Letter’ because the messages of our songs are in a way, being ‘sent’ out. ‘Story’ because we write about people’s lives. ‘Day’ because the stories are usually based on day-to-day experiences.
Such is the genesis of band Letter Day Story’s chosen name. If that’s any indication of how rich their music could be, then you’re not mistaken. Letter Day Story (LDS) is much more, so let the storytelling in music begin.
Letter Day Story is comprised of Aldrick ‘Dex’ Yu (vocals), John Oliver ‘Oli’ Agustin (bass), Chrisanthony ‘Not’ Vinzons (guitars), and Emil Joseph ‘Ej’ Arabit (drums) — all of them studied at the Conservatory of Music at University of Sto. Tomas. In November 2002, they decided to become a true rock ‘n’ roll band. In such a short time, LDS managed to book a gig, grabbing the attention of new listeners and gaining fans. With patience, teamwork, and a lot of practice, LDS was becoming a musical force to be reckoned with. Six years later, LDS joined Nescafe Soundskool and they won the grand prize. And in two years, the band wrote, recorded, and produced songs; LDS launched their first album ‘Sama Sama’ released under Sony Music Entertainment Philippines
‘We learned a lot along the way’, lead singer/chief songwriter Dex Yu says. ‘From people posing as managers to get their hands on your music for free, to rejection from record labels and gigs that don’t pay – we’ve seen it all’.
But instead of getting jaded and giving up, Letter Day Story pushed through. They considered their debut album ‘Sama Sama’ and its tracks the ‘products of instinct and intellect’. With producer Jonathan Ong of Sonic State Audio at the helm, the record was given a grander aural dimension.
Even with LDS’ constant rise to rock-dom and a slew of admiring fans, they don’t consider themselves as sellouts. In fact, they still embrace the underground scene. Letter Day Story are equal-opportunity musicians – they can collaborate with the most celebrated artists – Gloc-9 (‘Martilyo’), Yeng Constantino (‘Kung Maibabalik’), and Jaq Dionisio of band Kiss Jane (‘Isang Umaga’) – but they never forget their humble beginnings. Letter Day Story is truly moving up.
What’s next for Letter Day Story? A new single titled ‘Save Me’, written by bassist Oli Agustin in an hour and produced in just a day last July.
Oli’s inspiration for ‘Save Me’ was a dream he had where he was roaming the streets, searching for his loved ones, but to no avail. Here was the world, ending, yet Oli is alone and all he wants is to be with people he loves the most. But even with such bleak origins, Oli is keeping positive. ‘In spite of the world nearing its end, even when everyone has left you… HOPE will guide you’.
‘Save Me’ is the first single off of Letter Day Story’s upcoming EP ‘Breakaway’ under Sony Music Entertainment Philippines that will be released later this month. ‘Breakaway’ consists of six tracks – including ‘Save Me’ – ‘Smile’, ‘Breakaway’, Ikaw at Ako’, Hinahanap’, and ‘The Hero Within’ – the last track having been featured on AXN Channel where LDS are ambassadors.
Letter Day Story spin tales through their music and they want you to listen and spin with them.
Connect with LDS at the following social media sites: www.facebook.com/letterdaystorypage and twitter.com/letterdaystory