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Today is June 4th, 2023. My name is Kevin and I'm with the Houston Asian American Archive. I'm talking today with Mr. Jerick Alegarbes.

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He is a Filipino-American musician who is one of the co-founders of Houston-based indie rock/pop band Paper Gliders. So, thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to talk with me today. Thank you for having me.

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So, to start off, I-I'd like to ask a few questions about your early life. So, you were born in the Philippines, but, you know, I read somewhere that you grew up in Manila. So, what was it like growing up in Manila and the Philippines? Well, my life in the Philippines was basically m-mostly in Manila.

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I grew up in the—I mean, I was born in the—Dagupan City, which is, like, a province for me. So, it's more, like, you know, like, suburb-type area with a lot of mountains and farmlands, and Manila's a-a little bit more different.

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It's more, like, you know, like a metro city. So, I get to see a lot of, like, buildings and I get to be in proximity of a lot-a lot more people than usual. You know, it's more condensed and more things to do, I would say.

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So, I mean, I had fun [laughs] growing up there. And was there kind of, like, I-I mean, I know you immigrated to the US when you were 12, but did you—were you involved with the music scene at all in-in the Philippines?

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Oh, actually–actually, I was 14 when I— [KC: 14, sorry.] But yeah, no. So I-I grew up, you know, doing a lot of activities. Mostly, like, play with my friends, play basketball,

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do a-a lot of extracurricular activities in school. But at home, that's when I was, like, trained to become a-a classic, you know, pianist. And I've done that for at least 2 to 3 years.

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And I wasn't really feeling it with the piano. Like, that's not really the instrument that I wanted to play because around that time I was also, like, serving in church, either as an acolyte or as a part of a choir.

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So, I was more inclined to, like, singing and being in a group. But, later on, I definitely, you know, changed my instrument to guitar. When my dad introduced me to an acoustic guitar, that's when I started playing guitar later on.

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So, your dad introduced you to guitar. So, were your parents, you know—so, did you come from kind of, like, a musical family? Did your parents kind of—were they really involved with music? Not really. My dad is—my dad was a doctor, and

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my mom was, like, a—she works at a telephone company. So it's just basically no matter of, like, impressing maybe, like, you know, neighbors or other family, other relatives, just by saying, "Hey, my son grew up and, you know,

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learned how to play piano. He was classically trained." Because I know here in America, it's pretty much the same thing with, like, Asian families when you have, like, parents who are basically kind of, like, telling you, "Hey, you need to learn how to play piano, you have to be good

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at it." And then you grow up, and then they're, like, "Why are you picking up piano right now? I need you to become a doctor, you know?" So it's kind of, like, you know, that's a little bit of confusion growing up. But yeah, like I said, like, piano is basically something that I learned not

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because I liked it; it's mostly, like, because my parents pushed me to. Yeah. Mhm. Yeah. Yeah, I think a lot of, you know, Asian American kids or Asian kids can relate to this idea of your parents introducing you

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to so-some form of classical training, like, growing up. S-so, growing up, what kind of music did you listen to then? What were some of your favorite bands or music groups? So, in the Philippines there's this genre called—not really a

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genre, but it's like a m-mix of genre, called OPM, which means "Original Pinoy Music." Pinoy is like other word for Filipino. It's basically, like, our K-Pop, you know? So, when people say, "Hey, I listen to OPM," they already know that's Filipino.

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It could be different things. I usually liked a lot of—what do you call it, you know, like, singer-songwriter type of stuff, or, like, they can just sing into, like, a synth. And later on, when I became, like, a

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little bit more of a teenager, that's when I became a little bit more rebellious. When I started listening to rock music, you know, even, like, classical rock, like, you know, Aerosmith, Guns N Roses and even, like, all those, like, Filipino bands, like, Orange and Lemons, Join the Club,

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and Hale. Yeah, so, l-l-like, it just changes—it just changed when I—when I grew up. And I'm-I'm more inclined to, like, listening to rock music now. So, you know, in—when you were in the Philippines, did you have a band or did you

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play with people? Did you write music at all? Not really. It's mostly—when I-when I was in high school in the Philippines, because I-I did go to high school there when I was 12. So, I went to high school for two years.

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And during those two years I picked up, you know, guitar because I see—I always see, like, my classmates, in a-in a hallway, like, playing their guitars. And they usually play covers and they try to impress some girls, you know?

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So, I'm kind of just trying to do the same thing. And, you know, I get to meet other people too, like, who, like, to play guitar. And, you know, that's when we kind of just, like, "Hey, we should jam here. We should jam this song, you know?" I want to see if it would sound as good as

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those artists are playing on the radio or something. So yeah, that's when I started pi-picking up guitar, actually. Mhm. And I think in the bio you wrote somewhere online you were drawn to, like, Filipino rock and folk music.

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So, can you-can you t-tell us a bit about the sound of Filipino rock and folk music and how it is similar to, or is different from, Western rock music? So, I will start with folk.

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There's this thing where, like, because, you know, Filipinos were-were a col—Philippines were-was a colony of the United States after the Spanish-American War between 1900 to 1950s, right? That's where we started picking up anything American pop culture.

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So I would say it's kind of mix of, like, Spanish and American-type of music. Because I know here in US they had something similar to Spanish folk that Filipino Americans picked up.

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So, in the Philippines, whatever we heard on the radio, we tried to, like, imitate, right. That's also, like, you know, starting after World War II. So, the folk music that a lot of people are familiar around the world was this song called "Anak" by Freddie Aguilar.

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So, this one was released in 56, 57 countries, I believe. And it's basically a song about a kid who grew up and started being dysfunctional, like, he started becoming, like, ungrateful towards his parents.

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So, it's kind of, like, this story of, like, a—like, a Filipino family story that became a little bit sour as he grew up because he started doing different things, started becoming rebellious. So-so, it's kind of, like, in a perspective of a parent who just basically

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cared too much about the kid and basically, you know, not—it didn't go so well. So, you know, I can relate to that, definitely. But yeah, so the folk music that you hear even nowadays with modern Filipino folk and modern American folk

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definitely have similarities to them. Mhm. I'd like to go back to, I guess, kind of your parents. So, did your parents have any aspirations for you in terms of what they wanted you to be or do when you grew up?

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Yeah. Like I said, my doc-my-my-my dad was a doctor, and when I was a kid, actually, I had a hobby. Specific hobby of, like, drawing bones, like, a skeletal sys-skeletal system.

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And it turns out it was—I was very good at it. And weirdly enough, I also like to draw maps, which I was also very good at. [laughs] And my dad s-started noticing that: "Hey, maybe he could be a doctor just like me, you know?"

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But I'm more—I turned more into, like, the art aspect of it. So, as I started—I st-as I grow up, I-I'm more—I picked up more into, like, art. And I started doing visual art.

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I started painting, I started doing graphic design. And, you know, even the guitar and even with the music and stuff. So, they, like, their aspiration definitely, like, they-they didn't-they didn't push it on me. But also, like, their expectation is pretty different.

