“Once yanked, nerves never forget,” said music journalist Lester Bangs in one of his legendary rambling articles. It could mean anything, but let’s take it in the context of the lasting effect of the music one grew up with.
Former government official and school president Lenny de Jesus says she likes ’60s music because it evokes “intense emotions” that teenagers of that period strongly identified with. Though her first brush with music was through classical lessons on the piano, flute and guitar, she remembers hearing the songs of The Beatles, Peter and Gordon, Chad and Jeremy, The Dave Clark 5, Simon and Garfunkel, and other ’60s artists that her older brothers listened to.
After quitting government work (she was dubbed the Dragon Lady in the Estrada administration) and returning to less stressful activities, De Jesus found time to play ’60s music in several bands. While she remains a member of Glass Onion, where she plays rhythm guitar alongside Tonyboy Cojuangco, De Jesus says meeting up with other members of her old band Groovy Beats led her to revive it, on the suggestion of her brother, Jobert Vasquez, who, along with Roger Laurente and Dindo Corpuz, used to perform as the UP Greenhouse Singers and have joined Groovy Beats.
While Glass Onion has expanded its classic pop-rock repertoire to include R&B and disco, Groovy Beats is mostly ’60s classics.
Getting back to jam at De Jesus’ Makati penthouse, the members of Groovy Beats agreed to play together again.
What is it about ’60s music that convinced them that today is a good time to reunite? “It has a timeless appeal,” says keyboardist Carlo Gaa. “Some younger peers in the industry are Beatles fans.”
“It’s real and raw. It’s pure music, no machines, no sequencers, in short, no additives,” says bassist Rolly Roldan.
“I discovered ’60s music through my parents,” says drummer Benjie Santos, the band’s youngest member. “In the ’80s, we had a record bar that had a wide variety of music which allowed me to learn and play, including ’60s music.”
Santos, who teaches drum lessons part time, adds: “Sixties music is not just for old folks, because I noticed that some of my students like it.”
Lead singer Boy Mendez recalls listening to his older brothers’ records of The Beatles and Gary Lewis. “The music was easy to relate to.” Listening to so much ’60s music, he swears, made him understand love.
Certain songs
Of the band’s repertoire, certain songs give the members a more enjoyable time during gigs.
“The Beatles’ ‘Penny Lane’ and ‘Strawberry Fields Forever,’” says Gaa. “These are fun to play on the keyboards with all the layering, split sounds, sampling techniques, etc. They never fail to amuse the audience, too.”
Santos is fond of two more Beatles originals, “Golden Slumbers” and “Rain.” He explains: “‘Golden Slumbers’ is where Ringo Starr had his first drum solo, while ‘Rain’ has distinct drum fills.”
Since four of them also play with Glass Onion every Tuesday at Strumm’s, don’t they get bored with the same set list?
“We never get bored playing Beatles songs,” says Roldan. “Perhaps it’s our common denominator, that’s why we called the band Glass Onion, which is a Beatles track from its 1968 ‘White Album.’”
De Jesus says, “I like to play only with very talented musicians, and all Groovy Beats members are musically gifted. Since we respect each other’s musicality, and we also enjoy the same music genre, we continue to play together.”