By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net

WHY is it that good bands eventually break up?

It is a common sight, not just here but also abroad, for popular bands to eventually disband. It could be that a member leaves for “greener pastures” or to “pursue a different career path.” Nevertheless, it is a sad sight to see that those who leave are the front men and the songwriters. Once they leave, the band is rendered helpless. Some pick up the pieces and find a replacement, while others just simply pack up their bags and head home.

Take The Beatles, for example. The Beatles, admit it or not, are nothing without Paul McCartney and John Lennon. When The Beatles eventually disbanded after the production of their last studio album, Abbey Road, everyone decided to try and make it on their own. Each Beatles member produced his own solo album, but not all of them became a big hit. In fact, it was just McCartney and Lennon’s solo albums that clicked with the listening audience (you can just imagine how Lennon was such a phenomenon back then).

One alternative is that, when someone from the band leaves, the others will find a good replacement. Truth be told, though, finding a replacement is not always a great option. Some replacements just don’t click with the listeners, so the band ends up being a flop. It is very rare to see a band be able to pick up the pieces after its main man leaves. That’s why many were impressed with Rivermaya.

Rivermaya has undergone several changes internally. Band members came and went, but when front man Bamboo Mañalac decided to leave the band, everyone thought the band was headed downhill. But they were able to find a great replacement through Rico Blanco. Blanco carried the band after Bamboo left, even changing the band’s image to carry the label, “Ang Banda ng Bayan.”

Just this year, Blanco announced that he will be leaving the band. All good things come to an end, so they say, but the band never let this bring them down. They launched a reality show to look for an able replacement of Blanco. Just recently, Rivermaya named a new front man in the form of 18-year-old Jayson Fernandez. But before completely absorbing Fernandez, Rivermaya released a single titled Sayang, which upon first hearing you won’t think that it’s Rivermaya! The band sounds completely different minus Blanco. Admittedly, I first thought it was Hale. Kudos to the band, though, for being able to pull things together even without the popular Blanco. Here’s the very heart-wrenching music video.

Fernandez was handpicked by the remaining band members themselves to replace Blanco. Also recently, Rivermaya released its latest single titled “Sugal ng Kapalaran,” sung by newest front man Fernandez. In fact, Rivermaya got to a great start as the opening act in the recent concert here of Vertical Horizon.

Fernandez is different from Blanco, who has a melodic and hypnotizing voice. But admittedly, Fernandez brings in a fresher and a different side of Rivermaya. But since Fernandez is relatively new, he has yet to hear the criticism that all artists experience in the entertainment industry.