3 weeks ago
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MANILA, Philippines — The Dawn frontman Jett Pangan still finds himself marveling at the band’s longevity in the OPM scene. As they prepare for their upcoming concert, “The Dawn: Almost 40,” on Dec. 22 at the Music Museum, he and his bandmates can’t help but ask themselves: How have they lasted this long?
“It’s not all fun and games to be a rock band in the Philippines and to be able to last this long with member changes, management changes along the way... We always talk about it in private over a bottle of beer, paano nangyari ito and we would laugh as if it were a joke. Why are we still here?” said Jett of the band, whose current lineup is made up of drummer JB Leonor, guitarist Sancho Sanchez, bassist Bim Yance and guitarist Francis Reyes.
Jett acknowledged that their journey has been anything but smooth, crediting a force beyond their control for their staying power.
“I guess, I don’t want to sound religious or anything but there has to be something divine happening. When you change members, that’s always a step back when you move forward, when you change management, that’s even more steps back before you move forward. But for some reason, something happens along the way that the wind in our sails would just blow and it’s like wow pwede pa pala tayo, we can do it and we can add a few more miles,” said Jett.
“And the older you become, the more you appreciate that you are actually here, doing this now. An almost 40-year-old rock band inviting people... it’s something we don’t take for granted.”
They also don’t take their fans for granted. Looking back on such a long history, The Dawn has had its fair share of stories. Jett was asked about groupies and he quipped, “Let’s not go there.”
“I always had this thing with the term groupie,” he went on. “Maybe it works in the States. Dito kasi, whoever female folk that became fans of The Dawn, I couldn’t call them groupie because they became really close to my mom.
“When my mom was alive, she would try to watch every single show, tapos kung sino man yung nasa harap, the so-called groupies, fans, nagiging kaibigan niya and would even visit her.
“They became closer to my mom than they were to me. So, early on I had this thing about the term groupie, I would call them devout fans and eventual friends.”
Meanwhile, at “Almost 40,” The Dawn will not only play their greatest hits but also introduce new music. Their latest song, Missing Hearts, will debut at the concert under Sony Music Philippines.
“It’s a very new wave-infused flavor. Not to date the song but umiikot lang kasi yung tunog ngayon ‘di ba. It’s a cycle now the kids nowadays when you hear that music wow, it’s a new thing why not do it, we came from that era. It’s very much The Dawn song but Kiko did a very beautiful piano melody over it,” Jett said.
Of course, fans can expect their biggest anthems, including the timeless Salamat, which has become a national favorite.
“I think the song has a life of its own. From the time that we played it back in 1989 — Sushi (Atsushi Matsuura) was still the guitarist at that time — to this day, the reaction of the people through generations is the same. And I guess it boils down to the lyrics. Salamat is a very celebratory song, as Filipinos, we like to say thank you to a lot of things,” Jett said.
“When we pass an exam, we say thank you, right? When the summer, along with the heat, is over, salamat, malamig na, ‘di ba?
“Or we come home from a traffic, ‘Salamat.’ It’s such a celebratory word that I think that applies to everyone. So, the high I get from singing that song — it never changed. We’ve been playing it like forever.
The band with Jonathan Wee (rightmost), managing director of Ticket1, a leading travel agency and concert producer of OPM acts, during the presscon.
“There was one time we tried not to sing it and a riot broke out. So we said, okay, we’re not going to repeat this anymore. We just wanted to check it. Sa EDSA yun, somewhere in Greenfield. Actually it was my fault. I said, ‘Let’s experiment. Let’s see, what if we don’t sing Salamat?’
“I don’t know, the next thing (we knew), tables were flying… so, yeah, I guess people really wanna hear that song in one form or another. In karaoke or when I drive home, I hear people singing it, you know. So, yeah, it’s a song with a life of its own.
“And to the performer, it doesn’t have to be me, but I guess anyone who wants to sing that song in the videoke or in their own cover band, I think they’ll get what I mean, it’s the energy of the song.”
Aside from Salamat, fans can also look forward to Tulad ng Dati, which Jett considers his personal favorite.
“From the beginning to the end, it’s just a build-up of energy. And lyrically it can be a love song, it can be a song about friends. It’s very universal and when performed live, it’s such a great song to sing.”
The band will also revisit an old track, Abot-Kamay.
“There’s one particular song that I think speaks to a lot of people now for whatever age group. We recorded this in ‘90s, it’s a song called Abot-Kamay,” Jett said.
“It’s from the Abot-Kamay album, yes. May cassette pa nun. And I think it will be featured also in the concert, to be sung by a special guest.
“If you haven’t heard the song, I would invite you to listen to it and maybe you’ll see what I mean na you know, it’s a love song that can be interpreted in so many ways. One unforgettable moment with that song was when we were promoting it back in the ‘90s in a TV show. Tapos pinakanta alongside with us, si Ogie Alcasid.
“And at the time, Ogie was very popular, right? Up to now, he is. But there he was really like, you know, the voice of pop. Tapos kinanta niya yung kanta namin in a way that I’ve never heard sung before.
“To a point that hopefully, sh**, ganda ng pagkanta ko dun sa recording. So, yeah, it’s a song that’s open to so much interpretation. And even from us, maybe we can do something to rework it, to make it sound more fresh to the young ears.”
Jett also shared that he wouldn’t mind covering songs from younger artists like IV of Spades or Juan Karlos Labajo.
“Recently I became a fan of... well, I’m a johnny-come-lately to the album of IV of Spades. Their first album. I was able to listen to it during a lock-in taping somewhere in the province. For GMA also, I’m one of the actors there,” he said.
“When we had a break, the entire IV of Spades album was played and I was able to appreciate it. Yes, I know they’re popular. Yes, I know they’re great. But I was able to focus on their music one night, you know, wherever we were — dun ko nakita talaga na ang galing pala talaga nilang mag-areglo nung mga kanta.
“That I wouldn’t mind doing one song there… Mundo or whatever. Also maybe personally, any song of let’s say JK (Juan Karlos) which I think would fit The Dawn. I wouldn’t mind giving it a shot.”
Special guests at “Almost 40” are Ebe Dancel, Rayver Cruz, Quest and Aila Santos. Tickets are priced at P1,500 (Balcony), P2,500 (Orchestra Side), P3,500 (Orchestra Center 2), and P4,500 (Orchestra Center) and are available at TicketWorld outlets and Ticket1 branches.
