FROM left: Paolo Santos, Jimmy Bondoc, Luke Mejares and DJ Myke Salomon
The group Sabado Boys—Paolo Santos, Jimmy Bondoc, Luke Mejares and DJ Myke Salomon—takes music seriously, especially their own, but spices up the latter with a big dash of humor. For these artists, rapport comes as easily as vocal harmonies. That’s the best thing, they say, about practically growing up together in the music scene.
“We always do our best—no compromises. And our repartee is spontaneous. People are pleasantly surprised that we can also be entertaining,” Paolo tells the Inquirer.
“We can be quite naughty onstage, but nothing over PG!” Jimmy quips.
Acoustic wave
Singer-songwriters Paolo and Jimmy hit it big during the so-called “acoustic wave” in the early to mid-2000s. Luke was the lead vocalist of South Border before he went solo; beat-boxer and singer DJ Myke, of the disbanded a cappella group Akafellas, is with the Philippine Educational Theater Association as a musical director (his latest project is “Rak of Aegis” in which he’s also part of the cast).
Sabado Boys was formed in 2006 for a musical-variety talk show of the same title, which ran for three seasons on three networks—RPN 9, Studio 23 and TV5. The show has long ended but the quartet still holds shows intermittently despite the boys’ busy schedules as solo performers. They have released two albums—“SAiTAi” and “Back with a Vengeance.” Says DJ Myke, laughing, “Both have reached ‘aluminum’ status.”
Because the guys represent different genres, they create an interesting dynamic, music-wise. “We can do pop, rock, jazz and R&B,” Jimmy says, adding that “there’s no room for competition. We sing in pairs or in groups, and never try to outdo one another; each one gets a chance to shine.”
Sabado Boys takes the stage at the Music Museum on Saturday (of course), June 21. The concert, “Bedroom Boys,” will be “sexy,” Jimmy jests. For tickets, call 8919999, 7216726 or 4527077.
Is there still a demand for acoustic music and R&B today?
Paolo: The acoustic trend sort of faded around 2005, when rock made a strong comeback. But acoustic music is always out there, in the “live” scene.
Jimmy: There’s still a considerable demand for it in live gigs or out-of-town shows. Money-wise, bumalik ’yung kita starting 2010. I guess it has something to do with the surge in popularity of YouTube artists doing acoustic covers of popular songs.
Luke: As for R&B, no matter what the trend is, people will always want to hear love songs.
Have you made drastic changes in your music to adjust to trends?
Paolo: I changed nothing. What I did was to join a band to sort of break the monotony. That was therapeutic for me as well as a learning experience.
Luke: I mixed things up a bit, doing more upbeat songs. I experimented with house music, and I danced!
What would it take for acoustic and R&B to recover the level of success that it enjoyed 10 to 12 years ago?
Jimmy: Exceptional new talents to shake things up.
It could be harder for the next acoustic acts to break through because of the Internet.
Myke: Yes, the Internet has made the competition tougher.
Jimmy: Also, shock value is a big factor these days. Back then, you could play soothing music and be popular. Ngayon, kung soothing ka, diyan ka sa kanto!
Do you see anyone promising in the R&B scene?
Luke: It has to be Thor. He was once my vocal coach. I’m glad he’s pursuing a solo career now.
Covers are usually frowned upon. Your thoughts on this?
Paolo: The local market for music is not really big. We tend to perform in the same places, so you can’t sing the same songs week in and week out.
Jimmy: There’s nothing wrong with covers. We just have to make sure that when we do covers, it’s not mere imitation but a contribution.