The members of Last Reminisced Heroes have discovered a time machine of sorts.
While the Whistler-based punk-rock trio first formed back in 1999 during high school, nearly 23 years later, they’re set to take the stage once again.
“It definitely makes you feel younger,” says Andrew Alido with a laugh.
(He plays guitar in the band, but you’ll find him behind the drum kit with nearly every recognizable musician or band in Whistler.)
But the unlikely reunion gets even more interesting. Alido, his brother Allan Alido (the band’s drummer) and friend Jonathan Rosales (the bassist) grew up in the Philippines in Batangas City, two hours outside of Manila.
Andrew and Allan moved to Whistler nearly a decade ago, while Rosales headed to New Brunswick for two years before deciding he wanted to join them.
“He contacted us, saying, ‘I want to move to B.C. We can play again!’” Alido remembers.
That was last year, which meant pandemic restrictions on live concerts. Instead, they turned to online jams to re-hone their chops.
“Pretty much we still remembered all our parts,” Alido says. “When we decided to do our first live jam—it was January 2022—it felt so right.”
The experience brought them back to their early days playing the underground scene in Manila with all the other metal, hardcore, and punk bands.
“We would drive two hours to Manila to play four songs without pay at our own expense,” Alido says. “It was really fun. It wasn’t about if you got paid or not. It was about meeting new people, new bands, and seeing them live. You get more inspiration, things like that.”
The band stuck it out through college, but shortly after, Alido had a baby, Allan moved to Manila and Rosales also moved for work.
“I never thought [a reunion] would happen,” he adds. “Our friends back home were really, really happy and couldn’t believe we made it back again. We have a few friends in the States. They said, ‘One day we’ll come see you play live again.’”
The first show kicking off the reunion, on Sept. 24, is the first Squamish Punk Night concert since the pandemic at One and a Half Ave.
The band will play their original tracks, but also add in some of their favourite covers by MxPx and Blink-182.
“We did an online jam of one of their songs [Blink-182]. It hit 8,000 views. We couldn’t believe it. Every time we cover their songs it’s more than 1,000 views. We love to cover those two bands,” Alido says.
They hope it’s just the start.
“We have originals from back then,” he says. “We were able to revive four songs. And we’re in the process of creating new music and eventually recording stuff. I would say [the songs] are more mature compared to our approach before to music. When we were young, the discipline of playing was not yet there. We were just having fun and didn’t care what people thought.”
Catch Last Reminisced Heroes at The Return of Squamish Punk Night, alongside Russian Tim & Pavel Bures, The Subteraliens, the Squnks and (fellow Whistlerites) Introduce Wolves.
Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Doors open at 8 p.m. with the show starting at 8:30 p.m.
Get them at eventbrite.com/e/the-return-of-squamish-punk-night-tickets-405652536657.
