ROCKING WITH CHEMISTRY
by Erwin Sabio (Ch '99, CE 2000)

Chino Singson (left-most) with his band mates from the Itchyworms: (L-R) Jazz Nicolas, Jugs Jugueta, and Kelvin Yu.

Julian Christian Singson III is not your typical Ateneo Chemistry Department alumnus. Sure he can easily predict whether hydroboration of alkenes follow Markovnikov addition like any good chemist, but not everyone can live their rock star dream like him. Chino, as his friends call him, is the bass guitarist for Itchyworms, a pop rock quartet composed of fellow Ateneo alums. Six years after earning his BS Chemistry degree and five years after getting a second one for Computer Engineering, Chino is very proud to announce the release of his band's second album, Noontime Show under Universal Records. In this interview, he recounts his journey from being a simple student to a double-degree holder to a mainstream OPM rock artist.

Small Beginnings

Chino seemed to have always been destined for a career in music. Music had a pervading presence in Chino's home like ether from an unstoppered reagent bottle. As a young boy, he was immersed in his parents' favorite songs ranging from the timeless sound of the Beatles to a myriad of other tunes from the 60's, 70's, and the 80's. Music apparently ran in his family's blood as well since his father also played the guitar. "He [my dad] had a band when he was younger," reveals Chino, "so there was always a guitar in the house." And it was this guitar that pushed him further into music's embrace. From the moment he picked up this guitar at the age of 13, there simply was no turning back. Soon after, he joined his first band and had their first gig playing for the 25th Wedding Anniversary of his friend's parents.

Still, not everything revolved around music for Chino. As a kid, he pursued other interests. "I hung out in the library a lot in grade school…" Chino confesses of his childhood, "…no real sports then." As a loyal patron of the school library, he developed his passion for reading diverse literary pieces and learning factoids about a wide array of topics. Not surprisingly, his favorite subjects as an elementary student came to be reading and science. His affinity for the latter even boosted his grades through his high school science courses-a fact that would be instrumental in his decision on what course to pursue in college.

Hooked on Chemistry

In 1995, Chino eventually decided to take Chemistry as his major in college. Why Chemistry? "Kasi mataas ang nakuha ko sa chem nung third year high school, so I thought I could hack college Chem," he says matter-of-factly. Computer Engineering or CE came as an added bonus as it was part of a five-year double-major program being offered by the Ateneo.

As anyone will attest, the Chem-CE program isn't a walk in the park like what Chino expected, but he only has fond memories about his chem classes and teachers. He goes nostalgic when talking about his first chem. professor, Fr. Schmitt and this Jesuit's adage on "learning by osmosis," or learning through experience and problem-solving rather than memorization. Chino admits that this is one of biggest learnings that he carries with him even to his job today. Being an innate musician, his other unforgettable teachers are "Sir Poks (Tarongoy)" and Dr. Toby Dayrit, whom he remembers as "the singing Chem teachers."

Amidst all lab reports, seminars, and experiments demanded by Chem-CE, music still found its way knocking on Chino's doors. As luck would have it, a guitarist was needed for Itchyworms, a band that derives its name from a coined-up term for silkworms or higad that leave itchy rashes on students who hang out at the college quadrangle. In 1997, then-manager Christine Dy recruited the chem major to join Jazz Nicolas, Jugs Jugueta, and Kelvin Yu for a show for the Ateneo Management Association which, as Chino recalls, had an audience of 12 people, crew and organizers included. Nonetheless, this gig earned Chino a full time position as bass guitarist for the band and marked the birth of the rock quartet.

Throughout college, Chino balanced his academic requirements and his budding musical career with stoichiometric precision. He would hang out with his blockmates at the second floor of Schmitt Hall for group studies (and chit-chats, of course) but also found time to jam with his bandmates and play occasional gigs. As if juggling between two important responsibilities wasn't enough, he also led the Ateneo Musician's Pool as president during his senior year. How did Chino manage all these? "Very carefully," is the only explanation he can offer.

Welcome to the Real World

The year 2000 not only marked the start of the new millennium but also Chino's passage into the "real world." The year turned out to be bleak for Chemistry graduates like him as several R&D and manufacturing companies shifted their businesses to China and other developing Asian markets. Luckily, his Computer Engineering degree became his ticket to land a job in the booming Information Technology business like most of his classmates. Chino has since pursued a career track in IT working as programmer and web developer for several companies.

Chino's entry into the music business did not come easy either, as Itchyworms initially struggled to establish a presence in the Filipino rock band scene. "We played all sorts of gigs, kahit saan, kahit gaano kalayo, kahit walang bayad," he describes of their ordeal to carve a name for themselves and secure a recording contract. By another stroke of luck in 2001, a demo tape they recorded a couple of years back caught the ears of the executives from Neo Records, a division of Viva. Itchyworms was immediately signed on as one of Neo's contract artists and it did not take long before the band finally released their debut album Little Monsters Under Your Bed.

Behind Their Music

Little Monsters Under Your Bed was a collection of witty ballads and catchy pop tunes that typify Itchyworms' brand of rock. The songs ranged from light and comical like Happy Birthday to playfully romantic like Cavemen Do--any social or moral commentary was very subtle, carefully hidden within the lyrics. The common denominator is that all these were guitar-driven often embellished with multi-layered vocal harmony, echoing musical influences from the Beatles, Beach Boys, The Police, and Eraserheads.

The rookie album brought mild success to Chino and the Itchyworms. All the singles released from this album enjoyed good airplay especially Antipara, which kept the #1 spot for a week in NU107's Midnight Countdown. Little Monsters… also reaped awards for the band, most notably Best New Artist during the 2001 NU107 Rock Awards and a Best Alternative Recording Nomination in the 15th Awit Awards in 2002.

This year, Itchyworms has just released its second album, this time under another label. Noon Time Show still carries the same pop sensibilities of Little Monsters but it now reflects the band's maturity musically and thematically. "The music and themes in NTS I guess have a lot more angst! (someone said sadness) because we've become jaded in our 8 years in the business," Chino explains on the evolution of their sound in the new album. "We've become better musicians, too, since the last album." Indeed, NTS highlights the virtuosity reached by the band members through the depth of guitar tunes that can be heard throughout the record. Moreover, the songs' social critique has become unmistakably scathing. Noon Time Show takes a clear shot at (you guessed it) noontime shows especially its false hopes and shallow entertainment values for the Filipino masses.

Moving Forward

Today, Chino persists on the delicate balancing act between his day job and musical career. He is thankful for the flexibility that his current company allows for him to enjoy the best of both worlds. "I'm lucky to be working at a small company where the boss is truly understanding of my schedule," he says. "So I discuss any conflicts with him beforehand so that we can work around them." He further intends to stay long in his current job to save some money and settle down in the near future.

Music-wise, Chino continues to rock the nation with Itchyworms and expects to play with them "as long as he is able." He hopes to keep on creating entertaining but intelligent music without compromise to the masses. Despite all the heights that his band may reach, he also vows to always keep his feet on the ground.

When asked to give advice to aspiring musicians, Chino refused to quote tired clichés and cheesy maxims. However, his evolution to rock artist is a clear testament that in life, just as in Chemistry, one must balance what is really important in the right proportions and possess enough energy to drive one's dream into reality. Clearly, this is something everyone, musician or not, can learn from.

 

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