Parokya ni Edgar ‘roadies’ step into spotlight with own band, full-length album

The Soundcheckers —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

When a band performs onstage, what the audience sees are the musicians and vocalists. But behind that well oiled unit is a crew that does its work so the performance is smooth and free of any hitches.

Unless there’s a technical issue that needs to be dealt with, however, you won’t really notice the roadies. But they’re there, crouched behind the huge speakers and bulky musical equipment, ready to assist the band.

A roadie is a person employed by a touring band to set up and maintain equipment. To be part of this crew, a genuine interest in music is essential. Many of them are already musicians, playing in bands formed with friends or relatives. The Soundcheckers is the name of a band that is also the tech crew of Parokya ni Edgar (PNE).

READ: Why Parokya ni Edgar has lasted over 3 decades

Formed 15 years ago, the Soundcheckers are now composed of Jikaru Mendoza (bass guitar, backing vocals), Joshua Gandia (drummer, backing vocals), Paolo Soldevilla (lead guitar) and Bodgie dela Cruz (rhythm guitar, lead vocals). Rommel Cajayon, Jikaru’s father, was one of the original members and played bass guitar; he’s now the band’s manager.

Own bands

“We each had our own bands. I was with Sonnet 58 and also worked at Club Dredd. That’s where I first met Parokya ni Edgar,” Rommel told Inquirer Entertainment.

Joshua and former Soundcheckers member Al Cruz were both with Soft Pillow Kisses, while Jikaru had a band with his cousins called First Things First. “We were the front act in bar gigs and the bigger events of PNE,” Jikaru said.

When they first started out, the Soundcheckers were known for doing covers of songs by New Wave groups. “Those were the songs of our era,” said Rommel. Their sound has since evolved and they now perform mainly alternative rock.Joshua said the band mostly books gigs in small, new bars and sometimes at established venues like 12 Monkeys in Pasig City and 70s Bistro in Quezon City.

A memorable shared experience was when they had a chance to play in a bar in Los Angeles in the United States in March 2023 after a PNE concert tour had wrapped up.

“PNE went back to the Philippines before the tech crew did, so we had a couple of days free,” Joshua recalled. “Concert producer Haro de Guzman was able to book us a gig at an LA bar that we turned into a fundraiser for PNE’s Gab Chee Kee who was sick at the time.”

“The audience was made up of our LA-based friends, as well as Haro’s contacts,” Rommel said. “That was our first international gig.”

When in Manila, the Soundcheckers time their bar gigs when PNE has no performances scheduled. Their next gig is on Sept. 7 at Filinvest Alabang for the RidePH MotoHeritage event.

Proper time management allows them to indulge in their passion while holding down their jobs as roadies.

Original songs

So far, they have two original songs to their name: “Sensitibo” written by Bodgie, and “Anong Oras Na” written by Paolo.

“‘Sensitibo’ is about short-tempered people. The song’s not trying to be deep—pantanggal inis lang,” Bodgie said.

“I wrote ‘Anong Oras Na’ when I was still with my other band,” Paolo said. Both songs can be streamed on Spotify.

The band is determined to make a mark on the music scene. In fact, there are plans to come out with a full-length album consisting of around 10 tracks. “We’re recording now and hope to be done by December so we can release the album by next year,” Jikaru said.

Do they already have a loyal fan base? “We have 2,400 followers on Facebook,” Joshua proudly said.

“Plus PNE fans. Wala silang choice e,” Rommel quipped. INQ