Hastang of Yesteryears

They both have really funky hair.

Both their first names start with “R”.

And they both play guitar like mad men possessed by the devil. Okay, okay, last statement only applies to one of them.

I’m talking, of course, about Roy and Raul or “Gaw” as he prefers to be called. Indeed, I consider myself incredibly lucky to be playing bass with these two talented musicians. And it’s always a pleasure to jam with the pair, especially when they do some freestyle riff sparring.

Roy is the more effervescent one. Imbued with a personality as spirited as his fret board acrobatics, he brings in his solid background in diverse musical genres to the sound of Hastang. No doubt honed by playing in different bands (either as mainstay or sessionist) before joining ours, Roy’s precision is truly remarkable. So is his resolve in searching for the perfect guitar riff (Makoy told me once how he would notice Roy in “deep thought” mode sometimes — only to learn later that Roy was actually thinking about a new guitar lick that might prove useful for a particular song). And when he gets it right, it’s breathtaking, e.g. the echoing guitars in “Random” and just about every main guitar riff in “Oblivion”, “When Misery Speaks”, “Guileless”, “Ghost Of My Waking” and “Plot Of My Revenge”.

Gaw is subdued but no less commanding on stage. Perhaps he prefers to let his fingers do all the talking. And the result is something akin to a six-string poetry. Grounded in blues and Zeppelin-style classic rock, Gaw goes for the “feel” and his playing style certainly oozes with it — wailing guitar solos and lots of string bending. He lives for the impromptu jam session wherein he can improvise licks out of nowhere. And a little bit of trivia: While we were in the studio recording distorted rhythm guitar tracks for a song, Gaw suddenly let loose some melodies while listening to the track playback. Fortunately, Galen recorded that spontaneous take. The result is the incendiary guitar solo you hear near the end of “Oblivion”. Other key Gaw moments: “Midflight”, “Deep Descent” and “Waiting For Murray”.

So to both of these guys — YOU ROCK.

Oh, and belated happy birthday to the both you. Mao na lang ni ako birthday gift sa inyo duha. Har har har.

~guile

Hastang is a Cebu-based, female-fronted indie band composed of members Ria (vocals), Guile (bass), Gaw (guitars), and Makoy (drums).
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