Franco: The Superband meets the super you

When musicians from established rock acts get together and form a band, we automatically relegate them to the “side project” category, likened to a whim or an experiment.

Then comes Franco bursting into the local scene with a fresh sound and seemingly lasting appeal.

Franco is composed of Gabby Alipe and Jan-Jan Mendoza of Urbandub, Buwi Meneses of Parokya ni Edgar, Paolo “8” Toleran of Queso and Franco Reyes of Inyo.

In just over a year they’ve been called a “superband” by critics and fans alike. Live performances at different venues have converted non-believers to instant fans.

One rainy Friday afternoon On The Radar sat down with the band to find out what they’re up to.

ON THE RADAR: How did you guys get together? I read somewhere you just jammed one day.

Paolo “8” Toleran: We’ve been friends for 12 years and hanging out all the time. Buwi, Jan-jan and I always talked about getting together but we never had time. So finally when we did, we came up with songs but needed somebody to sing. Jan-jan thought of Franco but we hadn’t heard him sing until we listened to his demo from way back. After that, we wanted to look for him.

Oh, so Franco (Reyes) just came into the picture fairly recently?

8: Gabby and Jan-jan knew Franco from way back in Cebu but I’ve known him for three years.

Since you guys are from different bands, is it hard to get together at the same time? What happens if Urbandub or Parokya has a gig? I remember a few weekends ago, Urbandub played at Mag:Net and Franco was also playing at Al’s bar in Paranaque the same night.

Gabby Alipe: We try to fix our schedules with our management— Sonicboom for Urbandub and Backbeat for both Franco and Parokya. They’ve been working really hard just to make sure our schedules don’t clash. So far it’s been good, but it gets really tiring like that gig you were talking about, going back and forth.

How do you describe the kind of music Franco plays?

Franco: Rock mixed with reggae, mixed with everything, different genres.

Do you find it difficult to shift from the music your main band plays to what Franco plays?

Franco: We’ve always loved playing this kind of music so it wasn’t difficult.

Let’s go to the album. You already had a set of songs written so there was no collaboration in the writing process. What were the inputs of the other members then?

Gabby: More or less, the songs were already written and some were already pre-recorded with Franco’s other band, Inyo, in the States. So when Franco arrived, during the recording, we added our style of play. What was added was very minimal because we wanted to respect what he had already written but we definitely added our personalities into each song

In the past few years, especially locally, there were more pop and folk acts thriving in the industry. How do you react to enthusiasm for a more hard rock sound like that of Franco’s?

8: We try not to think about it. When we have a gig, we just go out there and play. If it’s packed, then good, if it’s not, ok lang. We do the exact same thing. We try to leave as soon as we can to avoid all the BS that happens in the area.

Franco: We had a Frenzy gig and there were only around 20 people and we thought that was the best gig we’ve ever had.

What kind of BS would that be?

8: Like when people go up to you and say, “Man, you guys are so good.” And we know we’re not. Instead of reacting negatively, we just try to leave as soon as we can.

How does it feel to be called a “superband”? You’ve been opening for all the big foreign acts here.

Gabby: But when you think about it, Typecast has opened for more foreign acts than any other local band the past few years. It’s just a cycle. If they invite us to perform then it’s a venue for more people to hear our music. If not, we can play at Saguijo.

It’s actually a good way to reach out to more people. A lot of people who hear your CD think you’re a foreign band. Do you get that a lot?

Gabby: That’s a notion we’d like to change, like when they hear a good band and they say “parang foreign.” We’re definitely influenced by international acts but we don’t consciously play just to be like them.

8: The comparison made is weird. It’s not supposed to be a compliment because we’re from here.

Since three out of five members are from Cebu, is there something about Cebu’s water that makes you guys more creative?

Franco: Cebu is really small and if you want to go to the beach, it’s 20 minutes away. If you want to go to the mountains, it’s also a couple of minutes away. Anybody can really just relax and write songs.

Gabby: Especially during our time, there weren’t a lot of gigs so everybody had so much time to just practice, write songs and perfect how we play our music.

I heard through Kate Torralba that a group of Cebu musicians are planning a reunion gig?

Franco: Yup, it’s in the works. We’ll let you know.

Franco Reyes was named one of the Top 10 eligible bachelors by Spot.ph. Did he get into trouble with his wife?

Gabby: The reason why we got him is because of his looks. May abs? Good. Bahala na kung hindi marunong kumanta o tumugtog.

Franco: It feels weird, but good thing my wife is cool with that.

8: We’re actually glad he’s married.

So who are your musical influences, foreign or local?

Franco: We have a lot of influences but definitely bands from the grunge era.

Whenever you go to the videoke, what’s your favorite song to sing?

Franco: No favorite songs and I only like going to the videoke with my family and friends. Usually, people ask who sings here and they make you sing the whole night.

8: I hate hearing myself sing.

Future plans for Franco?

Franco: We are starting to think about the second album.

Gabby: We’d like to see Franco take the number 1 spot of most eligible bachelor list since he’s just number 3 now.

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Franco’s debut album entitled “Franco” is out in stores.

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Special thanks to Shellby Reyes and Francis Brew.