Niko and I were 12 or 13 years old the first time we collaborated. We got on stage for a “battle of the bands”, which was one of the main attractions of our school fair. We had never played together before — or with anybody else for that matter! That goes without saying we didn't have any misguided ambitions about winning. It was just an opportunity to be seen and heard — things kids crave at that early stage of development.

We called ourselves “Attack of the Mental Midgets”, and our plan was simple — improvisation, shock and awe. Not sure about “awe”, but we certainly got the “shock” part down… or so I’m told.

Niko was a natural behind the drum kit. Some people were just born to play they say, and he was clearly one of them! With an electric guitar in hand that I had only ever plugged into a 1.5 watt, battery-powered, clip-on amplifier, I did my best to keep up — nervously unloading my (extremely limited) bag of thurston-moore-inspired guitar tricks on the crowd. All this while our classmate Goey recited abstract poetry while smashing on the keys of a Korg synthesizer with his fists.

I learned that performing live was exhilarating that day, and got off the stage feeling like a total badass! I got the impression it was more of a WTF moment for the crowd though, and often wondered if that was good or bad.

From that day on, I became obsessed with getting better — determined to prove any doubters wrong the next chance I got. In many ways, it marked the true beginning of my long and often complicated love affair with music making.

The following year, there was another “battle of the bands” being hosted. This time, it was sponsored by rock radio station LA 105.9. The winner would get studio time and a spot in a compilation album to be released by Vicor Records — a popular major label in the Philippines! What’s funny is that the faculty department was so aghast at our “shenanigans” from the previous year that they refused to let me sign up with my new band, Faust! They asked me to bring them proof that we had original material with melodies!

My band ended up winning that year. But that’s a story for another day.

Niko and I were unfortunately walking down different paths at that point, and would continue to do so in the decades that followed. I always thought it a shame considering he’s one of the most talented and accomplished drummers I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. But as the saying goes… “It’s never too late”… That’s not always true now that I think about it. But it is today, and that’s what matters! So here’s to that!

A.G. Syjuco
Chicago 2022