Itchyworms, circa the start

Note: This unpublished interview was conducted a week after the band’s launching of their first album Little Monsters Under Your Bed in 2001. 2005 marks the release of the long-awaited and much-praised 2nd full-length release. Here’s a peek of how they were in the beginning: an uncut transcript, including some of my notes, that unfortunately didn’t see the light of day—until now.

The setting is an hour before the band’s set starts at 70s bistro, just a week after the launch of their debut album “Little Monsters Under Your Bed.” I sit with Jugs Jugueta (vocalist-guitarist) and Kelvin Yu (bassist).

Kelvin: Bakit mo kami iinterviewin?

I need the money.

Kelvin: Bigyan na lang kitang pera. Hindi, interview na lang.

Jugs gets a text message from a friend, saying that the band was featured in People’s Tonight. Friend continues to text the article word per word, to the delight and amusement of the band. Jugs is dictating reading it out loud as Chino (guitarist) arrives.

The interview starts and I ask them about their beginnings. The truth this time, I insist. After seeing, hearing and reading their interviews for the past weeks, most of us have come to realize they’ve always had one amusing story to tell after another, and no one really realizes that the joke is on everyone else. I know better.

Jugs: Nabuo kami sa studio ng Powerchords sa studio ni Bobit.

Kelvin: Bobet.

Jugs: Bobit.

Kelvin: Bobet. Yung Bobit bahista ng Skinny Dee?

Jugs: Sabi sa inyo, Bobet yon e!

(And we’ve only just started.)

Jugs: Anyway, we started around -ber months ng ’96.

Who was in the first lineup?

Jugs: Kami na Jazz, Kelvin. Kasi actually, napag-usapan lang namin sya nung AMP (i.e., Ateneo Musician’s Pool). Eto, totoo ‘to, swerte mo, seryoso kami.

Kelvin: Oo nga, swerte mo.

Jugs: Yung G.A. nung AMP, siguro August or September ‘yon. Tapos freshman ka, eager to join the college life. Ikaw kasi, matanda ka na, Chino!

Chino: Gagu, sophomore lang ako nun.

Jugs: Tapos, sabi nila may magandang org. Kakaumpisa pa lang ng AMP nun.

Jazz Nicolas (drummer-vocalist) arrives. We tell him that we’ve only started, and we’re talking about the real story behind the band.

Kelvin: Swerte mo talaga. Alam mo naman na ang daming versions namin. Narinig mo yung version na nag-meet kami sa insect convention?

Jazz: Ah, seryoso tayo ngayon?

Jugs: Tapos after the G.A., sabi nila, “dito pwede kayo mag-form ng band, baka dito makahanap kayo ng friends nyo… ikaw pala nagbe-bass, ikaw nagda-drums. Baka pwede kayo magbanda.” Kasi konti palang bands nun, kakaumisa pa lang ng org. Iilan pa lang yung bands nun? May Tripnosis na ba n’on? Hsindicate, wala pa? Yon, Release at SAM pa lang. Indio-I and Rastafunktion.

Did you know each other already?

Jugs: Kami na Jazz, mag-classmates sa English. Tapos si Kelvin kilala ko sa high school.

Jazz: Tapos si Kelvin ayaw kay Jugs.

Kelvin: Away namin sa isa’t isa.

Did you use to play in high school already?

Kelvin: Actually, meron akong footage ni Jugs na tumutugtog.

Jugs: Akin na yun eh.

Kelvin: Pero na sa akin yun. Black Rose pa yun.

Jugs: Hindi, pagtapos ng Black Rose. Una yon eh.

What’s Chino’s story?

Jugs: Presidente sya ng org.

Chino: Di pa ako presidente nun.

Jugs: The next year. No, the next, next year.

Kelvin: RO president pa lang sya nun.

Why did you decide to take in another guitarist?

Chino: Kasi tatlo lang sila.

Kelvin: Hindi, may isang bassist kami. Umalis. Dati apat kami.

