Buhay Banda Diaries

Filipino metal trio SKYCHURCH bassist and vocalist RUSSELL DELA CRUZ joins Joal for a chat on the Season 1 Finale of Buhay Banda Diaries.

Drawing from thirty years of experience playing music, Russell shares various stories throughout his career and the lessons that he picked up over the years. He discusses how music has always been in the family since the time of his grandparents and how this contributed to his and his brothers' musical upbringing, after which they eventually formed SkyChurch. 

He also tells the story of how he was inspired by the late great Teddy Diaz of The Dawn to pick up the guitar and play in a rock band. And he also touches on how he discovered that his music, which he initially wrote and released with his band as a form of self-expression, affected a number of people in ways that were life-changing.

Throughout his stories about SkyChurch as well as his former band Intolerant, Russell drops valuable lessons and insights from living the band life for decades, such as the importance of playing music with heart, understanding that your music can deeply touch listeners, shifting priorities as you grow older, the need to be professional when it comes to handling band matters, and so much more. 

Timeless and significant, the learnings that Russell shares as he talks about his musical journey ends the first Season of Buhay Banda Diaries on a significantly high note.

For the tenth episode of Buhay Banda Diaries, Joal chats with musician and founder of Musikaramay and Good Banda PH, Stanley Seludo.

As a drummer, Stanley has been active in the Filipino music scene for a long time, having played for various local acts like Stonefree and Paolo Santos. He has also played in different countries around Southeast Asia such as Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia, and is currently the drummer for the Pop/R&B quartet BRWN. 

Aside from his musical projects, Stanley has also kept himself busy by providing help to many local musicians who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through his non-profit organization, Musikaramay. Recently, he also established a delivery service called Good Banda PH that employs musicians as its riders to provide them with another source of income. 

In this episode, Joal and Stanley discuss not only his experiences, stories and insights from his musical career, but also what inspired him to help the less fortunate, and his realizations as he continues to aid fellow musicians in need.

Catch BRWN on Spotify at: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6VUeOvTWAawdS5ouyxVUkd?si=ZASvmlAHQuyXLBE5kqJ0HQ

Follow MusiKARAMAY on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/musikaramay/

Follow Good Banda PH on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/goodbandaph/

For the ninth episode of Buhay Banda Diaries, Joal gets to talk with a Filipino musician all the way from Canada. Richard Padua is a heavy metal guitarist and vocalist, known for the band Invicted (formerly Incurserated) and his newest project, Breath Of The Sun. Richard shares how his interest in music and playing guitar began, and the first bands he played for.  He discusses how he grew both as a musician and as a person through his stints with these bands which prepared him for Invicted. He also delves into his current life in Canada, and how from there he was able to form Breath Of The Sun with other Filipino musicians. And drawing from years of creating music plus the various lessons he learned throughout the journey, Richard gives some valuable insights and advice for those wanting to go after their own musical goals.

It’s a first for Buhay Banda Diaries as Joal chats with not one, but two guests on the show – the twin-guitar attack of Filipino heavy metal band Psywar, PJ Matematico and Spike Alojado. In this episode, the two guitarists discuss their beginnings in music, their first individual experiences playing in different bands and how they eventually met and formed Psywar. From there, they share various stories throughout their career that highlight both the ups and downs of their musical journey. With years of experience under their belt, they also impart valuable pieces of advice to those who want to build a name for themselves in the band scene.

Emperium vocalist and guitarist Niel Baluca drops by for a talk on the seventh episode of Buhay Banda Diaries. In this episode, Niel discusses his beginnings in music, from being a member of a choir as a child to how he became drawn to playing guitar in his youth through the influence of his friends, and how he started playing in bands. Niel also walks us through his 6-year hiatus from music where he completely disconnected from friends and associates in the band scene, and shares what made him return to playing, which eventually lead to the success that Emperium enjoys today. And drawing from his experiences, Niel gives listeners poignant advice on how they can preserve their passion for music and overcome the many hurdles that may discourage them from continuing their musical pursuits.

Veteran metal drummer and underground icon Paul Magat joins Joal for a chat on the sixth episode of Buhay Banda Diaries. In this episode, Paul discusses how he began his storied career in music and highlights some notable experiences in the underground music scene in the 90s while playing with his band, KNK (Kabaong Ni Kamatayan). Through his stories, Paul gives listeners a glimpse into the underground music scene of old, when analog ruled, audiences were radical and social media didn’t exist. Paul also touches on working with international bands as a session musician as well as his career as a recording and sound engineer. Lastly, Paul draws from his 20-plus years in the underground scene to give listeners advice on how to last long in the music industry.

Guitars, guitars and more guitars are the main focus on Episode 5 of Buhay Banda Diaries as Joal is joined by guitar maker and founder of Nof Customs Kenzo Garcia. In this episode, Kenzo shares what initially led him to building customized guitars, the different elements and considerations that go into guitar making, plus many gear "secrets" that you will only hear from someone who builds different guitars for different musicians. Kenzo also gives some valuable advice on how to choose the right gear and how to take care of your instrument so that it can always produce the best sound it can for you.

On the fourth episode of Buhay Banda Diaries, Joal is joined by bandmate and the mastermind behind heavy metal quartet Lavos Beckon, Gary Sumalde. Gary talks about discovering that he has an ear for music, how he came across heavy metal, and the beginnings of Lavos Beckon. He also shares the roller coaster ride the band has gone on through the years, as well as his experiences with recording for the band under the guidance of Slapshock's Lean Ansing. Finally, he imparts some advice to the listeners on how to keep their musical ambitions alive despite the challenges commonly faced by many bands.

Descant Gott and Xeno Devata vocalist Loubelle Luis joins Joal for the third episode of Buhay Banda Diaries. Loubelle talks about her introduction to music through the classical leanings of her family, and how she shifted to extreme metal. Loubelle also discusses working with different bands over the years and shares some anecdotes along the way, such as Descant Gott joining the nationwide band competition Red Horse Muziklaban and the experience of working with her fiancé Fidel De Jesus in Xeno Devata. Finally, Loubelle imparts some poignant advice to female listeners and musicians in the band scene on how to stay motivated and confident in an environment that is more dominated by men.

In this episode, Joal sits down with guitarist Kevin Conanan who has played for numerous bands in different genres, from blue rock to extreme metal and even J-rock. Kevin discusses how a couple of guest performances from Pinoy Rock giants Razorback and Wolfgang in his school kickstarted his interest in playing music, and how he further honed this interest by buying records based on the "angas" of their artworks.  From there, Kevin walks us through the bands he has played for, including Tyranny of Solidity, Subkonscious Terror and Idolator PH among others. Kevin also shares various insights he has picked up from years of playing in the Philippine band scene, such as the importance of not judging others based on their music and appearance and how polishing your craft as a band can exponentially expand your audience.