For Ebe Dancel, anniversary present proves how music transcends generations

Ebe Dancel

Last January, through the anniversary live performance celebrating the twentieth 12 months of Sugarfree’s debut album, “Sa Wakas,” the group’s former lead vocalist, Ebe Dancel, met a longtime fan—a mom who introduced her little one alongside to observe him play.

“She attended the concert and said she had been listening to me since she was in high school. Then, she introduced me to her child, who’s now in high school. That made me feel old, but it’s good to see that music does transcend generations,” Ebe stated at a latest video convention.

“I’m very honored. My songs are born out of honesty. I never had a target market in mind. Anything goes,” he added. “There’s no science to what I do, which is why I think people appreciate the songs.”

Ebe was reluctant about appraising his personal physique of labor and its affect on the native scene. That’s subjective, he identified, and it’s not his place to find out what his musical contributions are. “History will be the judge of that,” he stated.

But that’s simply Ebe being modest. Sugarfree is definitely one of the vital Filipino bands: Fans contemplate the group’s music because the soundtrack of their lives; youthful artists look as much as them as musical inspiration. In their preliminary run from 1999 to 2011, Sugarfree put out quite a few hits and different well-loved anthems—a few them from “Sa Wakas” alone: “Burnout,” “Mariposa,” “Unang Araw,” “Mariposa,” and so forth.

Looking again on the band’s early years, success appeared virtually unlikely. “When we launched our first album again in 2003, it was the peak of acoustic music and artists like Paolo Santos. On the opposite aspect, you had all these nice, heavy rock bands like Slapshock and Greyhoundz.

The band’s former label, PolyEast Records, wasn’t fairly certain the place to position them. “We just said, ‘Put us in the middle—kami na ang bahala,’” Ebe advised the Inquirer.

Later that 12 months, the band’s model of different pop confessional—delivered with Ebe’s highly effective and emotive vocals—ended up profitable a number of trophies on the NU Rock Awards and the Awit Awards. “It worked,” quipped Ebe, who now pursues music as a solo singer-songwriter.

“Sa Wakas The Repeat” poster

Longer set checklist

Because a number of followers missed out on the chance to see Ebe revisit Sugarfree classics in his live performance final January, he and his staff determined to restage it on March 31 at 123 Block, Mandala Park, Mandaluyong City. Presented by GNN Entertainment Productions and Backspacer Records, “Sa Wakas The Repeat: 20th Anniversary Celebration,” the present is predicted to characteristic an extended set checklist.

“We had been getting messages from fans asking for another show. This time, the lineup is different. Last time, I performed about 17 songs, but the crowd still felt bitin. So, this time, we’re adding five more to the list,” Ebe associated. “I don’t have any expectations. I simply hope to take pleasure in each second, as a result of you’ll by no means know till when you’ll​​ be capable of do that.

Part of the present’s earnings can be donated to Parokya ni Edgar guitarist Gab Chee Kee, who not too long ago needed to spend two months within the hospital on account of pneumonia and different well being issues arising from lymphoma.

In his personal method, Ebe hopes to reassure his good buddy that he’s with him “every single step of the way.”

“This is just my way of helping him. I want him to be safe. He’s home now, so that’s a good thing. We want to keep him safe and comfortable,” he stated. “When I escaped to La Union two years ago, he was there with me. We rode our bicycles together, sat by the sea and shared meals. And I just want to help this person who has been so good to me in whatever capacity.”

Supportive buddy

Gab is thought in music circles as a supportive buddy and colleague. “When you release new music, he will be there in your shows… he will tell others about it,” Ebe stated.

And so, in Gab’s time of want, the neighborhood was fast to assist, organizing and setting into movement varied fundraising actions, like concert events and auctions. “Not many fans know, but we’re all friends… If someone needs help, everyone pitches in,” Ebe stated. Meanwhile, Ebe couldn’t be extra grateful that, after greater than 20 years within the trade, he nonetheless will get to do what he likes to do. “I learned from my mentors, like Ryan Cayabyab and Gary Valenciano, that talent alone will not sustain you—you need dedication, hard work and kindness,” he stated.

And by no means does Ebe suppose that his success is his personal doing. After all, he stated, his expertise is God-given and he’s an instrument. “You have to be grateful… While I may not look like it, I communicate with God, many times a day,” Ebe stated. “He writes the songs. It’s not my hands, feet or voice, but God’s.”

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