Where’s the Sheep: A musical partnership

MANILA, Philippines - Every now and then, something good, intriguing and absolutely inspiring surfaces in the music scene. A perfect example is the sound of Where’s the Sheep from Vicor Music.

Where’s the Sheep is the monicker that singer/guitarist Mike Shimamoto and lead guitarist/back-up vocalist Hero Mauricio call their musical partnership. The handsome pair specializes in praise and worship music simply because this is what they do as young leaders and being devoted to their music ministry.

This is also the first time Vicor Music has entered the genre.

The idea of coming out with a praise album is a joint concept of the A&R department of Vicor and Viva Records. It was only last year when a label executive chanced upon the duo in a prayer meeting and the rest is history.

Mike and Hero are in their early 20s and they met by joining the music ministry in their community in Merville, Parañaque. It was the start of their exposure to praise music. As they met regularly for Saturday prayers, their love for singing developed. On the part of Hero, he has learned to dig other musical instruments: First is the drums, then the piano and eventually, the guitar.

Where music is concerned, they don’t limit themselves to praise.

Mike says, “There are wide types of music out there and they enhance our own style. We do appreciate jazz, alternative rock and hip-hop but our main focus is still on praise. It best describes us and sets us apart from the rest. Ten years from now, we may be shifting to other genre but in our music vocabulary, praise will always be alive.”

Where’s the Sheep Praise, Worship and Inspirational Songs opens with an excellent take on the (pop rock Christian band) Casting Crown song Who Am I. The Billboard hit Indescribable sits well for the pair’s acoustic guitar-driven arrangements. The album also features an understated cover of (rock band) Switchfoot’s hit Only Hope that is delivered with confidence by Shimamoto.

The budding musicians consider themselves as shepherds on a mission. They believe that music can also be a form of prayer and it is their hope that their album will lead others to a path of prayer.

“There could be hundreds out there listening at any given time, but if we could only reach one and turn this one towards Him, then we’ve done our job,” they disclosed.