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Rolling with the punches: The life and times of Faintlight
The boys of Faintlight
No amount of blows – literal or figurative – can ever hold back Faintlight. If anything, the shots Faintlight take just make them come back with more resolve and firing on all cylinders.
The circumstances of my first encounter with the band alone serve as compelling evidence of this.
January 31, 2009. Calamba City, Laguna. Anticipation was lingering in the air at a small, derelict watering hole that serves as the melting pot for the musicians based in the immediate and surrounding areas. It wasn’t the usual Saturday bar gig as far as the patrons were concerned. Cult heroes April Morning Skies, Kneel On Nails and Imbue No Kudos were in town to headline the night’s show. In tow were a few other buddies of theirs – Faintlight included – to round up the roster of performers for the event.
The show went underway without a hitch, mayhem only coming from the revelry of those in attendance. Things seemed to be going as planned, until word spread that one of the visitors figured in an altercation outside.
“Napag-trip-an” was the conclusion of those who witnessed the commotion.
A rattled Ron dela Cruz was helped back into the venue and the show was promptly stopped so he could be given first aid. Then-Faintlight frontwoman Jourdan Dimailig started tending to the cuts and bruises on the guitarist’s face.
An hour after the incident, Dela Cruz, Dimailig and their cohorts were onstage performing at full capacity as if nothing happened.
Fast forward to July 14, 2013.
It was almost 5 a.m. The colors of early dawn were starting to show above us. Circled at a table outside Black Kings’ Bar along West Avenue, QC were me, drummer Dave Pimentel, and guitarist Bryan Gadia. Dela Cruz, who now also sings for the band, opted not to participate in the interview so he could entertain the guests who stayed well after their show. Hours earlier, Dela Cruz, Pimentel, Gadia and bassist Emil dela Rosa launched their debut album Flight and played a full set to a packed crowd.
Though exhausted, the boys of Faintlight were visibly relieved that they were finally able to release their debut opus.
“Sobrang sarap,” said Gadia with a tired but satisfied smile.
'Wala na talaga'
The band currently enjoys the kind of exposure that’s fairly hard to come by for most of today’s independent acts. Their current single "Set the Mood" has received airtime on FM radio, its music video showing on a local music channel. The band has a pretty good presence on the Internet, their videos receiving strong view counts on YouTube.
The release of Flight just adds to the momentum.
And all of this almost didn’t happen.
“Dumating sa point na...wala na talaga,” said Gadia.
For the longest time up until before Dela Cruz ended up singing for the band, Faintlight was heavily identified in the local music circuit as a female-fronted group. It proved to be a period marred with instability: just as they would gain enough momentum to bring them over the hump, they would lose a singer. In Faintlight’s lifetime, they have endured losing a vocalist not once, not twice, but thrice.
Understandably, the consistency and frequency of these changes at the helm took its toll on the core quartet. By the time Faintlight lost third singer Thea Castillo, the band was at an impasse.
“Na-record na namin lahat ng songs [for planned first release Trip the Light Fantastic],” said Pimentel. “We were already planning for the launch. Then shit hit the fan again. It was devastating.”
Morale dipped to such a low for the band that its members contemplated disbanding.
“Balak na namin noon mag-farewell gig,” said Pimentel. “Tapos yung mga bokalista nung mga kaibigan namin na banda dapat yung kakanta ng mga kanta namin.”
An impeccable eleventh hour surprise from one of their own turned that around.
“Parang ayaw na namin,” said Pimentel. “Nakatambay lang kami sa bahay ni Ron. Sinabi nya bigla, ‘huy, tignan nyo to. May sinubukan ako.’ Iniba nya yung tuning nung mga kanta namin, then he was the one singing it. Nung narinig namin, [sinabi namin], ‘Yan na yun! Pare, ikaw na kumanta!’”
Blessing in disguise
For half a decade, Faintlight was a female-fronted band—and for half a decade, the skill of their then-vocalists notwithstanding, Faintlight inadvertently reeled in fans for reasons other than the music.
But then things changed.
“I remember somebody from the music production scene who used to regularly get us for gigs when Thea was around telling us why would he still get us now that she’s not around anymore,” Pimentel shared. “That struck a nerve.”
This isn’t the tale of a band that fell out of grace after losing individuals that helped define its identity. This is the story of how a band re-invented itself.
“We promised ourselves we’d be bigger and better.”
And so Faintlight found itself back on the drawing board.
“Nung si Ron na yung kumakanta, we had to adjust the song and rebuild talaga,” Gadia revealed. “Nag-practice talaga si Ron. Pinag-aralan talaga niya na ibato yung boses hanggang sa natutunan na niyang laruin yung boses nya.”
