The joyride of their lives

The three newest members of Freestyle cannot be any prouder now that they belong to the erstwhile Davao-based pop band, which has invaded the mainstream music scene and churned out hit singles, sold-out concerts and record awards.

Vocalist-keyboardist Joshua Desiderio, songwriter-vocalist Mike Luis and bassist Rommel dela Cruz are having the time of their lives enjoying the great opportunities and even the perks that only a first-rate band like Freestyle can have.

Last year, the three guys got a taste of an American dream when they visited the US for the first time in Freestyle’s concert tour of the West Coast — San Diego, Anaheim, Vallejo (all in California) and Las Vegas (Nevada) — with fellow Artistation band, Side A.

“So far, that was the most memorable experience for us when we joined the US tour,” Joshua shares. “We also got to perform in Diego Garcia, a British territory near Madagascar where over 2,000 Filipinos live.”

The three guys used to be members of other bands. Rommel was with Barbie’s Cradle and won the NU Rock Awards as bassist of the year in 2003. Joshua played for Art and Soul, Kindred Garden with his cousins and K-24/7. Mike was a member of German Moreno’s That’s Entertainment then went on to become part of the Mike and Noah duo. He also joined several bands like Brand New Funk, Culture Shack, Green, Chaka Klan, Indio I, Next Level and Mike Luis and Friends.

However, all of them now attest they get more exposure, recognition and adulation with Freestyle, what with their regular gigs, record releases, TV and radio guestings, corporate shows, mall tours, campus appearances, provincial performances and concerts abroad.

“It’s like a joyride,” Mike describes his involvement with Freestyle. “I never imagined it to be this fun and enjoyable. There are so many opportunities that we experience and we can only be grateful for everything.”

Joshua, for his part, considers it a good break for him and a great opportunity to be with Freestyle. “Sometimes, I still find it hard to believe there are people in the audience who actually scream when we perform,” Joshua says. “It’s a totally new experience for me.”

In April 2005, when vocalist Top Suzara unceremoniously left Freestyle, he was subsequently replaced by Mike and Joshua. Rommel joined the band in December that same year. Fortunately, none of them had a hard time blending in or adjusting with the original members — Tat Suzara, Jinky Vidal, Nikki Cabardo and Gerard Banzon. The band is being managed by Celeste Pacana of Artistation.

“The adjustment happened naturally for us,” Mike allows. “There was no pressure to belong to the group. It made us feel welcome right away, without any hesitation.”

Joshua, meanwhile, considers his fellow band members as an inspiration for him. “They are very good performers. Masarap silang kasama dahil mabait silang lahat. Hindi mabigat dalhin. Even after a gig, we bond with them because we love eating out. The group is solid and I believe that’s important. We have very good chemistry even when we’re not singing together.”

Rommel insists making music with Freestyle is effortless. “Their work ethic is very high,” he says of the original members. “They are all very dedicated to what they do that’s why it’s contagious. You are compelled to work hard, too because the other members don’t give any less. They’re all fun to be with. It doesn’t seem like you’re working when you’re with them.”

Since the new members came, they have blended well with the old-timers. In fact, even before Mike joined the group, he already wrote songs for Freestyle, like Mananatili sa ‘Yo, for the album, Once in a Lifetime. For the group’s latest album under Viva Records, Back at the Yard, Mike penned eight of the 13 original cuts.

Artistically, the band members work well together now. “It helps that we are goal-oriented,” Rommel offers. “The old-timers give us direction in what to do. Every year, we make an assessment of everything that we’ve done the past year and we try to surpass or outdo ourselves the following year. That is a good motivation and challenge for all of us.”

Joshua developed a strong liking for the folk music of James Taylor since he was a teenager, with a strong influence from his dad, Gil Desiderio, a folk singer at Hobbit House in Malate. “But when I joined a band, my taste for music became diverse,” Joshua grants. “I started playing soul, R&B, hip-hop and Nirvana’s songs.”

Joshua developed his flair for music early on when he was still a kid. He became a Batang Papuri recording artist in 1988 and a Smokey Mountain finalist in 1991. When he was 14, he penned his first composition, Pangako, which was used as the theme of Flames: The Movie, under Star Cinema.

Mike was fascinated with the music of Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder when he was a teenager. “I particularly loved Michael Jackson’s I Just Can’t Stop Loving You, which he released in 1989,” Mike recalls. “I wished I wrote that song, instead.”

Rommel, while he was growing up, was exposed to the old songs of Beatles and Nat King Cole, thanks to his parents who also encouraged and supported his musical inclination.

Joshua, Mike and Rommel have sealed their creative collaboration with Freestyle in the group’s latest album, Back at the Yard, its 10th release and fifth studio album of original songs. The three also contributed their songwriting skills to the 13 original tunes in the 16-track CD, produced at the backyard studio of drummer Gerard, hence the title.

Viva Records requested the group to include three covers — Maybe, Is It Over and I Will Still Love You. Carrier track is Dati, a creative collaboration of Jinky and Joshua. Other tracks are Tameme, Naglalambing, Muling Ibalik, Mapipigil Mo Ba?, Paper Rain, Wonder, Rainbow Coloured Sky, Bawat Tao, Wrapped Around Your Finger, Bakit Kaya?, Sugar and Nananabik.

“We previously recorded covers with Freestyle and also our live performances,” Mike grants. “But Back at the Yard is our first album of original songs with them.”

Although Back at the Yard boasts a different sound, the album still carries Freestyle’s distinct musical flavor, according to Joshua. “The original cuts make this album different from the previous ones,” Joshua explains. “It’s more fulfilling for us if people patronize our originals than covers.”

On top of its regular gigs at Bagaberde Roxas Boulevard and Pasig and 19 East in Sucat, Parañaque, Freestyle will perform in the Middle East — Dubai on March 13 and Abu Dhabi on March 14 — for Your Mega Filipino Concert, with Kitchie Nadal and Rivermaya.

Freestyle is still promoting its latest album with mall shows, provincial gigs, TV guestings and radio tours. The group recently released its second single from the album, Maybe, a remake of the Roberta Flack-Peabo Bryson love song. When Freestyle rendered the song in S.O.P. last Feb. 24, the group was given a platinum record award for its earlier release, Freestyle Live @ 19 East.