SEATTLE —
“This is our art,” bassist Bryan Dever said. “To see it transferred directly into other people is incredible. We're in a band called La Fonda. It's a five-piece band led by two Filipina sisters. I knew immediately that they had something very special.”
“To me, we’re so much more than a band. We are a family,” lead singer Veronica Topacio said. “At the root of everything is our friendship, our sisterhood.”
“Music has been such a part of accepting myself for who I am and where I'm at in my life,” Veronica’s sister and fellow lead Valerie Topacio said.
“I didn't see a lot of Asian representation in rock music as a kid,” Veronica said. “To be able to play rock music as an Asian girl, I think that's pretty awesome.”
“Our grandmother left the Philippines, and she was like a couple of months away from getting her doctorate in music,” she said. “She came here so her kids could have a better life. She's now passed.”
“It does weigh really heavily that, you know, especially being a mother,” Valerie said. “It's so important for me to show my son that mama can do it. And mama Rocks!”
“They work really hard. They just, they don't stop,” guitarist Jesse Cole said. “And we wouldn't be where we are today if it weren't for them. You need someone there to push you”
“We've done a lot of growing up,” Veronica said. “We've had a lot of highs and lows. To still come out together and to still use music as a place of healing, as a place of finding ourselves. It's like we've gone to high school twice.”
Our Jose Cedeno visited the band at their rehearsal where he found Jesse, Brian, and Jacob jamming hard.
“Is this where the real magic happens?” Jose asked.
“Yeah!” the band cheered.
Jose was curious to learn more about the band. Like, which of the sisters is bossier.
“Um, Valerie,” drummer Jacob Whinihan said. “Or Veronica?”
The truth is, La Fonda is enjoying this incredible ride.
“You know, this has been my personal dream to do that at the scale that we are right now with my best friends,” Dever said. “It's incredible.”
“It's really important to live in the moment and enjoy it while you can,” Cole said.
“Playing music is what we want to do,” Veronica said.
KING 5's Evening celebrates the Northwest. Contact us: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email.