The Youth is back with a new album out, "Pirata", and this is the first single... Rock in its past, present and future... :-P

Artist profile: The Youth

“Meron pa rin palang nakikinig sa amin’, says Robert Javier, bassist of The Youth. What was

supposed to be a one-night-only reunion gig, went on for over two years now, and there aren’t

any signs of slowing down. Since that fateful night in 2010 when Dodong Cruz, Robert Javier,

and Erap Carrasco went back again onstage as “The Youth”, the band was quick to get back

from where they left-off. They’ve been doing live gigs since, and now they have a new album, to

boot.

The Youth was founded in 1989 by frontman Dodong Cruz and drummer Erap Carrasco. After

some member line-up changes, the three-piece line-up composed of Cruz, Carrasco, and new

recruit Robert Javier, who was taken in as bass player in the year 1990, became the solid and

renowned music trinity. The Youth’s wry and dark sense of humor and absurdity was one of

the major forces that defined the Pinoy rock music scene in the 90s. Their 1994 major label

debut - "Album na Walang Pamagat" was a massive Platinum-selling success with a string of hit

singles like "Multo sa Paningin (Multong Bakla)," “Basura”, “Mukhang Pera, among others. That

same year, they also bagged Best New Artist Award from the NU Rock Awards.

And as how almost all band fairytale endings go, The Youth parted ways on a sour note. Javier

walked-out in the middle of a live gig, Cruz would sometimes refuse to sing or not show-up at

all...then would later re-surface with a solo album, then faded into obscurity for years.

Those ‘lost years’ behind the spotlight gave the individual band members space and time for

their personal pursuits. Robert Javier has always been in the music circles as album producer

for artists like Parokya Ni Edgar, Kamikazee, Gloc-9, Orange and Lemons, Tanya Markova,

The Oktaves, and many others. He also took on a day job as music buyer for a major record

store chain, and then he has been working as music researcher for long-running TV noontime

show, “Eat Bulaga”. Erap Carrasco went into the manufacturing business; while Dodong Cruz,

as Javier describes, “has always been a troubadour.”

The Youth’s lost years, so to speak remained a mystery to many, especially to their fans. Up

until GMA-7’s TV-reality program “Wish Ko Lang” featured Dodong Cruz, and his unspoken

wish to relive the glory days of The Youth. The show may or may not have been instrumental

in pushing them to get back onstage, but more than that, the renewed energy of music fans

seemed to be that invisible force that drove The Youth to get back to where they once belonged

---making great music together.

If you think “Pirata”, their new album is a result of their ‘getting back together’-- you’re wrong.

Songs from this album were shelved for about ten years ago or so. These songs were

unearthed from The Youth’s dead archives by Javier. Being the studio man, he worked, re-

worked on and polished it until this collection took form. With various gigs coming their way

left and right, this 14-track album is now ripe for the picking. Indeed, fans are still there for

the harvest. “Pirata” zoomed its way up mymusicstore.com.ph’s album charts -- landing at

the #3 spot on the first week of release, and is now perched at the #2 spot for two weeks in

a row. Their ‘unofficial’ first single “Laruan”, a video shot from their Tower of Doom sessions

has been getting unexpected substantial amount of views, without the benefit of any kind of

promotion. Asked how they describe the album -- “wala paring love songs”, Javier simply

states. As expected and as loved by their legions of fans, the album still stings, provokes,

pokes attention to the harsh ills of society. For sure, they’ll attract social flak from the so-

called ‘politically correct and the righteous’. Take for instance the album track entitled “The

Ngo Ngo Song”, sang by guest Ronnie Santiago -- this marks the first time that a ‘ngo ngo’ (a

person with a speech defect, speaking nasally) actually sang a full song in an album. Javier

shrugs it off and says “wala kaming pakialam...bahala kayo”. Inspite of scattered , to-each-his-

own recording sessions, “Pirata” is still a concept album. The songs seem disjointed, yet there

is that unexplainable intensity that binds them together.

If you think all is well again with The Youth? Still not quite. They’re not your typical band

members who are buddies on and off stage. Rehearsals are not even done and spoken

of; “may curse sa amin ang practice...pangit lumalabas talaga, hindi nagwo-work sa amin

talaga”. Javier describes their current situation as like “a headless chicken”, yet mysteriously

nag fo-form naman into place yung puzzle”, he quips. The fans clamored and the band says

they owe it to them --to give their fans the music they have long waited and hoped for. The

Youth would rather leave it at that. There may be more questions left unanswered or words left

unsaid, but they just let the music speak for itself.

“Pirata”, the album is now available for digital downloading at iTunes, mymusicstore.com.ph,

and other legit online music sites.

For info and bookings contact Jinky Ong at 63915 542 2480