General Luna: It’s about the music, fanboy
There are very few all-female bands in the Philippines. Being a woman myself in a profession where I have to stay out at all hours taking pictures of rock stars, I know firsthand how it feels to be stereotyped. It can be both a benefit and a disadvantage.General Luna lived this from the get-go.
When they were first signed to Warner Music in 2009, there was talk about the image of the band preceding the music they would make. So, I was a bit skeptical.
Yet, the few times I crossed paths with them in those early years, I saw a fire in them that I knew would come out at the right time. They were eager to play their own songs, but as relative unknowns, they knew they had to compromise.
Beyond bodies and faces
Guitarist Audry Dionisio said they've been pitching music video concepts that would go beyond the usual marketing scheme of constantly showing their bodies and faces.
For General Luna, it's really the music that matters more than anything else. But they know that they have to earn this kind of freedom. Being quite successful as relative newbies in the scene, the band knows they have to carry on at a steady pace and patiently chip away at barriers.Their second album, "Different Corners," sees them slowly moving away from the stereotype of being just a bunch of hot girls who know how to play instruments. No rock star attitude
When the album launched Sept. 14 at Excess Superclub in Timog, Quezon City, I saw how the band set up their own set and stage, laid out carpets and positioned candles and paintings for an intimate effect.
The band had organized the launch themselves, arranging music for the string section, the back-up vocalists, guest Kevin Roy of Razorback and a tribute song to the late keyboardist Ronnie Dizon.
There was no rock star 'tude or treatment. They weren't picky about the cramped dressing room or the lack of obvious privacy. Finding the only bathroom backstage locked, bassist Alex Montemayor stood on a dark corner near the fire exit to change her pants. A technician sauntered in, turned on the lights and, seeing Alex in her underpants, walked out again. But, knowing they had a job to do, the girls just brushed away the embarrassment.
A stinky bet
Drummer Bea Lao and guitarist Caren Mangaran wore matching black tank tops with silk leopard print shorts.
It wasn't a uniform by any stretch, explained Nicole Asensio. Just the outcome of a drunken bet that had the two girls agreeing that they'd wear the same clothes until the album launch. And from that night onwards, they would never wash the clothes again unless one was willing to hand over some expensive gadget she owned.
So, if you happen to watch General Luna next time, and you see Bea or Caren out of "uniform," you'll know who won the bet. At the very least, maybe some of the fan boys will look past their "hot chick" billboards and start paying attention to the music.
Read more music blogs:
Niña Sandejas: When music superheroes join forces, Dong Abay's tribute to Rizal
Francis Brew: How NOT to buy your first guitar, Fuji Rock Fest: 3 days of agonizing musical decisions
Ely Buendia: Why the Eraserheads reunited, Why Radha isn't a superstar
Tony Maghirang: You must have a piece of Karl Roy's last album, Corinne May isn't quite pop or New Age
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