A few days ago, the band Off The Crowd, that we presented through the release of their first music video “Let Go” , accepted to answer some of our questions. The song “Let Go” is off of their first album, which will be released on april 8th.
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Here is our interview :
First of all, could you present yourselves, to let our readers know the band and its members a little better ?
Kat : I’m Kat Castro, I play bass and I’m the vocalist of Off The Crowd. JR Jabla is our drummer and OJ Ochida is our guitarist. Currently, OJ is no longer with the band because he now lives in Davao City with his family. The band is based in Manila and Davao is a plane away. So now we have two session guitarists Elliot Lemi and Rico Leonardo.
When did you all start learning music ? Is music the thing that you’ve always wanted to do ?
Kat : I started learning music in high school and then I joined a church band. For me personally, yes, it was always something I wanted to do professionally but cannot since we are not paid as much as other musicians in other countries. I could say the same for OJ, if music can support his family, he’ll definitely do this full time.
JR : I started playing drums back in 2003. Because of Linkin Park‘s Rob Bourdon. My mom bought my first kit that summer, pretty much to stop me from putting more holes on pillows that I used to play drums with. No, music for me started as a hobby that turned quickly into an addiction. After playing with different people and playing a lot of shows it quickly became something that I want to do for as long as I can.
How did you decide to create a band together ?
Kat : Penguin! [ed. : previous Kat’s band] had a lot of lineup changes in the past. When I lost my 2 bandmates, I started talking to JR because he owns the studio we shot a video in. I really liked his music style and we really have the same vision for the band. I convinced him to join through his gf-now-wife Karmela, over Tocino Buffet and poof ! We became a band. And of course I convinced OJ by asking him through Facebook and he immediately said yes. I know OJ through his old band Candy Candy.
Do you think that your favorite artists can have any influence on your music ? Would you like to make your music evolve towards other types of music later in your carrier ?
Kat : Yes definitely! We are fans of a lot of punk bands and surely people notice that we do show our influences to our sound. Like every band, I think our music will evolve in the long run but since we’re just starting, I think there’s a lot of room for growth.
« Off The Crowd » was called « Penguin! » before. Why did you decide to change your stage name ?
Kat : Our Road Manager Marc Empremiado suggested it. It seems the name Penguin! was tied to our old members. With Penguin!, a lot has been associated with the name, good and bad that we really can’t ignore or take away. So the best move for us was to rebrand, and release this album together with the new name. Start fresh as they say.
How did you choose the name « Off The Crowd » ? Does it mean something special for you ?
Kat : We had a hard time really coming up with the name. Penguin! Has really been a part of me ever since, from all my social media accounts etc. I’ve been using KatPenguin. When we came up with Off the Crowd, it literally means we’re different or not a part of. We are not your typical punk band, we’re just not. This is something we really want to get across with our name.
Your first album will be released in a few weeks, how long have you been working on this album ?
Kat : We’ve been working on this album since last year. The launch has been delayed because of personal reasons. We’ve been busy working, other family concerns, mixing delays, OJ recording his guitar parts etc.
« Let Go » is the first single and the first music video off of your upcoming album. Will there be other title songs on your album ?
Kat : “Let Go” is our first single for Off The Crowd. But we have another music video out still under Penguin! called “P.Y.F.S.H. (Punch your face so hard)“, which is also on this current album. Definitely, there will be future videos to come. We haven’t decided on our next single yet, maybe a song that will show our soft side. ☺
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVmp4hJUyXc[/youtube]
After the release of your album, what’s the next step for you ? Do you already have other projects for the band ?
Kat : We’d probably shoot another video again and release more singles. We’re planning a nationwide tour here in the Philippines and maybe we could play in another country if given the opportunity.
Imagine that someday you have the opportunity to perform anywhere you want in the world, which place would you choose to do one of your concerts ? And why ?
Kat : One thing we’ve always wanted is to play alongside Green Day or Blink-182. To front for any foreign punk band would be really nice. So I would say to play in the U.S. or Europe alongside our punk heroes would be the dream. Why ? Because I think that would be an awesome accomplishment, and it would really bring our music out there which is our ultimate goal.
Once again, thank you so much Off The Crowd for accepting to answer our questions !