Jugs: Hindi, nung unang-unang jamming, tatlo kami.

Kelvin: Oo, tatlo kami. Tapos ka-jamming pa namin yung gitarista nila Jazz from his band na Saturday.

Jazz: Si Ale?

Kelvin: Si Ale. May album din sila under Quantum Music.

Jazz: Quantum Records.

Kelvin: Pero malakas song nila sa Yes FM.

So who was your bassist?

Kelvin: Hajji Cruz.

Jugs: Yun, ka-block ko ‘yon.

Kelvin: Nung unang jamming, si Jazz at si Jugs—kaming tatlo lang. Sabi namin, hanap tayo ng bassist. Si Hajji. Nagplay daw sya before. So line-up, ako at si Jugs gitara; si Jugs vocals; si Jazz drums; and vocals si Hajji at bass. Mga ilang months lang yon na practice. Si Hajji nagkaproblema, kasi di sya sumisipot.

Jugs: Pero marami rin syang gigs. Nakapag-record pa kami with him.

Kelvin: Ng very first demo namin.

You still have a copy of that demo?

Kelvin: Oo. Tapos yung demo na yon, yon yung reason bakit sinabi ni Francis Brew sa ad nya na “make sure your instruments are in tune.”

But if I remember correctly, he also said, when u guys submitted your new demo, that that’s an example on why one should keep on submitting, because yours was an example of improvement.

Jugs: Yon! Oo.

Kelvin: Na-flatter ako actually doon.

How it was like gigging when you were just starting?

Jugs: I had to wear some shades. Para hindi namin makita yung mga tao.

Kelvin: Actually, yun yung reason bakit kami nag-shades, kasi natatakot kami ‘pag maraming tao. Tapos nagpapalit kami ng shoes.

Do u still remember your first gig?

Jugs: Oo!

Kelvin: Sa Himigsikan, first ever gig namin.

Jazz: Himigsikan!

Jugs: Finals.

Kelvin: 1997.

Jazz: Songwriting contest.

Kelvin: Judge pa nga si Inky (de Dios) doon. Nanalo doon si Dale Ibay, Cookies for Kids. Number one sila.

Jugs: Kami lang yung freshman na lahat ng entries namin pasok. Tapos depressed kami,

Kelvin: kumain kami sa Goodah…

Jugs: Kasi maganda tugtog natin dun, diba?

What did you play?

Kelvin: Mga orig. Children’s Song, Teddy Bear at Illusions. Three songs na hindi kasama sa album kasi hindi na sya tunong Itchyworms ngayon.

Ano ba yung tunog Itchyworms dati?

Kelvin: Iba s’ya.

Jazz: Kasi yung tatlong songs na ‘yon tungkol sa social relevance.

Jugs: Kasi sadya.

Jazz: Yung Teddy Bear tungkol sa street kids. Illusions, world peace.

Kelvin: Yung Children’s Song, street kids din.

It wasn’t happy music?

Kelvin: Siguro hindi pa mature ba. Hilaw pa yung tunog.

Jazz: Wala pa kaming original na arrangement. Parang reggae yung isa. Hindi pa tunog orig.

Kelvin: Kasi ngayon, when we make a song, nilalagyan namin ng own flavor namin.

Jugs: Pero tuwang-tuwa na kami nun. Mag-record lang nga e.

Kelvin: Simple lang talaga, di pa mature yung playing namin. Hindi sa mature kami ngayon, pero mas mature.

Jugs: Gusto mo malaman paano namin nakuha si Chino?

Kelvin: Napick-up namin sa Q Ave.

Jugs: Hindi, QC Circle.

Kelvin: Hindi, Q Ave. Nagpapanggap s’yang babae. Hindi, may isang time na nung umalis si Hajji…

Jugs: Manager na ba natin si CD nun? With Hajji?

