Paco Arespacochaga shares his new outlook in life

The former Introvoys drummer said that the band has re-grouped back in the US and continues to create new music

Paco has found a new passion in 

independent video and music creation.

But his wife, Tiny did not fully 

support his very expensive hobby. 

“Sinabi niya, ‘you really want that badly, 

pag-ipunan mo iyan. Kasi pwede naman ako 

humingi mula sa savings namin. 

Kung talagang gusto mo gawin iyan, 

pag-ipunan mo iyan.’

Paco is seen here directing his friend 

Bryan Elazegui for a segment in his web channel.

Paco Arespacochaga could not just hide his excitement of being back here in the Philippines when I visited him at the Quezon City house where he was staying back in January of this year. Paco stayed here for a month to visit his family, reconnected with some friends. He even did a one-night concert at Metro Bar a couple of days before he left.

That one-night concert was the first time that he had performed in the country ever since he left for the US back in 2000. Paco also came home to see his son, Heaven. He was previously married to singer Geneva Cruz.

It was a short visit for the former Introvoys drummer, who has now settled in California in the United States since 2000.

INTROVOYS RETROSPECT. Paco recalls that the reason he joined the band because it became an outlet for his music. It also was a way to meet girls.

“It was either you were a dancer, a mobile DJ or were in a band. Yun lang naman iyon. Hindi naman kami magaling mag-mix. Kahit pa-paano magaling naman kami tumugtog. Nag-ba-banda kami. That’s how we started back in 1986,” he said of the band he formed together with 3rd-G Cristobal, and Jonathan Buencamino

Paco said their first big break came during 1989 when they were commissioned by WEA Records to sing “I Go Crazy”, the theme song from the movie Some Kind of Wonderful. The original was done by the group Flesh for Lulu. The version done by Introvoys was the one used in Southeast Asia.

“We had 15 TV guestings in a month and a half,” Paco recalled. “Just talk about saturation. Kasi noong mga panahon na iyon na napapanood nila sa tv na banda were the Jellboys and The Dawn. Heto kami mga bagets na tumutugtog ng “I Go Crazy” at kuhang-kuha namin ang “I Go Crazy” kasi sikat yung kanta noon na New Wave. I mean radio station DWLS-FM was comparing the Introvoys version with the original version.

Paco said Flora Ramos, a recording executive and Tommy Tanchanco, Intrrovoys manager got together with an idea to produce the first album of the band. But they hesitated in doing and album immediately. They instead let Introvoys be part of a compiltation album called, 10 of Another Kind,  a 10-track album, featuring two songs each from five of the most promising bands that time. Aside from Introvoys, the other bands who were part of that album were Dean’s December, Under Blue Skies, Ethnic Faces and Violent Playground.

“Nagkaroon kami ng 10 campus tours where I could say na hindi kami lamang pero definitely hindi kami nahuli. I mean we were generating to a big crowd,” he said.

HITS AND MISSES. Introvoys began to pitch to their first album to the recording companies. Dyna Music took a gamble on the band and released their first album. They named it Back to the Roots. This was released in 1991. Their first single, “Kaibigan” would prove to be a flop.

“Nakakatuwa noon, paglabas ng unang single namin, lumabas yung “Kailan” ng Smokey Mountain. Talo. I mean, sino mananalo sa “Kailan”? That was Geneva Cruz and company. Isipin mo from 1986 to 1991 na lumabas yung banda and then finally had out first album. Our first full blown album na pinaghirapan namin only to be shot down by Geneva Cruz and company,” Paco funnily narrated.

But Dyna took another shot of releasing another single. Paco said, if the group failed to make a hit, the label would drop them.

“So, ang pinili namin is “Maynila”,” He goes to sing, “’Sa Maynila ka makakahanap ng magagandang babae…’ Have you heard of that song? Kaya hindi ka familiar, eh ang tumalo doon is yung “Mga Kababayan Ko” ni Francis Magalona. Anong laban mo roon? Wala,” Paco said smiling.

Paco admitted feeling disheartened over the two singles that turned flop, “Feel namin na wala na kaming career. Nag-apply na nga ako sa Philippines Airlines. Long hair na nga noong time na iyon. Ira Cruz (original guitarist of Introvoys and now guitarist for Bamboo). At this point, si Ira yung gitarista dito, he left na. ‘Parang wala ng mangyayari sa akin. Alis na ako.’

