I thought I’d spend a few moments to relive the early days of how we started out as a musical group a little over 2 years ago; the uphill climb typical of any startup; the sacrifices, the compromises, the temptations, and where I believe we are today. So strap on your seatbelts folks and let’s begin.
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May 13, 2006 – The Vina Morales concert at the Loews Landmark Theater in Jersey City, NJ.
I guess as far as official inception dates go, this would be it for Chapter 2. The day started off inauspiciously with an early phone call that relayed the news that one of the members of the group suffered a heart attack. You couldn’t make this stuff up folks! A heart attack!!!
What we decided to do right there and then would define the relationships that would be forged within Chapter 2, and served as a basis for future relationships yet to be formed. There was an abruptly held phone conference, and within the hour, Cutuy, Noel and I were at the bedside of our bandmate who had just successfully undergone bypass surgery and was resting in ICU. We just wanted to make sure he was ok first, and be there to show support as group.
Shook up as we were, the decision we made to face the challenges in front of us head on and still honor our commitment to the show’s producers that evening would be an experience and lesson we’ll carry with us in our still budding career. It’s a mindset we’ve instilled within us that we can make it work, no matter what – despite the odds, despite the naysayers! It was definitely tempting to pack it all in, to make excuses, and to treat our commitment with nonchalance. But I guess we’re not wired that way. And we lived to savor the positive buzz that we generated through our appearance that night. On hindsight, it definitely served notice of things to come.
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From the outset we wanted to offer the audience something different, a pop-acoustic group anchored on vocal harmonies and supported by excellent musicianship and fresh arrangements. But beyond the music we also wanted to be defined by our professionalism and our respect for the various elements that make up the industry: the fellow artists, the producers, the advertisers, the venue owners, the sound technicians, each and every individual that play a role in bringing entertainment to the paying public.
We took very seriously the role we had to play in ensuring the success of every show we participated in, not just our moments on stage, but each and every activity leading up to each of our performances. For us there were no small gigs – every gig was an opportunity for us to be consistent in the way we approach our art, and the way we manage ourselves as individuals and as professionals. To this day, this remains our biggest challange.
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As with any new group, there were growing pains we had to deal with. We were the “untested”, “unheard of” entity. For every person we were able to turn into a fan with each performance, there were a hundred raised eyebrows belonging to folks who had never heard of us, and were quick to dismiss us. It took a lot of persistence, and I have to admit, a ton of help from good ole fashion lady luck, to open doors. And once those doors were opened, it was up to us to make the most of those opportunities – opportunties that included a trip to Las Vegas to perform as front-act for Gary Valenciano at the South Coast Casino, the opportunity to backup Martin Nievera and Pops Fernandez at their concert at the Mohegan Sun, and again at Martin Nievera’s concert at the Lehman Center for Performing Arts in NY.
Our heartfelt thanks to all those show producers who took a chance and opened the door of opportunity to Chapter 2.
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It’s been a little over 2 years since that fateful day of May 13, 2006. During that time we’ve grown, we’ve changed, we’ve added essential pieces in completing our sound, and we’ve somehow pushed the Chapter 2 brand into the mainstream. Because of what we went through early on, and the fortitude it took to be where we are today, it’s defnitely been a memorable journey - one that we’ll continually cherish as we look ahead to what’s to come.
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