FROM LEFT: PAROKYA NI EDGAR: Darius Semaña (lead guitarist), DinDin Moreno (drummer), Chito Miranda Jr. (Edgar uhh I mean lead singer), Buwi Meneses (bass guitarist), Gab Chee Kee (rhythm Guitarist) and author Giselle Sanchez in the middle all wear black thick clothing because autumn feels like winter in Ansan, Korea as temperature drops to negative three!
While collecting our luggage in South Korea, a Pinoy passenger asked for my picture. After graciously acceding, he said, “Gusto ko sana makapag-pa -picture kay Edgar kaso busy siya nag-te-text.” I was clueless. Who the hell is Edgar, I wondered. Our entourage had to leave so I just smiled. Then I saw Chito Miranda Jr., the lead singer of Parokya ni Edgar, texting in a corner and realized, OMG! Edgar is Chito Miranda Jr. The man actually thought Chito is Edgar, which makes sense if you don’t know Chito’s name.
“The name Parokya Ni Edgar was coined when a fellow band member of ours announced in our first ever gig, ‘Kami po ang Parokya ni Edgar!’ And everything was history. We became Parokya ni Edgar ever since. Some people found it funny. I actually think it was weird but the name clicked so we just embraced it.”
They marked their two decades in the industry recently by releasing a new DVD titled “Bente,” which contains 28 videos of their favorite songs, plus a new single (a collaboration of Parokya with Gloc-9 and Frank Magalona). “The new single is titled ‘Parokya.’ It tells the story of the band, how it started and the members of the band. It felt weird talking about ourselves so it will be Gloc-9 and Frank Magalona who will be describing the band and its members,” Chito explains.
Let me describe the members based on our brief company in Korea. Let’s start with the John Lennon of Parokya, Buwi Meneses, the bass guitarist. It was zero degrees and pitch dark when we stepped out of Incheon airport. Amid the darkness, Buwi wore circular rimmed sunglasses like John Lennon and was shivering in the cold. “I’m not prepared for this,” he said. So I told him to go get his jacket. He opened his luggage and got his wave board – and started waving away while on his board. Okay!
At the concert, all the band members wore plain t-shirt and pants. But Buwi was in polo with the sleeves cut off, showing his muscled arms. His hair was waxed up and was three inches high. When I came out to thank all the fans, he stole a kiss from me to the delight of the fans. This boy knows how to hype up the crowd! I deduce that Buwi is the rock star of Parokya.
Dindin Moreno is my favorite. He reminds me of my husband who took the trip with me. They’re both drummers and nerds. My ultimate fettish: Dindin is neat, quiet, doesn’t drink, is very simple and just reads his iPad or a book instead of chatting with everyone – my type of guy!.If you look at Gab Chee Kee, rhythm guitarist, you would think he is a woman because of his long beautiful hair and an abundance of estrogen hormones in his body. That is until he stands up and you see all the tattoos on his arms. When he starts to talk, you will realize, ahhhh… this guy is all man! When he performs and exchanges lines with Chito in their gig, you will say, “This guy is not just all man, this guy is superman!”
When I first met Darius Semaña, lead guitarist, I thought he was the band roadie or assistant. He stands unassuming and even helped carry my luggage! After the gig, instead of shaking hands with the overseas Filipino workers at the Ansan Ampitheater, he hid backstage. When I asked him why he is not there onstage basking at the glory, he said, “I’m shy.” Wow, a shy rockstar.
Chito Miranda is the rubber band that holds the group together. He is also their lifeline being the genius who writes the songs (but claims he gets help from Darius sometimes). We all know that writing original songs is the secret to a band’s longevity. I asked the prolific songwriter if humor is another secret to their being in the business for 20 years, “Normal lang sa banda naman maging makulit. It makes being in the band more fun when you’re having fun. It’s hard to stay angry at your bandmates when you’re always laughing.”
He continued: “Alam na namin yung saltik ng bawat isa and we learned to accept that and respect that. Plus with our common love for money, we wouldn’t be earning as much without each other. Humor masks the lack of talent when you make fun of yourselves.”
Parokya rocks Korea
Source: Mb.com.ph (December 03, 2013 at 10:00PM)
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