BREAKING BARRIERS

 

— Alexandra Sophia Isobel & Nikki Moira Cadion

When we realize our strengths and capabilities then use them to our fullest potential, we can go and achieve our greatest dreams and realities. Breaking barriers and straying away from the status quo is what this rock band is all about.

Blind Side is a rock band composed of a visually impaired frontman and guitarist, law student bassist, and a 12-year-old protege drummer formed on February 1, 2017. Not only do they focus on their passion for music but also utilize their talent to talk about social issues. The band's genre spans from pop-rock, alternative rock, punk rock, grunge, hard rock, and everything else in between.

It all started with an aspiring young musician who was inspired to compose his own songs and decided to create his own band. Riane Foronda (a.k.a. Blind Ninja) got into music, particularly guitar,  to have fun and impress his friends and family. He then got interested in rock music because of his father. However, an unfortunate situation happened a week after his 15th birthday. He started to lose his eyesight after cataract surgery.

Eventually, after 2 years, he learned to accept his situation and was more than determined to express his passion for music to send hope to anyone who needs it.

The path he went through was never easy at all.  He faced multiple difficulties in looking for the band members, however, Raine-- a visually impaired musician who became the frontman and guitarist of the band, strived and became the reason how the band came to be.

He started recruiting his friends to play music and change the world.

Wakin Ramos (a.k.a. Wonder Boy) is the band's drummer who, at a young age, was already into rock music. He found Green Day and Incubus' passion for music inspiring. Moreover, he felt a sense of the rush of excitement and challenge whenever he played these bands' music on the drums.

Just like Riane, Wakin was fond of his father playing the drums and performing on stage. He soon followed in his footsteps and took a liking to music, specifically the drum set.

Last but not least is the Blind Side's very own bassist, Matt Dooma (a.k.a. The Matinee Idol).

His role was initially a guitarist, but due to a former member's withdrawal from the band, he became the bassist. Therefore, they decided to keep the number of members of the Blind Side to three instead.

GNR, Led Zeppelin, Wolfgang, and Razorback to name a few, are Matt’s inspiration and influence in music. While he took classical guitar lessons, he eventually came across bands like AC-DC, which led him to play the electric guitar.

Despite the years of knowledge and practice, Matt Dooma stated,  “Once you think you’re the best of the best and you feel like you’ve reached the top of the summit, think again. Keep practicing. Music is an endless journey of learning.”

Moreover, Riane believes  that being a musician is a “never-ending cycle of learning." According to him, it is important to keep an open mind especially towards criticisms as it will help you determine what you have to improve.

"Dream big," Wakin said as a piece of advice. “There’s nothing wrong with dreaming big. Dreaming has no limitation.” Having consistency in practicing your craft and skills serves as the way for you to achieve your goals.

Barriers are, and will always be there to try to hinder us. There was no obstacle made to give up on, we should always find a way to overcome it.