DIEGO CASTILLO: This is the album that sounds most uniform. The albums before have songs like, hey this sounds different from the others. This sounds like an album form start to finish. This one sounds like a whole time frame. It captures the year we did it. This is how the band felt the whole year we were together. I think cohesive ang adjective.

On being rock’s status quo

RAIMUND MARASIGAN: We’ve never been the status quo. We’re always content to be on the sidelines. We’ve never felt that way. We’ve never dictated anything.

MYRENE ACADEMIA: We probably have good among our peer groups, though.

MONG ALCARAZ: There’s the people’s band and the band’s band. We’re the second.

RAIMUND: We’re not fashionable in this truly pop type but we’re not out and out obscure wow di ko na ma-dig art type. We’re in this grey area.

MYRENE: We just enjoy what we’re doing and I think that’s what people like about Sandwich.

RAIMUND: We’ve never felt like outsiders. We can play gigs like Gary V or Ogie [Alcasid] type shows. The Greyhound and NU rock type shows. Even the art crowd and hip hop SVC type and Saguijo indie rock type stuff. Hindi lang siguro pwede and jazz or ethnic.

DIEGO: Very eclectic ang taste naming. As opposed to genre or whether you feel in or not, the bottom line is you make good music.

RAIMUND: That’s why the title is Five on the Floor. There’s only five people on-stage but you have two drummers, one bass player, three guitarists, two keyboardists and three DJs. So it’s like the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

RAIMUND: It’s the greatest year in rock. It’s good and bad. What’s the bad? [turns to Myrene].

MYRENE: That’s the surface. Mass media only sees what’s on the surface when they cross over. But it’s always been broiling over. There’s always productions. Kami, Sandwich na kami, you’d think we’d be recognized kahit papano. But the people at these variety shows sometimes say: "Ah Sandwich, para kayong Cueshe or Hale?" kasi ganun kalayo ang what we know and they still don’t know us because of that distance.

RAIMUND: It’s like, your neighbor still doesn’t know what band you’re in even if nakatira ka na sa tabi nya for 10 years. Which is not really a problem pero hindi pa rin kami nag-cross over.

MYRENE: I think you have to take it on a case to case basis.

RAIMS: Siguro with us kami na ni Mike [Dizon, drummer] ang pinaka-matagal sa rock scene. Matira matibay. Sabihin na nating hindi uso ngayon ang acoustic pero yung pinaka magaling pa rin ang natitira. Sina Paulo, etc. yung pinaka masipag, pinakamagling at pinakamaling-heart ang natitira. Tapos na ang nu metal trend pero andyan pa rin ang Greyhoundz and Cheese.

MYRENE: You just want to make music and you make it the way you know how.

RAIMUND: Sandwich has been together for seven years and four albums. Iba iba yung uso na pinagdaanan nanim.

DIEGO: May mga buwan na wala kaming tugtog.

RAIMUND: Malaking bagay yung music channels, the Net and Ipod. Okay lang pala in the same machine that Pantera and Justin Timberlake are together. You’d be surprised how much technology has erased the division from music. Not like in the time of the Eheads grunge lang talaga. Pag hindi ka grunge pero rock ka, baduy ka pa rin.

DIEGO: If you’d asked me 10 years ago: "where’d you hear Sonic Youth?" I’d tell you galing yan sa barkada ko yung cassette galing HK. Pahirapan. But the Net now is a miracle. Mong has a new track everyday.

RAIMUND: We’ve always been close and updated with technology ever since. Also because we’re music fans.

MYRENE: Dati kasi yung nag-filter down sa atin yung sikat na indie sa kanila. Pero ngayon dahil available na ngayon yung available sa kanila I think: this is the feeling of the big market, of a level playing field.

DIEGO: Right now I just think Arctic Monkeys rules! It’s a new band that sounds like The Strokes or something like that.

