My Blog

As the July 22 Introvoys Reunion
concert tour approaches, my anxiety level seems to be on the rise. A lot of questions flood my mind. A lot of scenarios play in my head. Some seem scary while the rest seem to make
me smile.

 

This time, there is no turning
back!

 

Two and a half years ago, I met a
couple at a birthday party of a common friend. As I was introduced to them, I learned that they were responsible for
producing concerts for the likes of Gary V, Side A, Freestyle and South Border
among others. Despite the fact that I
was introduced as the drummer of Introvoys, Jackie Regala and Gerry Katigbak
didn’t seem to take notice of it. I
wasn’t surprised. After all, Introvoys went
on an indefinite hiatus in 1998 with occasional “reunions” in 2000 and 2001.

 

“If you don’t swing the bat, you
won’t hit the ball!” I once heard from self help author John Maxwell so “swing
the bat” I did! Out of left field, I
popped out the question of an Introvoys US tour to Jackie and Gerry. They politely smiled as if not to offend nor
embarrass me. Despite being ignored, I
left the party with my wife smiling. I
had swung the bat! 

 

I didn’t know what to do
next. Whether or not they were
interested at the time wasn’t the issue. As far as I was concerned, the opportunity made way for me to have something
to look forward to. I spoke with Glen
Jacinto of the Teeth and asked him if Haro of Happy Box would be interested in
producing an Introvoys Reunion US Tour. I even played at a show that would help me “network” myself with the
HAPPY BOX people. The most I got that
night was a request to autograph a “10 of Another Kind” album by Haro’s
brother, Levan (what a nice guy!). 

 

I also kept in touch with Jackie
and Gerry. It was nice of them to invite
me to most of the concerts they were producing. Nothing went further than that though. Every time I would make mention of having them produce an Introvoys
Reunion, Jackie would simply smile. 

 

After more than a year of
“touching bases”, Jackie and Gerry finally decided to sit down and talk about
the possibility of a Reunion Concert! I
was excited! This was in April of
2004. We were projecting a Halloween
Concert, one that would feature Introvoys back to back with After Image. I quickly relayed the minutes of the meeting
with the rest of my ‘voys. I felt the
excitement in their voices. We had more
meetings in the months that succeeded. However, by the time we hit the month of July, things began to go
south. And I understood it
completely. This nice couple was running
a business and not a charitable institution! Why pick an “Introvoys” when you
can have a “South Border”? I didn’t
agree with their choice but I humbly accepted temporary defeat. It wasn’t the rejection that hurt me. It was the thought and eventually the reality
of having to reveal the set back to the guys. At this point, Jonathan, Jj and I were already “flying on broken
wings”. While artists like Rivermaya,
Bamboo, Sponge Cola, MYMP were flying high on the charts, we were asking
ourselves why would we even reunite!?!

 

In December of ’05, we all met at
Jonathan’s house in Cubao,

Quezon City

. We recorded a song called DESIRE and had fun
playing our old popular ditties. We
decided to have more  fun by appearing
unannounced at the

Sta

Lucia

Mall

after Christmas. What a night it was! We were as surprised as the audience
was. These were kids who were toddlers
when we were happening! Yet they were
screaming and shouting and were as excited as we were! What an experience it was! We signed autographed and appeared on radio
afterwards. The word spread and we were
invited to headline a mini concert at the SM Entertainment Center with Luke
Mijares. That was something else!

 

People came to us and asked if we
had a CD coming out. Without any
hesitation, we all said “yes”! When the
excitement died down, we asked ourselves “how the hell are we going to come out
with a CD without a label?” We didn’t
care. We asked Tommy Tanchanco (our
manager) if he was okay with the idea of a new album. He agreed! However, we felt that he needed to concentrate his creative idea with
his prime stalwart, Kitchie Nadal. We
decided to move ahead without him.

 

Je Cacnio wanted to bring BAMBOO
to the

US

! Who wouldn’t? They’re one of the hottest acts in the

Philippines

! I asked Je to consider Introvoys too. She agreed!

 

When I came back to the

US

in January of ’05, I called up Jackie and Gerry. I told them about the Philippine shows and
told them that they had to give Introvoys a shot! Jackie and Gerry said “yes”. In

San Francisco

,
Yearsly Arce of Goldmine Productions decided to give us a shot as well.

 

The visas have been
approved. The flights have been
scheduled. The contracts have been
signed. The venues have been reserved. The album has been pressed. The tickets have been distributed. The fans have been informed. The ball has been released from the hands
that shot it. The bat has been swung by
the player that swung it. 

 

At this point, we are at the
mercy of the people who believe in us. At this point, all we can do is pray for grace and run the race. This has been a long and fruitful journey for
me. Yet the journey is only beginning
for the rest of my brothers, the fans and the curious. 

 

We thank you for all your
support. Without you and all the people
we love, this reunion would not have been possible. 

 

We hope to see you at the shows
on July 22 and July 30 in

Glendale

and

San Francisco

respectively!