Uncommon Folk: A Conversation with Munimuni

Munimuni may be on a meteoric rise, but that doesn't mean they're selling out any time soon. The band’s rise began with the release of their debut EP Simula. Indie-folk fans were smitten with their grand yet intimate sound with instrumentation that feels both loose and intricate at the same time. It has the power to lull you to a bittersweet haze of remembering and knowing that the good old times have gone and now only exist in memory.

Their songs chronicle the pain of heartbreak (“Sa Hindi Pag-alala”), the beauty in nature (“Bukang-Liwayway”), and the sinking feeling of loss (“Sa’yo”) among others. Adj Jao, their principal lyricist, writes poems in Filipino that can stand alone on the page as much as they do with music. While some singers are famous for using their voices like instruments, Jao uses words like they’re instruments.

Currently, they’re working on their first full-length album. Judging from the single, “Tahanan,” it looks like it’s going to sound like the band we know and love. The track is warm and full of hope, but not without a dash of sorrow. In other words: classic Munimuni.

PULP: Let’s start from the very beginning. How did you guys fall in love with music?

TJ: I started playing guitar when I was in elementary, after I watched School of Rock. Basically I told my parents that I wanted to be that kid on the lead guitar. Also, my Dad always played The Beatles in the car, so I grew up with that. Then in high school I discovered bands like The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys. As a teenager I started playing in bands, and the rest is history.

Red: I got into drums after the drummer from our church started offering drum lessons. My drum teacher’s actually one of the main reasons I really got into music. When I’d watch him play during praise and worship, there was always so much life, joy, and musicality. I’ll forever be grateful for his impact in my life.

Adj: My older brother learned guitar back in grade school, so I wanted to try learning it too. My parents also bought me bongos after noticing that I was particularly inclined to hitting random stuff rhythmically whenever I listened to music. The interest in music naturally grew and I actually started playing in bands first as a drummer. I have been writing songs since high school but I never really thought about myself as a singer until college.

Owen: I started taking music lessons at the age of 5, if I’m not mistaken. Then, I joined choirs and had a few orchestra opportunities. Studying in an art school also gave me the desire to love and pursue music.

PULP: You’ve spoken about being surprised by your growing fanbase. At what moment did you stop and say, “Wow, we’re really getting somewhere”?

TJ: We initially started as a three-piece band, with Adj, me, and Red. Then I left the band for a year when I went to Tokyo for student exchange. Adj and Red took Owen with them to sing harmonies and play the keys to compensate for my absence. It was later when they had the idea to actually let him play the flute for some parts. Oddly enough, that was when the band gained traction. They started playing more gigs, and I remember stalking my own band on Facebook and feeling envious of all the fun they were having while I wasn't there. But that was when I first thought, hey, we're actually getting somewhere. But it was just a vague idea, I didn't really imagine it to be anything like what we have now.
Adj: I can’t say exactly when but I vaguely remember a time when I realized something along the lines of, “Oh, we actually have enough songs to make an EP!” I got excited.

Red: For me, when the gig invites started increasing and the people who sang along to our songs didn’t just include our friends anymore, that’s when I had the feeling that we were getting somewhere.

Owen: I never really knew that we would come this far. Joining the band was just an opportunity for me to know more of the music culture apart from classical (which is what I am more exposed to). I just realized that the number of the people who are listening to us is increasing when more people are sending us messages saying the songs made a great impact on their lives.

PULP: Being an independent band especially here in the Philippines can be really hard. Was there a moment in the past where you felt like giving up?

Adj: Of course! And I’m glad we didn’t. It is pretty tiring, but what kept us going is constantly reminding ourselves of purpose— why we do what we do in the first place.

PULP: With acts like Ben & Ben, The Ransom Collective, and you guys, it’s obvious that folk is one of the dominating genres in the local music scene right now. Why do you think that is?

