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Zamboanga band Rockin' Like Thunder is also set to release their EP this year.

After celebrating their first anniversary late last year, the band Rockin' Like Thunder receives a unique opportunity to become international recording artists.

In September 2022, American record producer and concert promoter Hadley Murrell was vacationing in Zamboanga City, and asked their designated driver where he could watch some good musicians that night. Hadley, who has traveled extensively around Asia is no stranger to Filipino musical talent.

“I've seen it everywhere, from upscale hotel bars to cruise ships, all over the world, you'll hear Filipino bands playing songs in English and sound like the real deal!” he said.

As it turns out, their driver, Efren Calumpong, was part of a band--at that time, called Toxic-- that played different venues around the city several times a week. He invited Hadley to watch them that night perform at a small roadside bar in Pasonanca Park.

The band is composed of Efren (lead guitar), Honey Jimenez, Anabel Perez and Alkabir Tarabi (vocals), Errol Calumpong (drums), Romar Tanjil (bass guitar), and Richie Reyes (keyboards).

Murrell and his party were treated to their covers, ranging from the Bee Gees and The Beatles to Steelheart, with some OPM. They enjoyed themselves so much that they came back the next night.

Hadley, who has been working in the music industry since the late 1960s and collaborated with the likes of The Jackson 5, James Brown and Marvin Gaye, was struck by the band'stalent. He became convinced that they could really go places after hearing them perform a powerful medley of songs by the band Queen.

Hadley subsequently spoke with Efren about the possibility of signing the band, and the band meeting about what it all could mean for them.

SEASONED SINGERS

Anabel Perez, one of the band's three vocalists, has been singing at coffee shops with a keyboardist, then getting occasional work as a freelance singer for bands that would play at special events or needed a pinch-hitter for that night's gig in Zamboanga and around the region. Collectively, she spent 10 years singing at different hotel bars in the United Arab Emirates. Pandemic shut downs derailed her plans to work in Singapore.

Honey Jimenez, who has been performing with the band on and off for about a decade, had spent a considerable amount of time singing not only in Zamboanga but also in different parts of Luzon, then in the Middle East and China. In fact, she had just returned from a stint in China before the COVID-19 pandemic erupted.

All of these overseas contracts were only for a few months at a time, then the singers would come back home and wait for the chance to leave again. In the meantime, to make ends meet, Honey rented out a videoke at a kubo behind her house, offering drinks and pulutan; Anabel maintained a sari-sari store. During the pandemic, Honey put together a food cart and sold sisig at a main thoroughfare in Zamboanga. Luckily, some entertainment business owners supported musicians in the city during the pandemic, distributing foodstuff to them.

Al, the lone male vocalist, started training himself as a tenor, alternating singing exercises between jogging and swimming, trying to reach the high notes. He worked as a freelance singer around the city, before being offered a job to sing in a band in the UAE in 2019. But then, the pandemic hit. That's when he learned to weld and paint--finding contractual work. In fact, when he found out that the band was auditioning singers, he just took a break from painting their house gate. He was hired on the spot and started that same night.

Their experiences playing gigs have helped strengthen their bond, so that onstage, they are able to play off each other's strengths, and have learned different genres of music.

INTERNATIONAL MUSICAL ARTISTS

In December 2022, the newly-christened Rockin' Like Thunder officially signed with Murrell's record label, HDM Records. The name comes from their first single, written by Dwight J. Emile, titled “Rockin' Like Thunder." In March 2023, the Stank Brothers production team (composed of Murrell, Emile, and singer Tomy Ge) flew from LA to the Philippines to conduct songwriting and performance training sessions with the band. From there, they went to Wild Grass Studios in Quezon City, to record a handful of songs with Awit Award-winning sound engineer Nikki Cunanan.

Slowly, the seasoned Zamboanga natives allowed themselves to enjoy the process and be hopeful for the future.

“We are very blessed and we are grateful. This is the answer to our prayers, because every musician dreams of performing for a wider audience and becoming a recording artist!” Al said.

“We know this chance doesn't come every day. Our training and experience have prepared us for it. We are ready to do the work and succeed,” Efren added.

Honey is glad that she can “work in music, which I am passionate about, without having to leave my family to earn a good living.”

Hadley envisions them as a rocking boogie band. To date, they have recorded 10 songs-a combination of covers and original songs. Their first single, "Rockin' Like Thunder," has been enjoying vigorous airplay worldwide, thanks to YouTube, Spotify, and other online platforms.

“We are here to help them learn how to break into the international music industry. And are confident that they have what it takes!” said Hadley.

“They take our constructive criticism to heart and have an amazing work ethic. They are consummate professionals,” said Tomy.

After their concert, playing for an audience of at least two thousand at the Paseo del Mar in Zamboanga City, Murrell gushed: “The show that they put on tonight is at par with any small show in Las Vegas, Nevada!”

Poised to take to the international stage, Rockin' Like Thunder are showing what it looks like when destiny finds you ready when it knocks on your door.

They will launch their EP in 2024.