SAMA-SAMA means "together"
SamaSama Project was launched as one of Chicago’s premiere Filipino Folk Fusion band after their very successful World Music concert at the Old Town School of Folk Music in 2008. Over the years, the talented group led by Baron Lloyd Cabalona, a versatile musician and arranger and wife, Lou Maningas Cabalona, a TV and musical theater actress in the Philippines have made their mark showcasing a fusion of Filipino traditional folk and contemporary music at many notable venues and events.
“SamaSama” translated as “united, together” truly live up to their name creating a blend of Filipino folk, rock, ska, and Latin music, inspired by a 1970s musical movement called Manila Sound.
SamaSama Project regularly performs at cultural festivals, museum shows and private events most recently at the Chicago Cultural Alliance's MOSAIC Fundraiser, Chicago Wildlife Conference, Bolingbrook Piyesta Pinoy 2014, the Windy City Ribfest and the Chicago Loop Alliance's ACTIVATE Series last October.
In 2011, they performed in Madrid, Spain for the Pope’s World Youth Day MacroFestival Concert for over 12,000 youth. In 2013, they shared the stage with none other than Broadway Diva and Disney Legend, Ms. Lea Salonga.
Inspired by the drive to promote Culture through music and the arts, SamaSama Project continue to captivate audiences with their unique sound that transcends all boundaries.
For bookings, contact [email protected] or call 708-528-6321 / 312-593-5154.
Louella Maningas Cabalona – Lead Vocals and Agung (ethnic gongs)
Baron Cabalona – Bass Guitar, Kulintang (ethnic gongs), and Musical Director
Ran Sevilla – Lead Guitars and Dabakan (ethnic drums)
Ben Corpus - Keyboards
Jon McNulty – Drums
Jun Rodriguez- Saxophone
Freddie Rodriguez - Trumpets
Eddie Iriezzary - Trombone
“SamaSama” translated as “united, together” truly live up to their name creating a blend of Filipino folk, rock, ska, and Latin music, inspired by a 1970s musical movement called Manila Sound.
SamaSama Project regularly performs at cultural festivals, museum shows and private events most recently at the Chicago Cultural Alliance's MOSAIC Fundraiser, Chicago Wildlife Conference, Bolingbrook Piyesta Pinoy 2014, the Windy City Ribfest and the Chicago Loop Alliance's ACTIVATE Series last October.
In 2011, they performed in Madrid, Spain for the Pope’s World Youth Day MacroFestival Concert for over 12,000 youth. In 2013, they shared the stage with none other than Broadway Diva and Disney Legend, Ms. Lea Salonga.
Inspired by the drive to promote Culture through music and the arts, SamaSama Project continue to captivate audiences with their unique sound that transcends all boundaries.
For bookings, contact [email protected] or call 708-528-6321 / 312-593-5154.
Louella Maningas Cabalona – Lead Vocals and Agung (ethnic gongs)
Baron Cabalona – Bass Guitar, Kulintang (ethnic gongs), and Musical Director
Ran Sevilla – Lead Guitars and Dabakan (ethnic drums)
Ben Corpus - Keyboards
Jon McNulty – Drums
Jun Rodriguez- Saxophone
Freddie Rodriguez - Trumpets
Eddie Iriezzary - Trombone
the band
Lou {vox / agung}
Lou Cabalona
Lou is a singer and musical theater / TV
actress from the Philippines guesting in TV series and soap operas on national
television (Wansapanatym, Kahit Kailan, etc). She performed for Theaterworks
Ltd in Singapore, was part of Tanghalang
Pilipino at the Cultural Center of the
Philippines as well as Repertory Philippines. Her U.S. and Philippine theater
credits include playing Asaka on Once on this Island, the wicked Stepmother
in Cinderella, Mrs. Alba in Himala the
Musical and Puff Daddy in We Will Rock You. She is a commercial model back home
and here in Chicago and is best known for her ads for Selecta Ice Cream and
Lucky Me. More recently she has been busy with SamaSama Project performing at
various engagements including opening for Rex Navarette, Vina Morales, The
Greatest Hitmakers (Rico J. Puno, Marco Sison, Rey Valera and Nonoy Zuniga),
Ai-Ai De Las Alas and Ogie Alcasid. During her spare time, she likes spending
time with Baron and her sis either chillaxing or cooking up new projects and
productions that will keep them busy for a long time.
