Bad news for all avowed Jowahs out there. “Jowahs” are what fans of the alt-pop band Cup of Joe (COJ) call themselves and last week they were shocked to receive very bad news. Amazingly, tickets to COJ’s concert next year were all sold out.
You see, the boys from Baguio will be performing at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Feb. 8, 2025. The concert is titled “Silakbo” — as in wild or frenzied experience — and will mark COJ’s big debut at the Quezon City dome.
Tickets went on sale at 2 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15, and sold out entirely, as in all available seats by 6 p.m. That tallies up to a scant four hours. Reaction was indeed truly silakbo.
But good news came the very next day. To accommodate their Jowahs, Cup of Joe, decided to add a second show the next day, Feb. 9, 2025. Yehey!!! So all you Jowahs be ready to go online to Ticketnet or personally to ticketnet outlets on Nov. 30 to get your hands on those precious tickets.
Selling out the Araneta is a record of sorts for a Pinoy band. This is proof that Cup of Joe has now entered the big time. Who would have thought that these boys, who were hesitant at first about going into the entertainment business will now be making music that streams by the millions and having lots of Jowahs just dying to watch them perform live.
Cup of Joe was born in Baguio in November 2018. It is now six years old. It is made up of Gian Bernardino on lead vocals; Rafael Ridao also on lead vocals; Gabriel Fernandez on lead guitar; CJ Fernandez on rhythm guitar; Xen Gareza on keyboards; and Elian Skia on drums.
The boys were then in their senior year and had been doing gigs around the Saint Louis University Laboratory High School campus. Since they were all determined to go to college, which would mean putting their music away, they decided to record a single as a souvenir of their short-lived existence as a band.
However, that single Nag-iisang Muli went viral and brought them to the attention of Viva Music and they were offered a recording contract. They accepted but with the caveat that college would be their priority. They all thought that was it, even after Nag-iisang Muli won for Best Regional Song at the 2019 MOR Awards and gave them a nomination for Best Recording by a new group at the Awit Awards.
The ensuing years saw the boys of Cup of Joe diligently attending to their studies, recording when they can and doing gigs once in a while. They were going to have real careers as engineers or dentists. Music was just a hobby that they intended to give up after college. But there was no stopping the hits.
Alas Dose, Sinderela, Sagada, Hayaan, Bukod Tangi, Ikaw Pa Rin ang Pipillin Ko, Mananatili, Estranghero, Tataya, Mananatili, Tingin, a collab with Nadine Tenoso, Kung Hindi Lang Tayo, Misteryoso, Multo, Lahat ng Bukas; and the EP Patutunguhan.
The hesitancy stayed. Juggling college and their music was difficult. But they got better and better as artists. They explored other music styles and made them their own. They wrote heartfelt lyrics that became more and more poetic. There was no stopping the growth of their artistry and confidence as entertainers anymore.
Every member of Cup of Joe now has a college degree. Maybe they will one day go back to the pursuit of their early dreams. That seems to be a long way off at the moment. They are still busy selling out coliseums.