Christian rock and alternative bands often get a lot of flak, especially after the drunken antics and bad behavior of similar acts discredit the concept of "wholesome" music. Considering the genre's history and anti-establishment bent, you'd understand why people find them a little out of place; but it's tougher and more unnerving on the bands when their own parents and peers fail to reconcile fervent faith with very loud and percussive sound, not to mention screaming vocals.
"A lot of us are victims of parents that burn tapes, CDs. We're told that 'rock and roll is of the
devil.' I was really traumatized when I was growing up, when they confiscated Korn tapes, Rage Against the Machine, also Eraserheads. Growing up in a Christian home, a lot of kids go through that," said Paolo Valenciano, vocalist for Salamin.
Maybe because of the wrecked albums, Salamin, which also includes bassist Miks Bersales, lead guitarist Sho Hikino, rhythm guitarist Miguel "Nandro" Dualan and drummer EO Marcos, isn't the type of band to "alienate others" or turn preachy; they're focused on making their music and gaining decent credibility.
"We're showing that our music does not necessarily have to be about violence, or rebelliousness, or sex, or drugs," said Mr. Valenciano.
The paradoxical quality in Christian rock bands like Salamin is that they do defy the labels, refuse to apologize for their brand of music, and maintain a clean image while others treat being a musician as license to be rude and crude. They wear the default black clothes, the long hair, the studs and rings, and can rock a joint like you wouldn't believe, but most of these kids can also be teetotalers, nice to their grandmothers, and yes, aren't afraid to admit that Jesus is their lord and savior. In fact, they bang their heads to it in church.
"We performed at a Chinese church before, and they just couldn't believe there's a guy
screaming and jumping around in church. Some of our church gigs are really wild. You'd be
surprised, a lot of kids in churches are looking for something really loud. This church in Taytay, Rizal (Church of the Nazarene), that was the wildest gig we had," said Mr. Valenciano.
Asked what his tape-burning parents have to say to all that, Mr. Valenciano smiled like a
choirboy, and said he "assumed" they were okay with it now. Apparently his records are left
alone, and his father, singer Gary Valenciano, who sang about the lord taking him out of the dark because he didn't want to be there and jump for joy in his day, lent his own words and vocals to "Art of Preludes," a track in Salamin's eponymous 2006 album.
Salamin has a number of catchy tunes, and then you suddenly hear "Thou shalt love the Lord
your God and burn the lies." Some of the songs are prayers, but it's still good music, and you have to respect a guy who says "ang tagumpay ay hindi maka-kamit kung ika'y magsasawalangkibo" (triumph won't be achieved if you don't act) and means it.
"We had another vocalist before, his goal in life was to push the band towards inspirational music, but at that time, we still weren't into the idea... When he left, the band was at a very low point, that's when we decided to take this in another direction, which is Christian songs ... I felt that a lot of kids in churches are looking for something to relate with," said Mr. Valenciano.
Originally published on 7 September 2007 in BusinessWorld Weekender.