Bandit. Murderer. Rebel.
The Biblical Barabbas is all of these and more. Yet the Jews choose to free him from certain death in lieu of Jesus.
His story proved inspirational for several young men from Angeles City, going on to name their musical group, well, Barabbas.
Said drummer Tristan Pabello, “Not everyone is born a Moses. Barabbas is just a regular guy, makasalanan even, just like most of us…”
Barabbas, the group, has two guitarists in Josh Elevera and Ian Shem Sarmiento, and three frontmen in Psalm Manalo, John Dizon, Russ Atoy.
Thankfully, they only have one bassist in Paolo de Guzman.
Tristan explained, “We are all friends first and foremost. We formed the band with the mindset that all of us should have a role to play in the group, even if we have to duplicate the positions. Kasama lahat, walang mawawala.”
They have been playing together since 2020.
Said Josh, “Live performance is our strength – we have a saying na ‘bina-Barabbas namin ang mga cover songs na ginagawa namin – that is, we do our own, original take all the time and it evolves continuously. That is how we connect with our audience.”
Having established themselves as a group that “plays like there’s no tomorrow,” Barabbas, as supported by Backdoor’s Ryan Sarmiento, has since released their maiden single “Irog Ko,” which caught the attention of Viva Records, including it in the soundtrack of the Janno Gibbs starrer “Itutumba Ka Ng Tatay Ko.”
It is ironic to note that Barabbas doesn’t sound as abrasive or contentious as their name.
“Irog Ko” is smooth, catchy, radio-friendly Pinoy alternative pop with a healthy sprinkling of R&B and soul.
It is now available in Spotify and other digital streaming platforms.
