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

Sugar Free

Ebe Dancel (vocals/guitars), Jal Taguibao (bass), & Mitch Singson (drums)

[source:inq7.net]

GIVING romanticism and earnestness new currency in the Philippine rock scene has its rewards after all. Those who came up with the unspoken rule that post-Eraserheads bands should be wrapped up in angst or irony to be successful apparently never said anything to Sugarfree. As the trio discovered in their five years of existence, there apparently exists a huge number of alienated romantics in the country, all aching for affirmation.

"The greatest compliment that you can get is when someone tells you: 'Your album really helped me get through very hard times, thank you.' Hindi mo naman kilala yung tao, tapos nakatulong ka nang ganon... grabe (You don't even know the person but you were able to help him that much. That's swell)," shares Sugarfree frontman and chief songwriter Ebe Dancel.

Hit album

Dancel, along with bassist Jal Taguibao and drummer Mitch Singson, went through some hard times of their own. After years of line-up changes, bankruptcy, a disappointing stint with a record label, and personal heartaches, Sugarfree finally released their debut album "Sa Wakas" in 2003, becoming one of the most critically acclaimed albums that year and instantly producing a cult following in the Philippine band scene.

Dancel still remembers the first time they inspired a huge concert crowd to sing along to "Mariposa," one of their hits from "Sa Wakas" (In the End) that tackles loneliness and unrequited love. "There were literally thousands of people singing 'Mariposa' with me. Mangiyak-ngiyak ako backstage [I was crying backstage]. It was such an overwhelming experience," he says.

"We get compliments everyday, from our mailing list and our tours," says Taguibao, who relates how the band's sheer power of empathy has often become a source of frustration for some fans who feel the band's songs had deprived them of feeling or experiencing their own thoughts and emotions.

"Na ba-bad trip sila kay Ebe," Taguibao laughs. "Talagang asar [They get really ticked off]. I have encountered at least two or three of them in the mailing list. One member even said that he won't listen to Sugarfree for the meantime."