9 questions for ’09: The Lowtechs
Posted at Yehey! (Jan. 29, 2009)
This week, Yehey! dishes up another serving of band talk, this time with The Lowtechs. The Baguio-grown band has been to a lot of gigs since their entry to the band music arena almost two years ago, and since then has generated a cult following anchored in people’s remarks on the band’s social networking site pages. A chat with The Lowtechs’ lead vocalist and guitarist Gelo Lagasca revealed the story behind the quaint name and the plan on their first album’s release. Read on to discover more about this post-punk and new wave-enthused group!
1.The Lowtechs sounds like a catchy name. How did you come up with it? Have you changed the band’s name before?
Gelo: We named our band after the inefficient instruments we used in our first gig. We don’t have plans in changing our band’s name.
2. When was The Lowtechs formed? How did you meet and how long have you all known each other?
G: We were formed in Baguio City. We’ve been friends for almost ten years and we’ve been watching each other play while we still had our respective bands. We got along in our bassist’s birthday party on April 2007. We envied our friends who would play in a gig in two days. So we thought that we should also form a band. We pressured our selves, wrote three songs and played in that very same gig. The response was awesome. So there, we started writing more songs and recorded them here in Manila. We played in almost all of the bars here in the Metro. (Thanks to the production firms that invited us.) We submitted our songs in rock stations and they had our songs played on air.
3. Can you tell something about each member of the band, plus the instrument each one is playing? What makes each member unique from each other?
G: I sing and play the guitar for the band. Lem Galleto is the lead guitarist and does back up vocals; Edong Bareng is the bassist and does back up vocals too. Joseph Navalta of of Hardboiledeggz replaced Pot Quiambao in October 2008 on drums. We have different backgrounds in music that makes us unique from each other.
4. What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences?
G: Post-punk or new wave. My influences are Jim Morrisson (The Doors), Ian Curtis (Joy Division) Ian Mcculloch (Echo and the Bunnymen) Robert Smith (The Cure). Lemuel, Edong and Joseph listen to a lot of music of The Police, The Jerks, Killing Joke, The Bolshoi and other metal and alternative bands. I can’t remember the bands they’re listening to. They never fail to surprise me either in rehearsals or just playing with an acoustic guitar in my house or at theirs. We share to each other which bands or music we are currently listening to.
5. Who writes your songs? Do you have a main theme for most of your songs? Do you think these topics will change over time?
G: I write almost all of the songs. Then it is up to the band to arrange it. I write songs about our dreams, nightmares, emotions, other people’s lives. Just like any song writer’s vision, I think these topics will change over time.
6. Musicians are also considered artists of course. Do you sometimes get moody, to the extent of not wanting to play even if you have a gig scheduled?
G: Yes, we sometimes get moody and lazy, hehe.
7.Are you a member of any music organizations? Who are your band friends in the music scene?
G: We are not members of any music organizations but we have lot of band friends. In the music scene, our friends are The Purplechickens, Hardboiledeggz, The Spaceflower Show, The Pin-up Girls, The Camerawalls, Sanity Kit, Juan Pablo Dream, Reklamo and Pupil. We hope to meet more bands to be our friends.
8. What’s your plan for The Lowtechs this year? What will become of The Lowtechs in nine years?
G: We are planning to release our first album titled Anniversary of the Machinery this April or May. I can’t really say what will become of us in nine years.
9. Please invite your growing fans to watch your gigs.
Please catch us on Feb. 7 at Meiday Anniversary, Cubao X; Feb 13 at VOCAS, Baguio City; Feb 21 at All Starugo Night, Route 196; and Feb 28 at Toycon, Robinsons Ermita.
Also check out our sites at www.myspace.com/thelowtechs and www.wearethelowtechs.multiply.com.
