Triaxis

YEARS ACTIVE: 1995 – LATE 90’S
GROUP Member: PERF DE CASTRO, WENDELL GARCIA, CLAIRE SOBEJANA, KING BALDOZ* (*King replaced Claire at bass)
90’S HITS: PMST, SAY WHAT YOU MEAN, I FOUND YOU, ASA KA PA, MUKHA

Even in this day and the age of electronic dance beats, Perf de Castro, still defiantly embodies the axeman image. His name goes haywire whenever he's on stage, his fingers run up and down the fretboard with high-speed abandon, yet he never forgets to inject sensitivity and soulfullness into every blistering note he picks. All the while his jam unit, Triaxis, proves to be a solid rhythm section.

Aggression and soulfullness are only two of the key words that can be used to describe this band's second album, WHO WE ARE. Triaxis resurrects he elementary power trio format to churn out soulful, hookdriven songs that put more emphasis on melody than technique.

Along with drummer Wendell Garcia and bassist King Baldoz, Perf has been leading Triaxis through extensive bar tours and a number of major gigs around Metro Manila for the past three years. Of course, most people might know Perf as the former lead guitarist of River Maya, a band he left for what was described as "musical differences."

Triaxis was initially the idea of De Castro and Wolfgang bassist Mon Legaspi. "Our idea with Mon was to put up a band where all the members sing," recalls Perf. Wendell - who used to be the drummer for a band called a River Brocolli - hung around a lot in Perf's music studio in Sucat, Paranaque (aptly named, of course, Perfect Music Studio) and was called to do a drums.

The initial line-up was able to play in several school concerts and sets in 70's Bistro in Proj.2, Quezon City. Everything went well until Legaspi had to leave the band as Wolfgang got bigger and bigger. Enter Claire Sobejana (who was introduced to Triaxis by Legaspi), a student at the UST Conservatory of Music.

Not too long after its demo, Triaxis' 12-song debut album FURTHER DOWN THE BEND was finally released under Sony Music. The record reflected the group's various influences, as can be heard on cuts like "PMST' (nominated for Best Video at the 1997 NU Rack Awards), "Perf's Boogie" (which won Best Instrumental Performance and Best Instrumental Composition at he 1997 Katha Music Awards), "Lights Fell Down," and the blues extravaganza "running Water Blues." However, Sobejana left the band shortly after the albums release - a big loss, according to Perf. King Baldoz took up where Sobejana left off, proving to be able replacement by injecting his own bass grooves to the songs.

But the pluses don't just end there. As a unit, Triaxis is endowed with an abundance of other qualities - which include inexhaustible energy (they produce, arrange, rehearse, clown around, etc.), and unwavering attitude ("this is who we are, take it or leave it," etc...) - that warrant them the title; Revolutionary Rock n' Roll Messiahs.