Ben&Ben

Ben&Ben, led by twins Miguel and Paolo Guico (f.k.a. The Benjamins), are set to open for Lucy Rose on September 16 in 19 East for the UK singer-songwriter's Manila Cinema Tour. The folk-pop band has been making waves in the local music scene since their breakout composition for Philpop 2016 and the subsequent release of their first EP later that year. - Bandwagon

Fresh off their recent PHILPOP succcess, with their entry "Tinatangi" taking home both the third place and best music video awards, The Benjamins, now known as Ben&Ben are back to release their very first EP.

The brother duo of Paolo and Miguel will be launching their EP on December 17 at Teatrino. Joining them are singer-songwriter Johnoy Danao, Color It Red's Cooky Chua, roots artist Bayang Barrios, and more friends who have shared their musical journey.

Tickets are priced at 400 PHP, 600 PHP and 600 PHP. For ticket reservations, please contact 09175024677 or email benandbenmusic@gmail.com. - Bandwagon

Electronic dance music, pop and rock dominate the music scene these days but singers and songwriting duo Ben&Ben are making folk-pop songs sound so hip all over again like it’s the next big thing.

Composed of twins Miguel and Paolo Guico, Ben&Ben rose to fame when they placed second runner-up in the songwriting competition Philippine Popular (PhilPop) Music Festival in 2016 for their song “Tinatangi.” They were called The Benjamins back then.

“I guess nahanap namin ’yung roots namin in folk. We’re very comfortable with the genre since guitar-based siya, very lyrical. But then what we’re also trying to do is mix different genres that are appealing to people’s ears, which is basically pop,” Miguel said in an interview.

“Tinatangi” made use of Filipino lyrics somewhat inspired by kundiman. It also featured Cookie Chua and Bayang Barrios.

“What we tried doing sa PhilPop is all-out experimentation. Based on what we learned from PhilPop and on how people received it, combining that to the direction we want to take. Nagre-reflect siya sa album namin,” Paolo said.

The twins try to mix old and new elements. As hugot lines and spoken poetry became popular especially among young ones, Paolo and Miguel infused Filipino heart-tugging lines into their folk-pop music.

“You get something that is very familiar to them, hindi lang music, even mga tema. Last year, usong-uso mga hugot lalo na sa millennials. We tried to write a song in that field pero we introduced something new in the music,” Miguel said.

How they do it

The twins grew up listening to different genres, such as folk, rock, hip hop and jazz. Among their music influences are Urbandub, Paramore, Johnoy Danao, Joey Ayala, Cynthia Alexander, and Franco. They also get inspiration and knowledge from Filipino singers they consider their mentors, including Noel Cabangon, Jungee Marcelo, Ebe Dancel, Jazz Nicolas.

“Songwriting is actually 10% of writing and 90% listening. We listen sa type of music na okay sa younger generation and we infuse ’yung elements na naduon sa pagsusulat namin para eventually ay ma-adapt din ng mga bata,” Paolo said.

When writing songs, they draw mostly from personal experiences. “Tinatangi” talks about eternal love “through life’s different phases.”

“It comes from different places. Of course, the best songs pa din the ones that come from your heart, personal experiences. Meron din songs from others’ experiences na naka-resonate ka lang din,” Paolo said.

The twins are grateful to PhilPop for giving them an opportunity to showcase their music. After bagging second runner-up place in the music festival, Ben&Ben launched their self-titled EP in December.

“It really opened doors for us. Masasabi ko na isang key elements sa progress namin ngayon is the people we’re working with. PhilPop, maliban sa natuturo niya sa amin sa songwriting, is working with people. Kailangan lagi ka nakikipag-collaborate with people from the industry. I think it helped us. Kaya ngayon we’re slowly getting to where we want to be. We have the best team,” Miguel said.

Planting seeds

Ben&Ben will be coaching songwriters in PhilPop Songwriting Boot Camp 2017, which is headed by boot camp masters Ryan Cayabyab and Noel Cabangon. Songwriting is a collaborative effort between the two as the idea usually comes from Paolo then Miguel finishes the song.

“Every composer merong sariling way of doing things. ’Yung ma-ko-contribute namin, maliban sa basics, ay kung paano namin gawin. Unique ang situation namin in the sense na we really write songs together. So ’yung collaboration and diskarte to write great songs, we like to share (those) with other writers,” Paolo said.

Aside from sharing the technicalities of songwriting, Paolo and Miguel want to give other songwriters some practical tips, especially in working with different people in the industry. Before Paolo and Miguel joined PhilPop Music Festival in 2016, they joined Elements Singing-Songwriting Camp 2013 and 2014.

