From late night recording sessions at Backyard Studio Projects (R.I.P. Sir Junx Muaña) to celebrating 20 years of influence with a limited-edition Vinyl record , Urbandub's got a lot of reasons to feel on top of the world right now. 20 years since Influence is a milestone that every Cebuano can be proud of, and we're here for it (unless you're too young then it's a case of IYKYK).
Lalay Lim-Geronimo, Gabby Alipe, John Dinopol and Jerros Dolino back in 2004. Photos from band's FB.
Many stories and interviews have come out in the last weeks documenting the musical journey, the history, the transfer to Manila, and the spread of the sound of the giant south across the entire Philippines. If you haven't read these awesome articles and interviews head on down to https://pulp.ph/2023/11/22/influential/ and https://www.bandwagon.asia/articles/urbandub-influence-track-by-track-guide-20-years-later-interview-soul-searching-a-new-tattoo-2023.
We hit up our fellow Bisayas: Russell, Gabby, Lalay, and John for a lightning round of questions while preparing for their anniversary gig last November 25 at 123 Block in Mandaluyong City.
Photos by Kris Rocha from FB | @krisrochaaa on Instagram.
How much have you grown since Influence?
Gab: Definitely a lot older, maybe a little wiser. We’re at the point now where we know what we want. We have nothing to prove but continue to learn. We take things a day at a time. We are more in tune about our timing. We still continue to enjoy this music thing.
John: When writing songs, i pressure myself to be calm and mature and so far it feels good.
Lalay: I haven't grown much... only a few centimeters. Hahaha! Kidding aside, twenty years of learning and amazing experiences have passed. From trying to figure out where we fit into the music industry to continuing to develop as musicians every single day. What counts most, though, is that we experienced it. Over time, we have gained independence — not from our past but rather from the choices we make to lead fulfilling lives.
As a friend and fan who later became a member of the band, Russell had an awesome story to tell and experiences to share.
Russell: Grabi noh? 20 years definitely feels like a lifetime ago jud! Who would have thought that Urbandub would still be around today! Siguro, in terms of growth, I would consider myself to have been one lucky kid to have been given the opportunity to fill in for John in my late teens.
So I guess, from a fan's perspective, it was truly an honor and a privilege to have been given that. I couldn't say no, and I took it as a challenge and as an opportunity to gain knowledge and experience while learning the ropes in this whole music thing and what better mentor to have than Urbandub, right? The pressure was real! Like, I had to be on the same level and same page sa mga kuya ug kang achee from the get go, kay pila ra ka weeks, tukar na dayon, and I never wanted to let them down so, I practiced my ass off jud, and continuosly learned as we went on, until today! I'm still constantly learning through experiences and not only in the band life and music, but also in other aspects in life as I go.
As a friend, whenever I had to session for them, I had to keep up and be on the same page and same mindset with them. Respect is key! I've always looked up to them like my older brothers and older sister, and they've somehow became a role model sa akua, not just in music, but also as a person, trying to become a human and trying to make sense of life, most especially nga dako na ang mga kids, sila Jacob, Abbey ug Oli. I've seen the changes, and I've seen the growth. So far, so good! The kids are alright! Sometimes, it makes me think to myself "I wonder how fatherhood feels like?" 😜😆 I wouldn't know, but I guess naay similarities in being a cat dad of 7? 🤷😅 Not sure... We'll see.. 😆
And now, as a full time member, it just feels like home labi na nga we all come from Cebu, well except for Sam... pero kasabot raman pud sad siyag bisaya kay bisaya man iyahang asawa..hahaha! So, all the more nga mura rajud ug at home ang pamati whenever I'm around them, most especially nga kami ni Lalay ug ni John kay based na sa Manila, while Gab moved back to Cebu na.
When’s the Cebu Celebration?
John: Maayu unta kung naa, it would be amazing... Gab: Maayo unta naa. We'll see...
Lalay: Ganahan gyud ko nga mahitabo unta. Haha Russell: Hopefully we could set something up soon. It would be awesome if we could also celebrate 20 years of Influence in Cebu. There's no place like home, as the saying goes...🙂
What's next? For you and the band?
Gab: Personally, I just go with the flow. For the band, Hopefully new music and continued opportunities to play and share our music
John: To be a better person and to never stop being creative.. :)
Lalay: Being a mother of two is the most beautiful blessing, but it is difficult to balance time while playing in a band. Juggling everything led me on a whole new journey of discovering the quality of work I put in as a bassist and continuing to do what I do best. Going forward, I wish to instill in my kids a love and enthusiasm for music while also fostering a respect and support for it—all while hoping we can record an album and keep performing.
Russell: Ako, aside from Urbandub, I'm also doing Faspitch ug Wilabaliw and both bands have been cooking up new songs and planning new things, moving forward. Really exciting times ahead. Music is life! Haha 😆 Padayon lang jud hangtud sa makaya. 😁 As for Urbandub, mejo na dry run na ang among creative chemistry sa ReBirth project sa kaning bag-o nga line up, and I'm really excited to actually start writing new material from scratch with the kuyas and achee and excited to see what I can bring into the table, creatively.
It's good to know that the epic tracks of Infuence haven't 'fallen on deaf ears' 2 decades later. For a generation of music lovers, this was the soundtrack of our lives. We continue our soul-searching to the sound of Urbandub. As we say back home, grinabe!
Grab the limited-edition Influence vinyl from our friends at Pavement Records Cebu (@pavementrecordscebu on IG).