Kelvin: Si CD kumuha lang sya ng gigs for us nung tatlo na tayo. Tapos nung pumasok si Chino, after a while, kasama si Chino, tapos naging manager si CD. So nung umalis si Hajji, tatlo na lang kami, lumipat ako sa bass by default. Tapos si Chino…

Jugs: August 30, 1997.

Kelvin: Nung SKIN, AMP party. Tatlo lang kami, tugtugin namin Come Together.

Chino: Hindi, napanood ko kayo before that. Natuwa na ako sa inyo, kaya sabi ko sa inyo pa-jam.

Kelvin: Nagpaturo ako sa iyo ng Then There was You. Sa T.A. theater, kasi nandun yun show.

Jugs: Yun yung may Hsindicate, Tripnosis.

Jazz: Taxi.

Jugs: Andun ba si (Mike) Elgar nun? Anyway… tapos nag-jam s’ya with us sa Skin. One song. Tapos after that nag-jam s’ya sa next event.

Kelvin: Sa AMA.

Have you been playing originals ever since?

Kelvin: Hindi.

You stopped after Himigsikan?

Kelvin: Oo. Kasi wala kaming pondo, wala kaming collection of songs. At gusto rin namin yung Beatles, so nagco-cover kami ng Beatles. Dun kami nag simula. Showband.

Jazz: Hindi tayo showband. Cover band.

Kelvin: Concept band.

When did the songwriting start?

Jazz: Dati pa, di lang kami nag-arrange.

Kelvin: Naging full-force nung naging manager namin si Earnest (Mangalubnan). Hindi dun nag start, pero mas naging point.

How did you meet?

Kelvin: Through association.

Jugs: kilala ko s’ya nung high school ako.

Kelvin: Lagi si Jugs nanonood ng Eraserheads na gig. Nakilala nya si Earnest. Nakilala din through Marie (Jamora) kasi sya gumawa ng Pillbox.

So what you asked Earnest to be your manager?

Kelvin: Oo., niligawan namin si Earnest. Kasi nakita namin yung potential ‘pag meron kang magandang produkto at magandang manager.

Jugs: Pero nagustuhan daw n’ya kami. Kaya s’ya nandun sa Café Emmanuel.

Kelvin: Naging manager namin si Earnest nung… Buhay pa Inka nun.

Did you really think that you’d be recording? Was it a goal?

Kelvin: To be honest, yung demo na binigay namin sa Viva (Records), yun dapat yung indie album namin kung walang magsign sa amin.

Jazz: Although ire-remix pa.

But you really wanted to put an album out?

Kelvin: Oo, gusto namin magka-album.

Not everyone knows that you wanted to go the indie way.

Kelvin: Hindi naman kami vocal nun. And on our part, play safe tayo. Kung di tayo ma-sign, indie tayo. Hindi yung: dapat mag-indie tayo.

Jugs: Kung ma-sign, ok!

How did you get hooked up with Viva? You gave your demo to Viva?

Jugs: Actually si Raimund (Marasigan) yung nagbigay ng demo. Binigay nya kay Mike (Dizon). Wala pa si Sancho (Sanchez) sa Viva nun.

How have things changed for you guys after the contract signing?

Jugs: More gigs.

Jazz: At mas alaga.

Kelvin: Alaga kami sa Viva. Ito lang sabihin ko, not to put anyone down, pero ok talaga yung may label ka.

If you’re a starting band you mean?

Kelvin: Oo! I mean, sino mag-handle ng radio tour mo? Sinong papansin sa radio tour kung indie ka na bago? Sino mag-aayos ng mall tour mo?

But isn’t that something to do with what kind of goals you have as a band?

Jazz: Or kung anong klaseng band ka. Kung big ka an sa underground scene, tapos indie, eh di ok!

Jugs: Maganda rin yun help ng radyo. NU from the start. As in from the start.

What came along that you didn’t expect?

Jugs: Nabuntis si Chino?

Chino: Nabuntis ko si Jugs.

Has your relationship with each other changed in anyway?

Chino: Mas-tight kami.

