Once Upon a Band: The Noel Palomo Story

 

Bands have always been susceptible to the ravages of time. Nobody is immune. After all, the only constant, as they say, is change. Yes, some bands are considered "immortals," for good reason, but only in the realm of legacy. There are 'firsts' in musical history who stand out and will forever stand out. That's absolute! Whether it's a band or, by extension, its members, there's 'that difference.' That distinction. However, even tonal timbres that we thought were unique to one can have a twin and thus be replicated in some way or form, as in the case of Queen's Freddie Mercury in Marc Martel or Arnel Pineda of Journey sounding eerily similar to Steve Perry.

While this may hold true, a trained ear can never replicate the subtleties. Simply put, divergence is a rarity, but 'resemblance' is prevalent. Unique inflections, such as modulation, stress, and cadence, are as distinctive to a person as their fingerprints. For a fan, subtleties hold immense significance. No two bands or their famous members can be alike at one time or another.

Such is the curious case of Noel Palomo of Siakol. We all know that he started as an inquisitive young man eager to learn to play his first guitar. As time progressed, his curiosity became something of an obsession, surprisingly to the point of evolving, or, in a much more apt term, advancing, into composing songs. First, as novelties, he would construct lyrics to songs that were already established, and soon after, he would compose originals with the aid of his trusty guitar when genius struck. As he began to form and find his very first band, it became his default and 'go-to' habit.

Noel has been the band's only constant since the beginning. He was even confident in his choice of band name for the group. Curiously, Noel was particularly smitten with the name Syakol, but that decision was short-lived, so it was changed to Shock Cool for a time. Later on, as history would have it, the name never stuck, and the final name form, Siakol, would eventually be used, as decided with finality by Noel Palomo when they signed and recorded under Alpha Records.

THE EVENT THAT IMMORTALIZED THE BAND AND ITS NAME

In all likelihood, the band was supposed to be a guest artist for a Battle of the Bands gig. As competing bands performed for the prize and the distinction of being signed by a talent outfit, Noel's group performed as the front act and was finally introduced as Siakol in the process. The boys, it turned out, could never have anticipated what was about to happen. Amazingly, the talent outfit boss wanted Siakol to sign on for them instead of the winning band. Although it was a surprise, the boys found it to be a highly memorable event.

Siakol never looked back since. Lakas Tama, on its own, would later become their signature hit under the Alpha Records label's Numeric Sampler 502, and subsequently Tayo Na Sa Paraiso, along with the strength of other notable singles from the same album, in 2001 until the present. Their popularity may also be partly attributed to the inclusion of their single in karaoke collections across the Philippines, which even reach much younger demographics, including millennials. With numerous albums and multiple hits years later, the band would later succumb to change and disagreements, ultimately splitting the members into two permanent groups.

Because Noel has a stoic and magnanimous attitude toward the negative, he, his manager, and his crew decided to form a new group called Repakol. Repakol serves not as a rival to his previous band, but rather as a pillar of support for Noel, much like Siakol did before it. Noel Palomo was, after all, the sole architect and engineer behind the trajectory and direction of his and his band's previous and current careers, be it about its musicality, prolificacy, or originality.

THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT

Given the current situation, Noel Palomo, his management, and his crew were under pressure to act quickly. Since Noel is already approaching the age that many bands and their members experience at a certain time in their lives, he and his team must look ahead and plan for the future to reach and engage much younger audiences in order to supplement the throngs of devoted 90s fans who continue to support him after all these years.

From Noel's history with Siakol, which began in the 90s, performing with a support band group composed of much younger members formerly from other disbanded groups would be the logical first step. Comprising the present lineup of Noel's support band, Repakol, are Roosevelt 'Raz' Itum, bass guitar, formerly from the band Frio; Mark Alvin Palomo, rhythm guitar, and Noel Palomo's younger brother; Wilbert Jimenez, rhythm guitar 2; Matthew Bravante on drums; and lastly, Anthony 'Miniong' Cervantes, Noel's guitarist, also previously from Siakol, who went along for the ride with Noel and Repakol.

Additionally, Noel's unparalleled energy and enthusiasm, along with his creative genius in crafting more engaging compositions for a newer audience, would make it easy for both Noel and Repakol to appeal to the much younger age group, the millennials. Noel's years of experience in prolific creations have kept his mind and heart receptive to innovative new music trends. Short of saying it, Mr. Palomo has that 'subtle millennial persuasion' within him to captivate younger fans in his community.

The future does look bright!

 PULSO MUSIC