The rise of drummer
Francis Nuega in L.A. music scene
Many years ago when my then band Syato was touring to promote our originals, our resident drummer Arly LaGuardia brought along a protege to jam with the group, and on at least one occasion, sat in for him during an outdoor gig in Manila.
The boy’s name is Francis Nuega, simply Bong to some friends; unassuming – a can-do-no-harm boy tagging along to learn from the more experienced. I recalled that he played steady during rehearsal and even steadier at the gig proper. But after that, I hardly heard from him, until fate allowed us to reconnect.
Our “one-time” drummer had moved to Los Angeles in California way back in 2011. He had immersed himself in the Fil-Am music scene, and developed into a skilled, busy musician, with multiple band affiliations and a continuously deepening knowledge of the art of record engineering.
“You have to keep in mind na once you get here in America, you have to do your diligence din (and) do your homework para makapasok ka sa music scene,” shared the drummer who currently plays for four bands, namely, (in alphabetical order), Calratz, De Soto, RIV3R, and Zipcode.
De Soto, with its effortlessly bluesy latest single “Oo (Balewala)” released last November, is being handled by Toggleswitch, a US-based promotion and production company catering to Filipino artists.
Nuega expressed delight over De Soto’s agreement with Toggleswitch which for him fits in with his routine, or in other words just about every Filipino musician he knows in the field of indie rock where artists write and record their compositions and when lady luck smiles get paid.
The instrumentalist who enjoys his exposure to a variety of musicality and personalities, said, “Halos wala akong kilalang musician na bread and butter niya ang pagbabanda. What we do is a weekend thing. You need to have a day job.”
Nuega’s father has music flowing in his veins and his roots were planted playing in church. When asked who his main influences are, he singled out Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy and the late Taylor Hawkins. He is grateful to have Arly (whom I played with for nearly a decade) as his mentor and likewise acknowledged the role of his former neighbor and now-Europe-based guitarist Elmer Sandig, who for a time also played for Syato, in his early forays in music.
Nuega noted, “I try to be as versatile as I can. As a musician, ayaw ko ma-stuck. There are musicians na once a month ang gig. So it works for me having more options to play and yung utak ko mas nagiging more creative. That’s not a bad thing.”
Location plays a crucial role for someone to seriously pursue music. Los Angeles is not called the La-La land for nothing. He related, “If wala tayo sa California ngayon, I’m sure iba ang naging demeanor ko towards music and the scene. Ang community of musicians dito mas malawak.”
Would he urge anyone to leave the Philippines and breathe music elsewhere? That depends. The Fil-Am talent pointed out that one should have the tenacity to give up the “unnecessary convenience” Filipino artists in the Philippines have access to because life in America is “systemized” and “you will be humbled here.”
He said, “Hindi ka pwede magmataas dito and you can’t think you’re the best among the rest. In fairness to those who are already here like Paco (Arespacochaga), Buwi (Meneses), and Glenn Jacinto, they have remained extremely humble. Talent must be there, given, and proper attitude is key to going up.”
Bong and I recently met up as he recorded my vocals for a song I wrote, anchored on an arrangement by a Manila-based musician-friend. He gave me his competently crafted mix of it just a couple of days later. It’s amusing that the teenage drummer boy I met when I was still a wide-eyed songwriter-performer navigating Manila has blossomed into a versatile talent. He is enjoying an interesting job in L.A. which he said pays well the bills and gives him a sense of purpose outside of music. No doubt he has kept his musicianship intact, graciously growing by playing in many promising Fil-Am bands.