Dinosaur Juniors: Datu's Tribe

1989-1990

Vocals:     Eric “Cabring” Cabrera
Guitar 1:   Del Visperas
Guitar 2:   Ceferino “Dos” Pacio
Bass:       Mel Visperas
Drums:      Gerald “Dax” Dacayan

Datu's Tribe was formed in UP Los Baños in the wake of Motion: Battle of the Bands, a music competition sponsored way back in 1989 by the UP Chi Epsilon Sorority.   Although the event itself did not produce any worthwhile group to speak of, it did give the school community the unique opportunity to see the best individual music talents on campus.   A few months after the competition, newer and better bands began to form.   These groups eventually laid down the foundations for what was to become the alternative band scene in UPLB and foremost in the group of fledgling talents was the starving-artist band, Datu's Tribe.

1991-1993

Retired: Dos Pacio & Dax Dacayan
New Drums: Ian Cabanilla

During its formative years, Datu's Tribe covered songs from acts such as Metallica, Guns ‘n' Roses, Skid Row, The Cult, and Juan de la Cruz.   But even during those early years, the overflow of collective creative energy eventually led the band to the inevitable: the creation of originals that were set apart from the rest in terms of content and musical innovation.   The lyrics were biting, sarcastic, acid humor at its best; the music was an eclectic mix of influences ranging from mainstream pop to thrash metal.

Datu's Tribe music resisted classification, but the thematic content still integrated the band's creative output into a recognizable package. It was this dynamic that made the band an unpredictably fresh and disturbingly attractive alternative to the prevailing music acts of the time.