My good friend Owen Formento, whom I have worked with in some publicity work arrangements, recently asked if I could spare some time to watch a music video for a song by This Band which he directed.
Of course, I did. Their name, if I may share, reminds me of a little joke a former bandmate once cracked while we were thinking about what to call our own group and couldn’t settle for one. He mused we call ourselves “This Band Called.” With that, you can just imagine how it made me feel the first time I encountered a real-life recording act with the name This Band.
As a music scene observer, it’s nice that a musical group that may have run out of ideas on the day they had to give themselves a proper name is making a serious run with regard to their musical showcase and fan base. As of this writing, they’re enjoying nearly a million monthly listeners on Spotify, and close to two million followers. Their breakthrough hit, “Kahit Ayaw Mo Na,” already generated more than a hundred million streams.
The song that Owen and his team at Mugshots Digital Media TV provided a music video for is the title track from their album “Huwag Matakot,” released back in 2020. The video uploaded on Viva Records YouTube channel last April is the result of a location shooting in Zambales province.
Owen, himself a musician and recording artist (check Beat Per Machine), shared his mindset as he led a bunch of like-minded individuals, along with members of This Band. “Lahat ng ito actually nag-umpisa sa isang passionate na musikero na nais gamitin ang sining ng pelikula, kaakibat ang gigil ng isang banda na maihayag ang importanteng inspirasyon sa mga kababayan natin, gamit naman ang larangan ng pagkanta.”
The ‘‘Huwag Matakot” video should be noted for the use of masquerade masks, which as a form of voicing one’s opinions free of judgment, goes in line with the track’s messaging. This Band expressed that the song “serves as some much-needed motivation to keep going through life despite all its obstacles.”
The track is reflective of today’s woke generation’s tendency to tightly embrace emotional lyrics —often borne out of melancholia —to pump their spirits up. For what it’s worth, today’s youth, both musicians and listeners, care much more about the power of lyrics. We often hear comments that praise a song’s key message or lines more than anything. That simply works and so we have hugot as an overused word on social media.
On an even brighter note, a Huwag Matakot Director’s Cut clip was also uploaded on YouTube last month, reflecting the fun that team Mugshots and This Band had during the shoot.
“Thankful ako sa bandang ito. Simula sa pitching pa lang ng concept hanggang sa masagawa ang shoot, ang tiwala nila at ‘yung chemistry among everyone involved hindi nawala,” Owen pointed out.
The group’s other popular singles are “Hindi Na Nga,” “Di Na Babalik,” “Nang Iwan,” and “No Label.”
This Band is composed of Andrea Manzano (vocals), Euwie Loria (rhythm), John Macaranas (drums), Miccael Galvan (bass), Melvin Carson (keyboardist), and Raymat Gubat (lead guitarist). Here’s to the group getting more breaks and staying together longer. The last thing we’d want to read is a headline that had long been prepared: This Band disbands. Wordplay is good, yeah, but keeping the music playing is better.