A Cup of Joe explosion in Silakbo

The Christmas Season is over but the boys of Cup of Joe are still going around with a Christmas morning look on their faces. Happy, excited and pleased as punch. Why not? They got all the gifts they wished for and are now off to have fun with their toys.

And what toys these are! Would you believe a sold-out two-night stint at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City? Not only that. Tickets for the first day sold out a scant four hours after those went online last November. That is the dream of every performer who ever set foot on a stage: “One day, I will sing at the Big Dome and people will come to watch me perform.”

And so, Cup of Joe, the hot young band from Baguio, is all set to conquer the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Feb. 8 and 9. This means that the boys are also bundles of nerves. “Scared as hell, but we will survive.” They will. This is truly a dream come true.

This gift box comes with a tour of Philippine cities and will be followed by the US and Canada.

Next toy. An album made up entirely of new original songs titled Silakbo. Of course, they have already released an EP titled Patutunguhan. It was a good one and yielded hits like Estranghero, Manantili, Tataya and that earworm of a collab with Janine Tenoso, Tingin. But Silakbo is something else. It is a full-length album and one on which they poured their hearts out.

Not only their hearts but everything that they are. See how they describe the music in Silakbo. “It is a narrative of our pain and healing. In creating it, we aimed to be as honest and direct as possible. It is us finally bringing unspoken emotions and experiences to light.”

This makes one wonder what experiences of pain and healing these 20-year-olds could have already gone through. But whatever those are, they certainly helped Cup of Joe craft a heartbreaking album of searing beauty.

“Ako’y antukin/ takot managinip/ kasi doon di na makapikit,” they sing in Wine.

“Pinapanood/ kung paano ko sinunog ang mundong ating binuo/’di ka na makahinga sa usok,” goes Kanelang Mata.

“Magpapalunod ba sa dilim/ o titingin sa mga bituin/ tutulugan ang gabi/ o ito’y aangkinin/ ipapabukas ko na lang ba ulit,” they ask in the title track Silakbo.

Set against pounding beats and lyrical choruses, the use of words in deep beautiful Tagalog in the songs brought Cup of Joe to a higher artistic level. And take note. Rejoice. Rejoice. There is no sign of K-pop influences in any of the songs. These guys are making real Filipino music for the new generation.

This is quite a feat for a six-year-old band, which got together while in high school and only wanted to perform their music whenever or wherever they are wanted.

Cup of Joe was born in Baguio in November 2018. 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.

They were classmates in high school and getting ready for graduation when they thought of recording a single as a souvenir. The song they did was Nag-iisang Muli, which became their first hit.

Now comes Silakbo as a concert and an album. It is truly an explosion.

“Hayaang sumigaw ang pusong nabilanggo/ sumabay na sa awitin/ pakinggan ang tibok/’wag ang tatalikuran ang bigat ng unos/ ‘pag nasugat ‘wag pigilan ang silakbo.”

Huwag pigilan indeed ang silakbo.