LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The newly organized ‘all-walk’ musical group slated its launching concert at the Cowboys Town restaurant, here on February 21, 2018.
Jaylord Agpuldo, a member of the Less Travelled Roads ban who hails from Apayao, said that The Less Travel Roads album is composed of 10 songs originally composed by Dr. Nieves A. Dacyon wherein each of the songs tells worth noting inspirational stories drawn from real life journey with her family, relatives, friends, the SUCs that she served, co-workers, networks and development partners. He pointed out, this album revives not only her passion to music but also the will and power to “win more battles at the less travelled roads.”
“This album is highly audience friendly designed for all walks and all ages and for all occasions. Its genre is eclectically and integrated folk, pop, slow rock, and country. Both the lyrics and melody are soothing to the souls, so relaxing and touching to the hearts. The compositions are inspirational and highly educational in nature. This is a stress management album that lifts the depressed feelings, ease the pains, and inspires the hopeless to keep moving on,” Agpuldo, who is a licensed teacher, stressed.
Listen to bits of the song in the album:
According to him, To the broad audience, the album is satisfying, fulfilling and worth sharing to many especially to those who can dare enough the less travelled roads. Among the songs that will be featured in the group’s launching concert include:
1. See through the mountain which draws inspiration from the lines posed by the Late Elias K. Bulut Sr.(EKB )to the composer in 2012 which runs ”Can you see through that mountain? Working in Apayao requires a missionary zeal”. As the father of Apayao and Founder of Apayao State College (ASC) the foregoing is late EKB’s implicit quest for the composer to decipher as the latter commenced her service in Apayao as the 3rd ASC President; As a tribute song to the late EKB, the song describes the late EKB’s priceless toils and efforts for the Province which are now gradually being realized. EKB’s contagious passion for agriculture, he being an agriculturist, further rhymes with the song’s verses blended with the gentleness of Apayao rain that sprinkles over the sown seeds of hope for the people of this province, the province which is dubbed as the last forest frontier of the Cordilleras. Thus, even the birds in the Apayao thick forests which sustained their romance till now through the indigenous resource management practice called “lapat” sighed during the demise of this Iyapayaos’ time honoured father;
2. A difference That lasts which was inspired by the performance of the hard working and committed public servants especially the ASC management team and key stakeholders. The upgrading of the college from its stature in 2012 is something worth composing this song for. The teamwork and concerted efforts for quality assurance and the trust and confidence of the parents, communities and oversight agencies; the stakeholders’ high regards to quality education and sense of respect to the institution were the inspirations in this composition. Thus, her call on all concerned to continue working together for an education that makes sense as she expresses her appreciation and morale support through this song to all hearts that already started painting their commitments to a lasting difference in the canvas of life;
3. Your song is my song which refers to the College Information Monitoring and Evaluation System (CIMES) developed by the late Wesley S. Duran, staff under the office of the President, a fellow musician, artist and IT enthusiast. The CIMES, which is considered in this song as late Wesley’s song was the composer’s tool if not the ace to efficient management. This full blown updated system was given free by his family to the Apayao State College. The song transcends not only Mr. Duran’s worthily-lived life but the lives of those whom he continuously inspires. As the song goes: “Let time heal as days move on”, it mellows the pain of passage and transcends the team where ever they may be to greater heights through the “CIMES” that chimes through time;
4. This Way Now which unleashes a solitary way of moving on from here and then and holding on to each other’s arms to build a stronger will to live life meaningfully. At times, we contain ourselves with and feel torn between the grips of the ‘gloomy yesterday’. Our feet may sometimes feel frozen that we wanted to never strive anymore. But through this song, we shall gather our strengths together again, look forward to brighter days and seize better opportunities ahead. It will remind us that it’s time for us to ‘move on and let go this way now’ and see for ourselves how the clouds will pave a way for us to embrace the sunshine full of hope and love out there in the horizon;
5. Less Travelled Roads which refers to those roads where our feet seldom step to, or the road where only a few can pass through. Figuratively however, these Less Traveled Roads may mean the decisions, choices and judgments that we prudently make in our lives. The composer expresses her insights, observations and aspirations in life in this humble oeuvre;
