MANILA, Philippines - Before winning the Nescafé Soundskool 2008 college band competition, members of Letter Day Story had to overcome their family’s objections in forming a band.
“Like many young bands, some of our members’ parents, including mine, did not approve of us joining a band,” says bass player Oliver Agustin. But entering and later winning the intercollegiate band competition eventually turned their parents into their biggest fans.
“Nescafé Soundskool gave my parents their first chance to see us play. After hearing our music, they have become completely supportive of us. Then we won, which made our parents proud and even happier for us,” vocalist Aldrick Yu shares.
Letter Day Story regularly holds gigs at Freedom Bar and Maryric’s, among others. From time to time, it is also invited to perform at productions and school events. One time, the band even played for a fiesta in a barangay near Adamson University.
The band calls its music pop punk, which it describes as “alternative pop with punk-roots. But in our performances, we sometimes mix it up with other genre for fun. Sometimes we play our own songs as reggae, blues or even jazz.”
“Each song we write is a window to our band’s life experiences,” says Aldrick, who also writes most of the group’s songs. “Hence the band’s name: Letter literally means write, and day speaks of the members’ everyday experiences. Story refers to each of our bandmates having his own story to tell.”
The band cites the Eraserheads, Parokya Ni Edgar, Kamikazee and the “old” Rivermaya as their influences. Listening to foreign bands like Blink-182, New Found Glory, Green Day, Boys Like Girls and +44 were also instrumental in forming the Letter Day Story’s sound.