Girl in Park’s
BEST & WORST GIGS
BY Sunshine Reyes
(Woman's Magazine January 2, 2002)

A few months after I decided to let go of managing a boy band, whose drummer was a friend of a friend. At first I was hesitant to say yes because of school restraints, and I wasn’t really into band management. A week later, I listened to a rough demo of Forgotten 7th String. I listened to four tracks of mellow, dream-pop songs fronted by ethereal-sounding-female vocals. The sound was promising, but I still wasn’t sure. But in the end I gave in, thinking it wouldn’t hurt to lend a helping hand.

One weekend, I met up with Boyet Conde (on drums), and Jaja Manuel (vocals/guitars). Boyet is an old friend, but I met Jaja for the first time. I expected someone sulky & snobbish but I was pleasantly surprised. She was wearing a black t-shirt, a stud piercing below her lower lip, colored bids looped around here wrist and silver jewelry – her hair wavy & nonchalantly tied in a pony tail. She also had glasses on. Her smile was warm & friendly. The band decided to change its name to Girl In Park, a title of a painting under Andy Warhol’s collection. On stage, Jaja in all blue jeans, with her ubiquitous glasses, gently strums her guitar, head bowed, looking up only when she’s about to sing. Often times, she smiles as she sings, probably to lighten up her lyrically-dark songs, one of which is “REST” already a crowd favorite:

If I were to die tonight,

I’ll leave all behind.Nothing seems to matter,

Except for the place I’ll take my rest,

I wonder where will I be without you.

Here, Q & A with Jaja Manuel, vocalist, guitarist, and reluctant heartthrob of Girl in Park over ice cream- topped crepes and ice tea:

Q: Are you aware that you sing well?

A: (laughs) Actually, I never wanted to sing. I only wanted to play the guitar. Sobrang na-engganyo ako sa Incubus (a foreign band which she really likes) kaya ever since, kinakapa ko yung mga songs nila. Pero ayoko talagang kumanta, I don’t have the guts. I have stage fright. I hate being notice. I just want to play the guitar.

Q: When was the first time you picked a guitar?

A: Grade 5. Meron akong classmate na special kid… autistic… gustong gusto niya yung isang love song… tapos ‘yung teacher ko may guitar at songhits nu’ng time na ‘yun. Medyo marunong na ako mag-chords nu’n eh… I played this song for my classmate, because I wanted to make him happy. I played his favorite song, nakalimutan ko na kung ano ‘yun, basta love song. Kay Tiffany ‘ata (laughs). Tapos naging theme song pa naming dalawa ‘yun, kaming dalawa kumakanta tapos naawa ako kasi tina-try n’ya talaga kumanta na hindi naman nya kaya, kasi nga special child siya.

Q: Anyone in your family who’s also musically-inclined?

A: My grandfather, I’m not sure if he sings, but he plays the ukulele very well. Hindi n’ya kami tinuruan pero sa tingin ko du’n namin nakuha ‘yung pagiging musically-inclined. My kuya is a choir director. Kami lang dalawa sa family ‘yung mahilig sa music.

Q: Besides Incubus, who else do you look up to, in foreign & local scenes?

A: Locally, Cynthia Alexander is the best. At marami pang iba. Pero sa foreign, syempre si Björk, Belly, Madder Rose, Elastica…

Q: Who writes the Girl in Park songs?

A: Ahhhhhh… ako sa lyrics. Parang ako na ‘yung naging in-charge sa vocals kasi nag-ja-jam lang naman kami at that time… ako talaga ay isang gitarista lang pero ako na ‘yung umawit para mas sincere. Para maka-relate talaga ako sa ginagawa ko.

Q: Your lyrics tend to be brooding. The first time I heard your demo, I remember thinking, “nakakalungkot naman ito.” So, I kept thinking, maybe you’ve so many traumatic relationships and experiences…

A: (laughs) Actually, those songs (I based) on friends’ stories. Inisip ko lang, I’m trying to imagine myself in that kind of situation, pero hindi pa naman nangyayari sa ‘kin… siguro masyado lang akong negative sa mga bagay, especially when it comes to relationships. Sa tingin ko, hindi talaga nagla-last mga relationships, at ‘di ko alam kung bakit nagkakagano’n. Parang sa tingin ko, you try hard to stay together, pero magbe-break pa rin.

Q: OK. Best and worst gigs?

A: Worst? Sa Mayrics! When two of my bandmates didn’t show up because they were fighting. Sobrang… hay naku! nu’ng time na ‘yun, disband na! Pinaka-OK, (San Miguel Beer’s) Oktoberfest opening, sa Libis. Pinaka-magandang experience, pinaka-magandang gamit, magandang stage… it was perfect. But I can’t really say kung ‘yung sound namin no’n eh ‘yun ‘yung pinaka-best? Sa tingin ko hindi ‘yun eh. ‘Yung gamit at experience… parang Woodstock eh… laki ng stage… ‘yung place…

Q: At may nag-a-acrobats pa habang tumutugtog kayo, onstage…

A: (laughs) Oo… hahaha! Natatandaan mo pa pala!