Almost a decade after they last played together, the alternative pop rock group Orange & Lemons have reunited.
“It’s been almost 10 years now. We badly miss the music so we decided to add a new chapter in the band’s short history. We have officially reformed Orange & Lemons as a trio to continue where we left off. This is not some fancy reunion, but a decision to protect the legacy of the band and the songs that many of you know and have grown to love.
“New music is on the horizon and we promise to stay true to the sound we are known for with a clear-cut independent direction. We feel good at the prospect of playing our modest catalog for you in the coming months. Until then,” the band said in a statement posted at their official website.
The statement was signed by lead guitarist and vocalist Clementine “Clem” Castro, bassist JM del Mundo and drummer Ace del Mundo. By reforming as a trio, that also meant founding member and rhythm guitarist Mcoy Fundales is not part of the group’s present incarnation.
Orange & Lemons was one of the most exciting alternative bands to emerge at the start of the new millennium. Between 2003 to 2007, the band recorded three studio albums, one with Terno Recordings (“Love in the Land of Rubber Shoes and Dirty Ice Cream”) and two with Universal Records (“Strike Whilst the Iron is Hot” and “Moonlane Gardens”).
While Clem wrote more than 90 percent of the band’s original songs, Mcoy wrote a few songs by himself and co-wrote the lyrics of some of the others. The two, who met way back in high school, evenly divided lead vocal chores.
But those sung by Mcoy, such as “She’s Leaving Home,” “Just Like a Splendid Love Song,” “Heaven Knows (This Angel has Flown),” “Lihim,” and the monster hit “Hanggang Kailan,” were the ones usually released as singles and eventually became the band’s biggest hits.
Mcoy also sang lead on the band’s non-album hits like their remake of the Apo Hiking Society’s “Yakap sa Dilim,” and “Pinoy Ako,” the song commissioned by ABS-CBN as the theme song of its hit reality show “Pinoy Big Brother.”
“Pinoy Ako” later became controversial when it was alleged in a 2006 Manila Bulletin news report that it was copied from an obscure new wave single, “Chandeliers” by the English duo The Care. The band and ABS-CBN’s Star Records denied the allegation.
In any case, the decision not to include Mcoy in the newly reformed Orange & Lemons was addressed by Clem in a recent interview with Esquire Philippines.
“We have irreconcilable differences. Personally and creatively. And I think a lot of people know that…With any of the two of us. It won’t happen na just the three of them, and it won’t happen nang wala ako. As the chief songwriter and creative director, I will not allow that to happen. And ang grounds ko naman for reforming the band is the fact na si Mcoy talaga yung gustong umalis and he doesn’t want to work with me anymore. I remember (we had a) meeting sa Shangri-La and he was waiving his rights if I wanted to continue O&L,” Clem told writer Paul John Caña in the Esquire interview.
Clem also told this writer that since he wrote most of the band’s hits, he doesn’t mind including them in their live repertoire since they are already “ingrained” in his system.
Performing “Pinoy Ako” is out of the question for the new Orange & Lemons, though. In the band’s biography posted on their website, the song is cited as one of the reasons that eventually led to their disbandment in the first place.
“Castro, in particular, resisted pressures from label execs for the band to write more songs in the vein of “Pinoy Ako” and “Hanggang Kailan,” which appealed more to masa listeners,” went part of the group’s biography.
Clem admitted that he was unceremoniously dismissed from the band which eventually called it quits after a 2007 U.S. tour. Mcoy went on to form Kenyo which recorded two albums.
Mcoy later decided to pursue an acting career and was best known for his stint in the TV5 sitcom “The Jose and Wally Show Starring Vic Sotto.” He is currently writing scripts for GMA Network television shows like “Pepito Manalo,” “Dear Uge,” and “A1 Ko sa Yo.”
As for Clem, he went on to form The Camerawalls and had a solo project called Dragonfly Collector. He continued to perform Orange & Lemons songs during live shows, most of which were recorded and posted by fans on YouTube.
Since the announcement of an Orange & Lemons reformation, Mcoy has not posted any reactions on his social media accounts.