RAIMS: We’ve never talked about Arctic Monkeys pero kapag binuksan mo ang Ipods namin meron kami lahat. They’re an invisible influence.

RAIMUND: We make like 20 to 25 songs per album and we choose the best 12 that we like. Sometimes it’s like: katunog na yan nung isang kanta, so anung mas gusto mo?

MYRENE: The others aren’t developed and will take time to finish. We didn’t pursue them.

DIEGO: When we’re playing stuff, me and Raimund, then we go: yun na yun. Tapos na yung kanta. Wag mo nang galawin. Na feel mo na. Mismo. It’s instinctive. You can’t explain it. Asteeeeg.

RAIMS: Diego has some songs that has been brewing for months. And then he’d just come in one ay and say: "Ito yung kaduktong nyan oh. Tapos na yung kanta"

On Marc Abaya’s departure

RAIMUND: It wasn’t Kjwan. He wanted to focus on the VJ thing. He left amicably.

MYRENE: He’s the godfather of our kid by the way. He was missing Sandwich gigs because of taping days.

RAIMUND: Some promoters didn’t want to pay us kapag wala si Marc for certain gigs. Kapag Sandwich kasi, basta tatlo ang nandyan tatakbo yan eh. Palaging may sub-Sandwich na may key members. Then Marc got the VJ job and people said: "We want to watch the band with the VJ!" That was until Mong arrived and the gays came! LAUGHS. But seriously, to continue: tapos kapag hindi dumating si Marc nadi-disappoint yung fans and promoters, the kids.

MYRENE: He wanted to go na lang. He said, I’ll just go.

RAIMS: We’re music fans. Pag mayna-download kami na magandang kanta. Kapag nakita ko yung album bibilhin ko pa rin yan. Yung original.

MYRENE: When somebody makes money out of it it’s a different story. But if it’s between friends, it’s just sharing.

MONG: Sa Chicosci kapag naiburn yung song namin na part of a mix-tape okay lang s’amin yun. We actually encourage it.

DIEGO: It’s the same thing as when I open my door and my friend is there. He wants to borrow my CD. It’s the same thing to me except it’s being transferred to my PC. It’s funny cause it’s just the medium that’s changed.

MYRENE: But if I make 100 copies and sell it, that’s not the same!

DIEGO: With the Metallica issue I was shocked with Lars’s opinion. They were the ones that became so lucky because of these rabid fans, rabid kids who loved their music in the tape sharing days. They were the only Top 40 band without airplay. No video, no radio. Then to do a 180-degrees and refute all of that aesthetic just because they’re famous now? I lost my faith in them because of that. The truth is that naging tick tock tick tock ako with them.

RAIMUND: At the same time we’re also surfing the net but we’re buying more CDs than ever. Baka old school lang kami.

MYRENE: The tactile feel is what we want.

RAIMUND: Case in point, three weeks ago nag-crash yung PC ni Myrene with all the mp3s inside. Pero hindi kami malungkot kasi andun yung CDs nya eh. I think: yung mga bibili ng pirated sa Recto, hindi talaga yan bibili ng orig eh. Yung bibili ng orig, bibili ng orig yan forever.

RAIMUND: How many guitar players does it take to change a tire?

MONG: 10

RAIMUND: Bakit?

MONG: One to actually change the tire, and nine to tell him how he could have done it better.

RAIMUND: How many bass players does it take to change a tire?

MONG: How many?

RAIMUND: One, pero tuturuan sya ng gitarista.

MONG: How do you know if a drummer is knocking at your door?

RAIMUND: PAUSES. Bumibilis yung katok! Another one: How many singers does it take to change a light bulb?

MONG: Ilan?

RAIMUND: Only one. Tatayo sya and the world revolves around him. Now, what do you call a person who hangs around with the band?

MONG: What?

RAIMS: A drummer.

MIKE DIZON (drummer for Sandwich): LOOKS UP FROM HIS CELLPHONE. Huh?!