"Being the Bloomfields" by Joseph D. De Jesus

Five mop top-haired musicians in their early twenties collectively known as The Bloomfields are at band practice, preparing for a hectic week of gigs across the city. Formed during their days in La Salle Green Hills high school, they champion the music of Chuck Berry, The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Jerry Lee Lewis, bringing to life some of the most-loved and cherished songs from that revolutionary decade of flower power, vinyl records and California surfing.


“It’s simply the most beautiful music we’ve ever heard,” says Jay-Jay Lozano, the band’s effervescent lead vocalist and songwriter. He may be the shortest of the quintet, but no doubt, this Industrial Engineering major at DLSU is the one who hooks listeners first with his high-pitched melodies and his funky dance steps. “The songs of the ‘60s were so simple, yet they were so catchy and energetic!” Harry-Potter look-alike Rocky Collado is the band’s feisty drummer and spokesperson. And this dark-tanned, outspoken Industrial Design major at the College of St. Benilde is quick to express his resent for the way angry and depressing rock songs have saturated the airwaves. “It’s sad. A lot of pop music is ‘You left me, I hate you now.’ Hip-hop is about sex a lot of the time.”

“We try to go wholesome, because music today is too grungy, angsty,” adds bassist Louie Poco. His powerful arms, honed during his brief stint with the UP Diliman rowing team, are the glue that keeps the band’s explosive rhythms tight. Lead guitarist and CSB Accounting major Pepe Lozano looks at this phenomenon at a financial angle. “Many artists today in their desire to please their listeners change their passion and love for music, to money.” A Chinito version of Jimi Hendrix, he insists that musicians go back to their roots, and rediscover the true spirit of music – the language of the soul. Out of the five, Lakan Hila, the chubby, porcelain-skinned keyboardist prefers to let the other four talk. Like Brian Wilson, the legendary Beach Boys composer and producer, the soft-spoken banker is the resident genius, able to play four instruments, and working side by side with JJ as fellow musical arranger.

But why would such a hard-hitting retro band get stuck with the name “Bloomfields?” While they initially played with names like “The Pencilcases”, “The Reverbs” and “The Paperback Writers”, they felt none of them sounded unique. Like early ‘60s bands such as Cliff Richard and the Shadows, they thought “Jay-Jay and the Moondogs” would work. But despite his role as the charismatic band leader, the bubbly vocalist didn’t like being the lone star of the show. “I wanted equal sharing in everything,” Jay-Jay says. Fate would intervene 3,000 miles away. On a summer vacation in the States, he came across a road called Bloomfield Avenue. “I thought the name sounded happy and fun, so when I came back, I proposed the name “Bloomfield.” However, the others didn’t share his enthusiasm.

“I thought it sounded gay,” jokes Rocky, whose rich bass voice and machine-gun drumming skills clearly contrasted the image of a flowery band name.  “But we didn’t have any other ideas, so we stuck to it.” Having “Bloomfield” for a name isn’t exactly the best way to draw respect from your peers in an all-boy high school. Louie, known for his Elvis-like croons and gravity-defying leaps onstage, is a picture of timidity as he recalls the humiliation of being ridiculed by his classmates. “I would say “Blummfluds,” looking away with a distant gaze.  “What? Again?” they would ask him, and he would murmur, “Bu-humm-field,” squeezing blurry syllables in-between fake coughs.

But now, the band’s mockers may have to think twice. Having guested for several TV shows, having been raved by critics and celebrities, and recently commended as one of FHM magazine’s 30 Best Indie Bands, The Bloomfields have built a solid reputation by fusing classic Sixties hits with a kick ass attitude. Step into any of their performances and you’ll see the fun-loving quintet spark a dazzing whirlpool of pure, unadulterated rock n’ roll. Great balls of fire set the crowd ablaze as Lakan, the keyboard wizard conjures a sublime spell of staccatos. Stiff dancers break loose on I saw her standing there as Louie spanks his bass like a trigger-happy soldier. Even the great Ringo Starr would stare in awe of Rocky as he sparks a 7000-rpm battery of drum rolls and cymbal smashes! Pepe the chinky-eyed charmer, mesmerizes both moms and teenage girls with his ecstatic guitar solos. Hips shiver as Jay-Jay, the “shaggydelic” frontman, shakes his head like a Polaroid picture. “When we’re onstage, when we’re standing out and doing something different, we feel like Superman, able to do anything,” Rocky confidently beams.

