Listen to Kleggy & have fun!

MANILA, Philippines - They say listening to music should be fun. It has the right amount of soft and loud sounds — the ones that will not put you to slumber or harm your eardrums. “Sakto lang,” as the expression in the vernacular puts it. Listeners can easily recall the melody and digest the message. It is the kind of music that is under the label “fun-to-listen-to.”

This is what Banda Ni Kleggy wishes to impart with listeners, who will experience its music and songs for the first time.       

Who is Kleggy by the way?

“Kleggy is a jolly person,” describes drummer Otep Concepcion of the band’s lead vocalist. One can easily warm up to him. Kleggy worked as road manager of bands like Callalily, adds Lem Belaro, who plays synth and handsonic. “He would jam with us.”

For his part, guitarist Rye Sarmiento met Kleggy through Callalily frontman Kean Cipriano, Kleggy’s bestfriend. The singer would tag along with Kean during bowling sessions. “I’ve learned that he sings — and he can,” says Rye. “We asked him to do a demo. He’s hardworking and is fun to be with.”

Bassist Berns Cuevas, a long-time sessionista, also worked with Kleggy as road manager in one of the tours, while bassist Bob Cañamo met him through Rye and Darwin Hernandez of Soupstar Entertainment, a group that manages the careers of 6cyclemind, Imago, Sandwich, Callalily, Pedicab and Moonstar88.   

These random meetings led to the formation of Banda Ni Kleggy, where Kleggy is the performer with musical collaborators from members of bands such as Callalily and 6cyclemind.   

“I just dreamed of having my own band,” shares Kleggy. “But Lord gave me a fun-to-work-with band and band members who are talented. It feels great. Kaya ’pag may mali, ako lang ang sisi. Hahahaha. (If something goes wrong, they will put the blame on me.)”

Banda Ni Kleggy has been gracing the live performance circuit for more than two years. “(For a time), Kleggy didn’t have a band yet,” recalls Rye. “Darwin would call and ask who could play with Kleggy because he booked a gig for him. We did gigs without an official name for the group. Then, we decided to use Banda Ni Kleggy as (temporary) name.” Music enthusiasts and venue owners had begun to call the group Banda Ni Kleggy. As the cliché goes, the rest is history.

The men behind Banda Ni Kleggy treat each other like siblings. They talk things over and take criticisms constructively. Listeners can sense that good vibes and the good rapport the band members share inside and outside recording studios and performing venues.

“Every band is made up of different ingredients,” Rye differentiates Banda Ni Kleggy from the existing Pinoy bands. “It refers to what Otep, Bob, Berns, Lem or Kleggy can contribute. What we can offer is what makes us different from others… It’s up to the listeners to identify what is that something that they like about Banda Ni Kleggy.”

“Their performance is fun,” says a DJ. “Masaya sila. Makulit. But they take their craft seriously.”

Banda Ni Kleggy somehow reminds one of Parokya ni Edgar in terms of energy that results to an all-out performance. “We consider them our idols,” says Kleggy. “(Parokya) is one of our (musical) influences. (The Parokya guys) are already icons.”

But Kleggy and his band do “different stuff such as infusing handsonic and synth” into their music that gives a different texture and sound to the song arrangements.

Get a dose of Banda Ni Kleggy by listening to Eric Clapsong, Experto, Discolamon (reminiscent of the Hotdog-OPM classic Annie Batungbakal), Bawal sa Gamot, Umay, Teach Me How To Disco, Mahal Kita Pramis, Walang-Wala and Darating.

If you’re curious to know the music of Banda Ni Kleggy and what stories its songs explore, then grab a copy of its debut album titled Only in The Philippines. And experience the “fun” side of Original Pilipino Music (OPM).