You've heard of bands with an edge. Now here's one rock band with fizz!

One of today's hottest local acts, Kamikazee has been tapped as the faces of Teazz, the newest drink for teens that combines the fun and fizz of cola with the goodness of green tea. The combination may be unconventional, but it works, much like Kamikazee's quirky and free-spirited approach to music-making.

Composed of frontman Jay Contreras, bassist Puto Astete, drummer Allan Burdeos, guitarist and vocalist Jomal Linao, and guitarist Led Tuyay, the band has made a career out of gung-ho stage performances and twisted lyrics. Their string of earlier hits includes rollicking takes on Britney Spears' Lucky and Ariel Rivera's Sana Kahit Minsan, as well as Chinelas, a rock lamentation about a missing slipper.

Their platinum album entitled Maharot has spawned the hits Chicksilog, Martyr Nyebera, First Day High and Narda. Currently on heavy rotation is the band's rambunctious version of Doo Bidoo, from the APO Hiking Society tribute album Kami nAPO Muna.

Aside from their appreciation of the beverage, what primarily attracted the boys to the Teazz project was their penchant for trying new things. The band members are fans of green tea but admit that it's the first time they've tried a soda version, and they find the fizz interesting. They also enjoy the fact that the drink is milder compared to regular softdrinks. “Kakaiba siya,” they all agree. Of course, they also say that they want to appear in a TV commercial.

The band recalls that the two-day shoot of their Teazz TV commercial was a tiring but good experience. To get the perfect shot, Jay relates that he was holding onto a Teazz bottle rigged with light effects for several hours. “Masakit sa kamay pero sobrang nakakatawa kasi nung matatapos na, parang gusto ko pa rin mag-shoot,” he narrates.

Jomal, on the other hand, was drinking Teazz for about two hours during numerous takes.

“Pero overall, napadali yung trabaho dahil relax lang si direk,” Allan explains. “Tsaka mababait talaga yung mga crew,” adds Led.

In 20065, Kamikazee wongarnered 4 awards at the NU Rock Awards, including the Best Live Act, Song of the Year (Narda), Listeners' Choice, and the Artist of the Year awards. at the NU Rock Awards. Understandably so, since their live sets are spiced with wacky dancing, a “devil-may-care” attitude and the lead vocalist's enthusiastic stunts.

Away from the stage, they are also your regular guys who like to hang out with friends, albeit popular ones such as members of Parokya ni Edgar and Queso, and play video games. Jay and Led are both into photography. Puto is a wrestling fanatic. Allan plays with his cat, Lexie. Jomal is a self-confessed mallrat.

The band members also have a penchant for tattoos. From their feet to their chests, these boys are inked with Asian motifs such as dragons, Buddha, yin and yang, and inscriptions for luck, religious and floral themes, and names of family members. What's most common among them, however, is a tattoo of the band's logo, an indication that despite their rock and roll images, they value a sense of group solidarity.

The band's first television ad for Teazz, featuring spooky sets and an “alien” revelation, recently premiered at the successful Teazz to Believe launch party at the Metrowalk Commercial Center in Pasig City. The commercial was recently aired on television and it featured nothing less than Kamikazee's trademark combo of rock goodness and fizzy playfulness.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 21st, 2006 at 6:43 pm and is filed under Beverage, Teazz. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.