SINOngabaSIKAT?

From the syncopated strike on the snare, the funk beat of the bass guitar to the earsplitting sound of electric guitars and captivating vocals, bands make their names. Their instruments are their weapons and their music is their power. Bands have a special commitment with their passion that makes them feel they are one and unique. Sinosikat is one of them.

Along with all other blooming bands in our local music industry, Sinosikat is on its way to stardom. Composed of guitarist Nick Azarcon, Reli de Vera on drums, and Kat Agarrado their vocalist, Sinosikat started out in September 2004. Like all others, Sinosikat began wtih jamming sessions with whoever would like to play with them. Then they decided to form a solid rhythm section to complete their own band.

But it still takes something for a band to be one. It is defintitely not just the talents of playing the instruments and producing good sounds together – it is sharing the same visions, missions and priorities. From their jamming sessions, Sinosikat finally solidified four members with the same styles of music.

Aside from their different style of music, Sinosikat tickles their audience’s minds with their name. It is interesting because it can be interpreted in many ways when translated in Filipino – aside from the fact that its name has their vocalist’s real name, Kat. It could mean “who is famous?” (sino sikat?) or “who is Kat? (who is kat?).

Diiferent genres of music distinguish a band from the other groups. Some prefer the mellow style while others are identified with loud rock type of music. However, because of the people being more supportive of westernized taste of music, some Filipino bands develop a dilemma of their identities. They could be pinoy, but their music is not.

Few are proud to profess they are local. They make their music sound like an American. There is actually nothing wrong about it, besides, it’s their prerogative. Nevertheless, being a Filipino band should be a privilege to propagate local music and develop a sense of nationalism rather than a ticket to produce foreign sounds.

Sinosikat is one of the few. They profess they are local, and they are proud of it. What makes their music so Filipino is their experiences and the flavor of the songs. “The way the message is expressed, apart from the language itself and the nuance [sa] pagsalita is tagalog, pinoy na pinoy talaga. Hindi slang, hindi pinilit, hindi yo pare!” says Nick.

Their songs are manifestations of their sentiments because they write those lyrics themselves. Some of their songs like So Blue and Turning my safety off are confessions of emotions. “Song writing is very personal, you take a lot from yourself and you put it into the song, into the lyrics especially if you want to say something, you have to be able to satisfy yourself first then you’ll think its good enough for people to understand and appreciate.” shares Nick. The free flow of music plus the relaxing beat of the drums gives the listeners the feeling of sympathy and satisfaction of something upbeat.

Sinosikat’s music is products of their passion and finances. As a band, Sinosikat earns from some of their gigs. It is actually the earning process that makes a band struggle, yet it serves as a challenge for them to strive hard and reach their goals.

Four years of jamming and performing together, Nick, Reli, and Kat find themselves as a full-pledged pinoy band. They admit that maintaining a band is quite hard and that a band should not be satisfied just by the rhythm it produces. As how Kat explains it, “kung seryoso ka talaga, kailangan constant yung evolution mo as musician. Constant yung learning kasi pag nagstop, stop ka na rin.”