yet their spectacular run continued. This is, after all, a band that sold out the cavernous Araneta Coliseumtwice. Thats more than 10,000 people per show. What was on display during those major concerts, as well as in the endless TV appearances, is the bands playful and tuneful craft. Aside from Alcantaras and Fernandezs almost telepathic musical coordination, it has the ability to transcend the nature of covers. Far from being canned regurgitations of Top 40 staples, M.Y.M.P.s songlist is eclectic and speaks of their adaptabilityeasy listening pop with nothing dangerous, hymns of heartbreak and just the right amount of goofing around thrown in. Its perfect barkada music, the mixtape as masterpiece. It is M.Y..M.P.s ability to woo both their core audience of latte-sipping, iPod-wielding romantics and others beyond it that has sent them on this trajectory. A dream fulfilled Now backed by keyboardist Edward Jimenez, percussionist Dexter John Angeles and bassist Aimiel Rivas, M.Y.M.P. embarks on its most ambitious career step yet: a summer tour of the US West and East coasts, a development that excites Alcantara and Fernandez immensely. It was a dream we were thinking of fulfilling maybe five years from now, Alcantara says of their hot streak. I definitely didnt think this would happen, Fernandez chimes in. Alcantara hopes to be working on their next album once they return home from the tour. The incandescent success has made the duo stars, something proven by the fact that they now get recognized when theyre out. Fernandez, for one, says shes still in the process of getting used to it all. In a scene littered with shards of broken vinyl and the carcasses of once-hot, now long-gone bands, M.Y.M.P. now faces the challenge of ensuring their own longevity. The first part comes with sticking together, something that doesnt seem to be a problem. I really dont think about going solo, Fernandez says. I started my career as a recording artist with M.Y.M.P. and it will end with M.Y.M.P. Another comes with continuing to evolve as a band. For now, Alcantara finds no issue with the fact that they do a whole lot of covers. For now, we like playing other artists songs because thats what we were doing before we became recording artists. But of course, every artists dream is to create something of their own. We hope that one day we can create an all-original album. Good musicians In the midst of the endless gigs and the preparations for their tour, Alcantara says he hasnt really thought about what comes next. This weekend, M.Y.M.P. plays in Cebu to what will certainly be an expectant and excited sellout. And nobody, nobody makes fun of what seems to be their incongruous name. The name was really an attitude, he explains. I couldnt be a good doctor or a good lawyer, but I could be a good musician. And thats what theyre about: Whatever we do, lets just make our mommas proud. Now, the name has evolved into a tribute for all the band members parents. Its for all their patience and support for us even if they originally had other career preferences for us. The night runs deeper and its almost time to go on. Now, M.Y.M.P. must dazzle an audience that sits in the soothing darkness, something they must do again tomorrow and perhaps the day after. No matter. Alcantara had just turned 31 the week before, and at midnight, it would be Fernandezs 28th birthday. The crowd takes a deep breath. Its M.Y.M.P.s turn, and the partys just starting. For more information about M.Y.M.P., log on to http://www.mympband.com. |