The result of this sonic re-calibration? A big, gritty, chest-thumping sound that, although still hinged heavily on melody, is decidedly different from Faintlight’s radio-friendly pop punk beginnings.
The initial response to the band’s new sound and aesthetic after regrouping was, as per Gadia’s account, positive. “Yung mga friends namin tsaka yung ibang tao around sa scene, [sinasabi nila na] mas gusto nila yung tunog ngayon,” the drummer said. “Mas malakas daw yung dating, mas parang confident daw kaming panoorin, bagay daw sa amin.”
“Sobrang natutuwa din kami,” added Pimentel. “Kasi guys [would come to us and say], ‘Uy, gusto ko ‘tong kanta na ’to.’ Nakikita namin yung sincerity. Yung pagka-totoo nung sasabihin nila sa amin na ‘uy, trip na trip ko ‘to.’ Natutuwa kami na it’s working pala. And then, there’d also be females who would tell us, ‘Hey, I love your songs.’ Nakakatuwa na mixed na. Hindi katulad dati na puro lalaki nga lang.”
“[S]obrang naging blessing in disguise,” said Pimentel.
Faintlight now
“Ang saya ng feeling the first time we heard the master CD [of Flight]. Pag-play pa lang nung [opening riff]…” shared Pimentel, finishing his thought with an expletive to connote excitement, enthusiasm, and amazement.
“Pero may kaba pa rin nung hindi pa pumapasok yung boses. May kaba na, ‘Tama ba yung mix ng boses?’ When we finally heard Ron’s voice, [we said], ‘This is how we wanted to sound like.’”
And the turnout at the album launch showed that the band wasn’t alone in its odyssey.
“Sobrang sarap talaga,” exclaimed Gadia. “Kasi pagdating ko pa lang dito, putek, andami nang tao! Parang ito yung pinakamaraming tao na natugtugan ko dito sa BKB!”
But Faintlight doesn’t intend to rest on their laurels just yet.
“We don’t really want to celebrate that much,” said Pimentel bluntly. “Kasi it’s still hard work from here on out. Hindi naman ito yung end of the road eh. Ang goal namin is to keep spreading our music. We still have a long way to go. Whatever obstacles na ibigay sa amin, hahanap kami ng way para mag-adjust.”
Gadia offers a simpler approach.
“Roll with the punches.” — BM, GMA News
Image courtesy of Faintlight
The circumstances of my first encounter with the band alone serve as compelling evidence of this.
January 31, 2009. Calamba City, Laguna. Anticipation was lingering in the air at a small, derelict watering hole that serves as the melting pot for the musicians based in the immediate and surrounding areas. It wasn’t the usual Saturday bar gig as far as the patrons were concerned. Cult heroes April Morning Skies, Kneel On Nails and Imbue No Kudos were in town to headline the night’s show. In tow were a few other buddies of theirs – Faintlight included – to round up the roster of performers for the event.
The show went underway without a hitch, mayhem only coming from the revelry of those in attendance. Things seemed to be going as planned, until word spread that one of the visitors figured in an altercation outside.
“Napag-trip-an” was the conclusion of those who witnessed the commotion.
A rattled Ron dela Cruz was helped back into the venue and the show was promptly stopped so he could be given first aid. Then-Faintlight frontwoman Jourdan Dimailig started tending to the cuts and bruises on the guitarist’s face.
An hour after the incident, Dela Cruz, Dimailig and their cohorts were onstage performing at full capacity as if nothing happened.
Fast forward to July 14, 2013.
It was almost 5 a.m. The colors of early dawn were starting to show above us. Circled at a table outside Black Kings’ Bar along West Avenue, QC were me, drummer Dave Pimentel, and guitarist Bryan Gadia. Dela Cruz, who now also sings for the band, opted not to participate in the interview so he could entertain the guests who stayed well after their show. Hours earlier, Dela Cruz, Pimentel, Gadia and bassist Emil dela Rosa launched their debut album Flight and played a full set to a packed crowd.
Though exhausted, the boys of Faintlight were visibly relieved that they were finally able to release their debut opus.
“Sobrang sarap,” said Gadia with a tired but satisfied smile.
'Wala na talaga'
The band currently enjoys the kind of exposure that’s fairly hard to come by for most of today’s independent acts. Their current single "Set the Mood" has received airtime on FM radio, its music video showing on a local music channel. The band has a pretty good presence on the Internet, their videos receiving strong view counts on YouTube.
The release of Flight just adds to the momentum.
And all of this almost didn’t happen.
“Dumating sa point na...wala na talaga,” said Gadia.
