Filipino showbands: Playing music for the world

MANILA, Philippines – From Australia to Vietnam and on cruise ships traveling worldwide, Filipino bands have become ubiquitous in various entertainment venues, thanks to their flexibility and musicality. These bands cover a broad range of popular songs, largely in English, but increasingly in the languages of their host countries.

Willy Francisco, production head at recruitment agency First Champion and International Entertainment Incorporated, attributes this phenomenon of Filipino showbands worldwide to the musicians’ adaptability in performing different songs. 

Francisco himself has more than 40 years of experience as part of a band in various parts of Asia and US territories.

Franber Candia, a former member of a show band in Oman, used his music education degree to become a music teacher in an international school in Vietnam after returning to the Philippines due to problems with his paperwork. 

He still plays gigs sometimes with his band composed of fellow Filipino professionals in Hanoi, but these are rare. They are writing original songs and plan to release their extended play this year. 

He told Rappler, “Our passion to perform remains.” 

In the long term, Candia would like to relocate with his family to North America.

Rocky Gapol worked as a drummer in a hotel bar in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 2016 to 2019 and was earning the equivalent of P50,000 a month. 

He was lured to work at a bar in Shenzhen, China, as a guitarist with the equivalent of a P30,000-salary increase, but he made it into China just before the country locked down due to the COVID-19 pandemic emergency.

Gapol supplemented his gigs with private music lessons and also played at various events.

Cracks in the illusion

Statistics from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) show that between 2015 to 2019, more than 2,000 Filipino musicians were deployed annually to work abroad. 

Candia and Gapol, however, have seen a shift in the long-held perception that Filipinos have a monopoly on the international showband entertainment scene. 

Thai, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, and Russian musicians show similar dexterity and vocal phrasing in English.

Francisco said the increased popularity of foreign music and the lack of government support for the local music industry caused the decline of Filipino musicians in the international showband entertainment scene. 

The pandemic also affected the industry, causing financial difficulties for musicians.

Citing the experiences of musicians during the pandemic, Willy decried in a mix of English and Tagalog: “The entertainment industry was badly affected. Everything was closed, and there were no venues where we could play, so there was not enough money for daily expenses. We didn’t deploy any musicians anywhere. Our office closed during that time. I had to sell two of my cars to have some money.”

Big dreams

In September 2022, while working at his motor shop in Zamboanga City, Efren Calumpong was asked by a friend who ran a car rental service to fill in as a driver for foreign guests, including American music producer and concert promoter Hadley Murrell. 

Calumpong and Murrell bonded over their love for music, and the Zamboangueno invited the foreigner to his band’s gig that night. Murrell and his group came and then returned the next night.

The American said he was blown away by the band’s rendition of the rock classic Bohemian Rhapsody because “they sounded so much like Queen!”

This marked the beginning of a remarkable journey for the band, previously known as Toxic.

Composed of native Zamboanguenos in their 30s and 40s, who run various businesses such as motor shops, car dealerships, sari-sari stores, carinderias, and videoke bars, the band had been playing cover songs in the city for over a decade. 

In November 2022, Murrell offered the band the opportunity to sign with his HDM Records. After consulting a lawyer, the band became the company’s first Asian recording artists in December.

Murrell returned to the Philippines with members of his production team for intensive mentoring and rehearsals last March.

The band co-wrote and arranged seven songs, including a punk rock-sounding song about Zamboanga.

They also agreed on a new name, Rockin’ Like Thunder, to reflect their classic rock ‘n’ roll sound. The band’s lineup includes Calumpong, Honey Jimenez, Anabel Perez, Alkabir Tarabi, Errol Calumpong, Romar Tanjil, and Richie Reyes.

Their official launch as international recording artists will be with a concert in November, in their hometown. 

Murrell said, “Nobody on the planet can cover popular songs better than Filipino bands. I know, I have been everywhere! But they need to find their own voice and write and produce music themselves. We’re here to help them learn about the international music industry.”

He credits the band’s enormous talent, passion, dedication, and willingness to learn for their success, and hopes to help them learn about the international music industry and find their own voice.

Despite their excitement about their success, Calumpong admitted that they are both excited and nervous about what lies ahead. 

“This is the answer to all our prayers, the fulfillment of our dream to become recording artists. We are determined to do our best,” Calumpong said. – Rappler.com