6. One at a time which features the beauty of weaving wonderful stories as the book of life unfolds with mounding wisdom that touches the soul. The song also tells that dreams can come into reality if we are determined to do the right things and do things right one at a time with proper planning, right actions, and more importantly with the right attitude. After all, love unravels and it is wisdom that slumbers in the soul;
7. This is the Place to go back to which is dedicate this song to the people and officialdom of Apayao headed by Governor Elias C. Bulut Jr. and Congresswoman Eleonor Bulut Begtang; the ASC officials, faculty, staff and students, parents and communities , friends who are “hard to find” , supporters and all those whom she considers as inspiration in her stay in Apayao particularly ASC and its service areas, the Good chairpersons and members of the ASC BOT, the SUCs in CAR, the CARASUC and PASUC family and oversight agencies. Likewise, to all other agencies, institutions, and the places of all networks, development partners and all the places that molded and developed her as a person, as a professional, as a manager and leader. Broadly, it’s a song to savor and thank all concerned for the good memories of the past . This is a song to sing in all places that we like to go back to like our own hometowns/ancestral homes, almamaters, birth places, work places, and all places where fond memories are still very much alive;
8. 16 Hours which was inspired by all the drivers who’d been ferrying us to places when the composer was at the Mountain Province State Polytechnic College and Apayao State Colege as president. The composer would like to thank all the institutions’ drivers for their defensive driving and all the sacrifices that contributed to the efficiency of management and to the significant growth of the institutions that the composer served for almost 12 years. We also include to appreciate in this song all the drivers who make right decisions as they put safety first and comfort before speed even as they are islands of one in most of our travels. To all those who pilot the wheel night and day just to bring us to our destinations on time; for those whose senses are wide awake keeping us away from the impinging danger in the highway in split seconds, and; for our most patient and careful drivers who talk, laugh, cry and sing with us along the way when there’s no one we can give our worries and disappointments, joys and victories a free reign to, this song is for you;
9. Coffee and Friends This song is inspired by the friends” of the composer who had been with and behind her through thick and thin. To the composer, everything in life relates well with the twinning partners- coffee, and friends. No coffee, no friends. No friends, no coffee. Best coffees depend upon the hearts, minds, hands and culture that feel, plan/decide, do and sustains, respectively. In life’s broadest sense, like coffee, friends need the above to produce the best blends of true friendship and cooperation. Analogywise, true friendship respects what each one considers as best coffee or life. In the parlance of music, the less travelled roads group believes that its bond of friendship is likened to coffee and that anything that tastes bad in their journey can be stirred by the blend of their uniqueness in terms of genre, voices, specialization, and above all their common aspirations to grow the fullest. This song was made as a background music of the NEDA facilitated 1st Coffee Summit between the academe and industry held in 2015 at the Benguet State University in collaboration with the LGUs, CARASUC, CHED, BSU some Peoples’ organizations and coffee producing partners and coffee institutions like the Coffee Board, Kalinga Brew and others. Breaking through the Less Traveled Roads Group, this piece shall be the overture in winning more friends, networks and development partners. This song serves as a covenant song of the less travelled Roads Group in their quest for their long-term goals as a team. whatever happens, “coffee and friends” as an inspiration in life remains’ and;
10. This will never fade away which is in response response to the very warm gesture of love, trust and confidence of the ASC family and the officialdom of Apayao as expressed through tears during the December 4,2017 turn over rite in Luna Apayao by those who were part of our painstakingly achieved journey towards quality education and in the significant if not the unprecedented growth of Apayao State College as a whole that happened during the composer’s administration. Above all, the song is a song of gratitude and continuing commitments to be of service to all the stout hearted men and women (young and old alike) who had been with us before, now and…. as the song melodiously puts it, “till the end of time.’
The CDs of the songs will be made available in the concert venue while initial sponsors of the event include Layog’s family and Layog’s farm, Budod, Gilipan, Mayan, Banggalat (BGMB) clan, Chris Basatan Antero and family, Paul Cuyopan, Davie Ludaes, Cable Café, Kipas family through La Trinidad Councilor Henry Kipas, Tadian Mayor Anthony Wooden and La Trinidad Mayor Romeo Salda.
By HENT
