Johnoy Danao, Ebe Dancel & Bullet Dumas gear up for Iisa concert

Johnoy Danao, Ebe Dancel & Bullet Dumas gear up for Iisa concert

by rick olivares

Johnoy Danao, Ebe Dancel, and Bullet Dumas, three of the most respected tunesmiths in the Philippine music scene are taking their intimate and powerful live performances to the KIA Theater this coming June 9.

Titled, “Iisa”, the trio who have been performing together as “3D”, will be backed the Manila String Machine Orchestra as well as a full band.

The three musicians previously performed in a pair of shows called, “Dama” at the Music Museum and 70s Bistro. They also recorded for a film, Dancel’s song “Burnout” that was a hit for his former band, Sugar Free, back in 2003.

“We’ve done two shows called ‘Dama’ and we thought about calling it ‘Dama III’ but the bigness of the show along with the setting and the performers with us, demands something different; something special,” explained Dancel.

“Kaya ang tawag namin sa show ‘Iisa’ kasi yun na kaming tatlo – Iisa na,” bared Danao who thought of the concert title.”

“I think our music as individuals cuts across the same lines and demographics,” explained Dancel of the partnership among the three that has come to be known as “3D” owing to their surnames all coincidentally starting with the letter “D”.

“In the course of our getting to know each other and performing together which we all enjoy, we’ve become like a family,” further ventured Dancel. “We started out as individuals and now it’s become a family that includes our wives, girlfriends.”

“Hindi ko masabi ko magsusulat kami ng kanta as a group,” added Dumas who admitted that for himself, he is taking his time before he releases his debut full length solo album. “Let’s see where this takes us.”

Dumas released online an EP featuring three of his original songs – “Psst!”, “Galit”, and “Ninuno”. 

His two other 3D mates on the other hand, have been rather prolific. With Sugar Free, Dancel released four albums – Sa Wakas, Dramachine, Tala-Arawan, and Mornings and Airports. As a solo artist, he released Dalawang Mukha ng Pag-Ibig I 2011 and followed it up with 2015’s Bawat Daan.

Danao, the Masbate native, came out with two albums – Piece of Paradise in 2002 and Love from Lust in 2004 -- with his former band, Bridge. As a solo artist, Danao continued the breezy and Jack Johnson vibe with his debut Dapithapon (2013) followed by Samu’t Sari (2014) and Salubungan (2016).

“For ‘Iisa’, the songs are being arranged to accommodate the string orchestra,” summed up Danao. “Si Ebe pa lang nung nasa Sugar Free nakagawa ng gayan (with the Manila Symphony Orchestra). We are fixing schedules for rehearsals. Kahit kami excited din for this. If this leads to something bigger for all three of us, then yung show namin, big step ‘yan.”