THE BAND :
Working on soprano Beverly Sills’ assumption that “You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try.” At the beginning, Pumping Pluto was prepared for the worst possible catastrophe their band would encounter, as long as they could say they had no regrets if they didn’t even try to make it big in the music industry.

Comprised of Crizel “Star” Montes (lead vocalist), Omar Ian “Magz” Punzalan (vocalist/bass guitarist), Edward “Dward” Estacio (lead guitarist), Jonathan “Pilo” Felicitas (rhythm guitar), and Frederick “Eric Strange” Romero (drums), Pumping Pluto was initially formed by longtime friends Eric, Magz and Pilo, who had always dreamed of making music as a way of life. At first, the trio had no intentions of being “serious” with their music. All they wanted was to jam on their instruments every Sunday, as an outlet of their creative energy. For a year after 2003, the trio contented themselves with playing songs they had written for fun in the comforts of Eric’s bedroom.

It wasn’t until the 21st of January in 2005, when Eric received a text message asking if their “band” could play as an opening act for Chicosci, at San Beda’s Campus Feast for the Sto, Niño, when things really started for Pumping Pluto. After accepting the invitation, Eric immediately contacted school mate and friend, Dward, who had played guitars with Eric in another school band, to help them out. Eric then approached another schoolmate, Karen Nieva if she could lend her vocals to the band. Thankfully, both Karen and Dward agreed to help out.

With the lineup complete, the band had yet another obstacle to overcome – they had not practiced a single song and they were scheduled to perform that Sunday. Thus, all five members set to practice early on a Sunday morning and made it to the gig just in time.
Excited with the prospect of performing as a band, Eric searched high and low for gigs where they could showcase their talent and at the same time practice their craft. The band gained exposure and experience as they performed alongside bands they looked up to like Sugarfree, Mayonnaise, Twisted Halo and Moonstar 88. As if that wasn’t enough, the band was overwhelmed, when after a gig at Mayrics, no less than Raymund Marasigan of andwich, who the band considers as one of the gods of Pinoy rock, complimented them on their “tight set.” These simple words of praise sent the band over the moon with joy.

In spite of the positive feedback, things didn’t come too easy for the band. Gigs were far and few in between plus some of the bars they performed at had a less enthusiastic audience. The band remembers the nights wherein they scheduled for a call time of 7 pm and yet they’d end up playing at 2:30 in the morning, with absolutely no audience left, save for the janitors cleaning up the area. Disheartening as it was, this wasn’t going to stop the band from giving it their 110%. They credit their enthusiasm to the fact that they truly enjoy what they do.

Once again, the band found itself at a crossroad when vocalist Karen finished her studies at the Dela Salle University and got a job at a call center. This proved to be a predicament for the band as it had qualified to compete at the Red Horse Muziklaban 2005. With Karen’s working hours scheduled right in the middle of the band’s gigs, it was impossible to get together to practice at all. Despite having absolutely no preparation, the band performed at Muziklaban with Karen, with only the glimmer of a dream in their hearts.

The band didn’t just lose the Muziklaban that night, they also lost their lead vocalist. Karen returned to her day job and has not been seen by the band to this day. It was an emotional time for the remaining members, as they tried moving on from their attachment to Karen. But the show had to go on, and the band being real troopers, it did. After screening numerous auditions of wannabe vocalists, Star’s star shone the brightest.
It took the band a while to adjust to their new vocalist, as Star’s voice was very different from Karen’s. Star had a thick, forceful voice that was comparable to that of Session Road’s Hanna Romawac, while Karen was bordering more on Kitchie Nadal with her high-pitched, airy voice. In the end, the band fine-tuned their songs with their new sound and things were only going to get better.

THE NAME :
Just like other bands, their name has bestowed upon them numerous questions of its origin and inquiries on the reason for baptizing their band as such. These questions can easily be explained as the result of Pumping Pluto’s attempt at trying to be different from the norm. At the time of the band’s conception, many other groups had names that were connected to food or things with edible qualities; the band wanted to deviate from this and upon consensus, they’d decided they would include the name of a planet in their band name as they could not think of any current band with the same theme. The band sifted through names like Slamming Saturn, Jumping Jupiter and even Engot Earth before finally agreeing on Pumping Pluto.
Among the band members, many explanations still float around as to why they named their band Pumping Pluto. One reason was because the word pump could also mean ‘to push away’ while Pluto was known to be a ‘god of the underworld.’ Adding these two definitions together, their band name would mean ‘pushing away evil.’ Another theory behind their name revolved around pumping life (the way a heart pumps blood through the body) into something dead (Pluto being a dead planet).

