August 27, 2006

Ex-Freestyle bassist now plays Down Under
By Franco Emman Von M. Cena
August 27, 2006
Page A19

HE IS ONE OF THE founding members of the Freestyle band when it broke into the music scene in 1998. But after recording his last gig with the gang a year ago, Carlo Tapia finally made his move to try his luck in the land Down Under.

It took almost four years of weighing options before former bassist Carlo Tapia decided to leave the band and continue life with his family in Sydney, Australia where he works as a concierge.

“It was a tough decision, but one I made with my family in mind. I knew migrating was inevitable,” Carlo told Inquirer adding they only wanted the best for their only daughter, 3-year-old Sabine Isabel.

Married to Kriscia Kapunan for four years now, Carlo said that raising their daughter in Australia is ultimately good for the child who is enrolled in an Australian playschool.
“Kriscia and I know how we want to raise Sabine, and in Australia, we can achieve that,” he said.
Carlo and Kriscia met in 1996 in one of their gigs in Davao when Freestyle was only starting out. He was 19 then while the 18 year-old Kriscia was in town visiting her family.

“Sitting in the audience, she caught my eye and I felt I had to meet her,” Carlo said. “There was a strong connection between us but it went no further because she didn’t believe in long distance relationships. We stayed friends but somehow lost contact for many years.”

Getting married

Then in 2000, when Carlo was already working in Manila, Kriscia came home. But her stay and time spent with Carlo during trips and gigs went beyond friendship. After that, “we were inseparable,” he said.

They exchanged vows in Davao, May 2002, and plans of migration were discussed thereafter.
But it was not easy for this Freestyle bassist to just leave the band while Freestyle is constantly topping the charts and reaping accolades here and abroad. Their powerhouse of rich harmonies and vocals has produced hits like “Before I let you go,” “So slow” and their revival of “Bakit ngayon ka lang,” among others.

However, in December 2005, this 29-year-old Management graduate from Ateneo de Davao University left Manila but with the “blessing and love” of his bandmates, he recounted.
“I left with their blessings and love, and we were drinking and laughing until dawn on the eve of my last day in Manila. There were no problems; I made sure that there would be a smooth transition when I left,” he said.

Early days Carlo is now replaced by Rommel de la Cruz on bass and joined by new voices of Mike Luis and Joshua Desiderio. Still playing catchy Pinoy tunes are pioneers Jinky Vidal (vocals), Tat Suzara (guitar), Gerald Banzon (drums) and Nikki Cabardo (keyboards).

A native of Matina, Davao City, Carlo started his music career with the rock band “Wasted Youth” when college schoolmates Jinky Vidal and Tat Suzara thought of forming a band.

In 1994, Freestyle was born in their first gig at the Penec Bar at the Apo View Hotel in Davao. The group started with seven young musicians who blended together successfully.
“It was Tat’s idea to call the band ‘Freestyle’ for the night and then we decided to keep the name for good,” he said.

The band is one of the country’s OPM heavyweights and most sought-after groups, with their knack for filling venues with their smooth and soulful rendition of R&B and pop hits.

Best years in band He spent the best years of his life with the band, he said, adding that his fellow band members are almost like “family.”

“It (band) was my comfort zone; I loved what I was doing. I never really thought about traveling before but with Freestyle, I got to see many places, meet lots of interesting people, and basically did things I didn’t think I would do. The busy schedule sometimes took its toll on me, but it was all worth it,” he said.

He first broke the news of his move to Sydney to bandmates Nikki Cabardo and Gerald Banzon. He told the rest of his mates a week after.

“I left the band on a high note with my last gig being recorded as the CD/DVD concert “Live at 19east,” he said.

With Carlo employed in Swissotel Sydney while his wife works in University of Sydney, money was no big deal for them. They are now living in with his in-laws.

The couple has bought their own house and are planning to move soon.
He commutes into the city for his day job. Depending on his shifts, he picks up Sabine from Playschool or meets his family at home for dinner.

Australian gigs Though Carlo left the Philippines, he never left his music. In fact, during weekends Carlo makes gigs with other Filipino musicians and “mussos” (Aussie musicians) while he works during regular days.

On his rest days, Carlo couldn’t help playing his bass guitars or catching up on football. “As a session musician, I occasionally have gigs on weekends,” he said.

Carlo said migrating was easy for him since his wife and daughter are Australian citizens. He also plans of getting a citizenship soon but said that his “heart still belongs to the Philippines—to Davao” where he was born and raised.

Carlo hasn’t fully adjusted to living Down Under. To him, migrating has been— and continues to be—a learning experience.

“I’m still continually adjusting to having an eight-hour job,” he said adding that he also has to do the housework after the day job since they don’t have a househelp in Sydney.

He cooks, cleans and babysits Sabine, Carlo said.

“It’s humbling and liberating at the same time. It’s hard work—physically and emotionally. But change is good, and life must go on,” he said.

Asked of his future plans, Carlo said he wants “to find himself completely adjusting” to his life. Definitely, he wants to continue to play his music and teach playing bass to whoever wants to learn it, he said.

“I’m not making any grand plans,” he said when asked if he wants to break into the Aussie music scene. “I just want to continue playing, be it at paid gigs or for fun, and to continue to learn and grow as a musician.”

Providing his family their own home, be healthy, travel together, and provide a good education for Sabine, was what Carlo wishes to accomplish in the years to come.
Another Filipino and coworker at Swissotel saw how Carlo coped with the first months in Sydney.

“Carlo is kenkoy, cheerful and maingay, and we always talk about family and plans in life,” said Jason Aberin, chief concierge at the five-star hotel.

Jason knew Carlo and wife Kriscia for years now. An Australian citizen since 1988, he helped Carlo to get into the job.

“We grew up together,” Jason said adding that he went to the same school with Kriscia in Sydney. “And now I’m ninong (godfather) to their first born Sabine,”

“We crave for the street food that we have back home,” Jason said, adding that once in while

Carlo and family would cook Filipino dishes when they are together.

Carlo said that he misses his relatives and friends, the green mangoes and Pale Pilsen in the Philippines.

“But I enjoy eating out here,” he said. “Australia is such a multicultural country where you can grab different types of authentic fare every night—Vietnamese, Malaysian, Lebanese, Italian, Indian, Himalayan.”

From time to time, he visits the country for holidays and special occasions and he finds time to still get in touch with the gang especially to Gerald Banzon whom he talks to the most.

After a year of breaking up with the band, Carlo said that he badly misses playing and just being with them.

But he said that he is more stable now than he used to be when he was with the band in the Philippines.

“A regular person on an average salary here can have steak dinners, an overseas holiday at the end of the year, a house and a car, among others. It’s definitely different from my previous ‘musician’s’ lifestyle I got so used to though,” he added.

But definitely he will be back, he said.

“I am looking forward to our reunion concert,” he said.