INSIDE THE KIKO MACHINERY
by Maria Abigael M. Malonzo
09/29/05
The UP-based indie band Kiko Machine, aside from being that noisy humorous band whose members are dressed in red jumpsuits, boasts of a secret weapon, something other upstarts dont have: they are the only band with a guy in a Spider-Man costume, who not only performs duties as the bands mascot, but is also the bands bassist. In addition, the bands energetic live performances areincomparable; in every performance, they have new antics to delight a crowdbe they the various pauses and poses within songs, their eclectic musical style, the stand-up comedy routines and of course, the infamous "Spidey" dance.
And what of their music? Their current album, the eponymous Kiko Machine, is an embodiment of who they are as a band, showing the bands personality as well as what their music is all about. The album is so diverse and vibrant that it seems more like a soundtrack to a film, featuring an amalgamation of different genresrock, punk, rap metal, even emo, disco, funk and glam rock. For example, their most popular song, "Val Soto" starts off like a jukebox type of song, which segues to a rap/dance part, with a glam rock ending. Its not surprising because their musical influences range from KISS, the Foo Fighters, Deftones, the Used, 311, the Beatles, Supergrass, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Joe Satriani, Incubus, Weezer and a bunch of Filipino musicians such as VST and Company, Tito, Vic and Joey, Eraserheads, Siakol, and Hotdog.
Characterized by catchy and infectious heavy guitar licks but balanced with simple lyrics which sometimes poke fun at current issues and preoccupations of young people like themselves, their songs are also capable of imparting pearls of wisdom about life andeven the loftiest albeit, most common topiclove. But generally, as the so-called Andy Warhols of Pinoy Rock and Roll, as they refer to themselves half-seriously and half-jokingly, their songs are usually about Philippine pop culture and its icons such as actor Val Sotto, the 80s TV shows MacGyver and Takeshis Castle, comedy duo Dolphy and Panchito, pro-wrestling, and Sammy Lagmay. The album itself, which looks like a DVD of a Pinoy action flick is a commentary on piracy.
The brilliant minds behind Kiko Machine all hail from the University of the Philippines, College of Fine Arts. Formerly known as Punk Sinatra, they later changed their name (because a band in the US has the same name) to Kiko Machine, from the Batibot character Kiko Matsing. The band was formed in July 2000 for the F.A. Fresh Meet. The original members were JP Cuison (vocalist, former lead guitarist and main songwriter), Bheng Densing (vocalist/back-up dancer), Manix Abrera (rhythm guitarist/statue), Spider-Dan Geromo (bassist/band mascot) and Zoltan Pabon (drummer), and at the time, they mostly played at activist gatherings, or wherever they were invited. They couldnt afford to be choosy then because they were, in a sense, still nobodies in the rock scene. They had to attend activist seminars and even had to befriend activists in order to be invited to gigs. Their sound then was something like rap metal and alternativeGreyhoundz meets Tito, Vic and Joey, as Bheng Densing says. Their most famous song then was "Garapata Blood," meant to be a tongue-in-cheek parody on rap metal songs which were the trend at the time. (Later on, three members of Kiko Machine, JP, Bheng and Manix wrote a short-lived comic strip in the Philippine Daily Inquirer with the same title). Of course, the band was able to play at other places eventually, but then, they had to replace their drummer Zoltan when he had accident while skateboarding. He is now a drummer for the rock band Apollo Creed. In the year 2001, Kiko Machine went through a number of drummers. For a while, they practiced with fellow UP Fine Arts student, Billy Reyes (a former lead guitarist for Chocolate Beef and Lester Cannon) who would later become Kiko Machines bassist and then lead guitarist in 2005. Then Bon Sundiang, (also a U.P. Fine Arts student and a former drummer for Chocolate Beef and now the drummer of Moonstar 88), took over. It was during Bons stint with Kiko Machine that the band won first place in MTVs Listen Up. But Bon left the band soon after because of commitments with his real band, since Kiko Machine was just his side project, and Bheng had to play drums in the meantime, but then, they signed on classmate Marco Rosales in November 2001. At this time, the sound of Kiko Machine evolved because of Marcos heavy metal background. Finally, the band settled with Jeff Azarcon, also a Fine Arts student at UP and the former drummer of Killjoy, a funky-reggae band, after Marco left for the US. Jeffs transition to the bands sound was not easy at first, because of his funky-reggae background, his drumming was too light, but he learned quickly. His versatility was also a beneficial change for the band.
