Classic rock, romance and fun

DUBAI Filipino musicians have been hogging a fair share of the global limelight of late. A good example is Arnel Pineda, who was picked to front Journey after the giant US band saw him sing on YouTube. Child prodigies like Charice Pempengco and American Idol’s Jessica Sanchez have gained renown for their sheer talent. Lesser known yet providing the beats to a city’s night life are numerous Filipino cover bands at many of the world’s nightspots – and even here in Dubai.

And while all these artists are conquering different shores, the one band that has held the fort back home is Side A.

Characterised by a surgically precise approach to their craft, the band has dominated Philippine popular music for 25 years.

And come Friday night the band will rock Dubai with its rich repertoire of original hits like Forevermore and So Many Questions that have ruled Philippine airwaves. “We will be performing our well-loved songs, originals and party music to get everybody dancing,” band leader and keyboardist Naldy Gonzales told XPRESS. It was Naldy who founded the band in 1985 and is the only remaining member from the original line-up.

Clean image

In their nearly three-decade career, Side A members have kept an image of being “clean” – away from sex and drugs. And while the line-up has seen changes, these have only made the band’s music more refined thanks to its revolving-door policy.

“Changes only inspire us to do better. Change is good. It springs new life,” said Joey G., who joined in 1989 as the band’s lead singer.

And 14 albums later, Manila’s undisputed premier band are not hanging up their instruments just yet.

The band has a way of renewing itself: two younger pros – guitarist Leevon Cailao (who replaced Kelly Badon) and bassist Ned Esguerra (who stood for Joey Benin) – joined recently.

Famous they are, but the band members have their feet firmly on the ground.

“Where we are right now, the biggest inspiration is our families,” said drummer Ernie Severino, who joined the band in 1981 after playing for the Philippine Youth Orchestra. “Next are our fans, friends and supporters.”

Piracy peril

The band is a long way from retirement. They admit, though, that music piracy – the ease of downloading songs for free – is a big damper on their motivation.

Joey G. said: “It has changed the recording business immensely. Fewer artists are now getting signed up because the costs far outweigh the (commercial) benefits. It’s a sad state of affairs. We hope that the system will finally settle and we can all get back to creating original music.”

Despite the odds, the band promises to come up with new hits and they’re reaching out to the $0.99-per-download iTunes crowd. Joey G.’s single from his newly released solo album, Stand, landed on iTune’s No. 1 most-downloaded song last week.

“Our motivation is our fans and supporters. How can we not feel a sense of elation when a couple comes up to us and lets us know that they fell in love with each other because of our songs ... Forevermore has that effect on people,” said Joey G.

With their live shows marked by a good dose of covers of the world’s top bands such as Queen, Bon Jovi, Toto and Aerosmith, to name a few, there’s a lot to look forward to even for the non-Filipino music lovers in town.