Text by: Sheenah Tan
Photos by: Chris Quintana and Kimmy Baraoidan

Vocalist Cy Sorongon (left) and guitarist Reg Gutierrez (right) of Lovecore set up on stage during the launch of the band’s full-length album “Funk N’ Roll” at Checkpoint Bar in Parañaque City last July. Photo by: Chris Quintana.

Surely, funk is yet another common genre in the country’s indie music, but to fuse it with rock n’ roll? Now we’re talking.

Enter Lovecore’s Funk n’ Roll, a 13-track album that was released just last month. The band further strengthened funk and rock n’ roll with each of the tracks and the members having been influenced by Pinoy bands such as POT, Razorback, and Wolfgang, as well as Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jamiroquai.

Expectedly, the fusion would have been a hit or miss but Lovecore nailed it. Take the first track, So in Love, for example. It starts with a solo guitar then gradually develops into a heavy albeit clean sound that is both rock and funk.

Frame Ong’s catchy bass-slapping intro on C Song brims with funk sound but the track also reveals the band’s love for ‘90s rock through Reg Gutierrez’ guitar solo halfway through. The slow and mellow China Baby shows vocalist/guitarist Cy Sorongon’s versatility in singing.

Lovecore performs during the launch of the band’s full-length album “Funk N’ Roll” at Checkpoint Rock Bar in Parañaque City last July. Photo by: Kimmy Baraoidan

Drummer Paolo Felix’s paradiddles in Moon and Gravity reveal his personal influences like Carter Beauford and Vic Mercado, apparently (although John Collao is the new drummer, and Paolo recorded barely half of the tracks in the album). Maybe and This Road deviate from the album’s nature, having more major chords than the usual extended chords, a signature of funk music.

Lovecore’s formula is focused mainly on how Cy, Frame, Reg, and Paolo play each of their parts in every track, which shows veneration to their respective influences. The diversity of their style, shown all at once, is a beautiful amalgamation of different sounds. Despite the noticeably cheesy lyrics in some of the songs, Funk n’ Roll brings you back to the years when funk and rock n’ roll peaked.

L to R: Drummer John Collao, guitarist Reg Gutierrez, vocalist Cy Sorongon, and bassist Frame Ong of Lovecore at Checkpoint Rock Bar in Parañaque City. Photo by: Kimmy Baraoidan.