The Secret to Enduring Music and Creativity? The Dawn Points to Curiosity

One of the local music industry's most legendary and prolific alternative rock bands, The Dawn, is not stepping off the gas to create more nuanced projects, even after four decades of enduring and celebrated music.

Think of their era-defining tracks such as “Enveloped Ideas” (1986), “Salamat” (1986), and “Talaga Naman” (1994).

Earlier this month, the band put out a collaborative track by rising indie singer Sean Archer called “Delikado,” which was dropped after they signed with the Sony Music Philippines label. The track leaned more into their post-punk flair, coupled with the new school talent and presence brought by Archer.

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Esquire Philippines recently had a virtual meeting of the minds with The Dawn's guitarist Francis Reyes to go deep into the inner workings of what makes the band tick, the tools of the trade, and what it's like navigating through the industry today.

Reyes attributes their success to the band's persistent curiosity and how it anchored their creative energy, resulting in an enduring catalog of compelling music spanning four decades that still resonates with listeners to this day.

“We’ve always been interested in different kinds of music, and we find it fun to try out different approaches. We can’t play everything, of course, but we say to ourselves, “check this out; how did they do that?” he said in an e-mailed response.

“We don’t necessarily copy; we just pick up nuances that we can relate to and throw them in our pot.”

His own songwriting sessions begin with a bit of vibe searching, while he immerses himself in records of different stylings and genres before he strikes gold.

“I go, ‘I wanna try and write something in that vein…and hopefully capture the same feeling.’ I think we’re always learning and growing,” the guitarist narrates.

The Mystique and Wizardry of Teddy Diaz

Longtime listeners and those generally engaged in the local music industry likely remember where they were or what they were doing when they heard news of the untimely passing of the band’s founder, songwriter, original guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist, Teddy Diaz.

Reyes tells us that the late musical savant is still a core inspiration and serves as the standard for what it takes to write resonant lyrics, sharp musical sensibilities, and creative instrumentation.

Teddy had encouraged frontman and vocalist Jett Pangan, drummer JB Leonor, and bassist Balcells to pursue writing original material at a time when most bands were comfortable in their sthicks as cover bands in bars, much less recording artists.

“He had a quirky sensibility too; ‘Susi’ from the first album has these unusual angular riffs juxtaposed with jazzy chords and new-wave ambiance,” said Reyes, who took over the guitarist mantle shortly after his passing. He briefly became friends with the late musician and had hopes to form a thrash metal side project with him.

“Call it post-punk or whatever, but to this day I find it to be brave and daring. He loved melody too obviously.”

In 1988, Diaz was tragically killed in front of his girlfriend’s house just as the band put out their sophomore LP, I Stand with You.

Even nearly 40 years after his death, the legendary musician is still seen as a hero to many industry mainstays, such as Perfecto de Castro, who used to play guitar for Rivermaya. He has credited Diaz as one of the main catalysts for his desire to even pick up a guitar after watching iconic solo performances on VHS tapes. 6cyclemind’s former and founding lead guitarist, Chuck Isidro, has also been cited as a big fan of Diaz.

There is still that mystique to Teddy, being a classically trained musician who approached guitar work as a science and an art form. He was also known as a stickler for mistakes and missteps, as The Dawn frontman Pangan once put it in a televised interview on his former bandmate.

One of the band’s most popular tracks, “Salamat,” was co-written by Diaz but was released posthumously or a year after he was tragically murdered.

Reyes details that the band still searches for unique hooks, riffs, and grooves wrapped in dissonant sounds that may not always be obvious to listeners.

“I always keep his bravery in mind, and (Diaz performing) live… well, he was such a charismatic and energetic player,” Reyes said, reminiscing on the late musician’s onstage brilliance.

“I aim for those too, at least with the energetic bit. Sometimes, as I’m switching effect pedals, I have to remind myself: Don’t stay there too long… It looks boring. Move!”

Revisiting The Dawn’s Sound and the Current Local Music Circuit

The Dawn’s sound over the years has been through a bit of a metamorphosis, rooted in their early new wave/ post-punk sound, a staple genre of the era made popular by bands such as Joy Division, Depeche Mode, and The Cure.

To encapsulate the band’s prominent sound profile, you would need shimmering and layered guitar melodies (which Teddy Diaz was incredibly gifted at), moody synthesizer leads, and the distinct, dramatic, and soaring vocal flavor brought to you by Jett Pangan.

“Enveloped Ideas,” which was one of the band’s earliest cuts that skyrocketed them to relevance, is a prime example of this new wave flavor that opens with operatic vocals.

Heading into the 1990s and the 2000s, the rock outfit went heavier with their projects and pursued guitar-driven tracks such as “Tulad Ng Dati,” “I Saw You Coming in,” and “Harapin Ang Liwanag.”

Reyes says “I Saw You Coming In,” which was off their 2000 album Prodigal Sun, and deep cuts such as “Lift Me Up” and “Kalayaan” are some of the band’s favorite songs to play live as they still resonate with them to this day. The album was a testament to the band’s ability to express a marriage between their rock and electronica influences.

For all the gear heads out there, The Dawn’s signature tone is heavily anchored on aggressive distortion and delay pedals for ambient goodness.

“The sounds those devices produce have been there since the first album,” Reyes recollects. “Like Teddy, Sancho (Guitarist Romell Sanchez) and I always have them on our pedalboards. We like our guitars loud and punchy, but also we love exploring soundscapes.”

The Dawn’s prolific discography has spanned through major advancements in production tools and overall distribution of art that have made it easier than ever to discover new material.

Reyes is hopeful about the current local music industry and is giddy about how it is in good hands with surging rock groups and pop stars, like IV of Spades and Felip, who he says are writing excellent songs and have the technical know-how to navigate the scene. He stresses that The Dawn is even keen on working with anyone outside of the rock genre to broaden their creative horizons.

“Kids these days write excellent, EXCELLENT songs, and they know their tech and how to navigate the industry, and they have huge audiences,” the seasoned musician says.

“One key to longevity is to always love music itself and not get too carried away by fame and money, especially if both seem to have come overnight. And avoid burnout, in any form.”