TJ: This is just a theory. But I think nowadays, people are more inclined to look for sincerity and stuff that feels genuine. We're living in a world that's too digital and disconnected. People are looking for something organic, something they can connect to. I'm not saying other genres can't do that, of course they can. They most definitely can. But my point is, sincerity is something Folk music does so well. I mean, it's in the name itself: "Folk." It's music that talks about "common folk," their experiences, tragedies. If you look at folk singers like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, or really old ones like Woody Guthrie, all they ever sing about are experiences known to most people. And they don't stop with personal hardships, they also sing about things they experience as a generation. And if you think about how Folk music sounds, it's not loud or imposing. It's quiet, calm, many times stripped-down, intimate.

PULP: How are you guys able to balance being in a band and having day jobs and other responsibilities?

TJ: I think it's all about priorities and doing what you love. If it makes sense being in a band, then you just keep on doing it. And so far, we've seen that it does make sense. People come to us and tell us our songs have helped them go through really tough times, and that gives us a sense of purpose. It fuels us to continue. So even if other work needs attention, and being in a band is tiring, we still feel that it's worth it.

Adj: We know our limitations as human beings and how real a concern time management is, but we also know that nothing we do with purpose is ever in vain. So, we try our best (and we do fail a lot at this) to work around our busy (and sometimes conflicting) schedules. 

Owen: We wouldn’t be able to manage the band without our band manager, Sunshine. She is the best! And indeed, she is the sunshine in this band. She lightens up our load in organizing ourselves as a band, considering that she also has a dayjob. Sunshine, you the best! We love you!

PULP: I saw the video you shared of your performance at UP Fair. What was it like being up on stage and seeing all those people singing along to your songs? Also, what does it feel like going back to your alma mater to perform?

TJ: Favorite gig ko 'to! It was nerve-wracking, especially because we went after IV of Spades and there were lots of people who didn't know who the heck we were. But then you breathe in and remember that it's not about impressing people but about expressing and sharing your songs, and you do what you have to do. It was spectacular! Parang panaginip nung tinaas nila yung mga cellphone nila nung kinanta namin and "Sa'yo." I seriously never thought that would happen in my lifetime. 

PULP: One of my favorite things about Simula is how it sounds so organic and improvised, yet it also sounds so huge, complex, and epic. How conscious were you of that while recording it? What are some fun times from recording that EP?

TJ: At first, I think we didn't intend it to be that way. We just thought we would record the songs the way we would perform them live and so it ended up being like that: raw and organic. By the time we were mixing it, we consciously decided to let the instruments “speak for themselves.” We also toned down a bit on the post-processing. 

Adj: I have to give a ton if credit to Arvin, our sound engineer. He managed bring out our natural sound and make it a lot better. I realized that the recording process was also a creative process where we came up with new ideas along the way.

Owen: Sounding organic is such a great term to describe it. Thank you! And I think that sounding organic is the result of the intent of being honest to what you’re doing. When you’re being honest, a natural or organic sound will likely be heard.

PULP: Just like your EP Simula, “Tahanan” seems to be about beginnings too, but this time, it’s about new beginnings that arise from endings. Is that a theme that we’ll be seeing in your full-length album?

TJ: That's a super nice way of putting it! But yeah, definitely, we're cooking up a concept for the next record. We haven't finalized what it will be yet, but if I were to put it into words, I think it has something to do with finding one's place in the world amid internal and external chaos. 

PULP: How is the album coming along? What are some new things that you’ll be adding this time around? How is the writing and recording process different from when you made Simula?

TJ: For now, we've decided to release a series of singles before we actually roll up our sleeves for the full-length. Those singles will function as ''teasers' for the album. We're working on our second one now, after "Tahanan." For the next one, personally, I think the writing process will be different. Actually, full disclosure, we aren't even finished writing yet! On the contrary, Simula is a collection of really old songs that we've tried and tested through the years. So for this one, I feel like we're going to be a bit more experimental to create something new.

Published in Pulp Magazine Issue 195