Jason Fernandez's Panimula Album Launch

Jason Fernandez

On embarking on a solo career, former Rivermaya frontman Jason Fernandez is very much aware that he follows on the footsteps of Bamboo and Rico Blanco. Both Bamboo and Rico Blanco were also former vocalists of Rivermaya who left the band, pursued solo careers, and later on established themselves as among the major acts in the Philippine music scene today. The road towards this end looks daunting, but Jason takes it in stride and starts from the ground up with the release of his debut album Panimula released by Ivory Music & Video.

Jason and his band Sta. Maria

Jason Fernandez, eager to show what he’s capable of, recently gave a performance in line with the launch of his album over at Metrowalk. Accompanied by his band Sta. Maria, Jason gave the Friday night crowd who gathered there to watch him, and those dining and chilling within the area what he has to offer. He started his set by dishing out a bunch of classic Rivermaya tunes like Elesi, Ulan, Himala and Awit ng Kabataan. Then he served a healthy dose of tracks from his album like the title track Panimula, Panaginip, the lead single Maria and Bulong ng Kalaban, a track that really showcased his band Sta. Maria.

Kimpoy and Feliciano joins Jason on stage

Several artists made special appearances during that night like rappers Dello and Pio Balbuena who did rap interludes in a couple of songs. Jason had a bit of fun also when he dragged Kimpoy Feliciano and Jordan Bautista on stage to join him in singing the Rivermaya classic Hinahanap-Hanap Kita. Kimpoy and Jordan, who had to rely on lyric sheets on their mobile phones during this number, are also handled by Jason’s management company which is Orion Entertainment.

Pio Balbuena performs with Jason

Serving as opening acts for the night were fellow Ivory Music & Video artist Kaligta, MMJ, Caleb and another Orion Entertainment talent Jensen Gomez. While the music and repertoire of Kaligta and Jensen Gomez fit the occasion and the venue, I felt that former XLR8 members MMJ and Caleb’s inclusion in the lineup felt a bit out of place. Also spotted during the night among the audience showing his support was Callalily vocalist Kean Cipriano.

Judging by what I saw during the launch, Jason is off to a good start as a solo artist. His brand of music is indeed rock, heavily influenced by Rivermaya and also showered with elements of praise. I think that among the former vocalists that Rivermaya had, Jason is the one who possesses a clear and distinct vibrato probably owing to his theater experience in the past. All this combined with his solid songwriting make for a promising effort. I only wish that the album has more tracks.

Jason Fernandez’s debut album Panimula, released by Ivory Music & Video is now available in record stores nationwide and in MyMusicStore Philippines. The album launch was presented by Ivory Music & Video, Orion Entertainment and MyPhone.