Teeth is the latest band from Pinoy alternative rock’s heyday in the 1990s to hold a reunion concert, dubbed ‘The Legacy Tour,’ on the following dates: Aug. 30, Foochow Building, Singapore; Sept. 5, SM North Edsa Skydome; Sept. 12, The Commons at MTS, Davao; Sept. 13, Tagum; Sept. 19, Iloilo; and Sept. 26, Cebu.
The shows will coincide with the vinyl release on Backspacer Records of its debut album, which has sold out on pre-orders.
If the Eraserheads were no. 1 on the list of the greatest of those years, and Yano arguably the second best, Teeth won’t be far behind, probably sharing the third spot with Rivermaya, Parokya Ni Edgar, Wolfgang, Razorback, The Youth, and Color It Red.
But ratings are relative.
Listening again to Teeth’s three studio albums – the self-titled debut (1995), ‘Time Machine’ (’97), ‘I Was a Teenage Tree’ (’99) – proves the band is in a class of its own, defining youthful freedom, energy, foibles, and humor with biting truth.
The band’s debut release melded Led Zeppelin’s old-school metal and Nirvana’s grunge in songs celebrating music (‘Tugtugan Na’), mocking teenage rebellion (‘Galit sa Mundo,’ Stokwa’), recalling the highs and lows of drinking (‘Laklak’), and imagining romance with a stranger (‘Prinsesa’).
The quartet lineup of Jerome Velasco on guitar; Peding Narvaja, bass; Mike Dizon, drums; and Glenn Jacinto on vocals exuded collective confidence – especially on ‘Laklak,’ which was a hit the moment people heard the first lines: ‘Nagsimula sa patikim-tikim…’ The whole guitar-driven song captured what it felt like to get drunk, never mind if the lyrics seemed to confuse alcohol’s effects with those of weed: ‘Tumataas na ang amats ko…’ Nonetheless, the tune ended with a wink and a smirk: ‘Laklak ka nang laklak, mukha ka nang parak!’
And there was ‘Prinsesa,’ which used the fantasy of romance in a kingdom as a device to tell the story of an imaginary affair.
Two years later, ‘Time Machine’ came out, with twin guitars blasting a heavier sound as Dok Sergio joined the band. Mocking humor was still present, pronouncing Alabang with an American accent in the lyrics of ‘Take a Ride,’ and again engaging in drunken bliss in ‘Hay Sarap.’
But the album’s highlight was the ballad ‘Luha,’ in which melancholy wallowed in over eight minutes of groaning guitars.
Teeth would achieve songwriting maturity in its third release, ‘I Was a Teenage Tree,’ which portrayed the simple joys of cycling (‘BMX’) and dreaming (‘Shooting Star’) with innocence, while drenching the rest of the album with a sonic avalanche.
Before the ’90s ended, Jacinto moved to the United States, while Dizon joined Sandwich, and as the 2000s rolled in, Ely Buendia recruited Velasco and Sergio to form the Mongols, and, later, Pupil.
Teeth held a previous reunion concert in 2014, but that was 12 years ago, and its members want to give it another go while they still can – as they told the media at a recent Zoom meeting.
Jacinto looked healthy, with no trace of the cancer he said he suffered from in 1996, which forced the band to temporarily take a break.
Dizon, Velasco, Narvaja, and Segio likewise all appeared none the worse for wear, probably due to clean, cautious living – though Dizon has been enjoying his preoccupation as a food vlogger.
The guys have maintained a tight relationship since they grew up together in grade school at Manresa, Jacinto said.
They’re excited to play not just the hits, but also the deep cuts in their albums, Dizon noted.
More than 30 years since the band came into the scene with its original lineup intact, Teeth would like to make its fans feel, once more, its lasting bite.