Lakbay with Vic Facultad & Weather the Roots

Lakbay with Vic Facultad & Weather the Roots

by rick olivares

Vic Facultad and Weather the Roots have released their debut album, Lakbay. Facultad, formerly the lead singer with reggae band, Indio I, is back after a lengthy hiatus.

And now, we will have some new tunes to hum and sing along too aside those 90s gems such as “Di Mo Lang Alam” and “Earth to Man” that he recorded with Indio I.

After some stops and starts, Facultad returned with a show last year at 70s Bistro and has since been on a creative high penning and performing a lot of new songs 10 of which are in the new self-produced album, Lakbay.

If Indio I was a little more cerebral reggae, Facultad and Weather the Roots have more Filipino roots music infused into their Jamaican influences; like a Filipino version of Canadian reggae fusion band, Magic!

Ah! You might say it’s a little more pop, but that depends on which side of the beach you are coming from. Big Mountain certainly brought a more pop flair to reggae (not to mention a Latino feel) so Facultad and Weather the Roots drink from the same formula. Except with a unique Filipino ingredient.

And that is the Filipino’s general cheerful nature such as seeing the good even in bad situations. It is infectious as it is liberally spread throughout the 10 tracks.

In fact, in the lead off track, “Lakbay,” Facultad asks the object of his affection in this semi-biographical song, “Huwag ka mainip. Huwag mo akong iwanan. Huwag ka munang bumaba. Huwag ka sanang mawala.” in this difficult journey of his because he can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The second track, “I Like You” is a catchy and humorous take on social media. Nothing like someone who can poke fun at different situations.

For the third song, “Damit,” Vic uses clothing as a personification of wanting new things. Weezer, anyone?

“Somewhere” finds Facultad searching for one’s place in the world while “Nabaliw sa Lambing” sings of the challenges of being wooed.

“Malungkot na Masaya,” the album’s first single, is exactly about the premise of finding good in tough times; humor even. Explained Vic, “The song was actually originally written in 2008 at the time I was hunting for song ideas and on one occasion after a gig in Xaymaca, I was with a lady friend and I was swamped entertaining people. I asked her ‘Are you ok?’ and she replied ‘Heto. Malungkot pero masaya rin.’ And that’s where I got the idea for the song.”

Is it the heir to “Di Mo Lang Alam?” Possibly. And the album is filled with a lot of good tunes.

About real people. Real life. Real situations. Essentially, Lakbay is about Facultad’s journey; not exactly from cradle to the grave, although the last track, “When You’re Here” sings about spending time with a loved one while one can. A Christmas track too? Yes, it is.

As Vic told me, “These songs mean something to me personally and I do hope they will mean something to others as well.”

It is a personal album for Vic and the ten tracks are strong tunes, the best that he has written (perhaps because he is getting older and wiser) and performed with aplomb by Weather the Roots (Mike Bewer, Aying Sayson, Nivla Alavero, Loy Biscaro and Paw Bondoc) along with Facultad’s manager Miren Sanchez and album producer Ian Umali (of P.O.T. fame).

Lakbay is well worth the wait for fans of Facultad. Hop on board.

(For information on getting the new album on compact disc, check out Vic Facultad and Weather the Roots on their Facebook page.)