MANILA -- Eon Drake Buendia, the son of rock star Ely Buendia, is following in the footsteps of his dad.

On October 9, 21-year-old Eon will be introduced to the music world when he shares the stage with his dad and performs with him for the first time in the virtual concert “Superproxies” on KTX.

The title was taken after the Eraserheads song “Superproxy,” which Buendia penned with Francis M. for the band’s 15-track “Cutterpillow” album in 1995.

Eon was “a bit apprehensive” basically because he doesn’t really like to be associated with his dad. “Not in that way,” Buendia told ABS-CBN News. “Not as a career path and I don’t blame him.

“He surely wants to carve his own career path and not be compared to me. He is also very, very excited being in this concert. He hasn’t been playing live for a long time now. Any chance he gets, I’m pretty sure it’s more of excitement than apprehension for him.”

Eon is now in fourth year taking up Music at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (CSB) and not at the University of the Philippines, the alma mater of Buendia and where The Eraserheads was formed.

“Malayo sa amin ang Diliman,” Buendia pointed out. “He went to CSB because that [school] is more accessible.”

“Superproxies” is the first online concert for Buendia, who belatedly decided on performing virtually amid this pandemic.

“I had to adjust to the new situation, the new normal,” the former Eraserheads frontman admitted. “Besides, there was really no desire on my part to perform last year. The priority was just to survive, take care of the family and just take care of my mental health.”

Having no popular venue for online shows was another reason Buendia was thwarted from staging any musical performance last year.

“There was no precedent,” he maintained. “An online show requires you to be actually in a venue also. There’s a new venue in Las Piñas that holds online concerts. That’s where we will do this show.

“A year or so, you’d want to go out and perform again for an audience electronically. Even for an online audience. It’s also for your mental health. It’s about time that you go out. Do what you do best.”

“Superproxies” will have a running time of only two hours, according to Buendia. “We don’t want to keep people on their seats for far too long. Two hours are enough.”

Asked about the things to expect in the show, Buendia kept the information to a minimum. “I really don’t know what to expect,” he honestly said. “This is something new for me.

“In terms of the show, I’ll concentrate on the songs that people expect, songs of the E-heads. There will be songs of mine that I think should also be given the spotlight. Songs that I’m proud of which came after the Eraserheads disbanded. Pupil songs, solo songs. Those songs represent my songwriting abilities.”

He will be performing with his own back-up band that has Pat Sarabia on drums, Audrey Dionisio on acoustic guitar, Carissa Ramos on bass and “the great, legendary guitar player and my idol,” Nitoy Adriano on lead guitar.

“They have been my back-up band for solo shows for five or six years now,” Buendia said. “They will be joining me in this show.”

A new band, Nobody’s Home, will perform as solo set as the front act for the concert.

Although Buendia has not been visible this pandemic, he is nonetheless still pre-occupied at home.

“I’m busy with the business, producing music for up-and-coming artists. I could write about the pandemic. There’s so much to unpack from the past years. There are a lot of ideas there," he said.

“I’d like to say I’ve matured a lot as an artist. I know everyone says that, but I think I have really matured. There was a lot of growing up during the pandemic. I’ve been challenged as an individual and as a person.

“Being a songwriter and an artist, that manifests in whatever I do. Writing a song or taking care of the business.”

Buendia does not mind performing in an empty venue for “Superproxies.”

“Sanay naman ako doon,” he said. “There was a time, back in the day, there were only two people watching us when the Eraserheads was still a struggling band playing at Club Dredd in Quezon City. That’s not a new thing for me. I don’t mind.

“Sometimes, you can just get lost in the music and you don’t even care if there’s someone listening. I rap this guitar all the time at home, singing in the shower, where there’s no audience. You can also enjoy making music just for yourself.”

There are some artists, however, who feed on the audience’s energy.

“I can do it both ways,” Buendia insisted. “Without anyone looking or
with 200,000 looking. It doesn’t make a difference to me.”

But this new set-up is something he hasn’t experienced before. “I just hope the music still translates in this new medium, this online show," he said.

“I know it will not replace live gigs. I hope to see the fans again in the future. ‘Pag pwede ng lumabas and do live shows again.

“This setting, you just have to make it interesting for yourself. But I like improvising. Even though may rehearsals na and everyone has to know what’s coming, I like to keep my band on their toes. To keep the performance interesting for myself, for them and for the audience.”

Of late, Buendia has been working with new artists for his label, Offshore Music. “I’m pretty busy guiding artists who have potential and whom I can relate to musically and emotionally,” he said. “Most of their albums are now out on Spotify.

“If you want to have an idea what I’ve been doing, check out artists like Ena Mori and Suspiria Pink. The artists, I guide them, mentor them and teach the way I know how.”

Buendia assured his fans, though, that there will be new songs from him. “The only song I wrote during the pandemic was ‘Metro,’” he said. “But I want to take it really slow and don’t rush it.

“Make it grow organically so you probably won’t be hearing an album from me soon. Although I have ideas in my head, with melody and lyrics. Right now, it’s still in the planning stage. There’s nothing recorded yet.”

Admittedly, Buendia has been busy with his personal growth during this pandemic. “I’ve been taking musical lessons, guitar. I’ve been busy with my home studio trying to upgrade it and turn it into world-class professional studio.

“I’m also taking Japanese lessons. I’m even planning to take up martial arts. There’s really so much you can do with all these time in this pandemic. That’s why I’ve been trying to keep myself busy.”

When it comes to business, Buendia has upped the ante, trying to learn not just the financial side, but the administrative side, as well.

“That’s a serious and interesting thing for me right now,” he admitted. “Business is kind of what makes people adults, learning to deal with money and trying to be professional, attend meetings on time, I think, helps you grow as a person.”

There are other creative endeavors Buendia is still trying to get into. He’s now filming things, doing movies and is even into scriptwriting.

“I’ve done a couple of scripts during the pandemic,” he beamed. “Just getting into martial arts right now and delving deeper into guitar playing, which I haven’t really done before, even though I’ve played the guitar for almost four decades now. I just think there’s always room for improvement.

“I also educate myself whatever good music is supposed to be right now, whatever good books are or good films. You always have to keep up with the times and that’s how you deal with creating something.”