We were lucky to catch up with Julian Combong recently and have shared our conversation below.

Julian, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents immigrated to the United States from the Philippines in the early 90s. As I’m approaching my 30s as a second generation immigrant, both my parents have told me stories about their experiences when they were around my age. Risks they took, how to persevere in the face of adversity and to just be a good human being and be yourself. When I was around 4 years old, we moved from Bronx, New York to a city just outside Newark, New Jersey called Bloomfield. My father told me it wasn’t easy, but when the opportunity presented itself they went all in and it ended up being the domino that set everything else in motion. They never forced me into a profession or a specific job, and because of the environment that I naturally gravitated towards, I ended up being the person I am today.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Professionally, I’ve been working as a Digital Marketer in the corporate space for about 6 years. COVID actually presented the opportunity for me to work remotely, and I’ve been doing that ever since for different companies as needed. To be honest, it’s boring work but I am good at what I do and those KPIs aren’t going to hit themselves. Outside of that, my biggest passion is music. I’m primarily a drummer and have been involved with the local scene in and around Houston for almost a decade now. It started off back when I was a part of the college radio station at the University of Houston and it’s taken me all over the places with an unbelievable amount of experiences that have further shaped who I am. If you’re looking to get your feet wet and start a band or start playing live somewhere, I’d happy to share what I know. I’ve been there before, I know what it’s like, and it would be delightful for me to help facilitate your first show.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I was unemployed for a good 9 months in 2025. It was rough, and top of that there were other issues piling on day by day, week by week, month by month. No secrets to success or shortcuts that helped get me out of that rut, and even though things continued to look bleaker as time went on, even when my back was to the wall, I ended up coming out on top. After experiencing those lows, most everything else is a high and you develop a newfound appreciation for life.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Being able to express yourself as you want to be portrayed, and having the opportunity to share and be authentically you with others. I’ve made many friends at shows and concerts simply because I liked their music or they liked mine. In a world of different languages, music is one of the mediums that’s universally understood no matter the barriers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/thechevybois
• Instagram: @jufransauce

Image Credits

Kris Lenore, Jazz, Alec and the one Saint Arnold’s employee