Monday, January 29, 2007 Young Boys at Heart By Arrah Camillia R. Quistadio
WHEN one hears the grinding and pounding beat of punk rock songs, it’s tempting to dismiss the genre as nothing more than bottled-up teenage angst. However, a closer look at the songs of this up and coming band says the case is otherwise. The name to remember: Boy Elroy.
“Ang mga kanta namin hindi panglaslas (Our songs are not for committing suicide),” jokes Boy Elroy’s lead singer Conrad Javier during the band’s first visit to Cebu in time for the Sinulog festivities. Correct this misconception they certainly did, with a string of gigs at Handuraw, Baseline and Capitol to promote their latest offering, the album "A Better Place."
“Punk rock is always associated with anarchy. (But) the music isn’t negative, kahit na ang music maingay (even if the music is noisy),” Javier adds.
Perhaps, teenagers whose parents are queasy about letting their kids go to punk concerts can heave a sigh of relief with the band’s assurance that in their gigs, the crowd takes everything as good fun sans the violence. In their five-year stint as a band, Boy Elroy has attracted a following from diverse groups of people, from high school and college students to twentysomethings and yuppies.
Upbeat, loud and varied. This is what one can come to expect of Boy Elroy’s music, which they confess contains influences of metal, punk, electronica, classic rock, ska and hip-hop.
Unlike bands that thirst for their fifteen minutes of fame, Boy Elroy simply lets things be. For one, they consider having weekly gigs a blessing in itself. With their album, meanwhile, they have adopted a laidback attitude, without expections on what their album can achieve. “Basta ni-record lang namin. Kung magustuhan nila, then OK (We just recorded it. If they like it, then OK),” says Javier coolly.
Boy Elroy believes that being young entails making choices and moving on. “Pag bata ka, medyo galit ka sa mundo. (When you’re young, you’re a little mad at the world.) Every once in a while, you should have fun,” Javier quipped.
With that said, one can say that Boy Elroy certainly exudes a relaxed yet adventurous vibe inherent not only to the youth, but to the young at heart too.
