Text by Cheekie Albay / Photography by Deby Binalla

Ladies and gents, today's the last day of voting for the Converse Get Loud Band Competition!

Converse Get Loud showcases the talents of five bands from all over the country who will compete in the finals on November 9, 2013 at Excess Superclub, Timog, Quezon City. Fans can help their picks win the competition through online voting, which counts for 20 percent of the band’s final score. You have until midnight tonight to help Jad Montenegro, the only artist from Davao—or from Mindanao, for that matter—snag that victory.

Here, we list five reasons you should vote for Jad Montenegro.

1. Jad Montenegro’s Converse Get Loud song entry, "The Escapist", is really, really pretty.

Mind you, it’s not a saccharine love song. "It's about the human condition, specifically, about someone who's constantly vacillating between staying and going,” Jad explains. “Essentially, an escapist is a person who tries to deny reality. The song is a journey from that denial to acceptance."

Despite the lyrical bleakness, the band delivers the song with such a heart-eyed tenderness that you can’t help turning into mush just hearing it.

2. The instrumentation on “The Escapist” is clear, candid, and cohesive.

While the frontwoman’s acoustic finger-picking has always been a defining element of the Jad Montenegro sound, what rounds out the heartwarming wholeness in “The Escapist” is the collective contribution of her bandmates Dave Ibao (who also arranged the song with her), Erick Luzada, Pjoe Sabanpan, and Carlo Garcia.

Jad shares, “Erick always contributes his brand of ethereal guitar, along with Dave. According to him, he likes making his guitar sound like anything but a guitar. So his and Dave's sound has become a very integral part of our songs. Pjoe's bass line is very prominent in this song as well, and for the most part it is what carries the melody from start to end. Carlo has to play drums while blending his vocals with mine! This is also the ONLY song we have written that calls for all of us to sing.”

3. Wouldn't it be great to have a winner who’s a hot chick with candy-colored hair?

Imagine how awesome that shock of bright hair would look in the victory photos. (Think Hayley Williams of Paramore.)

4. Jad always stays true to herself.

Anyone who has heard Jad Montenegro’s songs knows that the band makes quiet, introspective tunes. While they could've literally gotten “loud” and written a song designed to rock your eardrums off, that's not who they are.

Jad reveals, “We did try to put a little more oomph into our performance since the contest is about getting loud, but it wasn't contrived in the sense that, as we were arranging, we weren't thinking about the competition and the other bands. We just wanted to make a song and make it us.”

5. Have we mentioned that they’re from Davao?



To vote for Jad Montenegro, go to http://converse.istaphil.com/getloud/subpages/jadmontenegro.aspx and click VOTE. You can also submit photo or video votes that feature your Converse kicks or you “getting loud” for Jad Montenegro; they count as two votes each and give you a chance to win prizes from Converse. Just go to http://converse.istaphil.com/getloud/subpages/gallery.aspx, click SUBMIT, fill out all fields, and click on “JAD MONTENEGRO”. Voting ends today, November 4, 2013 at 11:59 p.m., so click those links and vote ASAP!

Check out these shots LIEU took at Jad Montenegro’s Converse Get Loud Gig, held on October 26, 2013 at Blue Room.