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So, they kind of got a little, I would say, frustrated, but ultimately they l-let me do my own thing anyway. So, now on to immigration. So, you mentioned that you immigrated to the States when you were 14.

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So, did you experience any culture shock here? And was the US everything you expected it to be like? This can be long, [laughs] if that's okay. Well, probably not. [KC: No worries.

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Yeah.] So, when I was a kid, you know, we watched a lot of American movies, of course. You know, the one that I remember specifically was Stuart Little. Which is, you know, a-a—it's a pretty good movie.

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But, like, the environment of that is basically, you know, just American family living, like, in a—in a close quarters type of house. And they–they do family stuff, but, like, also, like, they have this also, like, family problems that I never really

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encountered as a kid. Also, like, just the–the portion of food of course is also different because you know, in-if you go to Asian countries, the portion of the food is basically a lot smaller. What else? Yeah, the transportation.

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Like, everybody's, like, riding taxis or, like, having, like, good, expensive cars. And then in the Philippines, you can just raise your hand and like, ask for, like, a tricycle.

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So, it's, like, the tricycle is, like, you know, the three-wheeled cab with a motorcycle attached to it. So, th-those are, like, the two wheels. And then the other one, like, the attachment next to it is, like, another wheel next to

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it. So, it's kind of, like, smaller, but also, like, very convenient when you, like, don't have a car and you–you get to go around the town and basically they can take you anywhere. It's kind of, like, Uber or Lyft here. So, different.

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Yeah, so I had a lot of expectations when I came here in America. I was–I was hoping for more snow [laughs] because I remember, like, in the movies, like, during winter, oh, of course there's going to be a lot of snow. Everything looks white, right?

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Everything's cold. I've never experienced cold in my life unless I go to, like, places on top of mountains. So, we have that in the Philippines. But that's basically what, like, 60s Fahrenheit, the

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coldest. So, it's not really the cold that I wanted to–to experience. But yeah, when I came here in America, the first thing that I experienced was when we bought a big bucket–a big bucket of fried chicken from KFC.

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And I remember arriving here late at night and my aunt pick-picked us up. Me and my mom went to my brother's to go to their place. But on the way to their place, we had to stop by and get some dinner. So, we picked up a bucket of fried chicken from KFC.

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But it turns out the-the store was closing, so they gave us two more buckets of fried chicken for free. And I remember looking at those fried chickens. They're, like, this big, like the thigh was, like, this big. And I was remembering, like, looking at it, and I was, like, this looks like a

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whole chicken from the Philippines. You know, like, one thigh is, like, si-significantly bigger than what I was used to. Like I said, you know, portion size never disappointed. It's definitely more than back in the Philippines.

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The next thing I remember was we go into this place near the—well, I mean, in my aunt's neighborhood. And I just realized how spacious everything is. The–the streets.

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Every house has a lawn, which is something that I kind of, like, didn't expect. I was, like, oh, I thought it's kind of, like-like, the big city. Like, they all just, like, have houses next to each other, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But then, like, you know, I went there, I was, like, everything was spacious.

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And I was, like, "Why? Why does everybody have, like, a lawn here? Like, why? Why do they have grass everywhere?" You know?

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I wasn't definitely used to that. And then, yeah, I came later on, when I started getting used to what-what the neighborhood looked like. The thing that I miss the most coming here—after coming here in America was just

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the proximity of everything. So, in the Philippines, you have neighborhoods where, like, you can just see people outside having fun, right? Either day drinking or, like, playing chess or going to the store.

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Because in the Philippines, like, some houses there, they can convert some of their garages into stores. So, whatever you need, you basically can get, like, a few steps in and—you know what I'm saying? And then here in US, you have to, like,

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ride your car just to go to a store. That's the thing. So it's, like, the proximity and then, like, just how people, like, not so trusting with each other. Like, people can give you, like, a stink eye just thinking, hey, this, this kid

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looks different, you know? Or, hey, I don't know this guy. He's probably not from the neighborhood, so it's definitely that different. Nothing that I would expect coming here. So, I had to learn how to adjust to that for months.

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So, did you come to the US with your parents too, or did you just stay with your aunt? Oh. So, my dad came here a year prior [KC: Okay.] of us basically arriving here because he got a job here in Houston, and we had to follow him because,

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you know, there's pretty much nothing else over there. He still has a business there, but, you know, we don't—he doesn't really need anybody else from his immediate family, from us, to take care of it. He has, like, people to take care of-of his business over there.

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When we arrived here, it's basically him already trying to set up, like, a living arrangement for us. So, he basically purchased a home. But at the meantime, while we-we were just starting to get acclimated with

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everything over there, we had to stay at my aunt's, which basically was, like, this big mansion, that and Jersey Village (?). That's—I'm also [laughs] wasn't-wasn't used to. But yeah, we eventually got a house after that.

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So yeah, my-my dad came here first and then my mom, me, and my brothers followed him. I see. And, you know, when you came to US, you-you talked a lot about this, like, the difference in culture, but—and you kind of also talk about how, you know, having a different appearance, you noticed that-that could maybe raise some

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eyebrows or get people to, like, notice you. So, did you ever face any, I guess, outright discrimination due to your background when you first came here? And if so, how did you deal with it? I would say the first time I

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experienced racism was when I was in high school—when I went to high school here. It's like a week after I started high school here. But, you know, there's al-already a div-a diversity in our school when I-when I arrived, and I remember

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seeing a lot of people who were basically just trying to be in cliques, right? So, it's kind of, like, an American movie still. The only difference was you just have to, like, insert yourself sometimes or not at all.

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So, you have to get in, get—just try to stay–stay from somebody else's way or else you get something from them. You know, that type of deal. Yeah, I would say the first time I experienced

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racism was basically from a classmate, when—I just—well I—they probably noticed it because I can s-I can—when-when I came to America, I can already speak English, but the accent was something that I didn't have, the American accent or the "no

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accent" American. So, they-they noticed that I-I-I definitely spoke different type of English than they're used to. So, they try to discriminate based on that.

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And of course, they had to find out what type of Asian are you? You know, what kind of Asian are you? Why does your last name sound Mexican, you know? So, they-they-they tend to ask this type of questions because they don't know.

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But also they kind of, like, just try to, like, make me feel like I'm just different from them, you know? So, it's either I don't fit with Latinos, I don't fit with Asians, or I try to be somewhere in the middle and then they still try to push me one way or another

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anyway. Yeah. Yeah, it's unfortunate to hear that, you know, like, you had to face those experiences. And it's just disappointing that, you know, racism and, like, discrimination is, like, you know, just a curse, just like that in the

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US. So, I'd like to talk more about, I guess, your musical experiences. So, te-tell me about this Asians meme page that you met Vaughn on in, how you guys connected, and what your

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initial opinions of him were? Okay. So, prior to graduating high school, I was basically someone who basically enjoyed memes. You know, early on-early on, I was, like, you know, a typical millennial trying to find

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ways to waste time and cope with something. So, memes are basically, like, our language back then. Even the earliest memes that you find would be something about either being angry at something or

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I would say something that—not even, like, learning about what other people would look like if they do something, like, activities. And also—well, now that I think about it, it also has something to do with, like, race. So, when I joined Asians page

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back in 2010, I basically just looking for something that's basically something that I relate to. You know, because I'm-you know-I-I want to feel like, oh, I'm Asian. I want to look at memes and I want to be—I want to laugh at something that or feel good at something that, you know, basically makes sense to me or something that

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I could relate to. So, when I joined that meme page, I never knew anybody personally who joined that page as well. It's just basically, like, a community of people that submit, you know, memes, and we basically look at them and you

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s-comment on it and say, "Oh, this is so relatable. Oh, this is so funny, you know? Oh, that's-that's, like, a really smart joke," you know, like, dad jokes, you know, stuff like that.

