The Itchyworms, unplugged

The Itchyworms at Satchmi —CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Today, The Itchyworms kick off their “Akin Ka Na Lang UK” tour in Manchester at Night & Day Cafe. Tomorrow, in Liverpool, they will have a full-circle moment at a special venue.

Drummer Jazz Nicolas told Super, “We’re gonna be playing at the Cavern Club where The Beatles played noong bata pa sila. We’re gonna be playing some Beatles songs there.”

The Beatles have always been an inspiration for the band. Vocalist and guitarist Jugs Jugueta shared, “The Itchyworms started out in college and when we were in college, half of the songs [we would play] were original songs and half of the songs were Beatles’ songs.”

At Cavern Club, a place tied to The Beatles history, where the legendary band performed 292 times between 1961 and 1963, The Itchyworms will be playing a mix of their hits and some Beatles’ favorites. “Konting mano po lang sa Cavern,” said Jugs.

“Piligrimage,” Jazz added.

Their UK tour will continue on June 28 in London, at Dingwalls Camden.

We got to catch up with the band a couple of weeks before they left for the United Kingdom at Salomon’s “XT-6 Unplugged: The Itchyworms” event held on June 7 at Satchmi in SM Megamall. It was part of “XT-6 Fest,” a celebration of one of Salomon’s most popular shoe models. Also part of the month-long lineup of events were the “XT-6 Drip Sessions” at Sulok Coffee in Makati, “S-Plus Saturdays” in Salomon’s stores in Shangri-La and SM Mall of Asia. It culminates with “Camp XT-6” with Overland Kings and Sarsa at River Ranch in Tanay. “We’re bringing the XT-6 back to where it was born—the outdoors. Over the years, it’s evolved into a lifestyle sneaker, but we’re gonna have them experience the XT-6 outdoors,” said Mikko Abello, head of marketing for Anta Group Philippines, the company behind Salomon.

JP Paglinawan, general manager for Anta Group Philippines, said, “It’s really a performance brand. That’s the beauty of Salomon, we don’t forget that DNA. Our DNA is really nature, the outdoors. It just so happened that some of the most popular models are crossing over to fashion.”

Exciting releases

There were exciting releases during XT-6 Fest, of course, like the double drop of XT-6’s Silver Cloud and Icicle colorways and the return of the coveted XT-6 GTX in Black/Silver at the Salomon Pop-Up Store at Uptown Mall in Bonifacio Global City. “It’s a classic. Everybody looks for this colorway, but it’s always a limited release,” said Mikko.

At the “XT-6 Unplugged” event, they dropped the White/Lunar Rock/Liberty colorway.

The XT-6 was first introduced in 2013, shared Anj Donila, business unit head for Salomon.

“It’s a heritage shoe model,” said JP. “It’s a really popular trail shoe. But from the trail, it’s crossed over to fashion. It matches the aesthetic of the era that we’re living in. Who would have thought that my trail shoe 20 years ago would be a fashion icon now?”

This trail shoe has become a fashion obsession.

Salomon has indeed become a fashion obsession—it’s even had collaborations with Sandy Liang and Maison Margiela. It’s also a celebrity favorite: Rihanna, Bella Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski, Dev Hynes, Lily Collins, Hailey Bieber, Timothée Chalamet, Bradley Cooper and Robert Pattinson are just some of the people who have been spotted wearing Salomons.

Filipinos have also embraced Salomon for porma and for everyday use. “Filipinos are very quick to adapt to global fashion trends,” said JP, who added that they will soon be opening stores in Davao and Cebu.

The brand has also been collaborating with different local brands. Mikko said, “We’ve done S-Plus Saturdays with Sweet Ecstasy, Sulok Coffee, Common Folk Coffee. We have a partnership with Satchmi where they come to our store and guests can go through crates of vinyl records, pick one and play it. It gives everybody an opportunity to experience the vinyl culture for themselves.”

JP said, “At Salomon, our intersections are fashion, pop culture, music.”

Enter The Itchyworms. Jugs, who has been wearing the brand’s shoes since last year, said, “They’re very comfy. Pang-hiking siya originally eh. Masarap siya sa paa and matibay sya. And uso sya sa mga bata, eh gusto namin magpaka-bagets.”

Fantastic set

While wearing their Salomons, the band played a fantastic set featuring their hits and fan favorites—“Gusto Ko Lamang Sa Buhay,” “Love Team,” “Ayokong Tumanda,” their collabs with Ely Buendia “Pariwara” and “Lutang,” “Di Na Muli,” “Beer,” and “Akin Ka Na Lang.” In between songs, band members had fun with the audience and one another, laughing and cracking jokes.

At one point, they teased Kelvin Yu, their bassist who just got married, “Anong feeling na nag be-bass na may singsing ka?”

The intimate show was a special treat—both for the band and for their fans, who had gathered inside and outside Satchmi to watch the set.

“We don’t get to play acoustically often. We were pleasantly surprised. We were so happy that we sounded so good,” Jugs told Super after the performance.

“Did we?” Jazz teased.

Snapshots of a fun Saturday with the Itchyworms and Salomon

Bassist Kelvin Yu said, “Refreshing kasi tumugtog ng stripped down.”

Jugs agreed, adding, “Rinig na rinig mo lahat ng elements, you can hear the blending of the voices and the areglo, the arrangements.”

Jazz said, “It’s a different experience for us.”

Satchmi, a shop known for its turntables and records, was a fun venue for Jugs and Kelvin who are both vinyl collectors.

