The Pin-Up Girls is no more; enter The Pin-Ups
Listeners of the now-defunct NU107 might be familiar with that once-ubiquitous song “Ride Rocket Wild” that used to get played on heavy rotation. Then there was that Quark Henares-helmed video “Down” starring Angel Aquino and Mylene Dizon in full riot grrl mode.
The band behind those songs was The Pin-Up Girls. And fans of the Indie Wave of 2001 might be wondering what happened to that band.
The Pin-Up Girls has transmogrified into a group that goes by a simpler name: The Pin-Ups. And the band has a new single and music video out.
The 2007 music video:
Showbiz-oriented lineup
The band is still helmed by former-radio-DJ-turned-motivational speaker Mondo Castro, with ever-reliable wingman Ryan Nachura still on guitars. Joining them are Hiyasmin Neri on vocals and guitar, former Manibela drummer Raffy Bonifacio, and bassist Hazel Silvestre.
The band has a very showbiz-oriented lineup. Mondo, after all, was a product of the 90s teen show “Ang TV” (which produced the likes of Jolina Magdangal, Claudine Barreto, John Prats, Katya Santos, and more); Hiyasmin, or Yas as the band calls her, is a TV actress and host. Of the two of them, it is the latter that is currently active in the land of glitz, as Mondo has since been doing un-rock n' roll activities such as business consultancies.
“Each person has a different aspect of himself,” says Yas. “You can't show the totality of who you are with just one thing. [Singing for The Pin-Ups] is one part of myself that I'm into, and I just want to have fun.”
Band life is different
But how does this affect them as performers? As frontpersons, do they “act” onstage?
For the TV star, her band life is totally different. “When you're acting, you have a script. You know how you would feel as you are guided by a character. But as a musician, you're supposed to reveal your emotion for that moment, and it's not dictated by paper or structure. I feel like I can be myself more here.”
The former teen star agrees. “When you're acting on TV, it's safer...because it's not you. You feel naked when you sing your own songs. Maybe we get the confidence from TV training, but that's it.”
And for Yas onstage, “There's no second take.”
The message
The Pin-Ups is, for all intents and purposes, a new band (although with a very familiar name). “When we were still The Pin-Up Girls, some people were calling us 'The Pin-Ups' already, but we never released anything under that name.” confides Mondo. “We were thinking of changing it, pero sayang eh.”
It was Yas who gave the crucial suggestion: “We have a message, and we're pinning it up on the wall for everyone to see. We are the message!”
That message being one with Christian leanings.
Christian music is a ‘weird label’
Mondo is careful not to tag the “Christian music” label on them, though. “It's actually a weird label, but if they call us that, that's fine. We're not trying to preach. We just sing songs about our lives, and our lives right now are centered on God. It's a message that we feel we should put out there.”
“Music is all about what you've been through,” the bubbly Yas adds. “It's all about expressing yourself. This is something that's close to our hearts, so we want to do it.”
The Pin-Ups has just released a new single, “Can't Stand Waiting Here” under U.S. Christian indie label HolyZone Records.
You may download the single here.
Up next, an EP?
“Being an indie band, it's easier to record a song,” says Mondo. But we want to do it through a studio which would require money that will come from our own pockets. Doing an EP is better...cheaper, few songs...and we can do several of them.”
But for Yas, what is important is the message that the band is currently imparting.
“Giving out a free single is a way to really reach out to people. Hopefully our message will get out and move people in some way.”
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Then there was that Quark Henares-helmed video “Down” starring Angel Aquino and Mylene Dizon in full riot grrl mode.