But as the frenetic five plays their hearts out onstage, getting caught in the trance and exhilaration of the music can cause serious pains. Apart from dealing with infernal temperatures beneath their costumes, each member has had ample doses of cuts and bruises. Rocky describes Pepe as a wild, bouncing ball onstage. “He jumps in an awkward position, awkward angle, then he lands on Louie!” Their instruments are also part of the casualties. “The guitars are like our babies,” Pepe lovingly says of his cream-colored Fender Jaguar. “We treat it like a car, so when we scratch it, we’re like, aaaaahh!” Sometimes, Rocky’s intensity has made stage personnel worried of getting their drum sets crushed. Even the audience can be victims of Jay-Jay’s antics.

“I used to spin my mike like a lasso,” he confesses. “And then I hit someone! It was really embarrassing.” The most vigorous dancer, Jay-Jay could get his feet tangled with the sound cables, sending him flying like a wayward missile into the crowd. True to his introverted nature, Lakan has the least injuries, content to beat his keyboard with his powerful hands.

Those injuries are however, a small tradeoff for what they say is their biggest perk – captivating the hearts and ears of young and old people alike at every gig they play. “Whenever we see both kids and parents having fun in one moment, we feel very happy,” Louie says as a dreamy smile casts over his square-shaped face. In one gig at Aruba bar in Ortigas, Rocky made two lovers hook up for life. “A guy sent us a note – ‘Dedicate this song to my girl and tell her: Will you marry me?’ So I read it.” His fiancée gladly said yes, prompting a huge applause from the crowd. “It was really heartwarming. Kudos to him for being so unique.”

Any rock band’s story wouldn’t be complete without an encounter with their adoring female fans – whether they’re serenading the women of their dreams, or weaving through a horde of star struck fanatics. “When we like someone, we invite her to our gigs, and then we dedicate a song to her,” Rocky says. “And the whole crowd would be like, ‘Whoaaaah!’ She feels very special when we do that.” Jay-Jay, baduy by heart, has done it the most. “Style Bulok!” Louie teases. He recalls an instance where they’ve tasted Beatlemania, ambushed by a screaming mob of high school girls on the way to their dressing room. “Everybody was following us as we ran through the corridors. And when we opened this door, Waaaaahhhh!!!” He screams as he stretches out his arms. Another instance happened after opening for a Parokya Ni Edgar show. “We were rushing to another gig, then these girls went to the changing room shouting ‘I wanna see them! I wanna see them!’ And we were half-naked! Thankful enough, the girls let them dress up before taking a picture with the band. “It was very flattering though.”

But you can’t please everybody. At a tour in SM Megamall, the band was lined up with a group of heavy metal bands. “There was this whole sea of people in black shirts, black lipstick,” Rocky recalls. They were pelted with plastic bottles as they performed. “It made us feel a little insecure.” But it was also a funny incident. Some of the rage-hungry rockers were slamming their bodies to the music of the ‘60s! “After the gig, there was this big, hardcore-looking guy who he came up to me and said ‘Yeah man!’ flashing the rock sign right in my face.”

While it’s easy to deem The Bloomfields as a group of happy-go-lucky musicians, they beg to differ. “We go through hell than most students do,” Rocky says. He cites how erratic his routine can be. “We’re going to Cebu next week, and I’m going home earlier because of an 8 am class. From the airport, I go straight to school,” he says. “We used to bring our books to the gigs, but it never worked,” stresses Pepe, who finds it impossible to digest elaborate financial statements backstage. Sacrifices are necessary. Louie had to decide between oar and bass because there was no time for both. “Sometimes, I don’t even have time for myself,” he complains. Crunching advanced math and complex algorithms by day, Jay-Jay jokes, “I would have to study from day to night, and then go LOA!” But The Bloomfields have a simple solution for all their troubles – Keep smiling.  

In an age where sex, drugs and anarchy are the prime anthems on radio, The Bloomfields give us reason to go back to music’s true purpose – fun. More than just a breath of fresh air, the band’s passion for spreading the ‘60s ideals of friendship, peace and dancing is what pushes them to smile through the storm at every stage they step on. And even if happiness and joy seem elusive to a lot of people today, Lakan, Louie, Pepe, Jay-Jay and Rocky leave us with a profound but cool thought – All you need, is love and rock n’ roll.

August 10 2006