"Global Warming EP" - Gadfly
Before the "shock pop" of Tanya Markova and the alternative rock of Barbi Na Doll, there was the two-tone and island riddims of Gadfly...
01. Marry Me Jane
02. Barbeach
03. Pass Me By
04. Global Warming
05. Marry Me Jane (Ras $leep3r Varshon)
06. Barbeach (Roadside Bum Extended Dub)
Words and music by Edu Broce, Jet-jet Maranon and Jasper Borbajo
Performed, arranged, and produced by Gadfly (2002)
Track 5 remixed by Light$leep3r
Track 6 additional music and remix by The Roadside Bums
Remastered by The Roadside Bums for StickySweetSounds
SSS RECORDS 2010
The Gadfly Generations
(Notes from the Gadfly HQ)
(Notes from the Gadfly HQ)
Before we consider these blokes as “the ska proponents of Bacolod and Neg. Occ.” they were a part of the genre-hopping generation (yes, we mean the 90’s). It was 1995 when Emman Villacrusis (guitarist of Manila-based underground metal/hardcore outfit "Isvarah") thought of naming a newly formed band along with brothers Edu and Carlo Broce. He was interested with the name "gadfly" while reading a book and looked for the meaning of it in the dictionary and it was defined as "a term used for flies that annoy horses and other livestock" and "a person who upsets the status quo". By then they started to play Alice in Chains, Dishwalla and Silverchair covers (trivia: they were all based in San Carlos City and they're schoolmates in La Salle Bacolod as well). It was also for a fact that Ray and Bambam of Vertigo were a part of the first generation of the band.
New line up changes was made and on 1998 when Angelo Cosas filled in the shoes as a new frontman he delivered lines with stage antics akin to the likes of the baggy pants of former mortician Jonathan Davis while playing Coal chamber covers, he kicked a lot of serious ass. Another batch of shoe-fillers namely QQ Quisumbing and Jasper Borbajo (s.o.s/barbi na doll/tanya markova) shared the vocal chores with QQ doin' some growls and Jasper does the rapping (?) doing covers of tracks by Soulfly, System of a down, Limp Bizkit made them the nu metal band to beat. It was also the same year when Jetjet Maranon(original bassist and soon the new vocalist) came into the picture again and suggested to incorporate some punk and ska like a bit of Rancid, Jimmies chicken shack, Goldfinger and Down by Law...the late Jbee Borbajo(Barbi Na Doll/Tanya Markova) became the bassist when Carlo Broce left the band to work as an International Flight Attendant.
With the help of Jay Art/Boyet Descutido shelving out records (on original cassette tapes) with Red Grageda (a professed skinhead of Manila and at that time a resident and owning an LPG business in Homesite, Bacolod)..They offered a lot from their record collections for Gadfly to be immersed in "ska/reggae/swing/rocksteady" genres. Lots of Tanduay long neck rhums were downed before they thought of adding a horn section. They scouted from La Salle and San Agustin Brass band members to officially make it a seven piece band with Gardo Gallespen on Sax, Allan Lecciones and Jued Lanawan on Trumpet(owning their personal credits to Mr. Joseno Panisales for letting them borrow the instruments in school). With sharp costumes, pork pie hats, two tone motifs and suspenders made it their image which stood out amongst all the local bands in Sugar City...Playing Reel big fish, The Specials, Put3ska, Bob Marley, Mighty Bosstones and even Tropical Depression made them an instant hit with exposures on the local media and other special events, and even in out-of-town gigs. Original songs like "Marry me Jane" and "Global Warming" became their staples and were included in the “Suck Sugarcane Suck” (2002) compilation album, featuring some of Bacolod's finest bands. Their national breakthrough is when they were included in the ClubSka Manila underground compilation "Piliskapinas" which had their song "Bar/Beach" included. Gadfly inspired a lot of local bands like Ganjam, Grin Leafy Vegetables, Sideska Tempura, Javaskaggs, Cindy Poppin', Ninja Star Piaya and even the city’s premiere pop-punk band, Katumbal produced an awesome “punkified” cover of “Marry Me Jane” .
In 2004, when they got tired of stomping their boots, they explored other Jamaican flavas like dancehall, reggae and dub. T’was around this time when they added keyboardists (Brian and Rommel), all around “emergency men” (Bombom and Kid) plus Storky on percussion and Pakz of Dezmegraena on vocals, on various sessions. There’s also an unrecorded song, “Tripping Dub” which is the bands fave, and they hope to be able to put on tape real soon.
Currently, six of the members are already based in Manila where they occasionally do gigs, and they even took the time to do a one-off reunion here in Sugar City last year. Apparently the lads are keeping the fires a burnin' as we raise a glass for them. May Gadfly continue to “annoy” us mammals with more of their fly sounds.
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