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So, yeah, I-I started joining that group and then I started looking into basically becoming an admin. Admin is basically the one that curates all these memes, like, you know, how a curator

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does art-artworks at a museum. So basically an admin of that page is basically, like, a "meme curator," if you-if you want to have that term, you know, coined. That's when I f-met Vaughn.

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But I never met him as, like, you know, someone who basically I would be friends with. I just met him in hopes of becoming an admin of that page because he was already an admin of that page at that time. So I tried to be more-more involved in that-in that page.

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Just try to, like, comment on people's memes and try to discuss, you know, have a little bit of discourse here and there. And he just started to take notice, and we started talking, like, online. We were just, like, "Hey, dude, want to join my page as an admin?" I was, like,

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"Yeah, definitely would love that." You know? So, I became an admin, and we started talking more because we started noticing that like we have a lot of similarities when it comes to, like, memes and how it relates to us.

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That's when he added me on Facebook. So, now I have this chance of knowing him more, like, personally, right? And this is the funny thing.

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I never knew that he was from Houston when-when we started becoming, like, friends on Facebook. So, one day af—one day he just posted on Facebook that he was looking for bandmates to, you know, start a

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band on his own. And I didn't really think any of it, like, you know, if it's going to be, like, something that I want to be into because I was going-I was going in school for graphic design for, you know, arts. So, I was a graphic designer when I met Vaughn.

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I was trying to learn from it, and also I was doing visual arts. I was also a painter. But I wanted, like a different avenue to, like, get into with regard-regards to, like, art. And music is something that I never thought I would be into growing up because

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I really s-really—I-I just stopped doing music when I got here back in 2006, right? So, I never thought I would pick it up like, four years later, you know? So, jokingly, I said, "Hey, can I join your band?" He

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was like, "Yeah, where do you live?" I was, like, "I live in Houston," and he was, like, "Oh, I also live in Houston." "Where at?" "Dude, I'm, like, three miles away from you." So, that was kind of a shock. So, that's why we kind of, like, we—I just met him, like, you know, and I was, like,

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"Hey, we can meet in person, you know, we-maybe we could try something." So, I was, like, "Yeah, sure. You know, I need to buy a guitar" and all of that. And then—I did audition, by-by the way,

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when he asked, you know. I did audition, I sent him a video of me playing "Dust in the Wind." I don't know if you know that song, but the thing was, when I was playing, I had the guitar at the back of my head, just trying to be more, like, you know, try

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to be cool about it, you know, because I was just, like, basically just joking. "Hey, can I play, you know, can I join your band?" So, I was just, like, yeah. But yeah, we eventually kind of just talk and he was, like, "Hey, you know, I do want to start a band for real, and I want you to be, you know, I want you to be

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a bandmate, and I want you to join me because I already have songs." That's what he said to me. "I already have songs written and I want you to, like, finish it with me." So yeah, that's basically how it happened. Like, when I met Vaughn, we were already, like, went from-it-it came from memes,

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and then it started getting more serious, like, getting to the music territory, if you will. So, was this band that he was trying to find members for, that was the-the Big Sexy Time?

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Is that what it was called? Oh, yes. Did he tell you about the-the origin of that? He—I mean, he told me about how you guys got together, but I don't think he told me about the origin of that name specifically.

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Yeah. Oh, I don't know if I should say. Well, I'll check with him, but I can tell you right now. I think it's usually, like, you know how, like, Asian parents

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get to be, like, very witty when we wa-when they watch something on TV. And this is basically with—based on what he told us, like, me and my bandmates. So, the Big Sexy Time is basically his dad watching Miss Universe. So, he calls that show the Big Sexy Time.

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He's like, "Hey, Vaughn, this is the big sexy time right here." Yeah. So that's when we called our band The Big Sexy Time. And that eventually evolved to, you know, Paper Gliders. Got it. [laughs] So, do you remember, like,

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I guess, the first gig or show you-you did with-with, you know, with Vaughn and the rest of the band? So, we have—I think we have three transitions when it comes to, like, becoming, like, this final six-piece

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band. We started with two-two guys with just their acoustic guitars, right? And we knew that—at that time, we didn't know anybody. We probably know somebody who does the same thing, who did the same thing as us,

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basically just performing open mics and going to tea shops, coffee shops, you know? So, I would say, like, one of the very first gigs that we had was at Ben's Beans downtown, which was this coffee shop who opened—I mean that opened back in 2011 and later closed at, like,

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four years later, like, 2015. But, we were regulars there. We were playing, like, every Monday. Also, some of, like, local tea houses in-in Houston.

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So, it's basically very small. Like, we just wanted to be out there playing our stuff, wanted–wanted people to hear our stuff, the things that we created. And it's just basically just a small thing that we kind of just—that

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makes us feel good, you know, because we get to play our stuff, we-we get to release those type of music, like, two Asian dudes just beating their guitars and then just, like, trying to vibe with the rest of the crowd. So, I definitely love that.

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The next one was—later on, we did get a drummer. His name was—his name is Ryan. And we started becoming a three-piece band. And a-another one who's basically someone that we just kind of

00:29:40.170 - 00:29:56.360

want to be with us, his name is Josh, so he's—he was our bassist, our very first bassist. And also that's when we transitioned from the the Big Sexy Time to Paper Gliders. And one of the most memorable shows that we

00:29:56.360 - 00:30:11.290

had was when we played at Warehouse Live. That was back in 2013, I believe? We had a huge crowd. We hav-haven't played at that type of venue where a lot of people get to go

00:30:11.290 - 00:30:24.530

and see us play, so it's a little bit more nerve-wracking and I was a little bit more nervous. But, you know, performing live was something that I kind of just tried to deal with because I do have anxiety problems.

00:30:25.240 - 00:30:45.330

So, I-I try to give it, like, 100% every single time. You know, I just have to be focused more and, like, have to be more with the rhythm. So, basically that's something that—that experience was basically something that kind of just told me that, "Hey, you know, it's going to be bigger

00:30:45.630 - 00:31:04.290

from here. You're going to have to learn how to deal with this every single time." So that's pretty much what happened, right? The third, the very last transition was when we—when we stopped playing music for a couple of years, I believe, like, from

00:31:04.290 - 00:31:15.520

2014 to 2016. And we started looking at our own stuff where we kind of just, like, "Hey, can we—can we do this music thing again? Let's do it one-one more time," right?

