“Kung mataas ang pangarap mo, then you need to work harder than everyone else…kasi kung ganun lang kadali yun, then everyone else would be doing it.”
This is one of the lines that captured me when I was able to read the inspiring story of Parokya ni Edgar frontman Chito Miranda with his bandmates.
In his post in his official Facebook fanpage, he narrated how the band started and how dreams coupled with hardwork led them to attain success that they are enjoying today.
The post went viral and gained 85,000 likes and 16,000 shares.
Here’s the complete post:
“Nung nagsisimula pa lang kami bilang banda, di kami binabayaran para tumugtog.
Like most bands sa underground/indie music scene nung time na yun, wala kaming talent fee.
Masaya na kami basta makatugtog kung saan saan, kahit walang bayad.
Sa katunayan, abonado pa nga kami kasi sagot namin ang pamasahe namin papuntang gigs (or sagot ni Dindin yung gas kasi may kotse sya hehe), at sagot din namin yung pagkain at drinks namin kung saan man kami tutugtog.
We did that for years.
The 1st time we got paid was at Club Dredd. Naimbitahan kami bilang front act, and we agreed to play for free as usual, but after playing, the owner (Patrick Reidenbach) decided to pay us P300.
I guess natuwa sya sa amin.
Either that, or naawa lang talaga sya. Kasi ang sabi nya sa amin, “gamitin ninyo yan pang-practice”.
P300 meant 3 hours na practice time sa Alberto’s Band Rehearsal Studio.
After a few more months, we got paid again.
This time we got P800.
And this was during the so-called “Golden Age” of Pinoy Bands nung 90’s.
We weren’t earning at all but we couldn’t care less. We had no money to buy our own instruments, but we kept on playing. We had no intentions of quitting school (or in Dar’s case: his day job), and hindi namin inisip na kelangan kumita kami sa pagbabanda.
We did it simply because it was fun.
1996 nung naglabas kami ng album. 1997 na nung unang nakabili ng sariling gitara si Gab worth P6000.
Can you imagine? 4 years na kaming tumutugtog, at 1 year na kaming may album, bago kami mabayaran ng enough money para maka-afford ng sariling gitara si Gab.
Si Gloc nga dati, nakakadalawang album na, pero nagtatrabaho pa rin sya bilang waiter. Pero di sya sumuko. He focused on what he wanted to achieve and worked hard for it. (ngayon kaya na nya bilin yung restaurant. hehe!)
Ganun kasi talaga yun. Kelangan mo paghirapan.
Kung mataas ang pangarap mo, then you need to work harder than everyone else…kasi kung ganun lang kadali yun, then everyone else would be doing it.”
It took four years before Parokya ni Edgar has been paid correctly but its okay because “We did it simply because it was fun,” as Miranda said.
Lastly, he encouraged his followers to keep focus and work hard for their dreams. “Ganun kasi talaga yun. Kelangan mo paghirapan.”