Most of the current members had a background in music before college. JP was into Eraserheads and Rivermaya and played the guitar; Bheng played the banduria in the school rondalla; Manix also played guitar in a school band and in their church; Billy already dabbled in music in a band with his father and brothers; and Spider-Dan had wanted to be in a band since high school. He asserts that it was not to become a musician per se, but to belong in a band that was the main attraction for him.
Perhaps the common thing about them is that they all love to perform and be in the limelight. Bheng, in his high school days, was in the drama club and dance club. He shares a story when, as a child going to the market with his mother, the fruit vendor would have her son recite poems and rhymes by her stall, and the young Bheng, not wanting to be upstaged had challenged the boy and recited a poem himself. JP had also had a taste of fame even at a young age, winning first place in Eat Bulagas Mr. Pogi, a search for charming and talented little boys. For the talent portion, the budding young artist drew Vic Sotto. Spider-Dan had wanted to become a superhero and become famous ever since he was a child, and being in a band could be a way to achieve his dreams. Originally, his Spider-Man costume, which he designed himself, was his project worn for the UP Lantern Parade in 1999, when the theme of the College of Fine Arts was "icons". At first he just wanted to wear the costume during a gig for fun, but when the pictures of the event did not come out right, he had to wear the costume again, until the costume became a trademark of Kiko Machine, something which makes them unique from other UP bandsas the only band with a guy in Spider-Man costume.
Kiko Machine had other attention-grabbing gimmicks during their many gigs in UP aside from Spider-Dan and his hilarious dancing. They would bring disco lights with them to liven up the stage, and had a friend set up an ironing board and an iron on stage, as if he were a member of the band about to play an instrument as well. As a joke, a friend would also come out to sweep the stage after every song. They would also throw instant noodles (still in the packaging), candies and junk food to the audience. They loved the freebies, according to Dan. Sometimes they would invite "strangers" from the audience, who were really their friends and knew their songs by heart to jam with them, especially for their song, "Garapata Blood." JP and Spider-Dan would invite friends to play in their stead, while they danced and ran around the stage in homage to the Beastie Boys. Later on (when they were already wearing their uniform red jumpsuits), there is a portion for the song "Bold Star," where Bheng would unzip his jumpsuit to reveal that he is wearing a strapless lacy red bra underneath.
However, everything was not fun and sunshine for Kiko Machine. External and internal problems beset the band in the five years that they were together. One of their problems was their drummers. Bheng says, "Parang may jinx yata kami sa drummer. Yung banda noon immature pa ng konti, pati yung mga members. Parang di nabubuo yung commitment sa bawat isa, kaya ganun din kadali na umalis at magpasok ng bagong tao."
There were also money problems, schooling to think about and forbidding parents to contend with. For example, Bhengs conservative parents didnt allow him to be out late (which is difficult for him because gigs would usually run from 9 pm to the wee hours of the morning). Manix, on the other hand, son of Philippine Daily inquirer cartoonist Jess Abrera, feels that he is unable to pursue other things that he enjoys doing, such as drawing and filmmaking. (Manix has done a documentary on the state of public schools which was featured in ABC 5s Dokyu). Later on, when most of the members had graduated (with the exception of drummer Jeff, who is currently doing his thesis), they had a new problem to think about, whether to take the band seriously or just break up and get day jobs. It was a struggle for most of them at first, particularly for Billy, recently married, with a four-month-old daughter; and for Bheng, and JP having to help with the expenses at home.
But one thing about the Kiko Machine members is that they have a philosophy that the band always comes first, and this is especially true for JP. Bandmates tell a story when JP was about to record a song for their album, (a love song written by Bheng, "Gabi") he found out through text that his sister had died of asthma. Since he was inside the recording booth by himself, he told nobody and being the professional that he is, he still went on to record the song. The result was a heartbreaking rendition of "Gabi;" the emotion poured into the song at that moment cant ever be duplicated. The song was originally written by Bheng for his girlfriend, but after the death of JPs sister, the song was dedicated to her instead. Spider-Dan says, "Ang maganda dun, nagamit niya yung grief niya para mapaganda pa lalo yung kanta namin."
