The year was 2001 and KAI had just finished doing
their last show together at the Heritage Awards in
San Jose, Ca. KAI had decided to part ways and
pursue other goals in life. Although it was a group
decision Errol Viray and Andrey Silva wanted to
continue. They felt as though they had not
accomplished all that they sought out to accomplish.
So, the two guys decided to continue as KAI and
perform as a duo.
During this time, Jose Penala was feeling
disenchanted with his current group. Although Jose
has many friends, he found that Andrey and Errol
understood the rigors of being a performer. Jose
left his group of many years to experience music in
other venues. That summer of 2001 Jose, Errol and
Andrey were inseparable. They hung out together
almost everyday not withstanding work or out of
state “gigs” (Andrey and Errol). Jose, Errol and
Andrey began to form this “collective wisdom”. The
purpose for these 6 years of trials and tribulations
finally came clear to them.
They learned that if you do this “music thing”
for personal fame and fortune, then you won’t last
the duration required for success. The purpose must
be greater than the collective of “us”. Right then
and there they decided to do for the greater “us”.
If that means Filipinos, Asian Americans or those
racial groups that aren’t justly represented in
entertainment, then so be it.
By chance, the three guys were commissioned to
write and record a song for a compilation dedicated
to those directly affected by the 911 tragedy. This
simple commission helped to solidify the resolve of
Jose, Errol and Andrey. It was at this time that the
three guys learned of Cyrus Mallare’s release from
his singing group. It seemed as though someone or
something was putting things in place just so that
this group form. So, the four guys completed the
collaborative effort and submitted the record
entitled, “Your Call”.
The song’s lyrics
embodied what the guys were feeling at that pint in
their lives. Each of the guys wrote and sang their
own stories on the record. Suffice it to say, the
guys performance on the record sounded like they had
been singing together for years. Although this
collaborative effort was the first that they had
done together, they did share in the same pains and
struggles of being Asian-American in the music
industry. That common thread of frustration bound
them together into a cohesive “group”.
As word spread within the community of the
“collaborative” record and Jose, Cyrus, Andrey and
Errol were requested to do a show in NYC by 5 Star
Originals at the “Downtime”. Keep in mind that these
four guys were not a “group”, but rather a
collection of very talented friends. In preparing
for the show, the four guys thought that it might be
a good idea to just collaborate the entire show. The
contract did not dictate the group to perform as
soloists.
The show was a hit, the crowd loved them. Keep
in mind that they did their first show in Manhattan
(not the most forgiving crowd). They had been
working together on the show 5 days preceding the
show in Manhattan. This was the 6th Day they had
been together. In order to never forget their
passionate resolve of those first days, they decided
to come together as a group and name themselves 6th
Day. (link: http://www.6thday.info/site/main.htm)
