KJWAN burst onto the Philippine music scene in 2003, when the local rock music scene had forgotten who it was originally and people were almost afraid to listen. Still, they came down hard, raw, in your face, with the release of their self titled debut album (in 2004) and coined the now-familiar catchphrase, “Bastusan na!” Their hit song, “Daliri,” became an anthem to a new generation of rock listeners and being true to yourself became the order of the day. Even the very word, Kjwan, seemed to flamboyantly step in your way and hounded you so that you would never forget the name, the band and the sound

This first album earned them the nomination for Favorite New Artist at the MTV Pilipinas Video Music Awards 2005, specifically, for their breakthrough single “Daliri.” The song, which received such a good amount of airplay on the radio and local music channels, appealed mainly to rock listeners who were fans of A Perfect Circle, Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine, and the earlier grunge bands that defined early 90s rock.

“The first one was a venture among good friends. Eventually, we wanted to form the ultimate band. We started off as great friends and musicians who respect each other. The first album was very raw, very the-four-of-us-in-your-face with our ideas” says vocalist Marc Abaya

The Manila-based quintet is made up of distinct personalities, with individual musical tastes that don't always overlap, and strong ideals that are often diametrically opposed. The chemistry might have combusted a lesser band before it even started, but the equally passionate friendships and shared hardships that make up Kjwan have held it together.
Long-time friends and former high school band-mates Marc Abaya (vocals) and Kelley Mangahas (bass) got together with fellow Ateneans Jorel Corpus (guitar) and J-hoon Balbuena (drums) to form the band’s initial lineup. They were joined in 2004 by Boogie Romero (second guitar), another high school friend and former band-mate of Marc and Kelley, soon after the release of their self-titled debut album.

Three years later, at the height of the new music renaissance, Kjwan is braving a second album, 2 Step Marv, which promises to be so many things more than their first self-titled album.

If the first album had been a simple matter of coming out, the two-year journey of making 2 Step Marv was a more complicated matter of growing up—musically. They were able to craft better songs, hone their individual skills, introduce new musical elements to their primarily rock sound, and in general, just put more thought, heart and soul into the new music. They became comfortable in their new skin.

“Two Step Marv is a bold step for the band,” Mangahas says. “As a collective, we really wanted to put in more of ourselves and our influences right now. With the addition of Boogie (Romero) for this album, we tried to incorporate this new sound and create a whole new dynamic for the sound of Kjwan.”

Skill-wise, three years of playing together, and more than that of playing with other bands, has honed each member enough to be confident in his own skin as a musician. In terms of new influences, they have consciously opened themselves and their songwriting to be inspired by genres other than rock. If the band has made a rock drummer out of J-Hoon, who in fact grew up not listening to rock, he in turn, introduced them to his original influences, specifically jazz, drum ‘n bass and electronica. These types of music, plus Kelley’s recent Hiphop / R and B and Electronic inspirations, Jorel’s recent interest in samba percussion, and the rock orientation that the band’s music originally started from, were the diverse elements that lent themselves to Kjwan’s collective songwriting for 2 Step Marv.

Each and every one of them was more involved in all the creative processes, from the songwriting, the recording, mixing, packaging, and down to the video production of the first single “Pintura”. Marc, who writes almost all the words of Kjwan, points out that even in writing lyrics, it is easier for him to bare his soul to his bandmates, without hindrances like fear, insecurity or pretension between them. This very open friendship is a big factor in the maturity and confidence of the new album.

“Our songs are honest.” Corpus says. “They are audible manifestations of our feelings, and the experience is a complete one, from the music to the message. We believe that, as songwriters and musicians, we are faced with a task to not only put out material that only we can relate to, but to put out something everyone can digest.”

The band worked again with noted multi-awarded producer Angee Rozul, who has recorded practically everyone who matters in the Philippine music scene for more than a decade in the acclaimed Tracks Studio in Pasig City.

“Angee is the best sound engineer in this country. Without him, we wouldn’t have even put out our first album, we owe him a lot and naturally for this record, there were no other options. He knows us best and we love working with him because were in our natural element when in his studio” says vocalist Marc Abaya

With this album, Guitarist Jorel, for instance, had the opportunity to incorporate his samba percussion skills to a couple of the songs (“Invitation” “One Look” “You Didn’t Know” and “2 Step Marv”) together with some of his fellows from Brigada (his samba percussion ensemble); while drummer J-hoon contributed his skills in track programming. Also, with regard to the addition of a second guitar, it became an important learning process for both Boogie and Jorel (who were both used to being the only guitarist in a band) to put their heads together and cooperate in order to come up with different but complementary guitar parts, while each still retained his own playing style.

“It’s a growth, from the first album, and hopefully, in the coming albums, it will grow more. So you can’t really pin your sound to one given genre. It will still grow and grow and grow.”
- Boogie Romero

The band’s faith in their music held it together. A record more explosive than anything you have heard, the album has an incredible range. On one end, there are the classic guitar-driven, big riffed

“Pintura” and “Sa Ilalim” which elevate the classy, heavy sound that Kjwan is known for from their previous releases. They achieve this by adding more layers, voicing, and elements that tap into the genius of band members Romero and Balbuena, while vocalist Abaya slithers and sings about his infatuation with a mysterious woman and life revelations respectively. On the other extreme, there’s “Two Step Marv” a lively track armed with an organic garage beat arranged for a mix of clean guitars and some heavy dynamics that took minor cues from drummer Balbuena’s love for broken, garage, and 2 step beats and “One Look” an insanely addictive pop song that speaks from the heart and taps Corpus’ fascination with the massive samba baterias of Rio’s carnavals.

“For this record, we hope to reach as much people as we can. We want people to listen to us. Know what we’re all about, like meeting a new acquaintance and developing friendships with our listeners that hopefully will last a lifetime.”

Marc Abaya - Vocals
Jorel Corpus – Guitar / Percussion / Vocals
J-Hoon Balbuena – Drums / Vocals
Boogie Romero – Guitar / Vocals
Kelley Mangahas - Bass