The head of Dyna Music decided to drop them as another band, AfterImage was being groomed by the label. But other people in the label insisted on releasing another single. That track, “However Which Way” proved to be the clincher.

“Sabi ng bokalista namin, si Jonathan, ‘wala na tayong gitarista.’ Number 12 na tayo sa LS. 

"The following week, number 8 kami. Excited kami to actually hear our song going up. The week after that, from 8 to 3. From 3 to 1. Tapos, "Hold On" by Side A yun lang ang kalaban namin palagi. Natalo namin ang Side A to the point na hindi kami nagpapansinan ng Side A,” Paco said.

Introvoys was then picked up by Cosmic Records (now PolyEast Records) and released 4 albums with the recording company from 1992 to 1995. From then on, hits after hits were churned out by the band that included, "Will I Survive", "Di Na Ko Aasa Pa", "Binibini" and "Are You Happy". They were even dubbed as the “No. 1 Band in the Land.”

“Anyway, nagtuloy-tuloy na. Lumabas na yung Line to Heaven. All of a sudden sumabog na kami sa eksena. “Line to Heaven”, “Kailanman”, all that stuff. Ang galing,” Paco pauses. “But then, naging artista kami.”

Paco admitted that it was something different when they became artistas, “Ang sarap eh. Remember this band was founded for the purpose of finding girls. Yung unang leading lady mo, liligawan mo. In my case, si Geneva Cruz. Tali na ako ngayon. I knocked her out. Nabuntis ko pa.

“Artista ka na, nagba-banda ka pa. Ngayon may girlfriend kang buntis. Alam mo, all this stuff, nakakatanggal din ng misteryo sa iyo. All of a sudden, yung front mo na matinee idol na kuno, wala na. Tapos, mag-aaway pa kayo ni Jonathan Buencamino. Eh, iisang banda lang kayo.

Paco said that the fans became confused. This led as well to infighting in the group.

Paco admitted that they lost focus, “Sabi nga sa amin Pancho Gonzales (Introvoys production manager and now manager of Bamboo), ‘Matataob kayo ng bagong banda.’ Bamboo was a good singer. Ely and company were still making good songs. Alamid was making good songs. Eh kami, ano next movie namin? Those were the dark years of our careers.”

GO FIND YOURSELF. “Eventually, I left the band in 1996 and in 1998, tuluyan na din nagpahinga ang Introvoys,” he said.

Paco continued to play in other bands. But his friends were beginning to be concerned over his career moves.

Paco recalled, “What they have seen me doing is I was trying to fight the change. ‘Hindi na ikaw yung gusto. Heto na yung gusto ngayon.’ I was doing this noontime show on Channel 13. Third naman yung show sa ratings. Eh ta-tatlo lang yung noontime show sa timeslot.

“Do you know Music Gallery in Cubao? Kapag may 20 people na dapat masaya ka na. I was playing in those places. It was only pulling me down. I was making wrong choice after wrong choices. I was playing in creepy bars and club. Sabi ng mga friends ko, ‘kalokohan na yung ginagawa mo. Pacs, umalis ka na. Go find yourself somewhere else,” he said.

By then, his friends wanted him to leave the country. Thus, Paco began anew in the States with his then girlfriend, Tiny in 2000.

“Naging mag-asawa kami noong 2001. We started with $100 and coins na binigay ng mga friends ko sa akin. May mga $15 worth of coins.Yun yung donation para sa migration namin. Long journey for us. Hindi muna kami nag-baby. Nag-save muna kami ng money. Inayos namin sarili namin.

“Nag-bagong buhay kami. Ito na yung part na parang sinalba na lang ako. We were helping each other out. We met new friends who had bigger goals and dreams who were making really serious money. Kami ni Tiny, we were making $20,000 a year. Masaya na kami,” Paco said.

Paco now busies himself with Introvoys. The band did a one-night performance that is now up on the band’s web channel, www.introvoys.tv. He also has his own segment on the web channel called, “Paco in the House” where his son Heaven share stories about being a teenager. [CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO] 

Paco, in hindsight, said, “Tama lang na sinipa nila ako at pinapunta ako ng States. I have no regrets. Kasi sabi ko nga that time, it doesn’t matter where you start. It’s how you finish. And if your goal is world domination, there are a lot of ways to achieve world domination. The world is such a big place. There are so many niche that no one entity can dominate the whole world."

(Interview was done last January 2010. This article did not come out in the publication where I sent this.)