00:31:16.170 - 00:31:29.900

"Let's give it one more try." And we eventually did. We started making music again. This time we tried to do it right. So, we started—try to—picking up more members

00:31:30.720 - 00:31:48.390

and we ended up with a six-piece band where we basically have this more creative freedom of, like, letting them know, "Hey, we need parts from this one, we need parts from this one. Can you make sure that you can put your own thing creatively into a

00:31:48.390 - 00:32:07.240

certain song?" So, when we started developing those type of songs where it just sounds like a really full band, you know, songs. And then we started playing live at the very—I think the very first one that made me think that, "Hey, this is actually it.

00:32:07.540 - 00:32:26.470

This is the band that I envisioned or we envisioned, like, years ago" was when we played in White Oak—at White Oak Music Hall back in 2018. You know, 'cause that one we had, like, a room full of, like, almost 250, 200 people and they're just looking at us.

00:32:26.600 - 00:32:41.320

They don't know who we are. And then when we started playing, we hear those shouts of people and they're saying, "Whoa, Paper Gliders!" You know, because, like, we just, like, we were kind of just shocked and it was, like, "Oh, holy crap. Like, there's a lot of people here." Like, we're never used to this, you know?

00:32:41.880 - 00:32:57.670

So, just imagine being that dude with, like, an acoustic guitar at an open mic and then later on playing at a show—at a room full of, like, 200, 300 people. So, it was just basically something that just made me think, "Hey, this is it.

00:32:57.950 - 00:33:12.670

This is music right here. This is what I want. This is what I want for my life right now," you know? Mhm. So, you're the lead guitarist for Paper Gliders,

00:33:13.650 - 00:33:29.500

but you've also done some percussion work in-in synth work. So can you tell me more about your songwriting process in the band as a multi-instrumentalist? Oh, it's-it definitely, like, my-my experience with other

00:33:29.500 - 00:33:45.230

instruments, you know, with synth is ba-basically straightforward. I was classically trained in piano, so I retained some of—some, but not all-not all of those lessons that I learned as a kid. So, I still know how to play piano.

00:33:46.380 - 00:34:01.860

Theory-wise, I'm not really that good anymore. I would like to become more versed in theory, but with, you know, with—just-just-just like other musicians probably out there doing the same thing.

00:34:03.240 - 00:34:19.990

For me, I'm more into, like, you know, learning by ear. So, learning by ear is something, like, "Hey, I know what this sounds like. I kind of want to emulate it, but not the way people would look at music." Like, I would look at it, like, I hear it, I can imitate it and I can do this.

00:34:20.580 - 00:34:37.940

And that's basically how I've done a lot of things. So we have the song that's, like, five minutes long, and then somewhere towards the end I was, like, playing, like, a little type of, like, riff and I didn't even know it was kind of just, like, a Japanese type of a-a scale that I

00:34:37.940 - 00:34:55.000

was playing. Nobody pointed that out to me until I made it. And I was, like, "I just heard it in my head, you know?" So, there are things, like, that mostly in, like, our composing process, like, music creative process.

00:34:56.840 - 00:35:10.270

The difference right now is basically we have six people. And Vaughn and another member of ours, Abby, they're more into theory. So, that balance things out.

00:35:10.270 - 00:35:25.690

So, if I do create something that I didn't know s-what sounded bad or good, they would point that out to me and I'd be, like, okay, I can work with this. When—yeah. So we have that balance of, like, somebody looking at it outside the box and someone from the inside the box.

00:35:25.690 - 00:35:41.860

And that creates, like, this ecosystem of, like, understanding of how the music works, basically. Yeah. And when you're writing, you know, coming up with new music, do you ever have any,

00:35:41.860 - 00:35:55.690

like, creative slumps? And do you have any strategies for how you get over them? Creative slumps, I would say...I do, actually, sometimes.

00:35:56.770 - 00:36:09.910

So, the process that we have with making songs was mostly Vaughn creating his guitar part. And he mostly go from, like, you know, a little bit of melodic but, like, rhythmic part of it.

00:36:10.600 - 00:36:25.610

And then that's where I come in with the lead. So, leads usually, sometimes I do struggle with finding root notes. And that written notes would be something like, you know—because we do use jazz

00:36:25.610 - 00:36:43.530

chords as well. And jazz was something that, like, I'm still trying to get into. I know some basic jazz chords, but also, like, we try to be more—more complimentary whe-when Vaughn and I play. So, this kind of, like, countermelody-countermelody going on with our

00:36:43.530 - 00:37:02.090

songs. Sometimes it wouldn't sound good if we just, like, try to do basic jazz chords, so we try to be more—a little bit more complicated, more intricate with-with our stuff just so it would lock in with the sound. So, there's no, like, you know, bad sound coming out when we play together.

00:37:03.940 - 00:37:21.360

What-what happens is—what happened was—or what happened during me not getting the-the right sound is it would be Vaughn trying to assist me on finding that right note or the right chor-chord.

00:37:23.220 - 00:37:42.040

And Abby as well, the female member of the band. She would also assist me in, you know, helping out sometimes. And in return, when they do have problems with harmonizing because me—well, not only me, but, like, some of the members,

00:37:42.040 - 00:38:00.250

like, even Vaughn, I think we were in choirs when we were kids, so we were kind of used to, like, this mel-melodic, like, a harmonic type of, like, singing. But, they do struggle sometimes, and I get to help them with those. So, you know, it's kind of, like, a back and forth t-type of, like,

00:38:01.200 - 00:38:16.330

helping out, which is good, you know, especially in a six-six-piece band where we was-k-kind of just, like, hey, we don't want to get s-stuck with something while we create a song. Maybe we should just be a—help each other out, whatever we're, you know, strong at

00:38:16.480 - 00:38:29.220

wha-wha-which suits us. Like, you know, if you're good with melody, then help us with melody. If you're good with, like, composing the chords, then yeah, it does help us doing the chords. So, definitely a lot of that going on in our ecosystem right now.

00:38:32.140 - 00:38:47.600

Thanks for sharing that. What is the favorite song that you have contributed to writing in–in this band so far? If you have one. Yeah. So, I'm just going to tell you the story about, like, this particular

00:38:47.600 - 00:39:02.630

song that we-we composed, I would say, like, around 2017, 2018. And we did play that live for the first time when we played at White Oak back in 20—ah, 2018. It's this s-song called "Little Leaguers,"

00:39:03.480 - 00:39:20.170

which is—it has some similarities to what "Bohemian Rhapsody" sounded, like. That's why I like it so much, because it started out as, like, a—kind of, like, a dare, I would say?

00:39:20.950 - 00:39:37.380

Because Vaughn, like I said, he's the one who creates initially, like, how the skeleton of the song would sound like, right? So, he would create, like, you know, rhythmic riffs here and there. And then he would show me. It was, like, "Hey, Jerick, want to listen to this?

