FEATURED BANDS:
BAMBOO / BARBIE'S CRADLE / IMAGO / KITCHIE NADAL / KJWAN / MAYONNAISE / PAROKYA NI EDGAR / RIVERMAYA / SPONGE COLA / SUGAR FREE

Mayonnaise

Monty (vocals/guitars), Paga (guitars), Lee (Bass), & Cian (Drums)

[source:sonymusic.ph]

The songs are what strike you the most about this band. Though Monty, their hefty frontman, will not hesitate to state the obvious and say, "Hindi rin siguro kami mapapansin kung payat ako."

Monty is definitely a large person and Mayonnaise does get recognized and remembered because of this not-quite-tiny detail. But after the fact lies what the audience take home with them after watching Mayonnaise perform - guitar-driven tunes with ultra-catchy hooks and compelling lyrics. Radio listeners seem to agree, as airplay of their first single "The Only Thing," and the current, "Eddie Song," are steadily rising. And the songs are what the band attributes to winning this year's Red Horse Muziklaban.

"The competition was very tight," says their bassist Lee, the only girl in the band. "There were so many great bands, with such talented musicians, that we really didn't think we had a chance. I really think it's the songs that won it for us."

Lee is not Mayonnaise's original bassist, just as the Cian is not the original drummer and Paga is not originally their guitarist. But she was in a band with Monty's cousin and had been hanging around Monty and Mayonnaise enough to become a fan. Although considered a relatively new band, Mayonnaise had been Monty's brainchild since high school and this album was written over a span of 3 - 4 years.

The current line-up is actually the third, as member changes had been inevitable in the band's history. Some of the songs have been around that long, but in different versions. The songs change with each change in the line-up, as each new member brings their own input and flavor to the song. The original "Bakit" was written in 1999, back when there were only three members in the band and Monty was, he jokes, "fifty pounds lighter." Then they made an acoustic number of bakit, which didn't sit well with Monty, who missed the rockier version. Hence, "Bakit Part One" and "Bakit Part Two." The Part Two is a new song all together, while "Bakit Part One" is the new version of the original.

Besides playing for their friends and the occasional gig with more established bands in the line up, Mayonnaise actually got their songs to a wider audience when Rivermaya drummer Mark Escueta heard their set and offered to cut them a demo. They put together "Tulog," "Bakit (Part 1)," "Punk You," and "Pseudo." The songs then started gaining a fanbase bigger than their extended network of friends and got them their first Fete dela Musique gig in 2002.

That Fete gig was a cornerstone in the band's history; the original drummer had already left and it was the last gig of the bassist. It would have seemed like the band was about to fall apart but it was a big gig with a huge audience and it indeed felt like the start of something, instead of the end of it. And so Mayonnaise pushed on and, two years later, they have a remarkable first album and the prestige of winning a rock band competition.

Each line-up change had been necessary to the growth of the sound of the band. While Monty has always been the main songwriter, and even if the other three defer all the important decisions to their frontman, each member has contributed to how the band sounds live and in the album. The music would have sounded different, for one thing. Cian turned out to be a flashier drummer than the one he replaced and perfectly complements Lee's steady groove. On top of them, Monty and Paga lay thickly the catchy melodies and distortion, resulting in a dreamy wall of sound that assails the senses and draws out emotions at once.

From the emotional depth of the songs, you would think that Monty is either very depressed or a serious guy with a giant chip on his shoulder. It will then surprise you that Monty is quite the comedian, cracking jokes every five minutes, especially when you least expect it. Monty kids around as easy as breathing, sending his bandmates, and anyone else within earshot, into constant hysterical laughter. It's a bit difficult to reconcile the charming joker with the pained and angry guy singing his guts out on "The Only Thing" or "Bakit."

But the explanation is simple: when Monty is upset, he doesn't dwell; he writes. And when the creativity kicks in, he can write a lot in such a short time. "When I write, I write music in bundles. Sometimes, I find that I had written four complete songs in a week." Monty writes about his experiences, mostly about love. "Around 75% is about love. Mostly unhappy love songs. Like 'Jopay' is about the sex bomb dancer, but not really. I had a really bad fight with a girl I once loved and I felt really messed up. Jopay was the first person I saw on TV and I thought, how great to be her." "Jopay" doesn't even sound like he was feeling down and broken-hearted and can be mistaken for a charming and witty song with a spot-on Pinoy pop culture reference.

Monty likes to write songs that are not what they seem. "Dahil" may sound like an angsty tribute to an old love, but it is actually what he would like to say to a friend he lost a while back. His Tagalog songs also seem more heartfelt, as " mas madaling iparamdam ang gusto mong sabihin sa sariling wika" - it's easier to express yourself in your own language.

Interestingly, Monty sounds different when he sings in Tagalog from when he sings in English. "My friends had noticed that, too," Monty agrees and shrugs. "I guess I just express myself differently. I don't feel it as much in English," he jokes again.

Of the songs in the album, the most lighthearted would be the current single, "Eddie Song," which Monty claims was written as a tribute to his driver, who, after two years in employment, has become one of Monty's closest confidantes and gives some of the best advice ever.

Thankfully, Eddie wasn't around earlier than those two years, also the length of time that the current line-up has been performing solidly together, otherwise one of Mayonnaise's best songs wouldn't get written. "Tulog" was borne on the prom night of Monty's then-girlfriend; the girl's school didn't allow outsiders as prom dates and she went stag, but asked Monty to bring her there. He went home right after and was surprised to get a call from the girl a little past midnight - he was expected to take her home also. Hence, "hindi ako makatulog dahil sa 'yo."

"Actually, mababaw diba?" Monty says, humbly. "These are just my thoughts, normal issues ng matatabang tao." This comment sets off the rest of the band into a fit of giggles again. To which Monty adamantly retorts, "Hoy, I'm serious!"

While not as shallow as Monty would like to believe, Mayonnaise is on to something good. And as long as he keeps writing those bundles of witty, catchy songs in a pop, Mayonnaise is here to stay.