Gabby Alipe of Urbandub on why rock is not dead

CEBU, Philippines — In its 23 years, Cebuano band Urbandub has witnessed first-hand the changes in the Philippine music industry – from powerhouse vocalists being replaced by rock bands, which were then toppled by mellow singer-songwriters, and now idol groups representing what Philippine pop should sound.

When asked if rock as a music genre is dead, Urbandub frontman Gabby Alipe responded, “No. It’s preference. Music comes in waves. You really can’t dictate which trends are going to come out.”

Alipe and his bandmates John Dinopol (guitar), Lalay Lim-Geronimo (bass), Russell Manaloto (guitar), and Sam Saludsong (drums) never felt the pressure to adjust to trends in the music industry, including in this age of TikTok. Their working ethos remains the same as when the band was formed in 2000: make music that expresses how they feel, and trust that their audience will find them.

“As an artist, if you are pure or true to form, you will put out music that feels good to you. You will always find your audience as long as you keep your intent,” said Alipe during a recent press conference at Seda Central Bloc Cebu where they launched the re-recording of their debut album “Rebirth.”

“We are storytellers, not just musicians or rock stars. It doesn’t matter what genre it is. It’s always about how the song resonated with the listener. Whether it’s rock or infused with R&B or reggae or whatever, we put whatever out there and hopefully listeners would relate to it.”

Alipe also noted how the process of creating music has evolved. Artists have more autonomy inside the recording booth. “Back in our day, it was very aggressive. Today, it’s very technical. The new generation knows what they are doing because they have so many reference points. They have the [fast] internet, we only had dial-up then. They have so many artists that they can draw inspiration from,” he said.

Urbandub is always curious to see what emerging musicians come up with. As such, they stressed the importance of serving the craft as opposed to chasing stardom.

“Never aim for commercial success, but for the success of being an artist. Always serve the art and the music,” said Dinopol. “If you get lucky enough, you will find an audience where art is true to you, not dictated by what’s trending. Just be true to yourself, and you will find your audience if you believe what you are doing is great.”

Alipe added, “It’s exciting to hear new artists nowadays and it’s surprising what kind of music they would come out with because it’s hard to pinpoint who their influences are. In the end, it doesn’t matter what genre it is, it’s how your songs and your stories resonate with the listener.”

The band also talked about deciding to take a hiatus in 2015 due to performance burnout, in reply to a question of whether they had a phase where fame got to their heads.

“We wanted to focus on other things like family and business. We didn’t want it to reach a point where we hated each other, so we took a break. That allowed us to focus on our families and our jobs. John was able to start a band and write new music. Lalay focused on her kids, I also focused on my son,” Alipe shared.

“Sometimes you need that break to refresh yourself and gain new experiences. It’s never about fame. It’s always about performing, and we got burnt out so we had to take a break and breathe for a minute,” he continued. “For us, that minute was three years.”

Urbandub partnered with Warner Music Philippines to re-imagine their debut album “Birth” as “Rebirth”, which is now available on streaming and digital platforms. The label felt lucky to secure a major band with a loyal fan following known as Dubistas.

Sarah Ismail, Warner Music Philippines’ Managing Director, shared, “Anytime I meet with the label heads, they would always congratulate me about [getting] Urbandub. It’s special to meet an artist with so much history, legacy and so much impact to so many people, including my team. When I post something about Urbandub, my family in Singapore would ‘heart react’ or message me for more links about them. Their impact is so far and wide beyond the Philippines.”

“Hearing ‘Rebirth’, I thought it was punchier. It has a lot more sass with the rearrangement,” Ismail added.

Warner will likewise re-release Urbandub’s sophomore album, 2004’s “Influence”, soon on streaming platforms, to be accompanied by a physical release on vinyl.