00:39:37.730 - 00:39:53.790

It's something I created, like, you know, a week ago." And he created this one riff. And I was listening and I was, like, "Oh, that sounds good." And then later on, he—like, probably, like, a few weeks later, he was, like, "Hey, Jerick, I-I made this new riff.

00:39:53.790 - 00:40:07.960

Can you listen to it?" I was, like, "Yeah, yeah, sure." So, he showed me. And then I remember that one riff that he played a couple weeks earlier, and I was, like, "Hey, you know what sounded—what'd probably sound good? Maybe if you combine those two together.

00:40:09.730 - 00:40:29.600

Those two riffs, maybe we could do something with it." And that became, like, a song that sounds so Rhapsody-ish because, you know, when-when Vaughn and I–when Vaughn and I played that skeleton, that final skeleton, in front of our band mates and they were like,

00:40:29.790 - 00:40:46.670

"Holy crap," you know, when they try to feel what we felt when-when we created that skeleton. Henry, one of the leading vocalists of that band, he started putting-putting his own piano parts, you know.

00:40:47.670 - 00:41:05.120

And then Adrian, as a drummer, he started doing his own thing with the drums. And I, along with the–along with the skeleton, I also created some of the bass parts of that one, which also, like, was adapted when we had the new bassist.

00:41:05.650 - 00:41:21.810

And it just basically sounded, like, the way I wanted it to sound and also something that he wanted it to sound. So we kind of have that-this understanding, like, "Hey, this song needs to be, like, 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' but a bit more progressive and more indie." Like, please let this happen, right?

00:41:22.000 - 00:41:38.180

So, we started playing that in shows and I was, like, every time we play, I just felt that like, "This is it." Like, "This is our magnum opus," you know? Like, "This is how good we could sound if we create similar songs," you

00:41:38.180 - 00:41:52.670

know, "This–this could be, like, our Bohemian Rhapsody. This could be, like, our meal ticket," you know, [laughs] kind of thing. But we haven't released it yet. Hopefully soon. We're starting–we're still trying to play with it a

00:41:52.670 - 00:42:09.700

little bit. Hopefully, like I said, hopefully we can release it soon, so people can see how good that song–song was. Yeah, that's definitely my favorite, I would say. You know, Paper Gliders is a pretty large band.

00:42:10.000 - 00:42:23.200

You're a six-piece. Can you talk about some of the challenges of working in a band so big? I–I—You touched a little bit on this, how you kind of all—it's complementary, right? You–you help them, they help you.

00:42:23.500 - 00:42:38.530

But, are there any challenges? And then what are also some of the advantages besides th-this complementary kind of relationship? There's definitely ego at play, I wanna say, but

00:42:40.020 - 00:42:58.130

it's mostly not about music, or it used to be not about music. It's more about, like, the way we want the band to go, like, direction-wise. We had that a little bit last year where we kind of just got into a stalemate where, like, "We don't want to do this certain thing, and

00:42:58.950 - 00:43:12.390

I hope you understand, but, like, I just don't want to be, like, you s-somewhere where we have to do certain things." I kind of just don't want to get into the detail of that, but it's basically mostly, like, in the business side, I would say.

00:43:13.290 - 00:43:27.310

Okay, yeah. Later on, I would say two–two months ago, that's when we started, like, looking into, like, "Hey, we need an expert. We need an expert on telling us what we need to do to get our music out."

00:43:28.180 - 00:43:42.830

And now we have, like, a plan which, like, a very solid plan to release our stuff every two months. And I'm grateful for that. So, that–that got–that got one of our major problems away. Basically just—basically all solved.

00:43:44.240 - 00:44:02.620

Hopefully, we could keep it up, because I know di-we also have, like, creative differences where we kind of just, like, we-we're very particular, like, some of us are very particular with the smallest things, you know, so that one we can probably resolve just by talking.

00:44:03.210 - 00:44:21.750

And that's the–that's the thing that I'm grateful for with this band is because most of them are just basically understanding of, like, how the whole thing should sound like. And we're basically still very excited about doing new things in that way. It's not—it's kind of, like, not like, "Hey, I just want to make this song and just leave

00:44:21.750 - 00:44:33.550

me alone" typa thing—type of thing. It's mostly, like, "Hey, this sounds so good. So, please, let's work on it. Make sure we give our 100% and make sure we sound good when we play it live." So, I'm

00:44:33.550 - 00:44:42.590

jus-just grateful for that. We still have that energy from, like, years ago, even though we've stopped—we–we stopped playing during the pandemic, you know? But yeah, I'm just–I'm just really grateful, man.

00:44:43.980 - 00:45:01.340

As of now, we don't–we don't have problems. And if we do, it's basically very—about very, very small things. Somewhat adjacent to that question, what sort of, I guess, musical influences do each of the band members add?

00:45:01.920 - 00:45:19.670

Are you all kind of interested in the same kind of music? Or—you know, obviously you're an indie rock band, but what kind of influences are-are there at play? This is something that I never

00:45:19.670 - 00:45:37.490

really—people never really discussed when we're—when they're with us because either some of them don't know or some of them already know and just don't want to talk about it. We're a supergroup. Paper Gliders is a supergroup which means

00:45:38.500 - 00:45:56.330

we have members who have had other bands or is currently with other bands. So, influences–influence wise, there's definitely difference in there. Adrian, our drummer, he is from another local band called Another Run,

00:45:57.230 - 00:46:12.890

which is an alter—I would say they're kind of indie, too, but they're more alternative rock type of guy—group. Henry is still a rapper. He's–he's going by another name, Without a Face.

00:46:15.760 - 00:46:32.730

He–he's a local Houston rapper and he does—he–he does release songs still. I've worked with him in some of, like, his music videos, so I know that for a fact. Abby, which is the female member of the band.

00:46:33.200 - 00:46:46.520

She's in another band as well who does pope—not pope, folk pop or folk—American folk. And they sound really good, actually. They—I love their stuff.

00:46:47.620 - 00:47:03.870

Our bassist, Mo, he's in—he's an artist. It was, like, he's–he's–he's his own songwriter. So, his band is basically called Moe Lerma, which is his name. And he does release songs every now and then.

00:47:04.950 - 00:47:21.830

The only basically members that are not in other bands is me and Vaughn, just me and Vaughn. And that's the–that's the cool thing about it, you know, because if you–if you have people from different bands who are also

00:47:22.390 - 00:47:40.800

interes–interested in joining your band, they could either eat you up or basically just let you lead. And this is not the type of band that does either, you know. We recruit.

00:47:40.800 - 00:47:58.630

W-We asked for new members, and they approached us because they loved our stuff, and they want to be a part of it. And me and Vaughn, as the founding members, we appreciate them a lot because they bring a lot of—they-they actually bring a lot to the table.

00:47:59.010 - 00:48:19.010

And then it is usually something that—probably something that they weren't able to do with their prospective bands–bands. It's mostly something, like, they want to contribute because they really like doing it. Like, for example, Adrian is not a drummer for Another Run.

00:48:19.680 - 00:48:33.290

He's a drummer for Paper Gliders. And he's a really good drummer. And something that, like, I was—I–I—he's–he's always, like, I'm always in awe when he creates something with our music.

