The Lonely Soldier Boy
The Cagayan de Oro music scene is already jampacked with musical groups today, with bands producing a type of music that can easily be distinguished from the other. While this becomes a uniform movement, there are some musicians who want to push the indie music and mindset further than the rest. The Lonely Soldier Boy is an example of that effort.
The music project is named after the third episode of the third season (63rd episode) of the television animation series called Robotech. It is also the song title that was sung by one of the Robotech characters in the said episode.
Composed of only one member, The Lonely Soldier Boy promises to vent a pure form of music. The endeavour started as a solo project aiming to liberate creativity from the limits of band music and the on-going musical trend of the city. For the artist, he perceives his sound as an honest form of instrumental electronic music that ranges from indie to house; honest in the sense that every emotive instant is captured in song and interpreted in a unique way. Each of the songs is so distinctive from the other that one cannot say the entire record falls under one label of music style.
Among his many influences are:
- Pharell Williams
- The Flaming Lips
- Matt Hayes (Aqualung)
- Thom York (Radiohead)
- Daft Punk
- Chris Carrabba
- Bob Dylan
- Simon and Garfunkel
- Jewel
- Travis
- The Thrills
- Keane
- Corrine Bailey Rae
- John Frusciante
- Chris Martin
- Pigsqueal
- Rico Blanco
- Ely Buendia
- Cynthia Alexander
- Ben Gibbard
- Cedric Bixler-Zavala
The LSB also draws his influences from human emotions as well as love.
The artist chooses to remain ambiguous in terms of his identity. Yet, some might recognize him as a member of several young acts in Cagayan de Oro that support the ska and rock scene.
Moreover, he recently collaborated with inQue, another solo music project fronted by Porcelene bassist Rose Quirante. The LSB contributed guitar parts, accompanying instrumental sequences played through Quirante’s digital audio workstation. For a time, they played at local shows including XU (Xavier) Days’ annual Batong Bitoon, a three-day event celebrating the newest and best talents the school has to offer.
After a successful collaboration with inQue, he and Quirante formed another group that produced similar tunes but in a full band setup. Quirante played bass and did the vocals, while he played the guitar. They also invited fellow musicians Jojo and Poyen Ramos to play the drums and keyboards for them, respectively.
Currently, The Lonely Soldier Boy is active online through his Myspace page. He is said to release an LP album late this year or early next year. The artist behind the project is also active in the new band that he formed together with Quirante.
