Francis Reyes facts for kids

Francis Florentino Saludo Reyes (born June 20, 1967) is a famous Filipino musician. Many people know him as the talented guitarist for the rock band The Dawn. He was also a main voice and music director at the rock radio station NU107.5 FM, where he was known as Francis Brew. Later, he became the editor of Billboard Philippines, a big music magazine.

Francis Reyes' Early Life

Francis Reyes was born and grew up in Lipa City, Batangas, Philippines. He was the second child in his family. His dad, Florante Luz Reyes, was a photographer, and his mom, Teresita Marquinez Saludo, was a homemaker.

When he was young, Francis wasn't very involved in music. Instead, he was great at speaking contests, which he often won! He started playing the guitar when he was 14 years old. His older brother, Ferdinand, who was a natural guitarist, helped him learn.

His family wasn't rich. His first real guitar was a fake Gibson acoustic guitar. It cost about 150 Philippine pesos. His mom promised to buy it for him if he won a speaking contest in high school.

Francis wanted to study music or art in college. However, his family didn't fully support this choice. So, he decided to study Political Science and Literature at De La Salle University. Even though he didn't major in music, he kept learning on his own. He brought an old guitar to school and practiced behind the library. He even started a few bands with friends and played at school events.

College was expensive, and his family faced money problems. Francis looked for writing jobs to earn extra money. In 1987, he tried out for an FM radio station. He started as a trainee working late at night. Eventually, he joined NU107, a popular rock station.

Francis Reyes' Music Career

Working at NU107 Radio

Around the same time Francis joined NU107, he also became a member of the band Afterimage. This band was managed by Martin Galan, who also managed The Dawn. Francis was very busy juggling school, his radio job, and playing with Afterimage.

Later, when The Dawn's schedule became very busy, he had less time for the radio station. In 1992, he left NU107 in a friendly way. But he returned in 1997 to host a show called "In the Raw." He stayed with the station for many years. He became the main announcer and music director. NU107 stopped broadcasting on November 7, 2010.

Playing with The Dawn Band

Francis met the members of The Dawn while he was with Afterimage. He already knew Jett Pangan, The Dawn's singer, from speaking contests in college. Francis became good friends with The Dawn's guitarist and founder, Teddy Diaz. They even talked about starting a new band together.

Sadly, Teddy Diaz was murdered just a few days after their talk. Francis was then asked to be one of three guitarists to play Teddy's parts in a special tribute concert. This concert, called "Salamat Teddy," happened in September 1988.

Francis went back to Afterimage for a while. He also worked as a roadie (someone who helps set up equipment) for The Dawn. In November 1989, he was asked to join The Dawn as a full member, replacing another guitarist.

Francis recorded three albums with The Dawn. He played with them until January 1995, when the band decided to take a break. During this break, he played guitar for other artists like Lou Bonnevie, Kulay, P.O.T., and Joey Ayala. He says his time with The Dawn helped him play many different styles of music.

The Dawn got back together in 1999, and Francis rejoined. For a while, they had five members. In 2004, another guitarist left, and Francis became the only guitarist.

On April 16, 2009, Francis left the band again after a difficult meeting. However, Jett Pangan said that Francis was always welcome to come back. And he did! Francis, along with bassist Carlos Balcells, returned to The Dawn on June 7, 2016. This made the band a five-piece group once more.

Other Music Projects

Francis Reyes also works as a music arranger for Roadrunner Network. He contributed a song to a music album called Mga Gitarista. Even though many friends tell him to make his own guitar album, Francis prefers to focus on The Dawn.

In 1998, he formed a band called Garlic with Louie Talan (from Razorback) and Zach Lucero (from Imago). This group focused on making music up as they played. They received good reviews, but they haven't recorded an album yet.

Francis was also part of other bands like Helenovela and PESO Movement. He was also a member of a "supergroup" called Project 1, which is a band made of famous musicians from other bands.

Billboard Philippines Magazine

In 2016, Francis Reyes became the main editor of Billboard Philippines. This magazine focuses on music news, music charts, and other music-related topics. He stopped working there in January 2018. But the magazine was relaunched in October 2023 under new management, and Francis returned as a senior editor.

Musical Inspirations

Francis Reyes says he decided to become a guitarist after hearing Ritchie Blackmore's guitar solo in the song "Speed King" by Deep Purple. He was also a huge fan of Queen and their guitarist, Brian May.

His early guitar heroes included Eddie Van Halen and Gary Moore. He even put electrical tape on his guitar to make it look like Eddie Van Halen's! Today, he is inspired by many other great guitarists like Pat Metheny, Eric Johnson, Robert Fripp, and Jimi Hendrix.

Musical Gear

Francis Reyes uses different guitars and equipment to create his unique sound.

Electric Guitars

He used to be a supporter of Hamer Guitars. He played their Standard XT and Vector XT models. He also owned other guitars like a Squier Standard Telecaster and a Gretsch 5235T Pro Jet, but he sold them.

Now, he mainly uses guitars from Lyric Music Stores. He often plays Tokai Guitars, a Yamaha Revstar, and a PRS Tremonti Custom SE. He also still has a Casio PG380 guitar synthesizer, which he used when he first joined The Dawn.

Amplifiers

• Vox Valvetronix AD50VT

Effects Pedals

Effects pedals help change the sound of the guitar. Francis uses:

• Digitech Brian May Red Special
• Z Vex Fuzz Factory
• Zoom G9.2tt (for changing pitch, adding effects, and delays)
• Line 6 DL4 (for recording and playing back short sounds on the spot)
• Korg Kaoss Pad KP3 (for creating sounds and textures)

Keyboards

• E-mu XK6
• Korg EA-1 Electribe
• Yamaha vintage Monophonic synthesizer

Other Instruments

Francis also has some unique instruments. These include a Vietnamese dan tranh (a type of zither), a Xaphoon pocket sax, a kalimba (thumb piano), and a tin whistle. He uses these instruments subtly in The Dawn's recordings to add special sounds.

Appearances in TV and Movies

Francis Reyes has appeared in several TV shows and movies, often performing with The Dawn.

Television

Film

Radio

Music Albums

Francis Reyes has played on many albums with his bands.

The Dawn

• Heart's Thunder (1990)
• Abot Kamay (1992)
• Puno't Dulo (1994)
• Prodigal Sun (2000)
• Harapin (2004)
• Tulad ng Dati (2006)
• The Later Half of Day (2008)

Peso Movement

• The Gentle Sound of Chaos (2014)

See also

In Spanish: Francis Reyes para niños