America with Kalapana to rock Big Dome Oct. 17

MANILA, Philippines -  An exhilarating brew of traditional rock, pop and folk alternating with familiar Hawaiian classics will take music fans on a nostalgic trip to the ’70s when two top foreign acts team up in a joint concert series in October that will feature some of the era’s best in popular music.

For the first time in their careers spanning more than four decades, legendary folk rock group America and Hawaiian band Kalapana will share the same stage on Oct. 17 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City to perform their greatest hits that have endeared them to millions and made them international stars.

America with Kalapana 2012 Philippine Tour, which will be mounted by Ovation Productions, will kick off a three-city series of live concerts that will also include shows at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino on Oct. 19 and at the University of Baguio, Oct. 21.

America returns to the local concert scene more than two years after its successful four-city tour here in 2009 that was highlighted by a sold-out performance at the Big Dome.

One of the longest-standing bands in the US today with 20 full-length albums and almost 200 songs to its name, America dominated the AM radio waves for half a decade in the early ’70s with mainstays ranging from folk to Beatles balladry and California pop.

Its debut single, I Need You, became a hit in the US, but it was its second single, A Horse With No Name, that catapulted Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek to the musical limelight when the song shot to the top of the charts.

A stream of other hits featuring the signature sound fusing strands of rock, pop and folk elements into an exciting musical mix followed, such as Ventura Highway, Don’t Cross The River, I Need You, Only In Your Heart, Tin Man, Lonely People and Sister Golden Hair, all of which became staples of the Top 40 and FM rock radio in the ’70s.

America’s self-titled debut album was released in 1971 and quickly went platinum after it was re-issued with A Horse With No Name, while the second album, released in November, 1972, won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist of 1972.

Behind America’s phenomenal success was the combination of Beckley’s melodic pop rock and Bunnell’s use of folk-jazz elements, slinky Latin-leaning rhythms and impressionistic lyrics imagery that contrasted with Peek’s more traditional country-rock influences and highly personal lyrics.

When Peek left the group in 1977, Beckley and Bunnell carried on as a duo and it was propelled to the upper rungs of the pop charts with the 1982 hit single, You Can Do Magic.

The pair continued to reap a string of successes as singers, songwriters and musicians until today with such landmark releases as Human Nature (1998) and Holiday Harmony (2002), an album containing seasonal classics; and the live showcases, America-Live (2000) and Grand Canyon Concert (2002).

Other songs popularized by America were All My Life, Sandman, Only In Your Heart, Muskrat Love, Daisy Jane, Inspector Mills, Riverside, California Dreamin’ and I Don’t Believe In Miracles.

In 2007, the duo made a successful studio recording comeback with Here And Now, its first major-label studio album in over 20 years and which climbed all the way to No. 52 in the Billboard chart.

America finally won a recognition from the entertainment industry when it was inducted into the Vocal Hall of Fame in 2006 and given a Star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame last Feb. 6.

Kalapana, on the other hand, which is celebrating its 39th year in the entertainment industry, achieved recognition for its pop and soft rock music that have made its hits, such as Naturally and The Hurt, enduring island classics.

Formed by childhood friends David John (DJ) Pratt and Carl James Malani Bilyeu, it made its debut in the entertainment circuit by playing its first gig at Chuck’s in Hawaii Kai until it became a regular performer at a new club called The Toppe Ada Shoppe.

It gained wider exposure when it opened for the concerts of Earth, Wind & Fire, Batdorf & Rodney, The Moody Blues, Sly & The Family Stone and fellow homegrown artists Cecilio and Kapono.

The year 1986 ushered in the release of a slew of albums, such as Hurricane, Lava Rock, Back In Your Heart Again, Kalapana Sings Southern All Stars, Walk Upon The Water, Kalapana II, Reunion, Full Moon Tonight, The Best Of Volume I, and many more.

Kalapana made a successful breakthrough in the international touring circuit when it performed with the L.A.-based fusion band Hiroshima, played at the grand opening of Hard Rock Café in Honolulu and performed in two-sold out shows in the Philippines with an attendance of 10,000 each night.

It also did extensive tours in Japan, US West Coast, Tahiti, Samoa, Guam, Saipan and other Pacific islands.

Its successful tour in Japan with Michael Paulo of Al Jarreau’s band and Tris Imboden (drummer for Chicago) boosted Kalapana’s popularity in that country, where it has one of its largest fan bases since the ’70s and landed it a five-album deal with Pony Canyon Records.

(America with Kalapana 2012 Philippine Tour is produced by Ovation Productions in association with Philippine Airlines, etc, 2nd Avenue, Jack TV, Talk TV, History Channel and Edsa Shangri-La Manila. It is also supported by The Philippine STAR, Manila Bulletin, BusinessWorld, philSTAR.com, Inquirer.net, 96.3 Easy Rock, RX 93.1 Monster Radio, Mellow 94.7, 97.9 Home Radio, ABS-CBN and OptimaSignsolutions. Tickets to the Smart Araneta Coliseum concert on Oct. 17 are priced at P4,000, P3,500, P3,000, P2,500, P1,500 and P700. Tickets may be purchased online at www.ticketnet.com.ph or call 911-5555. Tickets to the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino show on Oct. 19 cost P4,000, P3,000, P2,000, P1,200, P1,000 and P600. For details, call 232-6888, 0917-6228705 or 074-4423071. Ticket prices for the University of Baguio concert on Oct. 21 will be announced soon.)