By: Alexander Burwell & Yuri Castor
Sam Aquino is the guitarist for the band Nobita, well known for their famous song “Ikaw Lang”, which just earned a Saludo Excellence award for 2021 Music Video of the Year.
As a kid, he was intrigued by his uncle, who is also a musician. For him, it's like a blood-related enchantment that drew him to the guitar at first sight. His words were,“I was enticed at that particular moment.”
“Alam mo ‘yun may gitara sa sala tapos ako naman ‘to, out of curiosity, I played the guitar. (You know, there was a guitar in the living room. Then, out of curiosity, I played the guitar),” he shared, but little did Sam know where his curiosity would bring him.
Following that first love encounter, he pursued his passion, playing guitar. He met Mark Quintero, the bassist for the band Nobita, but they weren't in the same band at the time.
Sam also mentioned Mateus Asato, an international guitarist originally from Brazil, was his inspiration in music, especially in playing the Guitar.
Music, like love, is in the air for Sam Aquino. His elder brother and a buddy are often jamming at their house after school, and he was inspired by them just by looking at them.
When Mark Quintero, Nobita’s bassist, invited him to join the band, he quickly said yes.
“Out of adrenaline rush lang eh. Biglaan lang talaga ‘yang yayaan eh. (It was out of an adrenaline rush. All of it was just prompt),” he said, and that was when the finest time of his life began.
They rehearsed and felt harmonic since their playing of the melody was in tune, and they fell in love with the feeling of performing.
During Sam's first gig at the bar, he said “Oo eto na yun, ito yung gusto kong gawin. (Yes, this is it; this is what I want to do),” and continued to go forward with the band.
At first, Sam had a hard time trying to expose and promote their music to the audience, yet he and the other members would still grab opportunities.
Sam had to travel to Manila back-to-back from Pangasinan just to perform. Facing all those struggles, that didn’t stop Sam from doing what he loves.
There was also a time when Sam didn't have the money to go home from Manila to Pangasinan but he still went to Manila just to seek and grab the opportunity.
For Sam, you must create your own opportunity in order to have one. He believes that you should do what you love because you will be surprised where your passion will take you.
Sam is a go-with-the-flow type of person along with the band, and they’re also the same. He doesn’t measure the band’s progress by numbers. For him aiming for numbers is not practical because sometimes, you will just get lucky by the exposure.
“A person should be passionate about what he is doing, progress is a hit or miss thing.”
The band’s guitarist said, “Following your passion is the secret to success; all you have to do is do what you love as long as you don't step on anyone.”
Currently, Sam is in a long-distance relationship with the band. In March 2021, he flew to London to work as a staff nurse but still made sure to fulfill his band duties.
For Sam, nothing has changed as he is still part of every songwriting and its process. Even if he is miles away from the band, no distance can conquer their love to create good music together.
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