Orange and Lemons

by Jay Lara; Photos by Jay Lara

It was a humid and rainy Monday afternoon, which is not a good way to start the week, and we pinned our hopes on four gentlemen and their music to turn things around. Orange and Lemons, known for their heavily-influenced 'british pop-rock' sound, trekked down to Red Damien Studios in Quezon City for a rehearsal session. They seemed oblivious to the disconcerting weather outside, they were refreshingly jovial and giddy, willing and ready to plug-in and belt out tunes from their upcoming third album. Clementine Castro (with his rose-colored glasses) and Mcoy Fundales were constantly exchanging banter, it was clear they were the lead vocals. JM del Mundo, on the bass, and Ace del Mundo, behind the drum kit, hardly said a word; quiet and reserved, it was clear they were brothers.

Tuned and Mic-checked, they opened up with 'Let Me', a song that was heard first and popularized on a TV commercial, and now finding a home on their new album. With the song's laid back tempo and clean sound, coupled with lyrics like "I open my eyes, softly and wide, lovely flower, you're my sunshine", it slowly became clear to me that they were not oblivious to the weather outside at all. They were consciously turning things around, and halfway through 'Let Me' the weather had already started to clear. Now, claiming that any sort of sorcery was involved would be ludicrous, but the message and style behind their music was evident. They want their music to make you feel good.

After playing their carrier single "Ang Katulad Mong Walang Katulad", the men sat down with ClickTheCity to tell us their story.

You're all from Bulacan, how big a role did Bulacan as a place and home actually play in your careers?
Mcoy: I guess being in Bulacan made us more committed to the band, because in order for us to attend gigs in Manila we had to travel back and forth. We took everything seriously. It wasn't just a 'gig' for us. It molded us into musicians looking for a career. Also, our culture heritage as Bulakenyo's added a lot to our song writing skills. Bulakenyo's are known as poets.

Clem: The provincial life made us dreamers.

Orange and Lemons were officially a band in '99, but how hard was it to decide to take a break a year later?
Mcoy: We decided to stop playing, because at that time, it was hard to book a gig. People weren't into the type of music we represented. The demand back then was the whole rap-metal sound. Our pop, clean-guitar-sound kind of music wasn't really being accepted. And since we weren't getting any younger we had to find more lucrative means to survive.

Clem: More practical money-making ventures.

Mcoy: But we never really called it quits. We just needed to find a solution for our financial problems. Save the money to buy more equipment and record out stuff. Luckily we were able to do so.

How instrumental were the additions of the del Mundo brothers? In fact, they were fans of the original Orange and Lemons right?
Clem: Yes, they've heard our stuff before, so it was easier for us to gel as a band when they came aboard. In a matter of two to three months we did our first gig together. It was very promising so we decided to continue on.

Mcoy: The story was, Ace was really persistent in having us all re-group. He thought it would be a waste for us to not continue. He made it a weekly routine to convince Clem and I how important it was for us to get together.

Clem: They were the missing piece.

What was it like to jump from an independent label (Terno Records in 2003), to a major label (Universal Records) within a year?
Mcoy: Well at first we got a lot of flack from fans. But for us, considering the band as our career, it was a good move. It made us more recognizable, and we were able to share our music. We just didn't want to get back to the point of 'taking a break' again.

Clem: We wouldn't be able to share our song, if nobody was listening.

Mcoy: We wouldn't be featured on ClickTheCity.com!

When you look back at your career at this point, what would you say was your biggest achievement as a band?
Mcoy: I guess finding each other really. The four of us. The most difficult part in forming a band is finding other individuals who share the same vision and dreams, and who accept their roles. So I guess the best thing that happened to us was finding each other and our manager (Roldan "Bong" Baluyot of No Seat Affair, Inc.). We grow together as musicians.

So, as you guys look forward, what can we expect from your upcoming third album?
Clem: Moonlane Gardens is actually an anagram for our name. Its an idea for an illustrated book that we conceptualized a year ago and we decided it would be a good idea to incorporate it into the album. Its a story about a magical place, where your dreams come true. Its as simple as that. We're still working on the book, so the album will come out first.

Mcoy: The album has about 14 tracks of all original material. Clem actually included a short poem in it. You can really hear how we developed as lyricists, as arrangers, as musicians. We had more freedom to create the sound that we liked.

Were there current inspirations for your new album?
Mcoy: We've been listening to a lot of stuff recently, but you really don't know what will come out when you sit down and play on the guitar. Everything just blends together, when the four of us sit down and collaborate.

But what are you guys listening to now?
Mcoy: New material from Tears For Fears. Morrisey. A lot of classical stuff too.

Clem: A lot of indie pop bands from UK. So many great bands, its hard to mention a single band.

Ace: Morrisey, Soul Patrol and a lot of asian bands.

JM: The Shins and Snow Patrol.

Finally, if you really had to choose, Orange or Lemons?
Mcoy: I would choose orange. You know when they say, 'when life gives you lemons..', I say 'one orange for every lemon'. Its like one opportunity for every lost opportunity. So I would choose the orange.

Clem: Same here. Orange.

Ace: Lemons.

JM: Lemons nalang kaming dalawa. Para pantay na!

Orange and Lemons - Interview

Orange and Lemons - Let Me

Orange and Lemons - Ang Katulad Mong Walang Katulad