BAND REViEW

“Go out and form a band.”
Raimund Marasigan, a rock band icon would always say on MyX BandaRito, as the show’s host. Little did he know that those words inspired a band, Alto Indio.
Alto Indio is an Indie band made up of a female vocalist and guitarist, Breanna Agunod, Bree as she would love to be called, and four guy musicians – Macmac Arocha on drums, Baian Valdez, playing the bass and doing some vocals and Aton Tsang on guitars.. Each has diverse musical interests but it did not stop them to cluster and form Alto Indio.
On a rainy Saturday night of January 28, 2011, the band managed to grace the Rock Show at Sa’Less Diner. I took the opportunity to meet them and talk to the band, minutes before they finally go onstage. I was surprised to see a doll-like lady coming with us for a talk. Bree, looks so cute that one would not imagine that she’s a rock star, an Indie rock star. Then, she started talking about a band she never thought would have come this far.

She said it all started as an FB (FaceBook) band. Bree uploaded her composition. Unexpectedly, her band mates found her then decided to form their group in the August of 2011. They came up with the band name “Alto Indio” because Indio has a negative connotation, they want to transform it into something with optimism. So they prefixed Alto which means “second highest”. Their music is a mix of Pop Rock. Their musical influences are Barbie's Cradle, Cambio, The XX, Metric, Narda, Duster, Ham Sandwich, Ida Maria. The Late Isabel. Moonpools & Caterpillars. They write their own songs, and have so far done one cover song.


The said Rock Show was just one of the long lists of their gigs. “Walang pay,” Bree said when asked if they go out, hold onto the microphone and their musical instruments to earn. They play music because they are passionate about it. They don’t require talent fees. Whenever there’s an offer, they play.
Their sound may reverberate like noise to some people, but a pop ballad oldies fan like me realized their music. I was reminded of Jason Lee, Jeff Bebe of the Almost Famous band, Still Water said… “Some people have a hard time explaining Rock and Roll. I don’t think anyone can really explain Rock N Roll… Rock n Roll is a lifestyle. It’s a way of thinking. And it’s not about the money, the popularity, although some money would be nice. But it’s a voice that says... Here I am and fuck you if you can’t understand me. And one of these people is gonna save the world.” And, Alto Indio is living such lifestyle.

This March, the band will be releasing an EP (Extended Play), it’s a collection of songs but shorter than an album. Details of the EP’s release will be posted soon. As conquering the music industry – the “industry of cool” and helping the Indie scene is by far their greatest achievement, let us help the scene and the band per se as well. Stay tuned with Alto Indio. Be updated through their FaceBook account, facebook.com/alto.indio.

Growing Wild

On a smoky afternoon, “Yosi ta,” Suzanne hastily pronounced upon seeing a male schoolmate lighting up his cigarette stick, not minding to interrupt our own conversation about random things. I looked at the guy and not even recognize who he is. He replied, “Yosi ta Madam President!” The two cackled. Well, I just joined them. A tongue in cheek, I know she doesn’t smoke. We were back to our conversation when in a while, another schoolmate comes near us calling her, “Madam!” then another, “President!” And she greets them too just like she knows everyone. I took the time to glance at her and realized, she is like something I always see around. And that is what I am yet to discover.

That was at the sidewalk store fronting the Annex campus of an institution we’ll soon leave and call as our ‘Alma Mater’ in four months time, the University of the Immaculate Conception. On wooden chair I and my friend, Suzanne, were seated. We were eating Banana-que and Milk Bar, which were within our means that moment. We are usually partners in sauntering around the city to look for restaurants with palatability. Most of the time she initiates the gluttony and I give in to temptation just as long as we have greens. There I join her in the undomesticated desire of filling our stomachs like there is no tomorrow.

At that instance, we were conversing about random things. Indeed, anything that comes to mind. We talk that way. She merely picks anything under the sun and put it into exchange of thoughts. An especially soft spoken lady translates to the name Suzanne Somido Misagal. No one could ever guess what we were exactly chewing the fat about since she typically speaks in a low tone voice and her facial expressions are most of the time droning. While we were talking, I just had a sudden notion that if I didn’t know her for roughly 4 years of falling in love with the same art, Communication, I would have never thought that this lady in front of me is a year younger than a 20 year old. Though her height at 4”10 doesn’t suggest it too, her wits and the words coming out of her mouth say she is someone in her late 20’s. No one can tell, even with a wild guess.

As we continue chitchatting, there were flashbacks running in my head. The scene was so clear to me, a fellow freshman who sits at the 1st chair of the 1st row in the right side of the room, where she remains to be seated until now, spoke gently yet with conviction. She stood up and introduced herself as a Valedictorian of a secondary school in Mangagoy, where her family resides as she temporarily stays on an apartment here in Davao with her elder sister.

But as days passed by and I got to be with her more often, I saw in her this sense of responsibility though she is pampered by her Ate Darin who also became an elder sister to me. She always involves herself on in and out of campus activities while giving time to some silly yet fun things. For the many roles she portrays, a lot of responsibilities are at her back. She finds such as laborious demands yet still puts her heart in it. I can attest to that after countless times I was by her side. We do a horde of school works together since we are both tasked with same responsibilities excluding that of reaching the Finals of a Regional News Casting competition of ABS-CBN and being into places as a member of Christ’s Youth in Action.





Surpassing all distressing and nerve-wracking moments together, with the whole group or as an individual, she has become more of a non-stop far from the stereo-typing of a ‘lady’. She is learning to laugh at random things, even at her predicaments. She is saying anything that pops out of her head not minding if it’s offensive or ridiculous. When she doesn’t understand a thing she instantly asks the people around without pretensions. She suddenly cuddles her closest pals, sweet yet playful of her. Out of the blue, she even raises eerie questions like, “Do I stink?” We, people around her find it odd because it’s awkward answering such question especially when she adds, “Simhota ko bi!” Then we roll on the floor laughing.

Nevertheless, she’s not just the 2011-2012 Student Supreme Government President of UIC who is dubbed to be the loveliest with her pretty face and sweet treatment to fellow students nor is she just a Yahoo Messenger icon look-a-like as she would tease herself.

She seems to recognize everyone and they appear like they know her enough. But behind is depth in her eyes, in her laughs, in her words of wisdom and in her whims. There is more than what meets the eye of a mere acquaintance and that is particularly that unanticipated wild side within.

Much has been said, she is like this and like that. Past everything I have seen her do, I just discovered what I was asking myself while looking at her at that moment. Gotcha! She resembles a flower which signifies femininity, that kind which nurtures on her own yet blooms wonderfully. An image of a Wildflower whose wildness is endearing and never vicious is what I see in her. And I hear in her the tune of a ballad with the similar name. She signifies that song with the most significant letters -- a free and gentle flower growing wild.