Name: Speakeasy
Location: Alabang
Relationship Status: Single
Occupation: musician
Record Label: unsigned
Sounds like...: music from the 90's
Hangout Places: office, malls, home
Hobbies and Interests: paying bills, working, TV, cigarettes, alcohol, HOME
About Me: Speakeasy is an alternative/bluesy band in the Philippines. It was founded 1994 in Leyte by three high school friends. John Hermano (lead vox & guitars), Ronan Chiong (bass) & Edward Andres (drums) first called themselves SIMON GATECRASH (1994-1999) after being accused of “stealing musical instruments” and “unauthorized entry” in some college department inside their campus. The latter was then proven innocent and not guilty. In the middle of 1996 of their freshmen year in college, they worked their way to the Cebu music scene. They’ve auditioned several venues for gigs, joined numerous battle of the bands, performed on radio stations where they gained recognition from both supporters and fellow musicians. After three years of playing, they even got more exposure when they won 2nd Place in the NU 107 Rock Assembly against bands from the Visayas and Mindanao region. Early 2000, the whole rock/alternative scene was weakened by the sudden popularity of Nu Metal/ Rap Hardcore music .It left the group in a state of limbo. An unexpected hiatus shortly followed and drove them to concentrate on their studies and eventually join different bands. John & Ronan who where attending the same medical school took the job as instrumentalists for PICKLE TICKLE, a female fronted band inspired by Skunk Anansie. On the other hand, Edward found himself playing for a hard rock/metal band called CHAIND. By 2003, John began writing new materials and started singing again. He then formed SPEAKEASY after reading a book on illegal contrabands during the 1950’s operated by the Mafia, as a side project with Sam Codilla (ROOTS/JOHNNIE/SOLACE) along with other musician friends. Despite of all serious plans made in pursuing the new group, it was only short lived due to personal priorities by its members. At the end of the year, John desperately called it quits for the Cebu scene and left to try his luck in Manila. Now with its current status and a new member added to the lineup (John‘s younger brother Dean), Speakeasy continues to struggle and hopes to find a spot in the Philippine music business. Their unending effort in looking for gigs, record new songs and finding the right people to hear and appreciate their music is yet a big challenge for them. To sum it all up, Speakeasy is an apparition of a reconstructed dream. A strong circle of friendship and undying passion for music greatly magnified throughout the years!
Links: www.myspace.com/speakeasynew




Band Members: John Hermano - lead vox/guitar
Dean Hermano - bass/vox
Edward Andres - drums
Fave Artist / Influences: STP, Pearl Jam, Alice N Chains, Nirvana, Velvet Revolver, Audioslave, Skunk Anansie, SRV, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne, Clapton, and bands from the Queen City Of The South!
Genre: Rock/Alternative/Blues
Music Affiliations: none