Legendary OPM rock band Slapshock has called it quits after 23 years.

The OPM world is in shock after news of rock band Slapshock’s sudden disbandment broke out. The Daily Tribune was first to report the news last October 14. According to their sources, “unauthorized cash withdrawals and misappropriation of talent fees by frontman Jamir Garcia” led to the fallout. The band’s guitarist, Jerry Basco, who’s also the cousin of Jamir, reportedly filed a criminal complaint of estafa and qualified theft against the frontman.

Fans were in a state of denial around a week ago, but last October 22, another band member added fuel to the fire as bassist Lee Nadela also spoke out about the issue. In a statement sent to The Daily Tribune, Lee opened up about what led to the band’s breakup after 23 years. He revealed that the friction among the members has been brewing for years and that their fans have the right to know what happened.

The pandemic brought a lot of challenges and taught us a lot of lessons. Friendships, loyalty, intentions, and our sense of brotherhood were tested.

Lee recalled that when the band released the single ‘Sana Pag Gising’ last May, he and Jerry didn’t record their guitar and bass parts. “This was the first time that Slapshock has released a song without Jerry playing guitar and I playing bass. I understood, because I thought, maybe, it was because of the pandemic.”, Lee said.

The bassist then revealed that he and Jerry found out that Jamir, Lean Ansing, and Chi Evora finished recording a new EP without the two of them recording their guitar and bass parts. “They never informed us about the whole thing, not even bothering to ask if we were agreeable with the setup they wanted.”

Continuing on in his statement, Lee detailed how Jamir, Lean, Chi committed “a grave mistake” by withdrawing band royalties without their permission. According to him, the three admitted that they indeed took the royalties all for themselves. “They reiterated that they were the only ones entitled to it.”

After finding out about the unauthorized withdrawals, Lee and Jerry personally met with Lean to set things straight. According to him, they have solid evidence against the three members and that the brotherhood and mutual respect they’ve established for 23 years are all gone.

The two then proposed that it’s best to retire Slapshock as a band. Last September 28, Jamir, Lean, Chi, Jerry, and Lee signed a disbandment agreement effective August 30, 2021, giving the remaining members enough time to fulfill their commitment to the band’s corporate sponsor.

But, the tension didn’t end there. Rumors started circulating that Lee decided to quit the band and that he influenced Jerry to do the same. “Jerry and I cannot accept this version of the story because this is a total lie.”

When they took the royalties for themselves, it was like they pressed the disbandment button.

Music fans react

Long-time fans of the band who brought us the hits ‘Cariño Brutal’, ‘Agent Orange’, ‘Luha’, and ‘Langit’, among others, were shocked that the band they’ve known and supported for the past 23 years have parted ways.

Slapshock may have said ‘Adios’ to the industry, but Slap Armies will have their backs forever.

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