For the longest time up until before Dela Cruz ended up singing for the band, Faintlight was heavily identified in the local music circuit as a female-fronted group. It proved to be a period marred with instability: just as they would gain enough momentum to bring them over the hump, they would lose a singer. In Faintlight’s lifetime, they have endured losing a vocalist not once, not twice, but thrice.
Understandably, the consistency and frequency of these changes at the helm took its toll on the core quartet. By the time Faintlight lost third singer Thea Castillo, the band was at an impasse.
“Na-record na namin lahat ng songs [for planned first release Trip the Light Fantastic],” said Pimentel. “We were already planning for the launch. Then shit hit the fan again. It was devastating.”
Morale dipped to such a low for the band that its members contemplated disbanding.
“Balak na namin noon mag-farewell gig,” said Pimentel. “Tapos yung mga bokalista nung mga kaibigan namin na banda dapat yung kakanta ng mga kanta namin.”
An impeccable eleventh hour surprise from one of their own turned that around.
“Parang ayaw na namin,” said Pimentel. “Nakatambay lang kami sa bahay ni Ron. Sinabi nya bigla, ‘huy, tignan nyo to. May sinubukan ako.’ Iniba nya yung tuning nung mga kanta namin, then he was the one singing it. Nung narinig namin, [sinabi namin], ‘Yan na yun! Pare, ikaw na kumanta!’”
Blessing in disguise
For half a decade, Faintlight was a female-fronted band—and for half a decade, the skill of their then-vocalists notwithstanding, Faintlight inadvertently reeled in fans for reasons other than the music.
But then things changed.
“I remember somebody from the music production scene who used to regularly get us for gigs when Thea was around telling us why would he still get us now that she’s not around anymore,” Pimentel shared. “That struck a nerve.”
This isn’t the tale of a band that fell out of grace after losing individuals that helped define its identity. This is the story of how a band re-invented itself.
“We promised ourselves we’d be bigger and better.”
And so Faintlight found itself back on the drawing board.
“Nung si Ron na yung kumakanta, we had to adjust the song and rebuild talaga,” Gadia revealed. “Nag-practice talaga si Ron. Pinag-aralan talaga niya na ibato yung boses hanggang sa natutunan na niyang laruin yung boses nya.”
The result of this sonic re-calibration? A big, gritty, chest-thumping sound that, although still hinged heavily on melody, is decidedly different from Faintlight’s radio-friendly pop punk beginnings.
The initial response to the band’s new sound and aesthetic after regrouping was, as per Gadia’s account, positive. “Yung mga friends namin tsaka yung ibang tao around sa scene, [sinasabi nila na] mas gusto nila yung tunog ngayon,” the drummer said. “Mas malakas daw yung dating, mas parang confident daw kaming panoorin, bagay daw sa amin.”
“Sobrang natutuwa din kami,” added Pimentel. “Kasi guys [would come to us and say], ‘Uy, gusto ko ‘tong kanta na ’to.’ Nakikita namin yung sincerity. Yung pagka-totoo nung sasabihin nila sa amin na ‘uy, trip na trip ko ‘to.’ Natutuwa kami na it’s working pala. And then, there’d also be females who would tell us, ‘Hey, I love your songs.’ Nakakatuwa na mixed na. Hindi katulad dati na puro lalaki nga lang.”
“[S]obrang naging blessing in disguise,” said Pimentel.
Faintlight now
“Ang saya ng feeling the first time we heard the master CD [of Flight]. Pag-play pa lang nung [opening riff]…” shared Pimentel, finishing his thought with an expletive to connote excitement, enthusiasm, and amazement.
“Pero may kaba pa rin nung hindi pa pumapasok yung boses. May kaba na, ‘Tama ba yung mix ng boses?’ When we finally heard Ron’s voice, [we said], ‘This is how we wanted to sound like.’”
And the turnout at the album launch showed that the band wasn’t alone in its odyssey.
“Sobrang sarap talaga,” exclaimed Gadia. “Kasi pagdating ko pa lang dito, putek, andami nang tao! Parang ito yung pinakamaraming tao na natugtugan ko dito sa BKB!”
But Faintlight doesn’t intend to rest on their laurels just yet.
“We don’t really want to celebrate that much,” said Pimentel bluntly. “Kasi it’s still hard work from here on out. Hindi naman ito yung end of the road eh. Ang goal namin is to keep spreading our music. We still have a long way to go. Whatever obstacles na ibigay sa amin, hahanap kami ng way para mag-adjust.”
Gadia offers a simpler approach.
“Roll with the punches.” — BM, GMA News
Image courtesy of Faintlight
