BRWN Band and Stanley Seludo: More than musicians; advocates among displaced artists

There’s more to his drums than meets the eye.

Stanley Seludo, the drummer of the band called BRWN isn’t only a drum killer onstage he’s a socially committed artist at-large as well.

For how can you describe a musician who uniquely thought of configuring an alliance named Musikaramay, a non-profit org which seeks to help fellow music artists marred by hardships in the field especially during the COVID-19 crisis cross the other side of the struggle successfully.

Stanley did just that and proved his worth as a leader. “Maraming nawalan ng trabaho ngayong pandemya lalo na sa aming mga music artists kaya kailangang magtulungan (Many lost their jobs among us music artists during the pandemic so we need to help each other),” says Seludo, a graduate of UP College of Education.

Concepts of altruisms never escaped the minds of the movers of the group. One idea led to another when Stanley created a delivery service of essentials being carried out by displaced artists. A pleasant sounding name if not a battle cry was finally logged on, “Good Banda,” a good band to match the movement. “We deliver essential mercantile,” exclaims Stanley.

On top of it is a “harana” (serenade) where the delivery men would sing songs to the buyers, a wonderful bonus.

One group bred another when BRWN originated from this organization and a new band was formed.

BRWN’s vision is also akin to the goals of Musikaramay which is to encourage Filipinos to rise up and to triumph over tribulations brought about by the health emergency—a transition from their usual pop inclination to a more socially engaging music.

One tune is fused to another, as a matter of course. “We are also R&B. Most of our influences are also Western like Bruno Mars,” Stanley admitted.

In their latest single, though, BRWN has ventured into a new beat and content. In “Bangon,” a music video, the group, according to the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Corporate Communications, showed high-powered lyrics to the orchestral arrangement that blends beautifully with BRWN’s electronic flair provides a hair-raising experience with the inclusion of Philippine ethnic instruments and Cordillera chants which surrounds the entire sound with an atmosphere that screams patriotism.

The recently released vid is BRWN’s first offering with Tagalog lyrics, their guitarist Migs Raneses’ first attempt at arranging a song of theirs and their first collaboration with both the CCP and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO).