Dear readers, we have the honor and pleasure of being able to interview a band that produced one of the most interesting Hidden Rarities of the 70s, the Filipino-American band Dakila. Their 1972 self-titled album with an unmistakable sound is a precious stone to be researched and valued.
First of all, thank you for taking the time for this interview, how are you?
I am David Bustamante the only remaining active original member of the 1972 band, Dakila. You are welcome. It’s always a pleasure to share stories of the the band Dakila. I’m in good health being in my late 60’s and blessed to be able to still enjoy writing and performing music. I was the guitarist/vocals/percussionist for Dakila’s first and second album
The original band members were Filipino-Americans but the project was born in San
Francisco, where did the choice to propose Latin Jazz come from?
Most of the original members from that 1972 album were of Filipino-American descent. You really can’t categorize that music as Latin Jazz. If you define Jazz as music with complex’s harmonies, syncopated rhythms and timing plus an emphasis on improv, well, Dakila’s music was sort of like that but we added the Filipino element to it which was experimental at the time because we were trying to create our own identity as one of the heavy Fil-Latin Rock Pop Jazz Funk bands coming out of SF at the time and trying to avoid being compared to Santana.
Your genre recalls the sounds of Santana’s first works, what were (if any) your sources
of inspiration?
Dakila’s music of course was inspired by many bands coming out of the SF including Santana which we all jammed together here in there at many venues in the city at the time. We were inspired by each other.
The history of the band has been characterized by a very good album produced in 1972
for Epic, how would you describe this work?
The 1972 Dakila album under Epic/Columbia did not turn out the way the band really wanted. Most of the songs were cut and spliced from various songs and sometimes did not make musical sense(my personal option). The producers and the engineer at the time were also trying something experimental. We had to relearn the songs and arrangements so we can play live and sound somewhat like the recording but some people liked the recordings. I felt many of the songs were too fast in tempo. As far as recording quality, the album it was well done. We recorded the whole album in 1 week at Pacific Recording Studio in San Mateo, Ca.
As for the lyrics of the album, what themes do the songs deal with?
Like I said many of the songs in the album were splices from many other songs. As for the lyrics, we were trying too express that who you are was important and try not to hide behind the mainstream of what’s going on. Your identity was important in the bands lyrics since it was our first album and we wanted to public to know that we were from SF and that we were Filipino-Americans who can rock. The name of the band “Dakila” is a Filipino word which means greatness.
Are there any anecdotes or details that you want to remember from the early years of
the band, something to tell old and new fans?
We had our great gigs in places like Winterland SF and Fillmore West and tours to Hawaii with Buddy Miles and Malo as well as countless colleges and universities. We met lots of big celebrities during those early years. Some how you felt the struggle of trying to get into bigger venues due to our cultural backgrounds and what we were about rather than appreciation for the musicianship of the band and its creativity. The album cover has somewhat been an iconic piece for some reason. That photo was taken in Golden Gate park in SF in the Fern grove. We were rushed from band rehearsal and wasn’t given a choice of what to wear for the photo shoot. I don’t like that album cover. I felt like we were thrown into the jungle and asked to strike a pose then that became our image.
Since 1972 with the release of your only album, you have not released any more studio
albums, is there a possibility that you will release a new LP?
There was a 2nd album recorded with I believe 6 or 7 songs. This album was never released and the master tapes could not be located. This album had different musicians. Some of the original band members left after the first album and first tour, Then the band finally broke up in 1974 and the band was released from Epic. I wrote many of the songs for Dakila but never recorded them or performed them up until 2013. A tribute re-union performance at Bimbo’s in SF sparked the interest of resurrecting the band under my leadership and principle song-writer. There is a single on Spotify and another in the works and a re-release of the original LP in Europe coming soon. There is also a film-documentary in progress titled: “Searching For My Soul the Dakila Story.”
Over the years you have organized some reunions and many fans will be wondering if
there will be the possibility to listen to your music live, do you have any plans for that?
I have made many appearances as the only original member of Dakila such as the current film documentary “Song For Cesar” which focuses on many of the bands and artists that supported the United Farm Worker’s movement. Dakila’s next appearance will be in Concord, Ca. 5/7/22 then in Vallejo 8/6/22. Will send you the poster for the 5/7/22 gig.
The music market has changed a lot in recent years, what advice do you want to give to
new artists entering the current music scene?
Advice for new artist entering the current music scene. You have to ask yourself why you want to play music and you will find the answer. As for me, my father was also a musician and his advice to me was get into a profession that will support you and your family so you can enjoy playing music without worry.
We leave the last question as usual in our free interviews, if there is any topic you want
to talk about that was not proposed in the previous questions, feel free to talk about it
here.
Dakila’s 50 year anniversary since the release of that album is coming up. I know I am one of many stories of many bands that could have made it big but never did but for whatever reason. Why does one artist over another has success or wins a Grammy or is highly recognized for their achievements vs hundreds of talented and gifted more deserving artist that will never be known. I say do what you love and things will happen no matter how long it takes.
Special thanks to the Dakila band for the pleasant interview, wishing them the best for the
continuation of their artistic career.