“Maraming aspeto ang music and in songwriting na pwede naming ibahagi. Personally, interesting din mag-contribute sa mga campers ang napakaraming sa side ng music na non-musical. Especially dealing with people in the industry, pakikipagtrabaho sa arrangers and producers. Napakadaming skills and hindi usually obvious pero kailangan. Like communication, maganda din masabi sa kanila yon, lalo na sa mga people from Cebu and Davao,” Miguel said.

Ben&Ben sees their music evolving in the future. However, they want it to remain genuine and personal.

“Hindi din namin masasabi ang mangyayari in the future. Pero one thing that we’ll always try to do is to make it genuine (for us), hindi artificial,” Miguel said.

Headed by PhilPop Chairman Manny V. Pangilinan, PhilPop will hold its boot camp in Antipolo (May 11-14), Baguio (July 13-16), Cebu (Sept. 14-17), and Davao (Nov. 23-26). - Karen Valeza (Manila Bulletin)

With the holiday rush that happens every time December hits, it’s pretty hard to navigate from one point to the other in the metro. Given the traffic the season usually comes with, you need to have a compelling reason to get out of the house to make the possibilities of getting stuck in the middle of the road worth the trouble.

It looks like the crowd that Ben&Ben (AKA Paolo and Miguel Guico) played to over at Teatrino had a good reason in their hands.

For the twin sibling duo to be able to do a sold-out show on a rather busy weekend is a feat, knowing how bad traffic conditions can be in the Greenhills area. And it also didn’t hurt that the tickets to the show came with free copies of their self-titled debut record (it is an EP launch, after all) for everyone’s enjoyment.

Amidst the banter the brothers exchanged (which was met with laughter) were the appearances of artists that they look up to and were given the opportunity to work with: Noel Cabangon jokingly threw potshots at the brothers because of the introduction they gave him (“Legend pala, ah?”) before getting into a solo number; Bullet Dumas sang “Usisa,” heavily inspired by the story of Sisa from Noli Me Tangere; Johnoy Danao joined them onstage and sang “Ikaw at Ako;” and drummer Jazz Nicolas of the Itchyworms sat behind the drums for “Kathang Isip” and“Tinatangi,” with Color it Red’s Cooky Chua and singer/songwriter/cellist Coeli San Luis joining them for the latter.

For the people who trooped all the way to Greenhills that weekend, the music of Ben & Ben was reason enough for them to brave the traffic in the area.

Then again, good music always is always a good reason for anything. - Tricco Yumul (BillboardPH)

If you haven't heard of Ben&Ben yet, then you're sure missing out on a lot.

For one, this duo is making Filipino Folk-Pop cool and modern for today's generation: Their winning composition for PhilPop 2016 titled “Tinatangi” not only bagged them second runner-up honors, but also proved that kundiman can actually be cool. The moving piece showcased the beauty of Filipino language, while telling the tender story of everlasting love.

And now, Ben&Ben composed of brothers Paolo and Miguel Guico, is set to make you fall in love with Filipino Folk-Pop through their self-titled debut EP, comprised of six original tracks showcasing their lyrical craftsmanship and musicality. The songs dwell on themes of love, heartbreak, inspiration, and being on a journey.

Join them and their special guests Bullet Dumas, Johnoy Danao, Cooky Chua, and Noel Cabangon, in a heartwarming celebration of Pinoy music on December 17, 2016, 7-11PM, at Teatrino at Promenade, Greenhills.

As the duo puts it, "After months of preparation, endless hours of recording, beautiful collaborations with our friends and mentors, and the continous drive to create music that reflects what fills our hearts, it has finally come to this moment." And we're pretty sure this event and their EP will fill your feels as much as it did theirs, because there's nothing quite like original Pinoy music created from the depths of the heart. - ABS-CBN Lifestyle Team

In life, you don’t always have to pick one thing over the other, because there are times when you’re blessed to keep both. Indie-folk duo Ben&Ben highlight this with the release of their first official video for “Ride Home,” completely striking out any of that La La Land nonsense.

Lifted from their breakthrough EP, which they launched to a sold-out audience in the middle of the Christmas rush in Teatrino last year, “Ride Home” is “about that moment when you figure out that the one you love is all you need.”

Ben&Ben will be sharing the stage with some of Manila’s biggest indie acts at the Red Ninja Year 8 Fest at B-Side on April 22. - Kara Bodegon (BillboardPH)