Five decades of eccentric chording from Ely Buendia’s ka-banda
Nitoy Adriano is subject of the docu ‘Ang Gitaristang Di Marunong Mag-Skala’
Pepe Smith calls him “the silent one”. Ely Buendia considers him a mentor. Lolita Carbon says he plays the guitar from the heart. Ira Cruz sees a miracle man with his red guitar.
He’s former The Jerks string bender and currently Oktaves lead guitarist Nitoy Adriano. He is probably one of the most underrated guitar players in Pinoy rock.
It is Nitoy’s phenomenal way with the guitar that attracted director Sigfreid Barros-Sanchez to film a documentary entitled “Ang Gitaristang Di Marunong Mag-Skala.”
Shown during the recently concluded Cine Totoo 1st International Documentary Film Festival presented by GMA News TV, the docu is also a fulfillment of his wish to do a film feature on one of his heroes in the Pinoy rock scene.
An underdog story
“It’s a common sentiment that these underappreciated but great musicians will just fade away without the next generation knowing who they are and their contributions to the Filipino rock scene,” Direk Sigfreid says in an exclusive interview with Yahoo Philippines.
“I just love underdog stories. I always felt that the underdogs have more interesting stories to tell than the popular ones.”
In the telling through the film lens, Sigfreid discovers how Nitoy’s face mirrors the so-called “feels.”
Galing sa puso
”Pagmasdan mo yung mukha niya habang tumutugtog, mararamdaman mo na galing sa puso lahat ng kinakalabit niyang nota,” the director points out.
“Hindi siya part ng skala o do-re-mi kasi mas puso siya. His scales are more pentatonic o blues scales. That’s Nitoy, a blues man, a guitarist who plays from the heart.”
The film also unravels fascinating bits about Nitoy that should nullify the audience’s under-estimation of the guitarist’s worth in legendary musicianship.
Significant contributions
“When we were putting together the Pinoy rock timeline from the 60s to the present to situate Nitoy as a musician, we were surprised to find out he made significant contributions in each of its last five decades,” the director disclosed.
“Second, he has been known for playing the same red guitar since the ‘70s but few people know he never owned the guitar. I mean, how cool is that?
“Third, he’s not a flashy player but he coaxes crisp tones from his instrument. More than that, he never plays the same chords on the same song twice. Pagmasdan mo daliri niya; kung ano yung tinitipa niya ngayong gabi, malamang bukas iba na naman ang titipain niya sa gitara niya.”
Tributes
In the docu, Direk Sigfreid shows Noel Cabangon, punk’s Bobby Balingit and Buddy Trinidad, Rolly Maligad of Coco Jam and Hilera’s Chris Padilla speaking highly of Nitoy.
Pinoy rock figures such as Club Dredd co-owners Patrick Reidenbach and Robbie Sunico, Sazi Cosino of Mayrics, Ramon "The Doctor" Zialcita, and former Jingle Magazine writers talk about the arc of Pinoy rock through the years.
On-cam interviews had its light moments too. “Tinanong namin students sa UP at University Belt kung may kilala nila ang gitaristang hindi marunong magskala na si Nitoy Adriano pero walang nakakakilala sa kanila. Tapos, nung tinanong namin kung sino ang One Direction, kabisadong-kabisado nila ang mga pangalan ng members ng boy band.”
Nitoy’s take
When asked about the film about him, Nitoy “the silent one” says, “Natutuwa ako marami pala ako kaibigang musikero. Mas okay ako ngayon (with the Oktaves). Ayos TF (talent fee) at natutuwa mga batang members kasama nila ako sa banda.”
Still, misfortune struck. In the course of the filming, Nitoy’s wife Beth Marquez was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer. (They have two daughters, the jazz rock musicians Kat and Michelle.) Shooting had to give way while Nitoy attended to his ailing wife. Beth just had a mastectomy recently and will undergo chemotherapy.
To raise funds for her chemo, there are plans to tour the film in bars in Manila and in cities outside of the Metro, subject to the approval of film producer and owner GMA News TV.
Money
Money was a problem for Direk Sigfreid, too. He received P150,000 as grant but shelled out another P100,000 to cover other expenses.
“In the end, kasama na ako sa mga walang pera at gutom,” he said.
But he thinks his documentary can make a difference in appreciating Pinoy rock. “I just wanna say that we should all respect our history. The reason why some of our art have no identity is the fact that we ourselves don’t have a sense of history. I hope our film will be an eye-opener on the history of rock music in the country and on the sorry plight of our musicians.”
