It ain’t much of a surprise that the wikipedia entry on Sponge Cola original drummer Chris Cantada states he is “best known as the former drummer and backing vocalist” of the popular band.
Interestingly though, those digging his thing as YouTube content creator full-time for about five years now may argue that he as vlogger and cosplayer already overshadowed that fabulous bit of his run. Last year he was even included in Smart-PLDT’s shortlist of tapped entertainment vloggers to highlight its daily, one-hour free YouTube promo.
Chris, who left his famed band after the recording of its third, self-titled album, seemed to be agreeing with his Chris Cantada Force followers. “Spongecola was a decade an ago. My demographics as vlogger are kids and they don’t have the idea that I was a musician before,” he assessed.
By quick judgment, the pop culture geek is simply being modest of his band’s worth in the public eye or saying such is his kind of analytical style of elevating the impact of his current gig. Besides he has been making waves creating “fun and action-packed videos” or unboxing and reviewing toys when “not making awesome fan films.” To be more precise, he’s a legit fanboy immersed in stuff like Power Rangers, Star Wars, or the Marvel Universe.
Ever into minute details, Chris takes pride in the scriptwriting, directing, and editing of his socmed productions. That should equate to more serious individual work than laying in drum tracks inside a studio or keeping up the beat during live performances, which is another way of saying he’s logging in several hours delivering his new-found content. During our conversation, he revealed to have not held a pair of drumsticks in two years.
To be fair with his past history, the eyeglass-wearing vlogger parted ways with the rest of Sponge Cola without animosity. He assured, “I’m a big fan of Sponge Cola and being in that band is one of the best times of my life. Growing up I always wanted to be a rock star and I am in another chapter of my life.”
A “worsening health condition” caused by tiresome gigging and recording forced him to leave the group. He did record a solo album in 2011 called Heartbeat. The move may have led to his heart beating again. Yet, he found a real cure in vlogging.
“I always felt I am a geek. I dress up and use cosplay to tell comic stories,” he reiterated.
Formed in 2003, Sponge Cola, which achieved mainstream recognition after performing a highly bootlegged acoustic cover of Madonna’s “Crazy For You,” scored several original hits including “Jeepney,” “Lunes,” “Tuliro”, “Puso,” and “Di Na Mababawi.” The group’s current drummer is Tmac Cruz who had long joined the solid trio of bassist Gosh Dilay, guitarist Armo Armovit, and lead singer Yael Yuzon who is married to singer-TV host Karylle.
Who knows one day someone will suit up in a Sponge Cola gig to sit on the drum stool in Power Ranger outfit.
