“Tomfooleries and flimflams.”
These are two words by Drummer-boy, Pancho Santos, describe the life within the band: Mondays at 4. He unfolds what his bandmates had gone through and what they have in store for us. Bassist, Mio Garcia, and guitarist, B-boy Morales, accompany his side. Though fellow bandmates, MC Monserrat (keyboard), PJ Roxas (Guitar) and Koi Calleja (Vocals), were absent, the band felt complete.
SEC Walk
As students rush by to their next classes, the three boys sit down on a concrete bench. Mio, Pancho, B-boy. All three lined up. The questions roll. Mondays started during their second year of high school. They were initially four members.
“We didn’t really have a band name yet. We actually started our band name without a vocalist and stuff. And then, after that, the vocalist missed the bus. He had nothing to do in school and so he decided to jam with us. Yeah, tumugtog siya ng songs. That’s where it started. Mio came along and then MC came along.”
From that moment, Mondays at 4 started. They found themselves playing in numerous bar gigs, school fairs, and college events. They made numerous songs. They attracted numerous fans. Their batch-mates, teachers, and even school staff love them. “Ang saya na they watch us, they support us, they love us.” B-boy expresses. Indeed, everyone loves them. Their music feels human, close to the heart. Mondays’ songs cry heartbreak, love, and all that hugot jazz. Mio even deconstructs the recipe for a Mondays at 4 special. “One cup of heartbreak and a lot of gago jamming.” Pancho adds to the mix. “And lots of calls to Jollibee and Mcdo to order food. Lots of fighting. Lots food from PJs also.” Mondays present themselves to be ordinary people with a nice sense of humor— real. But on stage, they’re beyond unreal.
Mow’s
New to AMP, Mondays rose far from what people expected. AMP’s annual Rites of Passage was their milestone. “We had like so much fun. We never felt so alive. It was revitalizing.” Their first gig as college students was theirs. They owned it, and they want more. Mondays played the house down with their emotional atmosphere and connection between every member. When the guitar riffs and instrumental parts would play, they would face and form a circle as if telepathically synchronizing with each other. Chills and goosebumps will be felt, song after song after song. Kanin, Elle, Kahit Na, Kiss Sabay Hug. Each member was intent. Mio played the bass with intensity. B-boy and PJ played their guitar with intensity. Koi serenaded the audience intensity. Pancho drummed the second floor down with intensity. There was passion. There was heart. There was talent. It was an explosive start for their debut year.
Rites for them was a stepping stone in AMP and they’re sprinting. They went from ordinary high school kids to college favorites. As freshmen, Mondays at 4 is starting the year fresher than ever. They’re causing mayhem and we love it. Though separated to either UP or Ateneo, Mondays is still ambitious. “Tighter sound and maybe release a CD.” Pancho envisions his band. Separation definitely won’t distance them from being one of the top bands to watch out for in AMP. In Pancho’s words, there’s only one way to experience this tomfoolery and flimflams of a performance. “Come on down, as they say in the Price is Right.”