As for Spider-Dan, the clown in the group, his only problem is that his mom would scold him for wearing his costume, which made him prone to colds and fever. She also couldnt understand why he has to wear a mask all the time, even in print materials and on their album cover, that hes doing it because of the Spider-Man costume, his band wouldnt get noticed otherwise. Spider-Dan argues that if for example, a person who isnt into rock bands were to see a guy in a Spider-Man costume on stage while passing by a gig, he or she would stop and watch, maybe not for Kiko Machine, but definitely for the guy in the Spider-Man costume. His seemingly choreographed moves while performing, something out of a KISS concert, bringing to mind the antics of Gene Simmons (the bassist of KISS), and a lewd strip show, brings the Kiko Machine performance to another level. Outside of the homemade Spider-Man costume which he designed himself, he is just a regular guy, but when wearing it, he is a superhero of sorts. And wearing the Spider-Man costume has an advantage for him because if ever they were to become famous, people wouldnt know his real identity.
At one point, Spider-Dan himself even left the band in December 2003, and he was replaced by friend Apol Sta. Maria, bassist for the now-defunct band Chocolate Beef. His reasons were many. One of them was because he had no time for school anymore, and he was doing his thesis at the time, and he acted in a UP Repertory one-act play, "Ang Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio" where he played the title character. In addition, he couldnt spend time with his girlfriend, and he felt that his bass-playing was not good enough and that he didnt deserve to be their band mate. At the time, Kiko Machine was thinking about becoming a professional band and landing a record deal, and Dan felt overwhelmed with the pressure. "Nawawala na yung "fun" kase puro pagsikat at pagiging professional na lang ang iniisip nila," Dan says.
Dan also feared that if Kiko Machine was to become a professional band, he would have to actually learn to play the bass guitar better, and if that happened, he wouldnt be able to dance and do his silly antics anymore, because he would rather concentrate on playing. He also thought that they might remove him from the band, because as serious professionals, Kiko Machine wouldnt need his clown act anymore. Added to this was the copyright issue of the Spider-Man character, which might be preventing Kiko Machine from landing a record deal.
So, despite the best efforts of Bheng to convince him to stay in the band, Dan left the band and hung up his costume, sad at the thought that he could never wear it again.
For Kiko Machine, the year that followed after Dan quit the band was a series of peaks and valleys. They were invited to NU 107s In the Raw, a radio program which features up-and-coming bands, where the DJ, Francis Brew, also a member of the band, the Dawn, praised their demo for sounding like a real album. However, for a band famous for its spectacular and dynamic performances, the energy level went down without Spider-Dans antics. On stage, Bheng and the rest of the band relied on Spider-Dan for support when it comes to being lively and being funny, which is essentially what Kiko Machine is.
"Nung umalis siya (Spider-Dan) mas na-realize naming kung gaano siya kaimportante," Manix shares.
"Mas magaling talaga si Apol (Dans replacement as bassist) mag-bass, pero yung Kiko kase, hindi naman puro magaling lang sa music," Jeff adds. "Kasama din yung performance."
Bheng shares a particularly bad experience when he couldnt perform properly at a Maskipaps concert at the College of Engineering, just standing at one corner of the stage, which was unlike his usual comedy acts and dancing. It was that point when he himself almost wanted to quit the band because he didnt have the heart for it anymore. He missed the old Kiko Machine who would only go out the stage to have fun, and he especially missed Dan, who gave their performances a kind of heady oomph and punch that the band had lost in his absence. It was because of this recognition of the bands problem that they decided to reformat and think up new gimmicks, such as wearing red jumpsuits for their performances. It was also decided that Billy, then the sessionist on bass, would play lead guitars instead, while JP concentrates on the singing and the songwriting. They planned to look for another bassist, when Billy suggested asking Dan back to play with them.
