APO: Good to quit now with reputation intact

FOR THE past four months, the APO Hiking Society has been doing a series of farewell gigs here and abroad – the final leg of which has three dates starting tonight till May 29 at the Music

Museum.

Early this year the Pinoy pop trio announced its retirement from recording and performing, primarily since each member has begun pursuing a different direction after 40 years as a group.

Danny Javier, who sang lead vocals on many APO hits, now resides in General Santos City, South Cotabato, where he’s a business consultant. He’s been responsible for helping revitalize the Andok’s Lechon Manok store chain, and still maintains his Pidro T-shirt business and bonsai collection, said APO manager Butch Dans.

A few years ago, Jim Paredes relocated to Australia with his family, but has lately been spending more time here again.

He writes a newspaper column and conducts workshops on photography and creativity. He’s also teaching a course at the Ateneo, where the APO was formed, and been busy helping out presumptive president-elect Noynoy Aquino.

The third APO, Buboy Garovillo, has found a new career as TV actor and currently appears in the GMA 7 teleserye “Diva.”

But part of the reason for APO’s wanting to bow out of the music scene at this time is a bit of frustration – at least on Javier’s part. “The last album we released [in 2008] was hardly heard on radio,” he said in a press conference.

Does that mean that the group has lost its bite and practically become irrelevant to the new generation of music fans?

Not entirely correct an assumption, because in 2006 some 18 bands led Kamikazee, Parokya ni Edgar, Sugarfree, Orange and Lemons, among others, recorded the tribute album “KaminAPO Muna.” It was a huge hit and had a sequel, “KaminAPO Muna Ulit,” the following year.

But then that was three years ago and those records didn’t have any new songs.

So perhaps it really is time to say goodbye. Javier believes it’s good to quit now while they’re still in good health and their reputation is intact.

“Aside from the love songs, which will always sound good any time of day, people think of APO as politically involved artists,” said Dans. “Yes, in a sense, but it was more due to the causes we believed in, like democracy and morality.”