Everything about Pamphleteer seems out of sync with the present day, by design. On paper, their veteran roster seems like that most excessive 20th century rock cliché: the supergroup. Yet unlike those hoary, project-based indulgences, this line-up went through a natural growth. It started as a folkier solo act for The Purplechickens singer Aldus Santos. Then it became a dedicated pair after “Pas de Deux,” a duet with Dee Cruz (of Run Dorothy), was completely rewritten to bring out her voice—both literally and in spirit. Aldus and Dee penned new songs together as a coffeehouse-style duo, during lulls in office work at the same advertising company. It soon became clear they would need to expand into a full combo to bring the scope of their sound to live venues. They brought in guitarist Marco de Leon (Reklamo, Paramita, Basti Artadi), drummer Zig Rabara (The Purplechickens, Ang Bandang Shirley), and Jun Ballesteros (Fidela, Aia de Leon) on bass. Their sound too harkens to decades past. It’s clearly influenced by Greenwich Village folk rock of the ‘60s. But it’s a measured take, not a fawning rehash of Bob Dylan going electric. As one might hope from a group founded by a Gen X-er, it’s filtered through the lived experience of jangly Alternative Nation-era guitar-based rock, as well as various waves of folk revivals.
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