Arnel Pineda. Journey.

Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey

Arnel Pineda, Journey

How I Discovered Journey, with Arnel Pineda In It

My personality is attracted to melody, so this is the only defense I can give why the label “rock” music has disabled me to find out more about this genre’s spectrum. A quick look at Wiki made me realize that I have been enjoying many songs that belong to it all along.

Nevertheless, it took the presence of Arnel Pineda in Journey to qualify myself as a fan of a rock band. Firstly, he’s from my country. For most of us that is reason enough.

For most of us there is genuine pleasure in making an acquaintance with someone whom we have common ancestors, or was from our village or city, or was from our island, or who understands our dialect, or is simply a fellow Pinoy. These are usually reasons enough for an exchange of warm smiles, offers of welcome, getting more acquainted, and even establishing genuine friendships eventually. The queer thing is, we can also do this to any foreigner whom we sense is willing to simply “acknowledge” our presence. Being an archipelago along ancient trade routes has made it easy for us to deal (with) visitors with ease.

Although my maternal grandfather’s mother was a Pineda, I doubt if Arnel Pineda is a relative of ours. I won’t dare to claim that close an affinity especially now that he has become very popular. So “Pineda” is not among the reasons why I’ve become a fan of a rock band. What’s funny is that years ago for some reason I really disliked listening to Open Arms, though I had no idea until yesterday that this is Journey‘s, and that it’s a rock band. Now I like listening to it, even smiling to myself in appreciation of its melody.

Yesterday I discovered, of course by YouTube, that it’s Journey that has made Arnel very popular in our country (on the aside, as a fellow common-tao Pinoy, I have 100% confidence that Arnel doesn’t mind being called by his first name at all). I looked next for information about the band and scouted for uploaded performances. Man. I ended up watching/listening to their Las Vegas concert for three straight hours, having repeated it 3 times. I had to drag my tired eyes to bed by 3 a.m.

I mean, man, at wee hours in the morning, me, a big fan of Enya and Moira Brennan, suddenly could not tear myself away from a rock band’s live performance. Man, that was some barage of sounds. A live performance has more sound blasts than a neat commercial CD sound, and I, a genuine monks’ Gregorian chant fan, simply took it all in like it was an essential part of my teleological existence. Like that little boy who’s having his tutu/skirt phase, I think I’m in my melodic rock phase. Though I don’t think this will phase out at all.

One thing I could empathize with Arnel is the appreciation for the band for opening the door for him into an exploration of ways in which he could express himself. That’s really a marvelous happening. Obviously Arnel loves to sing. He loves to create music out of his body, with whatever capacity he has, and this ability to produce something beautiful is itself reason enough for singing. I mean, I can’t sing well, and that goes for many of us Pinoys, but we feel happy whenever we hum some tune. If there’s a melody that plays in my ears, just there in my skull, inside, I feel balanced/in-place/centered/in-pace whenever I let my vocal chords vibrate to this melody, however soft, however out of tune. I wish I could carry a tune well but this deficiency hasn’t stopped me from “practicing” Every Breath You Take or Fast Car or Kissed By A Rose or Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ now and then.

Despite all the racial thrash Arnel is getting from those who aren’t aware that ethnicity is just a matter of prehistoric migration, which resulted to a limited gene pool and hence the varied physical manifestations, especially skin color, I am happy that Journey found him. I am happy that he is with souls who love to produce beauty. I am happy that together they have been doing what they love doing, communicating to people who are ready to acknowledge the love in the beauty and the beauty in the love that gush out from their very human hearts, and I’m happy that they are happy. ❤

I wish Journey success, direction, fulfillment, and a genuine connection with the Way, the Truth, and the Life. May they all stay in tip-top health 😉 …have lots of vegetables everyday, hahaha… 😀

Please always take care, Arnel, and never let success get to your head. We love the simple down-to-earth person that you are, and may you always ask God to give you the insight on how to do things in your career.