By Gerbs R. De Castro
(Notes: Gerbs R. de Castro, my next-door neighbor in my hometown of Tugatog, Malabon, has been a true-blue Truefaith fan since 1993. Such is his devotion to the band that he has taken it upon himself to be the administrator of the longest-running unofficial Truefaith forum. He is also the co-administrator of Truefaith’s official Facebook fan and group pages, which is where I got wind of his special ties with the band. As the year ends I am yielding this space to Gerbs, and I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I did.)
The year 2009 ushered in a lot of ups and downs in the Philippine music industry, ranging from Martin Nievera and Gary Valenciano’s first-ever concert together to the untimely demise of Master Rapper Francis Magalona. As the year closes its curtains, one of the most durable Filipino bands will be parading its 13th album soon.
Despite their hectic holiday schedule nowadays, I got the opportunity to interview lead vocalist Med Marfil of Truefaith regarding their upcoming plans for 2010 and beyond.
GERBS: Truefaith has been in the music business for almost two decades, 18 years to be exact. What do you believe is the band’s sustaining power in this kind of an industry?
MED: Our sustaining power has got to be our unwavering love for music! There is not much we’d love to do that is on the same level as making music and performing live onstage. This desire to do the best musical creations is the driving force that makes us go on even during those times where our self-image as a band was on its lowest. We suffer from momentary periods of doubt like whether the idea of our relevance in the music scene props up and gets questioned by ourselves. But this unrelenting commitment to our craft is probably the best reason why we are still here. We love music! Music is our life!
I heard that the band lately has been parading a new lead guitarist. Could you provide us a background on the new excellent guitar player?
MED: Allan Elgar is our new guitar player; he came from bands like 7 Foot Jr. and (did a bit of time with) Mojofly. If the surname sounds familiar, that is because he is the older brother of Rivermaya guitarist, Mike. Truefaith has always been a band that is known to have been inspired greatly by the New Wave and 80s Pop genres so it is but fitting to have Allan on board. The first thing that I learned about his musical background is that he loves The Smiths and regards their guitar player Johnny Marr as a huge influence. I knew we had the right guy when we first rehearsed with him: he brought to the Truefaith songs a certain shimmer that we’ve always hoped for in a guitar player. Plus, he’s a nice fellow!
After being a part of a popular recording company since your inception, you have decided to shift gears and are presently under the Viva Records umbrella. How do you describe the adjustment as a whole?
MED: With the global music industry in a slump we thought it would be best if we went with a big powerhouse of a local company like Viva Records. After all, it is the local market that we aim to reach with our records. People have been very congenial and warm. Big Boss Vic del Rosario is a straight to the point and fair human being and I believe his qualities as a good leader are emulated by everyone in the company. We’re still on the level of getting to know key people in every department since we’re on the period of planning the new album LOVE PARADE’s marketing plan, but I’ve got a good feeling we’re going to like our stay in Viva.
Truefaith’s upcoming album will be out sometime next year after the Dream Journal 2007 release. When will it be released? Why did it take almost three years to produce a new one?
MED: LOVE PARADE — which actually has a subtitle: For the Life Brigade — will be released February 2010. Originally it was supposed to be out October of this year but we encountered problems with a certain individual who we tasked to be the producer; he bailed out after the recording of all the instruments and vocal tracks just when he was about to start his part with the album’s sound. Luckily for us, the very talented and understanding Jack Rufo salvaged the project for us.
Moving from one record company to another did require some time and a whole lot of negotiating so that is the reason why it took three years for this new project/album to be realized.
Could you provide the fans out there with information about the forthcoming album? What is the album title and why was it named as such? What makes “Love Parade for the Life Brigade” similar or different from your past albums? Who are the guest artists who contributed to the album?
MED: LOVE PARADE is definitely a very vibrant and fun album! I thought of the title after having thought of how life is really just one big parade. The way to go through it is to enjoy every step even if it sometimes hurts. We all end up at the same point so you might as well savor every moment; cherish everything! Our fans should expect a lot of “colors” in the music as well as colors on the album art- think of the movie UP (which is my favorite movie of the year!).
The album sounds dynamic and fresh even though we mined our new wave and 80s pop chops on this one. We’ve also been listening to some new stuff from indie bands abroad that had dance-y and synth pop styles. To add more vigor and cuttin-edge spunk to our approach we asked some of our favorite artists to help us out: Armi Millare of Up Dharma Down sings on Yun Lang the carrier single; Carlos Magno of Out of Body Special and Luke Mejares sing on Strangeflower while Ryan Armamento of Corporate Lo-Fi raps on it; amazing saxophonist Dix Lucero plays wonderfully on Kaya Mo Yan!
Still, the album is very Truefaith and the themes here truly inspire: Love, Faith, relationships, the good times, Hope!
What are the potential tracks in the album to watch out for? Around when will they be heard on the airwaves?
MED: ‘Yun Lang’ is the carrier single. A new wave-y, dance-your-socks-off number with no less than the very talented Armi Millare of Up Dharma Down on guest vocals. Kaya Mo Yan is an inspirational number which sounds like O.M.D. The sax part by Dix Lucero should bring on that very 80s feel. ‘Awitin’ is like vintage Truefaith for 2010! ‘Pangako’ is a pop rock tune that lingers. Our best bet for a teleserye is ‘Lihim.’ If you’re looking for something like a Fra Lippo Lippi or China Crisis song, then tracks like ‘Mountain Wind’ and ‘Tonight’ would be to your liking. ‘Strangeflower’ sounds like a confluence of styles from new artists like Passion Pitt and Empire of the Sun with classics like Earth Wind and Fire and ABBA!
Anyways the whole album is brilliant! I am very sure old and new Truefaith fans will love LOVE PARADE! That is most certain!
For the avid fans stationed abroad, what international cities would you guys be most likely visiting next year?
MED: 2010 we shall be going to Canada then go down to the U.S.A. We will also visit Australia and Europe. And possibly the Middle East! So we’re hoping all plans push through. It will be a busy traveling year! See you all!
Are there any future plans of collaborating with local and international artists?
MED: Collaborations with foreign artists would just might happen next year. We can’t tell everything.
Any message you would want to impart to your fans as we close this interview?
The author (left) and Med… spreading the Faith!!!
MED: Thank you everyone for all your support all these years! To all those who have been with us since ‘Perfect,’ we so appreciate all the love! To those who have just recently been converted to our fold, welcome to our world! We hope that you could tell all your friends and loved ones about us and the music we do. We wish you would remain our friends for a long time.
To all our friends in Mindanao, we shall come back to your key towns and cities to promote our album. We love playing there! Love Parade has many songs about faith and of course, love, and we hope that the songs will inspire everyone there to always hope that peace will flourish in our country.
The Love Parade is on! Happy Holidays and a Great 2010 to all! Cheers! Bless ya!
For loads of Truefaith information, please do join Truefaith’s Facebook fan and group pages as well as at www.truefaith.tk. God bless and spread the Faith !!! – Gerbs
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