“Listen to yourself. Look around you. And use your senses,” says Joey Ayala. RODEL ROTONI
DANAO, Bohol—Singer-songwriter Joey Ayala jumped into a 200-meter-deep canyon and swung from side to side within a 300-meter gorge, as curious onlookers watched with anticipation. He was smiling.
Apparently, the 10-minute free fall and pendulum swing adventure, known as the Plunge, was a liberating experience for the 55-year-old Ayala—a towering figure in the local music scene, whose critically-acclaimed albums are inspired by Mother Nature and social concerns.
Same inspiration
Speaking to reporters before a concert with Lolita Carbon, in celebration of Danao town’s 50th Charter Day, Ayala described the Plunge: “Bumalik sa kamalayan yung mga panahon na wala pang bahid ng urbanisasyon ang paligid. It is very possible that what I felt was the same inspiration that Dagohoy felt [as he fought for Bohol against colonizers].”
This town is now known for Danao Adventure Park, which offers extreme adventure, educational and economic activities for tourists—a project initiated by the local government. The park sits in what used to be the base camp of Boholano hero Francisco Dagohoy during the Philippine revolution.
Ayala and his band, Bagong Lumad, were in the province last month to remind Boholanons to take care of their rich natural resources, between numbers that included his hit songs “Karaniwang Tao” and “Walang Hanggang Paalam.”
Stop, look and listen
Born in Bukidnon and raised in Cubao, the former Davao resident said he’s not particularly fond of listening to pop radio, since his head was “already full of stations.” Asked what he thought of the music of the new generation, Ayala said the Internet plays a dual role in propagating songs—it either exposes the listener to mediocrity, or give brilliant songwriters their much-needed break.
Speaking of whom, Ayala advised songwriters that it is best to use metaphors than to bluntly deliver their message: “Listen to yourself. Look around you. And use your senses.”