Performing for the love of it

Some people turn to music to heal past wounds and eventually find inner strength. Others use music to share the infectious happiness it brings to them with the listener.

Juan Pablo Dream, a soul band, does the latter with utmost enthusiasm when it hits the centerstage and brings the house down.

“I like the groove part of it,” says bassist Alexander why the band shifted from bossa nova to soul a few years ago. “The music brings out the ‘soul’ in you,” adds lead vocalist Bing Austria, who does a mean vocal calisthenics on Motown hits. “It’s our passion to sing and to perform. We are happy that we get to perform and play our music.”

Although the members of Juan Pablo Dream welcome fame and fortune, they are content with the enjoyment each nightly gig gives them.

How did Juan Pablo Dream come into being?

It started as a bossa nova band doing the live circuit. The band then carried the name Juan Pablo. Since bossa nova has Brazilian roots, the members thought their name should sound Brazilian-Pinoy. That explains why they chose Pablo, a common male name in Brazil, and Juan as in Juan dela Cruz, a cultural image of every Pinoy.

Juan Pablo was off, hopping from one music bar to another. It was one of those bands that included bossa nova in their repertoire before female solo artists like Sitti and Agot Isidro brought bossa nova to the mainstream.

Like all other artists out there (individual or group), Juan Pablo looked for a better means of expression and soul was it.

As expected, Juan Pablo left bossa nova behind and started its musical life anew with soul. It added the word Dream to its name to demonstrate the band’s changing gears. It came up with its debut album titled Soul Up!, which boasts of 11 original tracks including the single Nice Place. In 2005, Nice Place hit the record bars and MTV invited Juan Pablo Dream to grace its Rising Star show in April of that year. The eight-member band was also part of the compilation album Hopia, Mani, Popcorn 2 with its rendition of Cinderella hit, Bato sa Buhangin. Juan Pablo Dream’s interpretation of the ‘70s ditty is jazzed up with the dominant sounds of saxophone and trumpet.

Other members of Juan Pablo Dream are Bianca Holganza and Lotte Villarosa on vocals; Au Castro, guitar; Eman Tabujara, sax; Igor Carpio, trumpet; and Aldwin Fernando, drums.

What does the term Dream in the band‘s name mean?

“It signifies our dream to become the best band we could be,” answers Alexander. “The dream is to make it in the international scene,” adds Bing. “An international Pinoy band that is based in Manila.”

The other week at Ten02 Bar in Timog, where the band performs Tuesday nights, Juan Pablo Dream  sampled my friends and me its brand of music. Bing sang The Temptations’ My Girl; Aretha Franklin’s Respect; and Martha Reeves; and the Vandellas’ Dancing in The Streets. We couldn’t help but sing along with him, stomp our feet and shake our booty. It’s hard to handle, err resist, the groove Bing and his band are capable of doing.

Also part of the band’s repertoire are You Really Got Me, Ever Changing Moods, Tequila, Call Me, Our Day Will Come, Broken Hearted Man, Never Can Say Goodbye, Never My Love, Windy, Ain’t No Mountain, Baby Now That I Found You, Light My Fire, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You and Just My Imagination, among others.

Juan Pablo Dream has a regular spot Monday nights at Route 196 and will share the stage with Side A Band in a concert on July 22 at Metro Bar.

What’s next  for Juan Pablo Dream? Its sophomore album is in the works with covers paying tribute to Pinoy music.

For inquiries on Juan Pablo Dream, call Bryan Fermin Garcia at 0917-8710720 or 444-0281 or e-mail at [email protected].