Teeth

The grungy Filipino band Teeth was born during Manila's alternative rock boom of the early '90s and exploded onto the airwaves with "Laklak," a blistering tale of youthful excess that became an anthem for drinking. The track topped the charts of the Philippines' adventurous alternative rock station LA-105 for 12 weeks. Teeth was formed in September 1993 by Glenn Jacinto (vocals), Jerome Velasco (guitars), Peding Narvaja (bass), and Mike Dizon (drums). Narvaja, Velasco, and Dizon were originally in a group called Riftshifta, while Jacinto was in Loudhouse. Signed to Warner Music Philippines, Teeth released their self-titled debut album in 1995; the LP went double-platinum. "Laklak" was re-recorded and crossed over into the mainstream, stirring controversy with its alcohol-fueled lyrics; it was voted Song of the Year at the 1995 NU 107 Rock Awards. The cheaply made video for Teeth's second single, "Princesa," was even played on MTV Asia. However, in 1996 Jacinto was hospitalized for a lung ailment; his illness left him unable to promote the album or fulfill concert dates for a year. The band attempted using other singers to temporarily replace Jacinto, but the group's chemistry was lost. In 1997, Jacinto recovered and Teeth recorded Time Machine. Although the alternative rock scene in Manila had begun to wane, Time Machine sold enough to be certified platinum. When Narvaja left Teeth to move to the U.S., he was replaced by Andrew Sergio. In 1999, the band released I Was a Teenage Tree. ~ Michael Sutton