When American country musician Stokes Nielson first came to Cebu, he was not looking for a Filipino band to headline an international music festival.
On his way to Osmeña Peak, Nielson asked his companions to play some Bisaya music. They put on Oh! Caraga’s “Way Sukod,” followed by another song, and then another.
By the time he reached the mountain, he was convinced there was something worth bringing to a much bigger audience.
“I realized that music is at a deeper level in Filipino and Visayan culture than most societies,” Nielson said.
That discovery has since grown into Spirit of the Country, an international music initiative that plans to bring artists from different countries to Cebu, with Oh! Caraga as its main act.
“This is free to everybody. I want people, regardless of their economic situation, to be able to come out and hear the artistry that will come from all over the world. It is my hope that this concert will be an extension of the idea that music has the power to not only save lives but also change lives. People who are affected by whatever challenges they may be facing, if they go to a Spirit of the Country concert event, I hope they leave with hope,” he said.
From Cebu to the world
Nielson, a member of American country group The Lost Trailers, said his decision to hold the project in Cebu came after a friend from Vanderbilt University encouraged him to explore more of the Philippines beyond Manila.
He had previously been familiar with Manila and had also visited Palawan. Cebu, however, gave him a different perspective of the country and eventually led him to Visayan music.
His introduction to Oh! Caraga happened almost by chance.
After hearing “Way Sukod,” Nielson reached out to the band. Within five hours, he said, he received a response from Kenneth of Oh! Caraga, who invited him to dinner with his brother.
“From the first time I met these guys, I realized, number one, we are brothers,” Nielson said. “They have a Bisaya mother. I have an American mother, but we are brothers in music.”
That meeting eventually developed into a larger vision.
Nielson said the planned Spirit of the Country event in Cebu is targeted for February 12, 2028, at Independence Plaza. The concert is envisioned as an international gathering, with artists from the United States and different parts of Asia taking part.
Oh! Caraga, however, will remain at the center of the Cebu edition.
Adam of Oh! Caraga described the project as an opportunity not only for the group but for the wider community of Filipino artists.
“The bigger thing for this, other than us as a band making this event happen sa 2028, is that there are big opportunities and possibilities,” he said. He pointed to the potential for more international spectators, music tourism and investment in Cebu, while emphasizing the significance of giving Visayan artists an international stage on their home turf.
Home court advantage
The idea of bringing international audiences to Cebu rather than simply sending Visayan artists abroad is part of what makes the project significant.
Visayan musicians have increasingly found audiences beyond the region, but international recognition can still be difficult to sustain without access to larger platforms, networks and industry connections.
A festival that brings global artists to Cebu creates another possibility: the world comes to the artists. Nielson said this is part of his vision for Spirit of the Country.
Rather than creating a festival dominated by American acts, he wants artists from Asia, Europe, Africa and South America to be part of the lineup.
He also described the project as artist-led, with musicians from each participating culture helping shape how the festival is presented in their own communities.
For Visayan artists, that could mean being seen not simply as regional performers invited to an international event, but as cultural voices helping define what that international event looks and sounds like.
“It’s my hope that this is the beginning of Bisaya music taking its rightful place on the global stage,” Nielson said.
Beyond one band
Oh! Caraga, a Visayan band rooted in the Caraga Region of northeastern Mindanao, is also entering the collaboration at a time when the group has already demonstrated that Bisaya songwriting can connect with international audiences.
Its song “Ipanumpa Ko” was a finalist in the 2020 International Songwriting Competition, while “Bagani” received an Honorable Mention in the competition’s World category in 2024.
Nielson said he plans to travel around Asia to find artists for the festival, including acts from Korea, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.
That makes the Cebu project potentially bigger than a one-time collaboration between an American country musician and a Visayan band. It could become a meeting point for regional music scenes that rarely share the same stage.
Nielson said he chose the city because he felt a strong connection between Visayan culture and the American South, particularly in their shared appreciation for music, regional identity and stories of overcoming challenges.
For Oh! Caraga, meanwhile, the opportunity is about what might happen when the door opens wide enough for other Visayan artists to walk through, too.
The first step may be one band being heard in a car ride to Osmeña Peak. The bigger possibility is an entire regional sound being heard far beyond the mountains of Cebu. / TRC S