“It’s very cozy so ang sarap tumugtog habang nagkakape yung mga tao,” Jazz said. (Satchmi’s cafe is also worth visiting for their delicious beer-battered chicken tenders—something we discovered at the event.)

New members

The Itchyworms family—which started with Jugs, Jazz, Kelvin and Chino Singson as original members almost 30 years ago—has been growing since Chino migrated to Canada in 2022. Chino still plays with the band during their North America tours. Mikey Amistoso, who joined the band in 2022 and then also migrated to Canada last year, is part of the UK tour. Completing the lineup at “XT-6 Unplugged,” were Weckl Mercado, who also became an Itchyworm in 2022, and Michael Vargas, the newest addition to the band.

“Balang araw, hindi na kami tutugtog, kakanta lang kami. Sila na yung tutugtog, parang Apo Hiking [Society],” said Jugs.

“Na sakto sa Salomon, hiking,” joked Kelvin.

Clockwise from top left: Jugs Jugueta, Kelvin Yu, Jazz Nicolas, Michael Vargas, Mikko Abello Anj Donila and Weckl Mercado

We asked Michael if he felt any pressure when he joined such a beloved band. He said, “Hindi ko siya masyado inisip. Masaya ako na naka-join ako, mas doon ako nag-focus.”

Michael had been part of the string quartet at “The Itchyworms Good Time Show” concert at Newport Performing Arts Theater before he joined the band.

Weckl had always been a fan of The Itchyworms’ music. “Sa mga banda talaga sa Pinas… magaling talaga yung Itchyworrms. Kung papakinggan mo yung chord progression ng mga kanta nila, iba talaga.“

Now he’s part of the band. He’s also part of the UK tour. “Nakakakaba yung Liverpool, doon tumugtog yung Beatles, eh idol ng ‘Worms yung Beatles. Saną mabigyan namin ng justice.”

There are songs that your audience always request like “Beer.” Do you ever wish they’d ask you to play other songs or are you always happy to play audience favorites?

Kelvin: Always happy to play as long as they want us to.

Jazz: Masaya lagi eh.

Jugs: Every gig is a different experience so it’s ok. Hindi kami nagsasawa and we recognize that we’re very lucky to have all these hit songs, so thank you.

What is the secret to your longevity? What’s kept you guys together?

Jugs: The secret to longevity is magpa-executive checkup kayo every year when you hit 40.

Kelvin: You can go to Health Cube. Get your general checkup, look for Ms. Daisy.

Jazz: You can get your bloodwork there.

Jugs: Para alam niyo anong maintenance meds kailangan niyo.

Jazz: Kung wala kayong long life, walang longevity.

Kelvin: And you can’t play your hits if you’re dead.

Has there been a difference in the way you play as you get older?

Jugs: I think we get better.

Jazz: Parang aging like fine wine.

Jugs: Fine swine.

Kelvin: Or rotting like fine cheese.

Jazz: Minsan iisipin nung mga tao nakakasawa tumugtog ng same songs pero para sa amin parang humihinog nang humihinog.

Kelvin: And every time we play a song, we always think na it’s someone’s first time to listen to it so we don’t want to rob them of that experience if hindi namin tugtugin yung song.

What’s the craziest thing a fan has done to get your attention?

Jugs: Sa akin may lolang naghubad sa harap ko.

Jazz: Hindi sya naghubad.

Jugs: Ok, hindi sya naghubad.

Kelvin: Nagkaroon sya ng wardrobe malfunction tapos wala syang pakę.

Jazz: Pero ginawa ba nya yun to get your attention?

Jugs: Yes.

Jazz: Or nakuha lang niya yung attention mo?

Jugs: Hindi nga ako tumitingin eh. Nakuha niya ang attention mo. Siya yung tumingin the whole time.

Was this while performing?

Jugs: Yes! In Chicago!

Jazz: Ako meron. Alam mo yang kanta namin na “Beer,” may line dun na papakuluan yung beer tapos lalanghapin. Vinideo nila yung sarili nila na ginagawa nila yun.

Jugs: Mabaho daw yung beer.

Jazz: Pangit daw talaga.

Jugs: So kids, please don’t do it.

Jazz: It just sounds good in the song.

What else can people expect from The Itchyworms this year?

Jugs: More vinyl albums. We’ve had two and we’re coming out with three more:

“Noontime Show,” “Self-Titled,” and “Little Monsters Under Your Bed.” We will also be performing in Indonesia where my wife is from—Bali and Jakarta in August—and then Singapore in November.

What’s it like playing for audiences abroad?

Kelvin: Usually Pinoys yung nanonood sa amin, pero may foreigners din, because the Pinoys bring their partners and friends. We get to share our music and the foreigners appreciate our music kahit hindi nila naiintindihan yung lyrics.

Jugs: They don’t care that they don’t understand the lyrics, they understand the feeling.

Jazz: One time nagpunta kaming Singapore for a festival and a group of Chinese guys recognized us and had our photos taken with us. We asked, “How do you know us? ‘Oh, we saw your poster for the festival and we realized your name is weird so we looked you guys up and we liked your music.'”

Jugs: Sa Taiwan, may nag-stalk sa amin. Nag-Stories kami tapos na-figure out nila saang hotel kami, hinintay nila kami sa lobby and nagpa-picture sila. Nakakatuwa. Pero pinaka-nakakagwapo kapag puti yung bodyguards or hawi boys mo.