THE MUSIC :
With each of the member’s distinct musical influences, it isn’t a wonder the band has a difficult time categorizing their sound as anything specific. Eric leans more on the mainstream music scene, looking up to Mitch of Sugarfree. Magz is inspired by the timeless sound of the Beatles, while Pilo and Dward are into the underground rock scene, jamming to A Perfect Circle, Tool, and even Rage Against the Machine. With the addition of R&B loving Star, who also idolizes Shirley Manson of Garbage, Pumping Pluto’s music can be expressed as an amalgam of many different musical styles, with the common intention of taking their listeners away from their troubles.

The band prides itself in having recorded 13 songs and counting for their yet to be completed album. Magz is responsible for most of the writing credits on their songs, but Eric and Pilo have also contributed their words and melodies. Eric’s contributions to the album include their first single, “Memory Box.” Based on a true-to-life heartache, Eric even owns up to the fact that he listened to Evanescence’s ‘My Immortal’ before pouring his heart out through the lyrics of the song, which tells the story of someone who tries and tries and yet ends up failing in trying to move on from a relationship. “Tumatakbo ang panahon, hindi pa rin makaahon. Sa luha at lungkot ng Memory box.”

Pilo admits to a less emotional technique when it comes to writing songs, and blames his bursts of creative genius to a method of a physiological nature. When Pilo is hungry, lyrics flow out of his head almost as fast as he can finish a meal. His song, “Tama Na” describes a girl’s desire to break up with her boyfriend no thanks too their sourer-than-sweet relationship. “Tama na to, pagod na rin naman tayo… Nakakasawa rin pala, pag ikaw lang ang kasama…”
Magz, the chief writer of music for the band, has absolutely no idea what the method is to his madness. Depending on his current mood, Magz can write music on just about anything. From the more obvious topics of love to the less popular theme of insomnia or the inability to sleep, Magz has provided the band with a diverse choice of songs.

Focusing mostly on love, the band refuses to box their songs in the stereotypical story of the common love song. Instead, they try to give their songs a twist by looking at everyday things from an unorthodox point of view if only to give their songs a fresh take. On “Kalye ng Pagibig,” the story of two strangers who fall in love with each other while riding the jeepney is colorfully told. “Habang umaandar ang jeep, kumakabog aking dibidib, hindi ko malaman ang syang gagawin…”

The band makes a conscious effort to make their songs fun to listen to but also easy to understand. Their lyrics are meant as they are said and weren’t made to be interpreted into so many different meanings. Their songs tell the typical story of the typical person and were written because the band feels these normal events that really happen are worthy of commemoration. Also, most of the band’s songs are written in Filipino, as the band’s target audience are the common people. The band even aspires for their songs to be included in the local ‘song-hits’ magazine, so that folks like ‘Tommy Tambay’ or the local hairdresser can sing along to their upbeat, quirky and lyrics-friendly songs.
Despite being satisfied with their current success, the band still looks to their bright future with hope. The band wishes to perform in more fabulous gigs alongside bands they had only looked up to before. They also look forward to the day when their album is finally completed and released to the public. They wouldn’t be complaining either if their emergent fan base doubled or even tripled in size.

THE FUTURE :
The band feels that this year – the year of the Pig – is the year for Pumping Pluto. The band has nothing but optimism for the year ahead. In spite of all the minor hurdles the band has had to endure, they know that they can only get better. With their constant self-evaluation – to keep their performances in tip-top shape – the band knows that they’ve got nowhere to go but up. Performing at every gig as if it were their last, Pumping Pluto guarantees their audience one hell of a show.

When asked what keeps the band going when times get tough and the future looks bleak, lead vocalist Star replied eloquently using a quote by Albert Einstein: “Pick a job that you love and you'll never work a day in your life.” It looks as if Pumping Pluto isn’t going to be working for a single day – even a minute – in their lives.