Bringing Joey & The Boys to the light

When it comes to live bands, one of the best kept secrets on the island is Joey & The Boys. A three-person group composed of a father and his two rockin’ sons, this ensemble is as stripped down as you could get but Joey and his sons actually know how to rock and—for music aficionados, particularly those whose tastes run to pop rock, alternative, and Pinoy folk and rock—that is enough.

If you’re wondering why you haven’t seen them perform yet, it’s because these boys have pretty much kept a very low profile, performing exclusively at the Tagpuan, a tiny bar in front of the American Memorial Park.

The place is literally a hole in the wall but if you don’t mind the kitchy décor and the surreal feel of being in a dangerous part of town, you will pretty much enjoy yourself. In fact, it is actually the utter lack of ambiance that turns your attention to the stage, focusing it on the music of Joey & The Boys. Miraculously, the whole package works, with the band’s total lack of pretension melding quite well with their rough cover of MTV and VH1 rock and alternative mainstays, Filipino pop rock anthems and the occasional requests for oldies but goodies.

Joey & The Boys is headlined by the padre de familia, Jose Gustar, who plays the bass guitar. A music veteran of 23 years, Jose started his musical roots in 1967 in Vietnam, where he was the lead vocalist for a group that performed for American G.I.s during the Vietnam War. He came to the CNMI in 1983 where he became part of the Flame Tree Band. Since then, he has played in various night spots on the island, finally ending up in 2003 at the defunct Benny’s Place, which later became Tagpuan (The term tagpuan itself means meeting place in Tagalog.)

The other members of this three-person act are brothers Orly and Joey, who take turns in doing vocals duty during performances. Orly plays the lead guitar, while Joey handles percussion duties by manning the drums. You wouldn’t know it from the way they handle their instruments but they are relatively new in the field of music-making—it was only here on Saipan that they started playing full time as a band. Orly said he had a one-year stint at the North Mall in Caloocan in the Philippines but that was it, while Joey himself, who professes to play a little of something, only began drumming professionally here.

Yet their love for music and their craft shines through each time they take the stage. Despite their minimalist performance on stage (with nobody jumping up and down, no one doing a head bang, no one turning cartwheels on the stage), they have that elusive quality that compels the audience’s attention, that makes you tap your feet on the ground and nod your head in time to the music without conscious thought. You should hear Joey & The Boys’ version of Lenny Kravitz’s songs, or that of Green Day, or the Bamboo anthem, “Pinoy Ako.” When asked for influences, they cited Van Halen, White Snake, The Cars, Firehouse, Mr. Big, Collective Soul, Jet, and a host of other big names in rock and alternative music.

On a rare night, you get to experience at Tagpuan what it must have felt like when New Orleans was still inventing jazz in the ‘30s. Members of other bands on the island would converge at Tagpuan and jam for hours, playing such great music that you wouldn’t want to leave. The last time we caught them at it, the soaring melodies had goosebumps chasing themselves across my arm. As I said, this is a rare thing, but when it happens, the amalgam of talents produce such great music that the hours just fly by.

You can catch Joey & The Boys at Tagpuan on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays.