Mike & Joe on growing up on Dad’s music
Mike and Joe are like their famous dad, Jose Mari Chan, and yet they are not — musically speaking that is.
Listen to Dad Joe’s songs and they make you, if you haven’t yet, fall in love all over again. The songs of Mike and Joe strike you in a different way.
The brothers launched their self-titled full-length album last March, released by Star Music, composed of 10 original tracks, plus two instrumental songs (the bossa nova-inspired Fernandina and the rock-infused If I Knew You Were Coming).
Joe’s compositions: The Waning Moon, Seven Lakes Drive, With Me Tonight, If I Knew You Were Coming and Tell Her.
Mike’s compositions: Higher Degree, Finding It Hard, From Now On, Fernandina and Meant To Be.
The album…described by Joe as “very eclectic”… is the first collaboration of the brothers who used to be with a group called Generation composed of other musical siblings Kowboy Santos (son of Tessy “Sampaguita” Alfonso) and Ige Gallardo (son of Celeste Legaspi), with an album to its credit released in 2014.
“I am very proud of Joe and Mike and of the music they write and perform,” said Joe Mari. “Both have their feet on the ground, helping me in the business, and at the same time, they are giving wings to their musical passion. Pretty much what I have been doing myself these past 52 years of my life.”
Meanwhile, as the “Harbinger of Christmas,” Joe Mari (inset)has co-created the Firefly Christmas video to kick off Firefly’s “Celebright” holiday campaign to promote a safe holiday season and to encourage the public to celebrate a merry and bright Christmas with peace of mind using Firefly LED products, especially Christmas lights.
Joe Mari has a Christmas song called Song of the Firefly, a duet with granddaughter Ramona Isabel Bunag Chan, part of it goes: Listen to the song of the firefly/Glowing gently light and bright/Twinkling in the dark, a floating star that shines all through the night/There is a light like the firefly/Shining deep inside your heart/It’s the light of love that tells you we are never far apart…
Let’s listen to Mike and Joe.
How different is your music from that of your dad?
Mike: The music that Joe and I have written over the past two decades incorporates other genres that my Dad hasn’t explored, namely hard rock and progressive rock. On the other hand, our music shares a common ground with Dad. We enjoy writing love songs, Beatlesque pop music, jazz-influenced pop songs and middle-of-the-road material.
Dad was recording his music in the 1960s and 1970s. Music which was current and trendy in those days, and now, 40 years later, Joe and I are doing music not far removed from the classic pop sound of those eras. Of course, Dad’s music has stood the test of time, which is what all songwriters aspire to — creating music which will live on long after they’re gone.
Joe: Our music has more of a rock influence, because of our 1980s and 1990s musical influences.
Of course, you have your own style but somehow, how was it influenced by your dad?
Mike: We learned all about crafting catchy melodies and setting down lyrics with substance, by both listening to Dad’s music growing up and through countless sharing with him. I place him alongside my other musical heroes, such as Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder.
Joe: Our Dad influenced us in the classic romantic/melodic styles of music. Ballads, Broadway musicals, the crooners, etc.
What tips/pointers did you get from your dad?
Mike: Always be true to your music and your songwriting craft. Don’t write music that you feel only others will want to hear. Write music that you can truly be proud of. Write from the heart.
Joe: He advised us to make our songs concise, “edited” well. Songs with good melodies and nice hooks, can still be too lengthy at times, and may bore the audience after a while. Brevity and economy is key.
What kind of music/songs did you grow up on (listening)?
Mike: Aside from Dad’s music, I grew up on The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Bread, Bill Evans, Disney movies, movie musicals, musical theater, Van Halen, Metallica, etc. The list goes on and on.
Joe: We listened to a vast range of styles, from pop/rock ’70s and ’80s songs, to love songs, to movie and Broadway hits. Movie soundtracks, TV show themes, anything that had us curious upon listening to it.
Tell us about the songs on your album and the stories/inspiration behind them?
Mike: This new album features five of my compositions, and five of Joe’s compositions. Speaking for myself:
1) Higher Degree — I wrote this in the style of the hard rock/progressive rock scene of the 1970s. The lyrics speak of the creativity and potential that exists in all of us, and how we can achieve our goals in life through a combination of belief, effort and determination.
2) Finding It Hard — I wrote this song in the style of The Beatles and 1960s rock music. The lyrics touch on the various difficulties of human relationships, and at the end of the song, a plea for affection.
3) From Now On — This is a straight-ahead, unabashedly romantic love song written in the style of Bread and Seals & Crofts.
4) Fernandina — This is an instrumental that shows my love for Brazilian music.
5) Meant To Be — Again, this is a nod to my affection for jazz-influenced music. It’s a short and, I would say, “realistic” love song.
Joe: The songs on our album are a carryover from our “Generation” band period, plus a few more eclectic styles from our own tastes. Inspirations range from personal events and people in our lives, to “imaginary” scenarios that personally fascinated us.
Being with the millennial generation, how do you gauge the kind of songs millennials like?
Mike: Actually, Joe and I are not part of the millennial generation. We were both born in the 1970s, which makes us part of Generation X. So we actually have little clue to what appeals to the millennials. Joking aside, Joe and I enjoy listening to current pop music on the radio. Speaking for myself, I enjoy listening to Bruno Mars, even if his music has nothing to do with mine, sound-wise. But I can relate to Bruno Mars’ being nostalgic for music from a previous era, namely the ’80s. Our music in this new album is also kinda nostalgic for music of bygone eras.
Joe: Actually, Mike and I are not part of the millennial generation. That generation’s year starts in 1981, and Mike and I were born in the ’70s. But I think millennials helped continue the idea of well-edited/“abbreviated” songs. Their TV/Internet lifestyle is used to a faster pace. So we learn, and get tips from them as well.
Some singers use music as outlet for innermost feelings (hurt, etc.) that they cannot verbalize. What about you?
Mike: I would say that my music amplifies the sounds and songs I hear in my head and my imagination. I would like to think that I can verbalize what I’m feeling without having to write songs about them.
Joe: Yes, I agree that music has a profoundness that sometimes cannot be conveyed through words. We sing our “hearts” out at times.
What is your most “personal” song?
Mike: I would say that my most “personal” song on this album is Higher Degree. It expresses my unending love for songwriting which is really where it all began, not only in this album, but my albums that came before. It’s what brought me and Joe to where we are now.
Joe: My most personal songs would have to be the ones I wrote about family and loved ones.
If you were to cover/remake any of your dad’s songs, how would you do it (as is or “re-arranged”)?
Mike: My favorite of my Dad’s songs is Can We Just Stop And Talk Awhile. If I were to rearrange it, I would do it in the style of Stevie Wonder, complete with a Fender Rhodes electric piano, a funky bass line and a funky drum beat.
Joe: I would actually do them just as the original arrangements were done; I am a big fan of old style arrangements.
(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)
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