Jugs: Mas bastos si Kelvin. Pumayat ata si Jazz.

Is there a conscious effort to keep the fun?

Chino: Yun naman yung primary goal.

Jugs: Di naman kami conscious actually. Basta importante yun to have fun while making the music.

Do you feel the pressure of album sales?

Jugs: Kung may pressure man, di pa namin nafi-feel

How did the concept of the launch come about?

Chino: actually, nag-fall into place lang. “Happy Birthday” yung single.

Kelvin: Nag-isip pa kami ng ibang places, like Dreamscape, yung mga party places. Absurda talaga yung dating. Pero hindi rin.

Jugs: Pero masaya naman sa Republic (of Malate)!

Kelvin: Actually, one of the happiest moments yon.

But before the launch, what were you expecting?

Jazz: Na walang pupunta!

Jugs: Oy pare, muntikan na akong umiyak. Pero muntikan lang.

Kelvin: Actually, sobra kaming touched na lahat kayo pumunta. At na maraming pumunta na hindi namin kilala. Ang sarap ng feeling kasi na… Alam mo nung ginagawa natin yung bridge ng Bituin, muntik na ako maiyak dun.

Jugs: Diba, pare?

What are your plans now? Short term, for the next few months, what will be happenin?.

Jazz: More gigs

Chino: Promote.

Jazz: Broader audience.

Chino: Parang ang tagal nung last week, ‘no? Nung Wednesday lang yon…

Do you have any interesting encounters with fans?

Jugs: Yung mga nagte-text kay earnest.

Chino: Yung Sugar Free at Twisted Halo pinagkakamalang Itchyworms.

Jugs: Nung pumunta ako sa NU Pocket Concert sa Sta Lucia, tapos may nagpapapirma sa akin, tapos “Uy, Itchyworms!” Natakot ako.

Chino: Bakit ka natakot?

Jugs: Kasi parang, hindi ako marunong nyan e!

Kelvin: Eh para saan yung pag-practice sa logbook natin?

Jugs: Ikaw lang naman yun!

We talked about this before, about not expecting something of this magnitude to happen when we were in school.

Kelvin: Oo nung nagpa-sign ka.

Jugs: Ano?

Kelvin: Sabi ko, “Kutob mo, nung tumambay tayo sa AMP room mangyayari sa atin ito?”

Jugs: Yun naman yung nag-encapsulate ng lahat?

Is it real now?

Kelvin: Surreal pa.

Chino: Surreal yung lumalabas tayo sa dyaryo.

What were the struggles that you went through to get to this point.

Kelvin: Acceptance. By family. Parents.

Jugs: Walang may gusto sa amin

Kelvin: Para sa kanila…

Jugs: …parang laro lang

Jazz: Hindi rin nila na-imagine.

Kelvin: Dun siguro sa parents, yung nakita nila Viva Records yung gumawa, na andami nagpapa-pirma, na-realize nila na iba ito, hindi na ito hobby.

Jugs: Sa akin din pare. Dati, may tugtog: ok. Ngayon alam na nila saan ako tumutugtog.

Kelvin: Pero kami, thankful kami na hindi naman kami pinigilan ng parents namin magbanda. They had that option to forbid us to play.

Jugs: Siguro kasama na dun yung acceptance sa family, yung sa music scene in general.

Did you think you had to prove yourself to the scene?

Kelvin: Oo! Kasi nung time na ‘yon di kami yung uso.

Jazz: hindi naman tayo uso ngayon eh!

Who was having a lot of airplay?

Kelvin: Nung lumabas kami it was Cheese, Greyhoundz. 2 years ago.

But you’ve been playing since more than 2 years ago.

Jazz: Yun yung may goal kami na gusto na namin magka-album.

Kelvin: Yun yung manager na namin si Earnest.

What kept you going?

Jazz: The music.

Kelvin: Actually, feeling ko hipokrito ako kung sabihin ko what kept me going was the love of music, Parang may part of you na gusto mo magka-album din.

Why an album?

