Jamir Garcia obituary

 Jamir Garcia 

(September 5, 1978-November 26, 2020)

OPM singer, Vocalist, and Metal Rock Musician

Known for his raspy voice that complemented the rap metal music of their band Slapshock,  frontman  Vladimir “Jamir” Salenga Garcia was born in Pampanga on September 5, 1978.  His father initially disapproved of Jamir's pursuit of a career in the music industry. Jamir even had to take and finish an auto mechanic degree at Samson Tech to please his father. 

Jamir cited Korn, Limp Bizkit and Deftones as some of his strongest musical influences.

Consistently kind and soft-spoken, Jamir Garcia was also known for his tattoos and piercings.  He had more tattoos all over his body than any other rocker, with his right ear pierced as big as one-peso coin. He had tattoos on his neck, arms, tummy, back. The address where Jamir stayed during his younger years was honored on his body: #66-B, Gumamela St., Roxas District, Quezon City.

Jamir credited his big brother Chris Garcia (a renowned tattoo artist who used to work as a researcher at NASA and now runs his tattooing business in Virginia Beach, USA) for the artwork inspired by the style of Botong Francisco. Because no tattoo artist would do it on him, Chris himself did the tattooing of his legs. Their New York-based brother Sonboy is just as heavily-tattooed.

Jamir joined the Slapshock as lead vocalist in 1998. With his stage presence and showmanship, he led the band to its niche in the local rock music landscape, with their kind of sound that meshed hip-hop and metal. Their live shows were always jampacked.

Slapshock released songs that became a hit, like “Agent Orange," “Cariño Brutal,” “Langit,"  “Salamin,” “Luha,” "Sigaw," and “Anino Mo” among others.  The band's songs express Filipino sentiments. Jamir once described their process of creation and work: “Being from a Third World country, I’m in touch with the people’s angst and anger. We’ll go on writing about things that affect our daily lives— love, hate, struggle.”

The band had won NU Rock Awards for Artist of the Year in 2001 and 2002. Their album "Project 11-41" was also nominated for the Awit Awards’ Album of the Year.  It was a slick and melodic nu metal album-- and arguably their best effort... It had tracks that proved to be classics such as “Get Down,” “Queen Paranoia,” and “Numb,”  according to ABS-CBN writer Rick Olivares. 

Jamir performed the official theme with international Filipino musician apl de ap for the historical biopic “El Presidente” in 2005. 

Hardworking and professional, Slapshock was the ambassador of the clothing brand Dickies. It was also among the main and regular bands of the Red Horse Beer Pambansang Muziklaban.  Slapshock was the first Filipino band to perform at the Dubai Desert Rock Fest in 2008.

In the band's 20th anniversary, they  experimented with an album published in a different media. It was called Atake, and they  marketed it as a “USB-only release” accompanied by a free bandana (Jamir’s trademark head gear, a popular item among their fans). The band performed around the world (Malaysia, Sarawak in Borneo, Dubai and several East Coast USA cities) as part of its 20th-anniversary tour.

Slapshock’s manager Kevin Arnedo shared Garcia’s propensity for working under pressure. “During the 'Carino Brutal' EP recording, Jamir spent a whole day writing the lyrics. Then in the evening, he was laying down his vocal tracks.”

Inspired by the sacrifices of medical workers, policemen, and volunteers during the COVID crisis, Jamir wrote a new song called “Sana Pag Gising.” He said in the Inquirer,  “The song started nung mga nakikita ko yung frontliners na hindi man lang nila mayakap ang mga anak nila so, yung song ay nasa perspective ng isang frontliner at tungkol sa hirap at dasal nila– na sana pag gising tapos na ‘to lahat.” He passed the song to his bandmates while they are all in their respective quarantines. Jamir together with Lee Nadela (bass guitar), Lean Ansing (guitar), Jerry Basco (guitar) and Chi Evora (drums) took advantage of digital technology and collaborated separately in their respective studios/homes– sending audio and video files back and forth until “Sana Pag Gising” came into reality.

The group disbanded in October 2020. Over the course of its 23-year career, Slapshock released seven full-length albums through PolyEast Records (formerly EMI): 4th Degree Burn (1999), Headtrip (2001), Project 11-41 (2002), Novena (2004), Silence (2006), Kinse Kalibre (2011), and Atake (2017).

A father of five, Jamir passed away in their home in Quezon City in November 26, 2020.  He was 42 years old.

Callalily lead vocalist Kean Cipriano thanks his friend,  “I have the utmost respect for this person. He wasn’t just a skillful musician. He accorded me respect, which I didn’t readily get from other artists, especially when I was starting out... I remember, one time while we were eating together at an airport, he told me, ‘Don’t be afraid to turn down offers that aren’t worth your value, because bigger and better things would surely come later. Don’t ever compromise your value.’ “I knew that it wasn’t just a business advice, but a life advice. And it’s something I carry with me until now.”