There was no tearful reconciliation or any of that sort when Dan came back to play bass for Kiko Machine again after a years hiatus. It was as if he had never left. And when he came back, the first song that they wrote together was "PULP Magazine," a battle-cry of the new lineup of the six Kiko Machine members. It was as if this time, they truly knew who they were and what their purpose was. They were going in a unified direction, and they knew what they wanted. As the song says:
"Kailangan na naming sumikat / At makilala sa buong rock scene / Yung pinapalakpakan at tinitilian / Kailangang dumiskarte / magkaroon ng kotse / pakakuha ng marami / marami na babae / Kailan to mangyayari / kailan magaganap / Gusto na kasi namin na sumikat / Kailan kaya kami mapupunta sa cover ng PULP magazine?"
With this, they renewed their efforts at getting noticed, not only by their target audience, which Bheng laughingly referred to as "the buying public," but by record companies as well. They vowed to themselves that they will have an album by 2005, and after deciding between two labels, they settled with Star Records, an ABS-CBN subsidiary, only for distribution rights, preferring creative control over their music, rather than being under a label which would require them to be under contract for two years. Along with their indie album, their songs were also used for three ABS-CBN showsthe Barkada Trip animated shorts shown on Studio 23, Magandang Umaga, Bayan and Y-Speak. They also now have the music video of their song "Takeshi" playing on Myx, as well as radio airplay for their song "McGyver" on NU 107.
It seems as if the band is well on the way to success, but there are still disappointments for this group of twenty-somethings. The common letdown with being a rock artist, they say, is that theres no money yet. Bands in the Philippines are not like those in the US. "Mahina lang ang kita namin. Di tulad ng Metallica, isang milyon siguro kita nila bawat gig," says Manix.
"Piniparata pa kami,"
chimes in Billy.
Both Bheng and Dan also say that their parents have never watched them perform. But Bheng is not so sure that he would like his parents to see him on stage. He knows that theyre proud of him, but he doesnt think hed be able to perform knowing that theyre in the audience. "Hindi naman ako lumaking ganun. Kahit dati may school play, hindi sila nanunuod, hindi kase kami ganun eh," he shares, shrugging. "They arent stage parents," he says simply. "Wala silang alam sa banda ko; parang di pa nila naiintindihan, kase dati hindi sila naniniwala dun e, kala nila libangan lang, hindi seryoso," he adds. One of his gripes is that his parents didnt support him financially when it came to the band, something he envies fellow bandmates, Billy, Manix, Jeff and JP, whose father even watches their gigs. "Ni pambili ng art materials nung FA pa ko, wala din eh, electric guitar pa kaya? Pero nung nakita na nila ko sa TV, nakita yung album namin sa record store, naniwala na," Bheng finishes.
One the other hand, the fulfillment that has come after five years definitely outweighs the disappointments. For one thing, they have earned the respect of their colleagues in the music industry, as well as press people, who are now reviewing them seriously. They recently had an eight-page feature with full color pictures written by UP alumni Luis Katigbak on PULP magazine, as well as fronted for the PULP Summer Slam, a major rock concert and had two successful album launchings. The members are all still a little star-struck with the famous people they now share tables with at bars, or who nod at them and chat with them, now that they are equals, when before, they were just people they admired from afar.
They also now enjoy some success and fame, although initially, they only wanted to be famous in UP, but they have found that they have even gone beyond. Aside from people asking them for autographs and asking for pictures with Spider-Dan, they are sometimes even chased after gigs. It also came as a surprise for Bheng to be recognized outside of gigs.
He shares, "Minsan nga, nagfi-fishball ako, itsura ko nun parang nagtatapon lang ng basura, tapos may huminto, tapos humirit siya ng Ano, Kiko, kelan ba yung next gig niyo?" He describes it as a wonderful feeling, for a simple guy like him who isnt used to being a "rock star."
Fortunately for these guys, they dont let their success get to their heads. They are still as down-to-earth as they were before the accolades and the recognition. They still hang out with friends, and think of the band just as a venue to have fun. More than anything else, what is important to them is the strong bond that they have developed over the years. Bheng concludes, "Hindi lang kami basta banda, magkakaibigan kami, magkakapatid."
