Anorexia

If there is a local emo punk band worthy of respect for their attitude towards rejection and the sacrifice of tagging along a differently abled vocalist, it is Anorexia of So-ong, Mactan.

Godfrey "Anthrax" Paquibot, vocalist, was left disabled by polio, but this didn't stop him from pursuing his dream. Getting a piggyback ride from his cousin Junrey "Jiparc" Inot, band drummer, he said that mobility is the only "minor problem" for performances. But he is able to deliver what is required of him, everytime, this he assured.

"'Nya unsaon man nimo pag-rock pareha sa ubang vox with matching stagedive? Dili ka masina?" I asked. "Maglingkod ra ko 'te nya headbang lang, madala ra man sa'g ikid-ikid ginagmay," he retorted with his gruff, but determined voice.

Twice, Anorexia's compositions were rejected for their failure to meet the standards required by Smash FM for an airplay, but Jiparc said the station had all the right reasons "to give us a shake of their heads because that means we have to improve yet our craft."

"So you woun't buy other bands idea to form a sort of coalition ang give Smash a smirk and march to other stations and start stories that Smash has been favoring bands, just because your works Pag-utlan and Bubho were rejected," I again asked.

"Ana man gyud na ang kanta 'te. Accept man sad mi nga naa sad mi yabo. Nya naa pud defect sa among lyrics sa Bubho. Besides, with Pag-Utlan medyo semplang mi kay revival man gud ni sa usa ka Cebuano song and basin bitaw mosango mi's copyright," explains Anthrax.

Right now we are happy we have "Nabitin sa Butang" and it's so nice to hear at least we have one song played on air. That in itself is already an achievement, he added.

Despite minor faculty glitches, Anthrax along with five other differently abled people work as encoders at the city social welfare of Lapu-Lapu City, this he shared. With a little cut from his keeps, the group was able to pay for the recording fee. "Gasto gyud tinuod mag-recording pero wala baya ta sugo-a sa Smash. Ato gyud ning gusto nga manganta ta, mo-pass ta'g demo CD. May gani naay Smash. Natagad pag-ayo ang mga local bands," he said.

The rest of Anorexia are Paul "Polette" Abing and Juvy "Phyrox" Paquibot both on guitars with Glendo "Glenpax" Paquibot on bass who admire the music of Urbandub, Faspitch, Kamikazee, Mayonnaise, Stonefree, The Used, Finch, Chevelle, Saosin, Story of the Year, and Chemical Romance.

Anthrax being elder brother of the group shared he was with Cuatro Cantos in 2002 focusing on Pinoy rock, but members of said band decided to drop him for obvious reasons. "Nadawat man nako nga mora'g burden nako nila ba, so akong gi-inspire akong brother and my cousins that we should form a group of our own. At least, them being my relatives have the patience to keep up with my pace wherever the gig is," he pointed out.

The one thing nice about Anthrax is that he exudes with enthusiasm and the confidence to be able to sustain the undertaking, patching up whatever he lacks in physical capacity. "Natural lang gyud bation ta 'te og self-pity at times aning atong kahimtang, but if padayon ko mag-entertain sa self-pity, it would do me no good. It won't bring me somewhere else other than deep in the muck of failure. I wouldn't want to be in there either. Despite sa pag-booh sa crowd sa among mga performances sa una, I am determined to improve this craft and bring my band to wherever the rest had successfully taken theirs," he said.

"So why would you choose an anorexic name if you are this determined?" I threw in the last question. There are many medical risks associated with anorexia. Same thing with embarking into the local music industry which is indeed too young yet, he said.

"If we won't take good care of this gift, if nobody dares nurture the music industry, this will lead to shrunken bones, mineral loss, low body temperature, irregular heartbeat, stunted growth. For us to help our music mature, we need mentoring. We need other proponents and players in the industry to move with us. Rebellion is not the key to any reform on what type of music should be accepted or on how should Bisaya sounds be defined. Listeners decide on what they would want to hear," he said.

Anorexia was guest band in the Battle of the Bands event in sitio Casanta, barangay Mactan which fell on a Friday the 13th. The jammin' was with Fervent, Ossified, Puppy-Eyed Kirtmen and Flirt. The group would like to thank Celso and Baby Josol Studio, Backyard Studio Project especially Hanz, Two Tones Music Jam, Flirt, Emotional Bisrock Clan, Jops, Pags and Merlou. For more info, contact 4958270 or 4958148. Contact Jiparc at 09182789166.