Jazz: Pag may album, meron ka nang record history na nag-exist yung music mo.

Kelvin: Dati nag-usap kami ni Jugs, kung papapiliin ako between 20 albums and live gigs araw-araw, pipiliin ko live gigs, kasi masaya yon. Pero na-realize ko rin na para magka-gigs kailangan mo rin ng album.

Jugs: Para dumami live gigs mo.

Before you entered the studio, how did you think recording was going to be like for you?

Kelvin: Feeling ko sobrang hirap na nakakatakot, kasi producer namin si Buddy (Zabala) at si Sancho.

How did Buddy and Sancho end up as your producers?

Kelvin: Si Sancho, nag-produce nung demo.

Jugs: Yung demo na sinubmit namin sa Viva, si Sancho at si Ely (Buendia) nagproduce nun.

How were Sancho and Buddy as producers?

All: The best.

Chino: The best. Well, wala kaming basis of comparison kasi first album. Encouraging sila. At the same time, pinapabayaan nila kami to do our own thing. Wala silang pinipilit on us. Parang kabarkada mo lang.

How long was recording?

Chino: On and off half a year. Kasi hindi tuluy-tuloy yung sched.

Did your playing change after recording?

Chino: Mas naging tight kami.

Jazz: Pag na-record mo yun song mo, na-finalize mo na. Tapos pag napakinggan mo ng ilang beses, parang, sana ginawa ko ito, sana ginawa mo iyan.

Jugs: Actually, mas madali pa yon, pag ne-record mo na.

Jazz: Biglang lalabas na lahat ng ideas mo. Tapos, gagawin mo ngayon sa live. So nag-improve yung mga versions.

Kelvin: kaya yung ‘Heads, you never see them doing the song the same way twice.

Musical influences? We know about the Beatles.

Kelvin: Rivermaya.

Jugs: E-heads.

Kelvin: Teeth.

Jazz: The Dawn, pare.

Chino: Oo, The Dawn, sobra.

What were your first encounters like when you met these people that you were looking up to as fans before?

Kelvin: Dito sa bistro.

Chino: E-heads. na-meet ko sila sa isang gig. Nagfront kami, kinuha kami ni Julie. Nakilala ko yung ‘Heads, tapos pina-sign ko yung Fruitcake ko.

Dream album collaborations?

Chino: Collab tayo with…

Jugs: Cynthia Alexander!

Chino: Yon!

Kelvin: Ako iba. Dream collaboration ko ako lang. At ang Porkchop Duo. Para tatlo kami. Kasi gitara lang yon, walang bass eh. Seriously!

Jazz: Gusto ko gumawa ng thing with Buddy. Kahit anong thing.

Dream show?

Kelvin: Dream gig ko makasama ko at makatugtog namin lahat ng iniidolo namin.

Have you guys decided on what your first expenses will be after you get your royalties?

Chino: Effects.

Kelvin: Ako, services.

All: (laughter)

Jugs: Actually kami ni Tim (Cacho), nag-usap kami na pagnakuha namin royalties namin, services. Papaayos ko yung gitara! Services yon!

To those who don’t know you, tell us how you’re like offstage.

Kelvin: Ako, seryoso.

Jazz: Seryoso kami lahat offstage.

Do you guys go out together?

Jugs: Di nga kami nag-uusap after eh! Di ba?

Jazz: Lahat ‘tong friendship thing, show lang ‘to. Parang marketing lang. Yun yung selling point., yung pagkakaibigan.

Loud laughter and the recorder clicking off marks a forced end into what was starting to become the mark of their naturally rowdy boisterous selves as the boys go onstage for their set. They play up to their roles as professional musicians, replaying their setlist of their launch’s programme, with more candor as they exchange jibes and inside jokes with friends from the audience.

Their happy, even wry, music speaks much and well for this newly inducted band, and with their hard work plus the marked off-beat humor, it looks like the ‘worms won’t be seen fading into any kind of oblivion anytime soon.