00:48:35.260 - 00:48:56.210

Mo is a bassist but is not a bassist in his band. He's–he's mostly guitar, so he can relate to guitar stuff. But bass, I used to compose a lot with the bass guitar. I get to rely that—relay that to him if he wants to, like, you know, learn something

00:48:56.210 - 00:49:08.430

new or something like that. So, we're not as good at-at bass, like, you know, together. Like, we just kind of just, like, try to help each other out, like, how to, like, get those root notes in.

00:49:08.540 - 00:49:24.620

Abby, she's basically a good pianist as well. She sings well because she was trained vocally professionally, she went to school for it. She's—when she joined our band, she wasn't

00:49:25.470 - 00:49:36.990

as good in piano as she is now. But, you know, that's the creative process. It gives you, like, a better perspective and, like, gives you, like, more insight about how to do certain things.

00:49:37.440 - 00:49:54.920

That's when she started picking up more and learning more about the piano. And she started getting really good at it, you know. Because we—she joined us back in 2018, and when we sent her sh-sheet music to one of our songs, that's when—she

00:49:55.050 - 00:50:10.580

started, like, looking at it as, like, "Oh, dang, I just need to learn all these notes," and then started learning those notes and she started getting better at it. And then, you know, it's amazing, you know. So yeah, that's pretty much, like, the kind of band that we are right

00:50:10.580 - 00:50:25.300

now. We're basically from different musical influences. But also, like, we get to bring our own sound. And there's no tugging and pulling here. Like, there's–there's no pushing, there's no pulling or anything like that.

00:50:25.680 - 00:50:43.250

We get to work as a unit and bring the best of each member in some of our songs—in most of our songs, I would say. Yeah. That's awesome. That's–that's super cool to hear how you all, like, complement each other

00:50:43.250 - 00:50:58.290

and, like, how it's, like, a melting pot, but you're still contributing towards the same goal. And I think that's so cool how, like–like, all the members of your bands are like multi-instrumentalists, like including you and Vaughn. So, I think that's awesome.

00:50:58.830 - 00:51:13.520

I'd like to move on now to your, I guess, like, non-musical endeavors. So, you talked kind of about art and, like, the visual arts. And—so you–you recently graduated with a Bachelor's

00:51:14.710 - 00:51:30.850

in Management Information Systems. So, what kind of got you interested in this field of study since you were interested in graphic design in–in the past? Mostly on the web development side, which is something that I'm not

00:51:30.850 - 00:51:51.780

really—still not good at, I would say, but I can do the basics. During my time in college, I've done some graphic design and web design work to certain clients, and that's basically what got me a little bit of money, you know, besides having, like, a full-time job or doing music.

00:51:54.590 - 00:52:13.260

But yeah, it's–it's–it's al—it still has something to do with art, definitely. I just like the aspect of, like, being, like, in a business side of it because I'm also interested in database and also, like, doing background network security type of stuff.

00:52:14.180 - 00:52:35.250

This is something that my parents never pushed on me. This is something I like personally, like, I was looking into, like, more–more into, like, what type of–what type of work can–can I get after I graduate? So far, it didn't really turn the way I

00:52:35.470 - 00:52:51.530

wanted it to turn out to because I ended up working at Harris County. I wanted something more. But also I'm still grateful for the current job that I have, but it's mostly because I'm very interested in doing web design and I get to be creative

00:52:51.530 - 00:53:06.960

still because that also involves, like, what do you call it, user UX and UI, that user interface type of design. And also it involves, you know, the artistic, like, digital type of, like, animation stuff.

00:53:07.620 - 00:53:22.210

So yeah, I–I'm still into it. It's just in the, you know, in the back of my mind right now because, like, I'm doing more, you know, of my current job. And also I'm doing more of the Paper Gliders music stuff and also my non-profits,

00:53:22.210 - 00:53:36.520

you know? Yeah. How do you find balance between your day job and your music then? Is there a specific time that you guys usually practice and get together?

00:53:38.190 - 00:53:58.180

Usually Sunday evenings, early Sunday evenings, definitely. You know, I work a 9 to 5 job, so whatever happens on week–weekdays, I either get overworked or I get some rest, right. After work, I either get as much rest as possible or

00:53:58.250 - 00:54:16.210

I get to do a meeting with my nonprofit. Or I could do a commission or with art—digital art commission. Or I could do either, like, composing even, like, if I want to compose my own songs, which I do have a couple.

00:54:17.340 - 00:54:36.390

I–I definitely use time for that, you know, but my priority right now ever since, like, getting–like, getting into, like, the normal side of things after the pandemic is basically trying to heal myself. I try to be more mindful of how I react to things

00:54:37.490 - 00:54:52.390

and how things stress me out. So I'm trying to learn more into, like, self-regulating and learning more into, like, doing sel—what do you call it? Self— [laughs] I keep forgetting it.

00:54:52.830 - 00:55:05.660

You know, like, when you're, like, oh, self-care. There you go. Just doing more self-care and try to be more mindful of, like, how–how my nervous system reacts. Because I do, like I said, I–I still struggle with anxiety.

00:55:06.070 - 00:55:21.440

So that's what I'm doing right now. But yeah, I do have priorities. Work, and then music, and then everything else. You mentioned, like, non-profit work, so tell me about your involvement with

00:55:22.450 - 00:55:41.500

Filipinx Artists of Houston. It was back in 2020. And I think I met–I met Alan, this guy named Alan, and he's Filipino-American.

00:55:45.310 - 00:56:01.160

And one day he basically asked me to join Filipinx Artists of Houston, which I wasn't aware of that exists here in Houston, like, a collective group of Filipino Americans doing creative work, like, painting, music or anything.

00:56:02.040 - 00:56:18.940

I wasn't aware of that. I also met Royal, who is also, like, a mural artist and a poet. A Filipino-American. And yeah, so she introduced me, actually, to that group,

00:56:19.920 - 00:56:40.390

and we started, you know, going to, like, meetings and started planning. So, I—every now and then, I do gallery shows with them, you know, or we do, like, small projects, hangouts, you know. And that's the cool part about it, like, we do a lot of

00:56:40.420 - 00:56:57.790

things creative-wise. And then we also get to network, you know, because most of these people have jobs too. Like, we have–we have day jobs, we have our own businesses. So, whoever needs anything, you know, we can reach out to them and say, "Hey, I need this,

00:56:57.790 - 00:57:12.370

I need that," you know, because i-it's—that's a cool way to, like, meet people nowadays, you know. Just to know, like, what they can do for you sometimes, or maybe if you just want to hang out with them. So I do have friends from that group who basically just went to my show yesterday

00:57:12.810 - 00:57:26.620

at Cactus Music. You know, it was really cool because we get to hang out, we get to, like, talk, we get to, like, see how we're doing, you know, "How's life?" Yeah, that's how I got involved.

