Back at the bend
November 17, 2006 | 12:00am
Did Pinoy Rock shed a tear the day Teddy Diaz – founding member of The Dawn – died? You bet. Even today, the late guitarist’s untimely passing is still felt. One could put this down to the tragic circumstances of his death – reportedly a stabbing after bringing his girlfriend home in a part of Cubao. But that would be contentious.
There have been many tragedies in the local music scene and most are buried and forgotten without so much as a tribute single played on the radio. The reason why Diaz is still mourned is that somehow his music and the band he played with still survives. And unlike other acts from the 1980s, The Dawn are still considered a band that matters – they survived long enough to continue playing their music in a time when there’s revived interest in the decade that brought them fame. What’s even more impressive is the fact that, even with the ’80s back in vogue, there’s no camp value to their existence.
In fact, they even survived having a movie made about them. Directed by Mike Sandejas, the film Tulad Ng Dati is semi-autobiographical and purportedly tells the story of the band post-Diaz and after their lead singer Jett Pangan recovers from amnesia. No matter how crazy that sounds, it’s the music that will matter for Dawn fans.
The latest single from the soundtrack, Tulad na Dati, has a video directed by none other than Quark Henares who embarked on a blitzkrieg one-day shoot that involved several locations and hot young actress Luane Dy as well as cameos by upstart young director Ato Bautista and respected scriptwriter Shugo Paraico. According to Henares, the band is "having a resurgence of sorts. Their semi-biopic, Tulad Ng Dati, is touring festivals around the world right now, including the Pusan film festival. The soundtrack was launched a few weeks ago, featuring rearrangements of many of their classic songs.
"The video was launched as well, a first of sorts for the band because it was completely a narrative about a female assassin and the target she falls in love with," adds Henares. "What’s interesting about it is that it feels like a short film that just so happens to have The Dawn’s latest single, Ang Iyong Paalam, as its soundtrack.
"It begins and ends in the classic Ortigas landmark Linden Suites, which was used because of its great view of the sprawling metropolis and big space. We also needed something that looked like a hotel room but wasn’t just a box. Linden had a kitchen, a TV viewing room, a bar and two bedrooms that could be used as hotel rooms. Perfectly sleek and chic, just like our anti-heroine."
This year also marks the 20th year of The Dawn’s existence and they’re coming back bigger than ever by performing at the NU 107.5 Rock Awards on Dec. 1, at the World Trade Center. The band members have been ringmasters of what is considered to be biggest annual rock event in the country ever since winning "Best Live Act" trophy in the first Rock Awards in 1994. Although those behind are tight-lipped about this year’s program and The Dawn’s participation in it they assure us that this year will surprise everyone. For The Dawn, it’s like coming home.
Talk about a comeback.
There have been many tragedies in the local music scene and most are buried and forgotten without so much as a tribute single played on the radio. The reason why Diaz is still mourned is that somehow his music and the band he played with still survives. And unlike other acts from the 1980s, The Dawn are still considered a band that matters – they survived long enough to continue playing their music in a time when there’s revived interest in the decade that brought them fame. What’s even more impressive is the fact that, even with the ’80s back in vogue, there’s no camp value to their existence.
In fact, they even survived having a movie made about them. Directed by Mike Sandejas, the film Tulad Ng Dati is semi-autobiographical and purportedly tells the story of the band post-Diaz and after their lead singer Jett Pangan recovers from amnesia. No matter how crazy that sounds, it’s the music that will matter for Dawn fans.
The latest single from the soundtrack, Tulad na Dati, has a video directed by none other than Quark Henares who embarked on a blitzkrieg one-day shoot that involved several locations and hot young actress Luane Dy as well as cameos by upstart young director Ato Bautista and respected scriptwriter Shugo Paraico. According to Henares, the band is "having a resurgence of sorts. Their semi-biopic, Tulad Ng Dati, is touring festivals around the world right now, including the Pusan film festival. The soundtrack was launched a few weeks ago, featuring rearrangements of many of their classic songs.
"The video was launched as well, a first of sorts for the band because it was completely a narrative about a female assassin and the target she falls in love with," adds Henares. "What’s interesting about it is that it feels like a short film that just so happens to have The Dawn’s latest single, Ang Iyong Paalam, as its soundtrack.
"It begins and ends in the classic Ortigas landmark Linden Suites, which was used because of its great view of the sprawling metropolis and big space. We also needed something that looked like a hotel room but wasn’t just a box. Linden had a kitchen, a TV viewing room, a bar and two bedrooms that could be used as hotel rooms. Perfectly sleek and chic, just like our anti-heroine."
This year also marks the 20th year of The Dawn’s existence and they’re coming back bigger than ever by performing at the NU 107.5 Rock Awards on Dec. 1, at the World Trade Center. The band members have been ringmasters of what is considered to be biggest annual rock event in the country ever since winning "Best Live Act" trophy in the first Rock Awards in 1994. Although those behind are tight-lipped about this year’s program and The Dawn’s participation in it they assure us that this year will surprise everyone. For The Dawn, it’s like coming home.
Talk about a comeback.
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