Sons of Asaph play in church by day, and clubs by night

The members started out as a house band for a Catholic Church community in Sharjah, but it was an invitation to play at a private function jump started their ability to shift between worship and rock.

The Filipino rock band Sons of Asaph, from left, John Paul Abuda, Erick Lacson, Darwin Jose, Ferdie Flores and Omar Vallejo take pride in the variety of music they can play. Delores Johnson / The NatiShow more

Shifting from one genre to another is never a problem for Sons of Asaph. It’s not unusual to see the Filipino band playing worship songs during the day, then dishing out Led Zeppelin-like riffs in the evening.

“What we have in common is doing variety,” says vocalist and guitarist Erick Lacson, 43, explaining that his bandmates used to cover songs by the 1980s American progressive rock band Dream Theater.

The five-piece band’s beginning can actually be described as un-rock 'n’ roll. It was in 2012 when Lacson hooked up with Omar Vallejo (guitarist-drummer), Ferdie Flores (keyboards) and Darwin Jose (bass) at a local church in the UAE.

They started out as a house band for a Catholic Church community in Sharjah, but it was an invitation to play at a private function that jump-started their foray into more live performances.

“We were invited to play at a wedding party in a full band concept,” says Lacson. “We jammed before, but just for fun, and that was the first time that we have done a serious gig outside the church community. It was a great first-time gig. Then referrals to birthday parties and company events started coming in.”

Winning formula

The worship songs take a back seat during gigs. It helps that the band is versatile enough to play classic, modern and heavy rock, and pop music, citing a range of influences including The Beatles, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Toto, Pantera and Filipino rock legends Juan Dela Cruz and Razorback.

Then, last November, the group were asked to participate at the annual Al Ghurair Centre’s Battle of the Bands. The event gathered a contingent of bands across the UAE.

“That was when we named ourselves as Sons of Asaph. We brainstormed and we wanted it to be relatively close to our religious and musician nature,” explains Lacson.

Although a group called Carl and the Red Mafia took home top honours, it was Sons of Asaph's cover of Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water and The Beatles' Come Together that earned the approval of the judges and the crowd enough for them to bag the People's Choice Award.

It was a deliberate effort to do classic rock, in the hopes of standing out from the predominantly metal, reggae and funk acts in the competition line-up.

“We just don’t do covers, we put our own stamp in the arrangements of the songs like turning love songs or hard-rock tunes into a progressive piece – that’s what we did in the battle of the bands,” beams Lacson.

Moving forward

The busy schedule of the members, however, halted the band’s momentum and kept them from making the most of the ­experience.

“The biggest challenge we are facing is our tight work commitments,” Lacson explains. “We have three engineers, while I work at the airport, where the hours can be erratic. We just make sure that we meet every two weeks to jam and practise, and we still play at church activities.”

The band members are now determined to make up for lost time. Part of the process is to come up with more original material to complement the covers.

The addition of new drummer, John Paul Abuda, will now make the band a five-piece unit – further strengthening not just the rhythm section, but the overall sound as well. Vallejo will slide back to lead guitar duties. Lacson can now concentrate more on vocal and rhythm guitar chores, giving the band a more solid dynamic on stage and in the studio.

Rock 'n’ roll, as they say, is a young man’s game, and the band members themselves – who range in age from 31 to 43 – are realistic enough to admit that they’re beyond any “rock- star aspirations”.

“We don’t consider ourselves successful musicians yet,” says Lacson. “All I know by heart is we enjoy each other’s company, we share the same passion, and we embrace the full essence of music in a more meaningful way. We are simple family men who just want to play and earn a little.”