For a ‘blessed’ 40 years in music, The Dawn says, ‘Salamat!’
Blessed” was a word Jett Pangan would use over and over again as he wrapped his head around the fact that The Dawn will turn 40 this year.
“I started out when I was 17, 18. Now, I’m 56, and I’m still doing this! Playing in a band, especially here in the Philippines, isn’t easy. That we have reached almost four decades in the industry as a rock band is incredible. We still get to perform for people of all ages. We still get to play our songs and have a good time,” he told Lifestyle.
“Every day is a proud moment for us and we just feel really blessed,” the frontman said of his current bandmates, guitarists Francis Reyes and Rommel Sanchez, bassist Bim Yance, and drummer JB Leonor.
Founded by the late guitarist Teddy Diaz in 1985, The Dawn would go on to release 12 studio albums, headline sold-out shows, collect prestigious awards (the 1994 NU Rock Awards best live act, among others), and score hit songs that will surely go down in the annals of Philippine rock—“Tulad ng Dati,” “Iisang Bangka Tayo,” “Enveloped Ideas.”
Anthem
And is there a song that can better encapsulate the joy and sense of gratitude washing over The Dawn than “Salamat?” The band has been playing this classic since 1989—for “what feels like forever”—but still, the high Pangan gets from singing it hasn’t waned one bit. People play it at graduations, reunions, or when they’re simply feeling grateful about the littlest of things.
“The song has taken a life of its own and the way people react to it hasn’t changed through the years. I guess it all comes down to the lyrics. ‘Salamat’ is a celebratory song, and we Filipinos make it a point to express our gratitude for the good things that happen to us. You pass a test? Salamat. You make it home safely? Salamat,” Pangan said.
It’s this same message the group hopes to convey in its upcoming concert, “Almost 40,” on Feb. 22 at the Music Museum. (Visit TicketWorld.) Presented by Ticket1, the show is, in a big way, The Dawn’s way of reciprocating the unwavering support it has received from its fans—“one of the biggest reasons we get up in the morning.”
Pangan could no longer recall what it felt like turning 40, or how he celebrated the occasion. But the group’s 40th, he said, will be one for the books. “It’s going to be a nostalgic journey,” he said.
Cardio workout
And while they’re far from spring chickens, there’s no place the five men would rather be than the stage, jumping around, singing their hearts out. Sure, one of them already has access to priority lanes at the airports, Pangan joked, but they still keep each other on their toes. Doing gigs is surprisingly good cardio, you know?
“The music keeps you young! Look at the crazy guys I’m with every day. Playing with a rock band isn’t a sedentary job. And it can be a really good exercise when you do a lot of shows. We jump, get the audience going. And it keeps our heart pumping … in a good way,” Pangan said. “Whatever toxicity in your body gets flushed out when you’re performing for the people.”
It also helped, at least in Pangan’s case, to pursue other artistic endeavors outside The Dawn. He’s an accomplished theater actor, having starred in such productions as “Sweeney Todd,” “Jekyll & Hyde,” “Next to Normal,” and “Tick, Tick… Boom!” And he’s never too cool for soap operas, either. He has starred in a number of them, including the ongoing “Prinsesa ng City Jail” on GMA 7.
“You should never sabotage yourself, or care about what people might say because you’re a rock singer doing a teleserye. The more unlikely a project looks like, the more I would do it. I love The Dawn but I always want to do something fresh and test my limits,” said Pangan who revealed that he was a fan of “Flordeluna” and its lead star, Janice de Belen, when he was a child.
“It was my guilty pleasure. So I guess there was always a part of me that wanted to do TV. And if people don’t find it cool, it’s fine, as long as there are others who appreciate it,” he added. “For some reason, whatever I stick my nose into, I manage to pull off. And that I owe to the blessings from God and the good people around me.”
His bandmates don’t mind him having other pursuits outside music. In fact, they support it. “They tell me not to pass up on these opportunities,” Pangan said. “But my time is devoted mainly to The Dawn.”
Blindsided
Of course, the band also had its share of punches to parry, the biggest one of which left the members blindsided early on in their career. In 1988, at the height of the band’s popularity, founding member and original guitarist Diaz met a tragic fate—killed in an attempted robbery just a few steps away from his girlfriend’s house. This prompted the first of the many lineup changes the band underwent through the years. (Former members include Buddy Zabala, Atsushi Matsuura, and Mon Legaspi.)
The band also went on hiatus in the mid-1990s, but the call of rock and roll proved too great to ignore. “There were quite a few instances in our career when he would stop and think, ‘Itutuloy pa ba namin?’ There were many factors at play like the economics of it, or the new talents coming up,” he said.
But in times of doubt, they find clarity in going back to basics. Strip away all the frippery and what is left is the one constant in their careers—the love for music.
Passion
“Why are we doing this? Because we love to play. It’s the desire to have fun and to share our music with people. And if that’s what primarily drives you, then you’re good,” Pangan said, adding that ego clashes are unheard of within the band, despite members coming and going. Money was also never an issue.
Still, longevity isn’t guaranteed. But at the very least, he said, you can say that you had a grand time doing it.
And should that fateful moment to hang things up ultimately come, there’s nothing more to say really than, “Salamat … Thank you very much!”
“If the day comes when no one watches us anymore, then that’s it. But we have seen bands come and go and we’re still here. There are still people who book us to play here and there. So why not? Not a lot of people are blessed to do something like this. And I keep saying the word because that’s what I feel we are.
Blessed.
“And as long as I can sing and reach the notes, I will be here,” Pangan said.
