hitting numero uno in NU107’s Stairway To Seven countdown and a citation by FHM as one of the 30 best local independent bands of today/the foreseeable future. Yup, Wake Up Your Seatmate is jam-oriented enough to please indie sad-sacks, perky preppies, force-fed headbangers, slightly spaced out small children-whoever.
Plaid pride
Starting out at the plaid powerhouse known as Assumption High School in San Lorenzo Village, Makati, drummer Atchoo Ilagan (19), lead guitarist Celine Pineda (21), vocalist/rhythm guitarist Mia Tengco (20), and bassist Patty Peralta (18) got together, learned their musical ABC’s, and conquered their own backyard: the annual Assumption fair. What happened next was straight out of, well, a Disney movie.
Right after school, the girls literally stormed Gweilos in Makati and asked the management to give them a weeknight gig in exchange for a full house. The rationale behind the guerrilla approach? "We realized that if we wanted a gig, we had to go get one and not wait around for it to find us," says Mia. And according to Atchoo, they only wanted to have fun and play for their friends. A successful flashmobbing or two later, Wake Up Your Seatmate found themselves navigating a handful of bars around the city, including 6Underground, Mag:net Café, and Café Saguijo.
School of rock
With a passion for music, writing anthems came naturally. As Celine puts it, "We write as a band and put together ideas. It’s mostly a collaborative effort." Mia makes most of the melodies and Atchoo is in charge of the musical arrangement.
From the backmasked opening riffs of "Baryo" to the playful beach blanket boogie of "Bongo Beats," certain flourishes in the band’s 12-track debut CD are tributes to the coeds’ influences: Barbie Almalbis, Alanis Morissette, Eraserheads, Smashing Pumpkins, Janis Joplin, and even Black Sabbath. And depending on how extensive your music vocabulary is, it’s also possible to detect a little Elastica and even The Donnas somewhere in the mix. (Especially in "The Kawawa Song," which, at 49 seconds, is probably the most hyper homage to the boy-next-classroom.)
But Wake Up Your Seatmate makes all those distinct sounds their own, putting tracks together depending on their mood. "We usually compose our songs in my house in one afternoon," shares Atchoo. "If we’re in a writing mood, we can finish two songs that afternoon. If not, then we move our composing to the next practice session." Celine also noticed that she scribbles down things constantly. "Then weeks or months after, I apply them to the melodies I make, except for "Tiger Lili" which took a whole day of just sitting on my bed and playing the guitar."
Gigs to play, places to be
With a get-up-and-go kind of sparkle that could just turn them into a crossover success story, it’s a bit surprising that the band is still prone to peeing their pants on stage. Well, sorta. "Stage fright is still an issue for me. Drinking energy drinks or a good trip to the bathroom helps ease nerves but it never really goes away!" Mia goes. Atchoo has her own ritual, walking around outside the bar to breathe, while Pat syncs her guitar since her greatest fear is to go out of tune mid-set.
But with the support of a growing fan base, momentum is on their side. In fact, fans and would-be stalkers can rejoice any second now as the band is accessible online. "We have a Yahoo! group, wakeupyourseatmate@yahoogroups.com, and a Friendster account named ‘wake up.’" Got that? Good. Now get ready for the raddest beats this side of college. |
