In the Mission District of the early 1970s, Latin rock reigned. Bands like Santana and Malo explored new cross-cultural hybrids, and captured the nation’s attention. Into this fertile ground came Dakila, a group of young men who snagged a deal with Epic Records by playing in a similar style, with one subtle but notable exception: singing in Tagalog.
As the Bay Area’s first Pinoy rock band on a major label, Dakila served as inspiration not only for the region’s growing Filipino population, but for other Filipino bands that followed (a decade later, Death Angel took the local thrash metal scene by storm). Periodically rescued from dollar bins, the band’s 1972 self-titled album evinces a harder sound than the average soulful Latin styles of the day. Within a few years, though, the band disintegrated.
Fast-forward to the current day, and original member David Bustamante has assembled a new Dakila lineup, one which performs at the Undiscovered pop-up on Aug. 18 as part of the Sunday Streets festival in SOMA’s Filipino cultural district. Also performing are reggae band Natural Elements, DJ Don Don, and the Astig DJ Crew, with food galore and other celebrations of Filipino culture.—Gabe Meline