00:57:26.620 - 00:57:44.730

It's basically during the pandemic when, like, everybody's like, inside their houses and people were just, like, you know, spending time online and trying to figure out, like, what to do next. You mentioned, like, your interest in visual arts, so you do, like, digital art and

00:57:44.730 - 00:57:58.080

painting. So, what draws you to this medium specifically? I know you started off, you know, [laughs] drawing bones in more of like the medical side of things, but how—what themes and topics do you deal with today in your work?

00:57:59.780 - 00:58:18.190

I would say—oh, you can share, you can—I can show you that one. My last project with Filipinx Artists of Houston was basically the last time I had a painting done probably

00:58:19.120 - 00:58:37.380

two—almost two years ago, I would say, or maybe last year. I'm not sure, I forgot. I painted this artwork called Disiplina, which is discipline. And it's about a kid crying and being told by, like, a hand

00:58:37.970 - 00:58:57.190

that's basically, like, almost out of the frame. You know, it's about my experiences as a kid, I would say. Because I was–I was in an environment when corporal punishment was, like, the–the norm in the 90s.

00:58:58.470 - 00:59:17.450

So, corporal punishment is basically any adult that you encounter as a kid has the right, or I would say, audacity, to lay their hands on you whenever you misbehave, right? And I'm guessing this kind of similar with other Asian cultures, too,

00:59:18.480 - 00:59:37.060

where you get to grow up in an environment where you have to be scared. And you have to be more mindful as a kid to make mistakes. Even though you're a kid and you're natural—it's–it's natural to make mistakes as a kid. And you eventually either get hit by something

00:59:39.610 - 00:59:56.790

or they get to, like, slap you. They get to torture you, and it was the norm. So, when I painted that art, my–my painting Disiplina, I was thinking of, like, my childhood days, you

00:59:56.790 - 01:00:12.520

know, because that's–that's basically how I relate to the trauma that I have with my fight-or-flight response. And that's got me into, like, you know, my anxiety disorder. Does that make sense? Yeah.

01:00:12.660 - 01:00:29.760

So. Yeah. So, like, most of the art that I have is—either it varies because, I mean, I'm Filipino-American, but I also want to be an artist. So if I want to paint something that I kind of, like, I just paint it, you know, or

01:00:29.760 - 01:00:44.250

if I want to paint something that, like, looks like a painter—a painting of, like, my favorite painter, that's something that I kind of want to do, too. Like, I imitate other artists, you know? Jim Warren, I do Jim Warren.

01:00:45.390 - 01:00:59.190

Francis Bacon. Jackson Pollock. You know, certain things, because I–I–I do also, like, you know, a lot of classical, like, Arcimboldo, you know. So, it really–it really varies.

01:00:59.190 - 01:01:11.550

I think, as an artist, you have to look into something that gives you more freedom. Yeah. Thanks for sharing that, you know, like, this idea of art for, you know, what it is.

01:01:11.550 - 01:01:33.330

Not attached to anything or any idea just something that you want to make. Thanks for sharing that. You're also a part of the Filipino American National Historical Society, the Houston, Texas chapter. So, you know, how did you join this organization and

01:01:33.840 - 01:01:52.510

what are some activities you do within it? Actually it's—it ties with the–the time I joined Filipinx Artists of Houston because, like, I said, people have their own things as well. Join–join that organization, you get to meet other people outside of the

01:01:52.530 - 01:02:09.940

organization because they–they are members of both organizations. So I met Al—that's actually when I met Alan, I remember now. So Alan, that's–that's the guy that I met inside Filipinx Artists of Houston who introduced me to Filipino American National Historical Society.

01:02:10.140 - 01:02:30.870

And when I joined the meeting, I was intrigued on, like, intrigued that the way they–they explain how things work with–with the organization and also like the things that they probably need that I can provide. And so, I applied as a webmaster

01:02:32.630 - 01:02:47.840

for Filipinx—I mean, Filipino American National Historical Society and I ended up getting that job. And, you know, that's basically when I started making content for them, trying to get everything with the website, try to run it, try

01:02:47.840 - 01:03:03.960

to do what they need for me to do. I also work with different communities. So this thing where you interview me, I do that with–with the members as well. So it's pretty much the same thing, you know, I ask them questions,

01:03:04.080 - 01:03:21.710

take–take their video, try to be more creative about it. You go to—I go to their places, and basically they can share their life stories, you know, and that's basically what we archive as well. Mhm. Very awesome.

01:03:21.750 - 01:03:38.510

Very cool. It's cool that you were able to kind of integrate your, I guess, your interest in the creative side of, like, websites and that sort of design into that, too. That's awesome. So, I'll move on to a few questions about heritage and identity.

01:03:38.900 - 01:03:59.310

So, you know, after immigrating to the US, did you still celebrate kind of your Filipino heritage at home, or was that kind of lost when you immigrated here? My family, we're all born in Philippines.

01:03:59.310 - 01:04:10.610

We're all diaspora, right? Where we–we don't have an ounce of American in us just yet. We could be Americans by paper, but, you know, it's all different.

01:04:11.510 - 01:04:27.850

So, if you say, like, heritage, you're just basically talking about us. Because we carry that culture from our home–home–home country to here. So, if you–if you say, like, I grew up here and my Filipinoness is,

01:04:27.920 - 01:04:47.790

like, basically gone, like, you just have to come to my house because you would smell—it would smell as Filipino as–as humanly possible. Like, you would smell the dried fish every now and then, or, like, the adobo or the lumpia, like, you would smell all

01:04:47.790 - 01:05:01.780

that coming to–coming here. And that's the thing about it. Like, you know, you can't really take Philippines out of a Filipino, if you think about it, or a culture out of a person whenever you go,

01:05:01.930 - 01:05:14.880

like, wherever you go. It's something that we celebrate not because we have to celebrate it. It's because it's–it's our life, you know?

01:05:16.130 - 01:05:36.270

We speak Tagalog. We cook Filipino food. We talk about, you know, Filipino politics and our stance about it. We talk about, you know, relatives and how things are in the Philippines economically.

01:05:36.820 - 01:05:57.360

So, things about it, like, some aspects of it would be, like, just us trying to keep up with, like, the current events. And I think that's important when you're trying to, like, care about your family in the Philippines because you get to relate to them on how to, like,

01:05:58.120 - 01:06:12.300

you know, how things are going there, like, how they—how it's affecting them. And at the same time, they get to tell you, like, "Hey, like, there's this new thing about, like, the pop culture here in the Philippines," and, like, you know, "Listen to this new band. Listen to this new artist.

01:06:12.300 - 01:06:28.290

Oh, you know, something happening on this show. We have to watch this online, or there's this new movie that you need to watch online and—or if it's on in theaters here in Houston, maybe we could go and watch it." So everything Filipino.

01:06:28.290 - 01:06:44.020

Definitely. Some—that's something we never let go, you know. So been living here for, like, what, 15 years? 16 years? I still hear about, like, whoever's the–the new hot stuff, like, the hot actor in the Philippines is.

