Getting to know them more: Sheldon Gellada, Kara Mendez, and TedMark Cruz
While many music aficionados have a superficial knowledge of our local musicians and grazing familiarity with their names, I thought it would be very interesting and quite gratifying to get to know them better on a deeper level. So I have asked a number of the finest we have around today the same three questions. Their answers below will give us a clearer picture of what defines them now as musicians.
1) Sheldon Gellada (Bassist) of Hale
What were the influences at home and/or outside of family which helped form your interest in learning your instrument of choice?
I was forced by my parents to take up piano and violin lessons when I was in grade school. I never took it seriously and skipped a lot of classes. I was 19 when a friend of mine first brought me to their band rehearsal. I was blown away and left the studio with a goal of learning how to play the electric guitar and form / join a band. Lucky enough, I was referred by a friend to join his cousin’s band.
When we started jamming, we had a hard time looking for a bassist, so I temporarily took the spot. I ended up more interested in playing and learning it. It was after winning a band competition that my parents suggested for me to take it seriously and study Music in the UST Conservatory.
How and when did you realize you had a calling to be a full-pledged musician ?
It was during my 2nd year in the Conservatory of Music when the gigs for Hale started to pick up. I needed to decide whether to focus on my education or my career. I realized I could always go back to school but getting signed by a major recording label was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity so I had to grab it.
How do you continue to hone your skills and continually raise the bar of excellence for yourself ?
Never stop learning. Always keep an open mind. I try to listen to all kinds of music, regardless of genre. I don’t always end up liking them but I try to absorb and learn what I can from them and put it into practice.
JHOAN MACARANDANG PHOTO
2) Kara Mendez (Vocalist and Bassist) of ROUGE
What were the influences at home and/or outside of family which helped form your interest in learning your instrument of choice?
For the most part I think I just listen to the radio a lot and growing up to be around wonderful musicians in my family, literally all my titos and titas… and a lot of my friends are musicians, it was like a step on the ladder for me when I started playing the bass guitar after learning the basics of a 6 stringed one. So it’s more of a gradual thing now coming into this artform and then you grow closer to it each day and then I started focusing on it. Then, poof it became… coco crunch! LOL !
How and when did you realize you had a calling to be a full-pledged musician ?
Siguro nung nagsimula akong magsulat-sulat at nagkalakas ng loob kumanta sa harap ng maraming tao. Kasi naalala ko umiiyak pa ako sa stage pag may program kami sa school sa sobrang stage fright ko. ‘Tas yun… go!
How do you continue to hone your skills and continually raise the bar of excellence for yourself ?
Yan I do with my band at syempre i-challenge talaga yung sarili ko habang na-e-enjoy ko yung learning a new thing syndrome. Practice, research, muni-muni, all of these things are part of the process. ‘Tas repeat…
KARA MENDEZ
3) TedMark Cruz (Drummer) of Sponge Cola
What were the influences at home and/or outside of family which helped form your interest in learning your instrument of choice ?
Growing up, my brothers and I took piano lessons. I was around 8 or 9 years old. I didn’t show any interest (at that time) to learn how to play the piano. I’d rather stay outdoors and play patintero, taguan, or basketball with my neighbors. Fortunately, our piano teacher, Jennifer, also knew the drum basics. The drum lessons began.
Alongside learning the drum basics, my five other brothers grew up in a house with music from The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Sergio Mendes, Earth Wind & Fire, James Ingram, and more being played by our folks in the music room. I, later on, started exploring music that caught my attention as a teenager. From Guns N’ Roses, to Pearl Jam, to the Eraserheads, and some classic rock legends and acid jazz cats, all these different types of music were very essential in molding who I am now, not just as a drummer, but as a musician.
As a drummer, I first started listening to the usual foreign drummers that beginners ought to listen to. Drummers like Dave Weckl, Dennis Chambers, Vinnie Colaiuta, Steve Gadd, etc. As I grew older, I started listening to Ringo Starr (The Beatles), John Bonham (Led Zeppelin), Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix), Art Blakey, Derrick Mckenzie (Jamiroquai), Quest Love (The Roots), and currently Chris “Daddy” Dave. It’s safe to say that I’d rather listen to and learn from a lot of drummers with different styles and theories. I wouldn’t want to just mimic one super idol and be that whomever wannabe.
How and when did you realize you had a calling to be a full-pledged musician ?
Ever since that day I sat behind the drum kit for the very first time when I was ten, to my first gig during a small presentation in our subdivision, I knew for a fact that playing music makes me a happy little boy. And up until now, whenever I perform on stage, I become that happy, enthusiastic, full of energy little boy again and again. Whether it’d be a freestyle jam session with friends/schoolmates or a gig inside a jam-packed arena, performing has always been and will always be for the love of music. So for me, being able to make and play music for a living is definitely the best job in the world! I am very thankful and am #ultrablessed to be a full-pledged musician.
How do you continue to hone your skills and continually raise the bar of excellence for yourself ?
It’s always a treat to discover new things from both the seasoned musicians AND the young budding artists. A couple of examples of the former, namely: I took the Michael Alba Drum Program module 1 a couple of years ago, and I also enrolled at Music Colony where I learned the basics of DJing, turntablism, and music production. I also make it a point to continue watching live young local artists perform because there are a lot of things and new techniques I can learn from these kids. The learning never stops!
ALEXANDER ARMOVIT PHOTO
