Masha smashes through indie anonymity
Filipino indie band Masha got their name from top ranked tennis player Maria Sharapova.
Russian-born Sharapova has an arsenal of moves to conquer Grand Slam tournaments around the world while the six-man Masha displays an eclectic range in music that can reach a wide audience beyond the margins of the indie domain.
Masha are vocalist Alvin Aleria, guitarist Paulo Rodriguez, second guitarist Weak Domines, bassist Chris Mercado, drummer Tobs Tobio and Howie Manalaysay on synths and programming.
Influences
Vocalist Alvin Aleria counts among his influences such powerful rock frontmen as Queen’s Freddie Mercury, Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell and Brandon Boyd of Incubus.
The other band members have their own individual favorites that range from new-fangled genres like post-rock and post-hardcore to classic rock and glam poster boys Bon Jovi and Guns & Roses.
The band came together in May 2013 from the remnants of an earlier outfit called Finishing Move.
The full package
Bassist Chris says, “When we started playing together as Masha, medyo gigil kami. We wanted to do a lot of things. We were heavy on electronic effects but when we began recording our first album, we worked to refine our sound.”
Tobs adds, “In the end, we came out with an album that can be pegged as alternative rock. Yung nga lang, iba-ibang genre ng alt rock. Since this album will be the first time most people will get to hear us, we decided to release a full package of where we’re really coming from.”
Masha’s debut recording entitled "Stalemate Guards for Defiant Hearts" flirts with as many genres as any music fan can handle. There’s reggae (“Your Shame”), 70s hard rock (“Satellites”), an acoustic elegy (“Ang Naghihintay sa Akin”), ballad with a Duane Eddy twang (the title track) and a wah wah pedal scraped punky lament (Hello Cyanide”) that bewails “Fuck*ng give it to me/all the things you took from me.”
Relating on personal terms
Official thievery are the stuff of headlines today. Is Masha sticking its fingers on some bones of contention with the present dispensation?
Alvin: “No, walang political angle ang aming kanta. Karamihan are the stuff from conversations with people, missed opportunities, etc. Actually, ayaw sana namin nire-reveal ang meaning ng songs so the listeners can relate to the songs on their own personal terms. I don’t to want to take that away from them.”
With 10 original songs in hand, Masha will keep covers in live performances to a minimum.
Less covers, more originals
They might do a live remake of an Incubus or The Police hit once in a while to prepare the audience to their eclectic, multi-hued take on OPM.
Chris: “Sa tagal na naming nagbabanda, we are at a stage na kaya na namin to present ourselves as OPM musicians. Focus namin in every show is our original songs.”
That can only lead to a full-fledged cross-over to a mainstream audience, which Masha richly deserves.
For updates on Masha, check them out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and SoundCloud
