Nearly 25 years after they first came together in their native Philippines, the Last Reminisced Heroes (LRH) are releasing their first album, Too Much of a Good Thing, on July 14 at Après Après in partnership with Crabapple Hits Music.
LRH is a Sea to Sky-based punk rock band composed of vocalist and guitar player Andrew Alido, his younger brother Allan Alido on the drums, and their close friend Jonathan Rosales on bass. They describe their style as a form of melodic punk rock that hearkens back to the 1990s and early 2000s: the heyday of bands like Blink-182, MxPx and Alkaline Trio, whom they are inspired by.
Brothers from different mothers
All three band members hail from Batangas, a coastal city of roughly 350,000 where they attended college together. According to Andrew Alido, LRH first formed in 1999 and experienced a modest level of success—to the point where Filipino fans began clamouring for an album.
Financial constraints prevented Andrew and his mates from satisfying that demand back home. At long last, their dream is about to come true.
“This album is really huge for us because it’s going to be the first one ever,” says Andrew. “It’s really a big part of our lives and we don’t know if it’s going to be the last one, too.”
Music has played a vital role in the Heroes’ lives. The elder Alido says he plays guitar and drums as a way to relieve stress. He, Allan and Rosales all became fathers relatively young, and they’ve walked a winding path in life that has taken them across the Pacific. The ups and downs have bonded them, and they view themselves as “brothers from different mothers.”
Andrew has been drumming nearly his whole life. He’s taken the stage with a number of local acts before, most notably Red Chair. Yet his love of punk rock motivated Andrew to learn the guitar, which in turn has rounded out his songwriting abilities and equipped him to contribute to LRH in new ways.
Welcome to the rock show
Just in case you’re wondering: there is no special significance to the band’s name. In fact, Andrew and company struggled to come up with a name, so they decided to each pick a word they felt strongly about. Andrew chose “Last” in tribute to his final dance with his ex-girlfriend at her debut (a traditional Filipino coming-of-age celebration). Rosales went with “Reminisced” simply because he liked the word, and Allan picked “Heroes” because he thought it was emblematic of the punk rock community.
LRH’s first local gig came courtesy of Squamish Punk Night and its organizer, Paul Matthew Hudson. The band had modest expectations going in. They were pleasantly surprised to find a lively punk rock scene, one that placed them onstage alongside established Vancouver acts like Big City Germs and Russian Tim and Pavel Bures.
“People were actually looking to listen to punk rock music,” says Andrew. “I thought most of the people in the Sea to Sky would just listen to country songs or typical old rock songs, but no—there are people here who listen to punk rock, heavy metal, hardcore. It’s really fun playing in the Sea to Sky.”
Though the bandmates remain as close as ever, they feel that their group has certainly evolved from its original form back in Batangas. They’re older, wiser and more mature in their creative process, and while they still block out unconstructive criticism, they are better now at considering how to make music that appeals to a variety of people.
Too Much of a Good Thing was recorded over a period of six months in the band’s home studio, affectionately named “Pamabahay Records” (which translates literally to “Domestic Records”). The eight-track-long album will be available on all major streaming services and the distribution platform Bandcamp.
Of course, the Heroes hope you’ll join them at Après Après and check out their music in person. Who knows—you might even fall in love with a girl at the rock show.
Visit the LRH Facebook page at facebook.com/lrh043?mibextid=ZbWKwL to learn more about the band.