01:06:44.020 - 01:06:59.730

And also, like, which new songs are, you know, available now, like, which–which new band's, like, the–the most famous. So, you know Filipino man. Yeah. Yeah. What is your perspective

01:06:59.860 - 01:07:16.410

on the recent rise in kind of anti-Asian sentiment in the US that kind of got exacerbated because of the pandemic and, like, the xenophobia? And what are some ways you think, you know, as an artist or a musician, you can fight

01:07:16.410 - 01:07:34.190

back against these sort of attitudes? Oh, I think it just started—this–this thing started when probably some-someone from, like, the highest position of office started calling it China

01:07:34.190 - 01:07:53.390

virus, right? And that's—this happened before. I would say, like, more than a decade ago with-with bird flu, I would say. And I believe some people tie that to

01:07:53.920 - 01:08:08.670

Asia and remember that pandemic—I won't say pandemic—epidemic, I would say. When it came across to, like, outside Asia and people started calling it, like, Asian virus, right? It's pretty much the same thing, right?

01:08:09.090 - 01:08:28.030

So, people get to create that narrative that a certain–a certain group of individuals are more dangerous than they are, and that–that–that narrative is definitely very, very intrusive and definitely very dangerous because

01:08:30.750 - 01:08:46.050

it's the same thing that happened when 9/11 happened. You know, suddenly all Muslims are bad, right? But, you never hear this with people who are not considered, you know, people of color.

01:08:46.620 - 01:09:01.940

And that's something that basically we need to keep in the conversation. Definitely. So, I would say identity-wise, if you're an Asian during this time of, like, anti-Asian hate, it's definitely important to at least speak about it, right?

01:09:02.250 - 01:09:24.380

And we did. We–we also spoke about, you know, George Floyd, you know, when that thing happened. When–when people started backing out the–the injustice of the police because, you know, they said they had the right to do that, and they pretty

01:09:24.380 - 01:09:42.670

much don't. So, I remember going to that rally in Houston a couple of years ago about it. And we started to, like, you know, telling people to be, you know, to be in solidarity with Asians and African Americans because

01:09:43.770 - 01:10:02.070

we're sharing the same hate–same hate at the moment. And yeah, I've had so many conversations with different people as well. And, you know, as long as we have that same–same goal of, like, telling people, "Hey, you know, this is not right," then that

01:10:02.110 - 01:10:17.760

definitely helps us, you know, being out there and we get to keep doing what we're doing. Because, you know, once we–once we normalize that discrimination about Asians becoming very dangerous

01:10:18.660 - 01:10:37.550

because of this, you know, Covid. Once we let them spread that rhetoric, there's no–there's no going back. We're going to be that type of people getting the same hate as what the Muslims are

01:10:37.550 - 01:10:56.400

getting at now, right, with the Arabs. Like, they're going to put us in place, like, "Oh, like, there's—Arabs are terrorists," and now they're going to call us, like, "Oh, Asians are dangerous. They eat—" you know, they–they would tell us, like, how we

01:10:56.400 - 01:11:08.250

got Covid, you know? They would say, like, "Oh, we eat, like, other animals that, like, we shouldn't be eating anyway." So, it's really important. Like I said, there's certain things that we definitely need to

01:11:09.130 - 01:11:28.500

keep putting in the conversation and as a musician, we thankfully, we never really struggle with it because they know, like, I'm–I'm someone who's basically, like, telling people, like, "Hey, you know, we–we are a band.

01:11:28.690 - 01:11:46.480

I'm Asian. I get it. But I'm doing this for the love of rock music, right?" Isn't that something that, like, I'm telling you, like, hey, this–this–this band is basically something that I want to create because I want y'all–I want y'all to

01:11:46.480 - 01:11:58.390

hear what Asians in rock sound like. And there's already a lot of that. Like, Kirk Hammett, for example, he's in Metallica, he's Filipino-American. Joey Santiago, he's from Pixies, he's Filipino-American.

01:12:00.130 - 01:12:18.400

Chad Hugo, who is basically Pharrell Williams' partner from Nerd and the Neptune was basically the producer of, like, most 2000 music, Filipino-American. But, do we talk about how Filipino-American they are? No. We talk about, like, how they are as artists,

01:12:18.930 - 01:12:30.830

like, they just want to create things, right? So, the hate—if you–if you're an Asian American and you're getting the hate, it's probably not because of your music. It's basically because it's personal.

01:12:31.420 - 01:12:44.300

So, I would look more into, like, communities that, like, would look at you, like, as a person and then telling you, "Hey, you're dangerous." And you would tell them, "No, I'm not. I'm just a person. I'm dealing with the same struggle as you.

01:12:44.910 - 01:12:59.670

I'm dealing with Covid, too. And, you know, it's not because of us, because of that Co-Covid thing. If it was, then you probably would have gotten it right now just by talking to me, right?" So, I–I get to do a lot of back and forth, like, that outside of

01:13:00.110 - 01:13:16.360

what I do. And I did experience a little bit of that when Covid started back in 2020. I did–I did have that conversation where someone just discriminated at me, discriminated that, you know, I look Asian and then, you know,

01:13:16.810 - 01:13:32.880

it's because, you know, I probably started Covid. So, there's always that dumb conversation that, like, I have to, like, deal with and then tell people, like, "hey, you know, I'm just a person just like you and I don't have Covid yet. So, that means I didn't start Covid and please don't hate me."

01:13:34.350 - 01:13:44.800

Yeah. Yeah. Thanks so much for sharing that. Before we close the interview, I'd just like to ask, is there anything else you'd like to share that maybe I didn't cover in the interview?

01:13:48.130 - 01:13:56.960

Uh. Hmm. If not, no worries. Yeah, I mean, I–I do want to share a couple of things. Well, maybe one thing.

01:13:57.280 - 01:14:17.510

Sure. Absolutely. I just want to tell if–if you're watching this, I just want you to know if you're a Filipino or Filipino-American, just live your life according to what

01:14:17.510 - 01:14:33.850

you want. Whether or not, like, you know, what your parents think about what you do with your career or with your education. Do whatever you want. Of course you have to appease them with something that, you

01:14:33.850 - 01:14:49.420

know, they probably can talk to you and you get to, like, go into this, like, small understanding of, like, what you really want to do. Most of the time it's going to be hard. The reason why I pursue music is because, like

01:14:50.800 - 01:15:11.090

I said, I'm definitely a rebel. I also enjoy what I do, and that's the most important thing, right? Also if you–if you find your friends who wants to do the similar things, don't let them go.

01:15:12.650 - 01:15:31.990

What I meant by that was if you want–if you want to work with someone who is basically have the same taste, or not even same taste, like, different tastes, but also have the same drive as you in creating, like, a small goal, it's definitely easier than just doing things on your own.

01:15:32.310 - 01:15:45.790

And your past doesn't–doesn't really define you as you are now. And I hope you understand that. And you have to create a narrative that suits you the best. That's it.

01:15:48.470 - 01:16:02.140

Thanks so much for sharing, and thanks so much again for talking with me today. You shared so many good perspectives on your own career, your musical endeavors, perspectives on current issues. And so, yeah, thank-thanks so much.

01:16:02.900 - 01:16:04.850

Yeah, thank you, man. Thank you for having me.