Gruvi finds path through love and betrayal

Meninaputri W ,  Contributor ,  Jakarta   |  Sun, 07/05/2009 11:29 AM  |  Music

They are the new kids on the block, well, they are not quite new; they struggled for eight years before releasing their first album. They call themselves Gruvi.

"We called ourselves Groovology back in 2002. The music was pretty different from Gruvi. It was jazzy and influenced by Stevie Wonder and George Benson. Now, Gruvi's music is becoming more colorful with a bit of reggae, soul, light jazz and even rock. We try to present our music in the style of the 1990s," said vocalist and guitarist Raden Aryo Baskoro (Bibus).

No wonder, the first time I heard their first single "Masih Mencintaimu" (Still Loving You) on the radio, I thought it was a new hit single from an Indonesian pop band from the 1990s until a friend told me that it was Gruvi, a new pop band made up of Bibus, Ari Pramundito (vocal & lead guitar), Yudhistira Arianto (keyboard), Muhammad Derry Pratamsyah (drum) and Tendra Leonard Pardamean (bass).

"We know that many people compare us to Kahitna and say that we're like Kahitna-wannabes due to the similarity in our music. We acknowledge that we are influenced by 90s bands like Kahitna, Humania, Protonema and Halmahera," said Tendra.

If you take the adage "don't judge a book by its cover" and are willing to hear their music, Gruvi is indeed colorful. It shows from simple things such as their appearance (each of Gruvi's band members represent a different color, from red, yellow, purple, green to blue), their taste in music and their different educational backgrounds (from technology, music, graphic design and law).

For example, Tendra loves to listen to what he called uncommon music like Frank Zappa, Yellow Jacket or Rush, while Yudhis likes David Foster and Josh Groban. Meanwhile, Derry prefers Extreme, the Stone Temple Pilots and The Police.

"Yes we have different taste in music. For example, I like the classics such as Frank Sinatra or Nat King Cole, but it doesn't mean that we can't play together. I guess what really brought us together was the friendship we had since high school. So no matter where we go, we always have a place called home, which is our friendship," said Ari, who released a solo self-titled album last year, followed by Bibus.

"We've been trying to get contract deals since Gruvi was called Groovology. While doing so, we keep playing in cafes, hotels and lounges. But then our demo CD got rejected so often that we started to lose hope. That's why we tried another way. Going solo was not as much fun as when we did it all together," explained Ari on why he and Bibus chose to launch their solo albums. Then in 2008 they reunited with another twenty-something gang and gave birth to Gruvi, a pop music band that eagerly produces love songs.

Why more love songs?

"Because love is in every little thing that we do and it's so easy to connect with. Basically the 12 songs in this album are based on our own personal love stories. For instance, our first hit "Masih Mencintaimu" was actually based on Yudhis's regret of dumping his ex. And trust me; we have like another four songs in this album that are inspired by Yudhis's experiences with the same woman. I think the album is our way of helping our best friend get over it, hahaha.," said Derry, laughing.

Indeed Gruvi's self-titled album portrays love on many different levels. Beside "Masih Mencintaimu" and their second hit, "Selamat Tinggal" (Goodbye), are love songs that may remind you of their previous idols; Kahitna or Yovie. Just listen to "Terlalu Sempurna" (Too Perfect). The song tells the story of a man who didn't love his girlfriend anymore, but didn't have the right reason to say goodbye.

There is also "Dicintai Untuk Disakiti" (Loved to be hurt). From the title one can guess the explicit meaning. It's about betrayal and another bizarre-love-triangle.

"Actually most love stories I know involve infidelity and being cheated on. No wonder our fans and the many responses we have had on our Website are about this song. Nowadays, somehow the traits of being faithful have faded away," said Ari.

In the meantime Gruvi are having fun performing at high-school prom nights in Jakarta and at baseball league matches. They have flown over the cuckoo's nest and dared to dream. They even plan to release their second album by next year. Now the only question left is, would you buy the love they sell?

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