www.myspace.com/skunkymugglesIt is said that the term muggles is a street slang referring to marijuana used by early jazzmen, a colloquial term usually to conceal the real meaning to avoid being explicit. And then you think that it is just one of those Harry Potter names referring to non-magical people like us. Skunky Muggles according to them just simply means a very strong smelling weed albeit they are not organic-users to put it shortly.
The band is composed of La Vern Marquez, Nimrod Ordoņez, both on vocals; Richard Sagarino on guitar, Billy Toledo on bass, Diana Freese on drums and Barry Aliganga, the latest addition to the group, who now does back-up vocals and plays the keyboard for then-keyboardist Elmer Tancinco. The band entered the music scene last January 2003, gained an audience through a local radio band competition and since then, started what was to be a phenomenal breakout into the scene. This and jitterbugs that could not quite subside, for sanity's sake survived through all the dramatic musical hype and not just for the purpose of being generally categorized for what ska music is all about but also because it was what they all wanted to do all along. The band is conscious about having a sound distinct from those that influenced them which is why you can never blame them when CATS and DOGS became an inevitable upshot that went on the airwaves the same year they came out and won at Monster Radio's Band Breakout. Most if not all of the band members came from different bands and are still actively playing with them until now while faithfully doing their duties for Skunky Muggles. Diana for one does drums for Junior Kilat and Nimrod does his charitable acts with bands of other genres. Having such diverse musical influences might also be the contributing factor to the sound that you will hear from the band. It was Diana who first thought of adding a female vocalist into the band and La Vern came to join the lot and eventually everything started falling into place. The band is also with the Harambe Reggae Society, an organization that spawns a handful of ska and reggae acts and has since created a massive surge of various ska-reggae events which is also in turn supported by a growing local fan community.
To digress, the catchy and upbeat happy tunes is something you can expect from the Skunky Muggles sound but how it's going to affect you or other people is an impending thought that is dependent on your own opinion and the band leaves you the rest of the wondering. But what is the epitome of all this ranting? Finally after around three years, the release of a 10-track album set with experimental beats that will spin all heads around if not, have your 11-year old sibling begging for more. Time is of the essence and the wait is now over. Perhaps, the question playing in your own thought balloon is the quintessential thing that binds these kids together and if you haven't found out the answer to that---listen to some of their tracks and maybe, get afflicted with a sunny disposition and a blissful attitude. Believe and you will see.
