Ben&Ben’s mission: Give love, be a light for others

CEBU, Philippines — There was more than enough love to go around on the evening of June 29 when indie-folk band Ben&Ben took their beacon of light and plunged it into The Terraces of Ayala Center Cebu so it could illumine the crowd’s overcast weekend.

Dropping by the Queen City of the South for their Limasawa Street Tour, the band relished in the energy of Cebuanos who sang along to every word as they performed songs like “Limasawa Street,” “Pagtingin,” “Talaarawan,” “Hummingbird,” “Mitsa (Salamat),” “Kathang Isip,” “Ride Home,” “Maybe the Night,” among others.

The show was a treat for Cebuano fans as the band lovingly added the Bisaya word “puhon” to their song “Fall” after having been inspired by the meaning of it which is along the lines of “in God’s time,” “hopefully” or “someday.” Ben&Ben also performed a version of “Araw-Araw” with lines translated to Bisaya.

For their third Cebu show, the nine-piece band didn’t need to worry about the “hard-to-please” image of Cebuanos. The adoring crowd alone was proof that where Ben&Ben goes, a romantic follows.

But despite their steady rise in the charts, the band remains earnest in their musical journey. In a backstage interview with band members – twin brothers Miguel and Paolo Guico on vocals and guitars, electric guitarist Poch Barretto, Agnes Reoma on bass, Keifer Cabugao on violin, Patricia Lasaten on keyboards, Jam Villanueva on drums and Andrew De Pano and Toni Muñoz on percussion – the mission for them is still clear: Make the world a better place by sharing their gifts.

“I don’t want to call it fame eh. I want to call it connection. That’s what it’s about. We just always wanted to connect. Regardless of how many connections we make, it’s always about that connection,” Paolo said when asked how they feel about their widespread reach. “We’re happy that we’ve built a pretty solid link between the people who come to the shows and listen online or buy the album.”

Instead of fame, the band said that they would rather think about their influence as a “deep and meaningful conversation but with 5,000 people at the same time,” as Miguel puts it.

Starting out as a duo between twins Paolo and Miguel, who were then known as The Benjamins, the act soon became a family of talented musicians whose presence add a vital element to what is now known as the sentimental and reliable sound that is Ben&Ben.

If anyone’s curious, the struggles of being in a nine-piece band is more or less figuring out where to eat after a gig. But kidding aside, performing with your barkada doesn’t get any better than this. Which is why Ben&Ben would rather take both the beauties and struggles of being a group act in stride, relying on their dynamic chemistry as people and performers, and constantly going back to why they formed the band in the first place.

“We believe that we’re really weaved together by someone greater than us, and that we can only just be in awe and grateful for it,” Keifer chimed in on the band’s purpose, which is all about finding a way to give back the love.

“To give love, you have to receive love, because you can’t give what you don’t have. And we received love, and the gift of music, the gift of lyrics, messages, the gift of song. That’s what we want to do. By being the light means giving love. Love means sacrifice and we’re willing to do that. To pass that light to other people and love creatively. It just so happens that our music is our common denominator.”

It’s exactly that mission of love and light that inspired the band’s debut album “Limasawa Street,” derived from the Butuanon word “masawa” which means light. Released in May, the much-awaited collection is made up of “13 songs of light.” Remaining true to their goal of connecting, “Limasawa Street” is their way of reaching out to anyone trying to make sense of their battles, their way of encouraging people to take the step towards somewhere better or at least accompany them on their journey.

“We always hear songs or conversations about how everyone is going through something. We just thought na after the hugot, after the weight of what people go through, we want to bring them somewhere better. So we decided to write these songs so we can bring them to a better place,” Miguel said.

In a manner of speaking, the group “went outside the box by making a box” with “Limasawa Street,” which is not only available for streaming but also through its physical counterpart: an enchanting box that doubles as a night light, comes with 13 single art postcards, a lyric booklet, and a flash drive containing all of the songs.

But this literal take on their mission of light is so much more than just a gimmick to set themselves apart in the market.

“It’s very symbolic to anyone who buys it, even if you don’t buy it or just know the concept of it,” Miguel said. “We want it to be like a chain effect. Yes, you feel like the songs are light to you, but you also have the power to become a light to others. Hopefully you pass it on. We think that the world needs it now the most.”

Putting out a physical album was a risk the band was willing to take, because its creation was not mainly rooted on the desire to rake in more money, but to instead offer an audio-visual experience for fans.

Paolo said that they all put their heads together to make the album, which is almost like a care package, to be a cohesive work of art – from the packaging, to the art, the music, and even the stage design. He added that they thought about how people were not looking for a distribution platform, but rather an experience they can take home with them so they can relive the feelings contained in the music.

“It’s not something you open up and throw everything else, and then that’s it,” Miguel said of “Limasawa Street.”

“We really thought it out, from the whole container down to the tiny pieces of paper inside. Everything has its own use. Everything is meant to not be thrown away.”