Johnoy Danao: Modern troubadour

MANILA, Philippines – Tears were shed during musician Johnoy Danao’s set at this year’s Fete Dela Musique.

The singer-songwriter who had the honor of closing the evening at the Acoustic Stage, covered Imago’s “Sundo,” which was appropriate as Aia De Leon, the band’s former vocalist, was in the crowd. Midway through the song, Aia was seen dabbing her eyes and wiping her cheeks. She threw Johnoy a thumbs up sign, which the musician returned with a grateful smile. 

Tearing up isn’t exactly an uncommon occurrence when he’s  singing and strumming his guitar. Years ago, Johnoy was a guest on the old Good Times with Mo radio program on Magic 89.9. Mo’s co-host then was Grace Lee, who couldn’t help but sob when Johnoy performed a cover of Coldplay’s “Fix You” and Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars.”

 

 

Even the normally loquacious Mo Twister was left speechless. Since then, countless people have been enthralled by the music of one guy singing over an acoustic guitar. 

Here’s a beautiful cover of the Dave Matthews Band’s “Crash Into Me”: 

 

Johnoy has been a staple in the city’s gig circuit for years, often playing two to four shows a week, mostly in Quezon City’s live music haunts like 70s Bistro, Conspiracy and Route 196.

Longtime fans will recognize him as the frontman of the band called Bridge, which came out with a few albums of originals in addition to covers of songs by the Dave Matthews Band, The Police, Hootie and the Blowfish and others. After the band’s breakup, Johnoy soldiered on, sometimes playing with good friend and guitar virtuoso Kakoi Legaspi, other times as a solo act. 

The performance on Good Times with Mo brought Johnoy to a wider audience, but it was his inclusion in the Philpop songwriting competition in 2013 that catapulted the normally shy, low-key troubadour into the spotlight.

 

He ended up winning first runner-up with a song called “Kung Di Man,” which was interpreted by former 6cyclemind vocalist Ney Dimaculangan. 

 

The competition led to a recording deal with Universal Records. The musician had earlier released a solo album called Dapithapon, a collection of slow ballads that pretty much highlights only two things: his voice and his acoustic guitar. He sold the album independently at his gigs and through social media, often inviting fans to get it at informal meet-ups around the city.

 

 

Johnoy goes for a fuller sound in the new album called Samu’t-Sari. Enlisting the help of old friends in the industry, he builds on the acoustic genre with more instrumentation, but still manages to keep his trademark sparse, almost bare-bones approach to music.

It opens with the finger-snapping “Buntong Hininga,” one of only two slightly uptempo tracks. The other is “Bilog and Bola,” which insists on equality and fairness in a seemingly cruel, hopeless world. 

Much of the rest of the album is a long, meandering exploration of love and romance told from a hopeless romantic’s point of view. Either that or Johnoy has mastered the subtle art of strumming people’s pains with his fingers. Try listening to the record on a quiet Sunday evening drive, or alone in your room with the lights turned off.

Songs like “Salamat Sinta,” “Dapithapon,” and “Salubong” are sweet torture and pierce through the heart like a samurai sword through chiffon cake. “Ikaw At Ako”  is already becoming a favorite wedding anthem, and his cover of the Itchyworms’ “Beer” strips the song of any vestiges of humor and irony and reveals it for what it is: a somber paean to lost love set to alcohol. Of course, the cover of “Sundo” is here and is just as potent. You may want to take it in small doses. 

Occasionally, the album does lay on the sentimentalism too thick. There may be a slight urge to listen to EDM or hip hop when the last note of Samu’t-Sari fades away, just to shake off the inevitable blues, unless you’re the type who revels in amplified despair or attachment.

In less skilled hands, Samu’t-Sari would probably be nothing more than a barf-inducing assembly of stinky cheese, but with Johnoy, it works. Blame it on those unexplainable set of vocal pipes, somewhere between comforting friend and caressing lover. I still think Johnoy should be heard live to be fully appreciated, but if his gigs are too unreachable and inconvenient, hearing him on record is the next best thing.  – Rappler.com

Samu’t-Sari is distributed by Universal Records and is available in all record stores. For Johnoy’s gig sched, find his fanpage on Facebook or follow him on Twitter and Instagram @johnoydanao