Baron {drums/keyboard/kubing}
Baron Cabalona
An
alumni of the Merit School of Music, Baron is a versatile instrumentalist
playing the clarinet, bass, trombone, ukelele among others. He currently
performs with his family band Oldies but Goodies, the rock band, Bodies Bright
and with the St. Joan Of Arc Filipino Choir as a Bass Guitarist. He recently
went back to his roots playing keyboards as he did back in Tacloban when he was young, performing
around the city and often guesting in TV Shows such as Tita Jenny's Kiddie
Land. He is the backbone behind SamaSama Project's solid instrumentation and is
even more proud to be a good friend to our crew and to everyone.
Ran Ran {guitars/ dabakan}
Ran Sevilla
Ran has been singing since his gradeschool days at the Ann Arbor
Montessori School in Laguna where he was part of the glee club and played the
lead roles in the school musicals. In his teens, he noticed that his guitar
playing friends got a lot of attention from the girls so that he decided to
study this awesome girl magnet instrument.
In High School he was president of the Accompanist club at the Colegio
San Agustin in Biñan. He continued to
perform with bands in college and even formed his own band before coming to
Chicago.
Other Members:
"Josh" AKA C'mon Man! [Drummer]
Josue Torres
Josh has dabbled in many artistic endeavors even back in his hometown in Puerto Rico. He was part of the 12 o’clock show and Telemundo’s Tres Destinos starting Osvaldo Rios. He also was a vocalist for the gospel group, Army Of Christ. Coming to Chicago, he got hooked on what we know as Pinoy Pride being officially baptized as a “Philirican” by one of dearest friend and bandmate Joon Bautista.He along with Joon founded Beat’N Path, a gospel band that toured various cities around the east coast , Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin and New York with well over 100 shows til 2002.He took a break from Music until he had the opportunity to play with one of the Philippineslegends, Mr Mike Hanopol in 2007 and have since played with various bands until he joined SamaSama Project a few months ago. Josh exclaims, “Wow, what an amazing experience thishas been so far playing along side such talented musicians, entertainers, and wonderful people full of knowledge and professionalism. Never did I expect this opportunity to come along and allI can say is ... Salamat!”
Lee "Chet" {bass / agung}
Lee Maningas
Lee, a graduate of Music Production in De La
Salle University-College of St.Benilde was the only female member and original
bassist for the Philippine rock band Mayonnaise, that rose to fame upon winning
the prestigious Red Horse Muziklaban in 2004. During her stint with the group,
they produced 3 albums which included hits "Jopay", "Pa'no
Nangyari Yun?" and "Panaginip" and recorded "Ipagpatawad
Mo" as part of the "The Best Of Manila Sound: Hopia Mani
Popcorn" album (Viva Records, 2006). The group became MTV Asia's Artist Of
the Month, performed in many provinces across the Philippines and guested in
various TV shows on both ABS-CBN and GMA7. Lee is currently student at College
of Lake County and is busy recording in her home studio, performing with Sama
and cooking for Baron and Lou.
Lucian "Gus" Ott [Manager]
At the age of eight years old, Lucian Gustavo Ott moved from the windy city of Chicago, IL, to the neutral country of Switzerland. He lived there for ten years, learning many of his language skills, among them German, Swiss German and French. He participated in many theatre projects with his mother, Edessa Guadalupe Ramos (co-founder of the Chicago based Filipino group "Pintig") in her Zurich based theatre group "Bridges", raising awareness on racial issues and Filipino culture. Once he turned eighteen years old, he moved back to Chicago to go to college and continued to participate in several projects of Pintig. Yet choosing to remain a Swiss citizen, in the fall of 2007, he had to return to Switzerland for two years and fulfill his obligational duties in joining the Swiss military. In the fall of 2010, he finally returned Chicago once more to continue his studies and engage in being a part in activities of the Filipino culture. So when he was asked to be the new band manager of the Sama Sama Project, this came to him as a great honor and he looks forward to the experiences yet to happen that come with being part of this incredible family.
He's also pretty awesome.
He's also pretty awesome.
R.E.N [guest lyricist]
Hailing from The Arctic Circle (Chicago's North Side), R.E.N. is one of Hip-Hop's most transcendent artists. By injecting his experiences, insight, and ambitions into his music, R.E.N. blends his incomparable charisma, precise technique, and signature sensibility to elicit his own definitive sound. Making his recording debut in 2003 on "Soundtrack For Days" with the revered Chicago production crew, the Record Playas, R.E.N. has continued to consistently publish quality material including his 2008 release "The Surrealist Mixtape." R.E.N., along with bandmate Hek Hernandez, form the hip-hop superteam, IL Empire, and R.E.N. has made stellar guest appearances on Hek's three projects: "Perfect Timing" "The Masterpiece" and "Thinking Out Loud." With his EP, "The Resurrection," and debut album, "The Surrealist," currently in development and set for release in 2012, expect to regularly hear more of R.E.N.'s distinctive wit, social perceptiveness, and peerless versatility.