Here come the sons

MANILA, Philippines - While some musical artists with celebrity blood or roots would rather downplay it to avoid the overshadowing tag, members of the band Generation sit comfortably fine with being loudly advertised as talents biologically produced by household names in local music. 

The group recently released its debut CD. The four members are a bunch with seemingly good ol’ school approach at making music, taking pride at their relatively similar backstories. 

Brothers Joe and Mike Chan, bassist and keyboardist, respectively, are sons of multi-platinum singer Jose Mari Chan. Lead guitarist Kowboy Santos is rock goddess Sampaguita’s child, while Ige Gallardo, playing rhythm guitar, has radio pop classic singer Celeste Legaspi for a mother. 

“I’m happy to see that my sons will become better musicians than their father,” said the iconic singer-songwriter Jose Mari in a chat with The STAR. 

Jose Mari noted that while his “knowledge of chords are limited,” his children have developed into instrumentalists who “even play saxophone.” 

Generation’s album, released by Star Records, contains 12 all-original tracks written mostly by the four members, collaboration or solo effort. Videos for the upbeat rock carrier single Love Is Killing Me and the Beatlesque Walking A Fine Line, which obviously intrigued the local press in a positive way, are now ready for public consumption, showing the band’s versatility as songwriters and skilled musicians. All four can sing lead vocals — a rarity for a modern full band. 

Kowboy proudly admitted, “Yes we are influenced by the music of our parents. But we want to give something different from what they do.” 

Formed in 2008, it took a couple of years gigging around before the young men decided to record, preferring to label their music as “new classic rock.” 

By that they’re reintroducing the old pop rock sound with a touch of modern feel. Ige put it succinctly when he described their notion of doing records. He pointed out, “Maraming restrictions to maintain that organic sound of old recordings. Wala kaming metronome.” 

Metronome is the sonic guide to drummers in keeping up with time signature, without which reliance on a musician’s sense of rhythm and feel come truly valuable. 

Other tracks in the album are Make It Right, Idol, Shine Your Light On Me, Keena, Star, Can’t Be Wrong, Purple, He’s Gone, She and Just Let Go. 

When each of the member was asked who their dream collaborator would be, two of them named surviving Beatle Paul McCartney. Joe, a die-hard Beatles fan, plays his bass in the style of McCartney and even owns a Hofner — the violin-looking bass guitar famously played by Sir Paul during the live Beatles gigs in the ’60s. 

“His bass lines are so amazing and in our album I put in ones in the way Paul did in the Beatles classic Nowhere Man where his lines are effectively busy,” he shared. 

Asked on his take that his sons chose rock over a genre he’s more associated with, Jose Mari said, “Music is universal language. Whatever genre you are into, I give you wings to fly with it.” 

(Generation’s debut CD is now in record bars and downloadable via iTunes, www.mymusicstore.com.ph, and www.starmusic.ph)