Ebe Dancel Celebrates the Lasting Impact of Sa Wakas With a 20th Anniversary Show
From writing songs straight after prom night to singing about a phone call to a loved one, beloved singer-songwriter Ebe Dancel has come a long way since Sugarfree’s debut record Sa Wakas. Released in 2022, it was an album that’s been championed as one of the crowning achievements of alternative rock in the early aughts.
It’s been 20 years since then, and fans have wondered whether Dancel was ever going to celebrate the album.
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“I didn't even know that I’d get this far,” he said during a press conference for a special show to mark the 20th anniversary of Sa Wakas. Happening on Saturday (January 18), at 123Block, Mandaluyong City, and with the support of Backspacer Records and Gabi Na Naman Productions, the show celebrates the lasting impact of the album, which spawned hits like “Burnout,” “Telepono,” “Mariposa,” “Prom” and many others.
Sa Wakas jumpstarted the career of Sugarfree and Dancel, who has gone on to enjoy a career as a solo artist. During the virtual presscon, Dancel said the nervousness about the show was eased somewhat by longtime fans that have reached out to him.
“A lot of them messaged me out of the blue,” he said. “Sabi nila, ‘kuya, andyan ako ah. Nakabili na ‘ko ng ticket.’ Baka sinama mga anak nila.”
Dancel also expressed concern that his bandmates for most of his solo concerts have not had the chance to play most of the songs from the album. He himself admits to sometimes freestyling on the verses in songs like “Prom.”
“A lot of the songs in [Sa Wakas], they don’t play any,” he revealed. “So Google is my friend.”
The artist also recalled the early days of his career with Sugarfree in the late 90s and early 2000s.
“Yung [isa] sa mga goal namin ay makatugtog sa Mayric’s, Freedom Bar, all those venues I’ve outlived,” Dancel pointed out. “Yun lang yung goal namin, so with my lifetime savings we recorded a demo in the studio, which was far more expensive (because we didn’t have) the technology that we have these days.
With the advent of streaming coming up as of late, Dancel has expressed surprise about the way artists nowadays would get discovered right away because their songs would appear in one popular playlist. Back then, it was all about local radio DJs that allowed their demos to be heard on air, way before Sa Wakas was even released.
“I’m so blessed that night, I was giving away demos at Freedom Bar,” Dancel said. “Francis Brew of NU107 had to be there, and he had a show called In The Raw where he featured independent bands. So sabi ko, “If you like it, can you play it in your show?” and then Myrene Academia of Sandwich and Imago who also happened to be there that night, sabi nila, “Oy ako rin, penge ako.” They were the first radio stations that played us regularly, even before the album was released. Our demos were all over NU107’s playlist. Yung station na yun ay very integral sa mga nangyayari.”
Longevity
Later in the presscon, Dancel also talked about longevity in an album. He credited fans for allowing Sa Wakas to transcend generations.
“A lot of my old fans are actually passing on the old music to their kids,” he said. “So yun lang siguro ang pwede natin gawin; patuloy yung daloy ng music.”
At the show, Dancel will play alongside longtime Sugarfree bandmate Mitch Singson, who also drummed for cult favorite bands like Ciudad. Besides the actual show, there will be rides, booths, and games to simulate a school fair in the early 2000.
“The focus is just to get through the show, study the songs again and try to get things right,” Dancel said. “Parang UP Fair talaga eh, pag darating ka sa UP Fair, ang tanong, ‘Ano ulam?’ “May shawarma ba dyan?’”
Despite being released 20 years ago, the album still clearly resonates not just with longtime fans, but with Ebe himself.
“I sound like an NBA player, pero ganon kasi yung grind lang talaga eh,” he said. “Like, how do I get better in this? Do I spend time with the basketball player, nagre-rehearse? It’s the same with music. Just keep getting better and better. Nobody sets out to be the best basketball player ever or become the best musician ever. That’s a subjective matter. And I would leave that to the fans.”
Catch Ebe Dancel perform an all-Sugarfree set at 123Block, Mandala Park, Mandaluyong City on January 18 Saturday, 2023. The show will accommodate more tickets as those proceeds will go to Parokya ni Edgar’s Gab Chee Kee and his medical expenses.
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