A Musician is Like an Entrepreneur?? Really?

(NB: Scroll down to the re-blogged piece which is the subject of this blog post. Not my rumblings. Thanks)

I slept at 3 a.m. yesterday for two reasons. The first one (unimportant really  is that I had to get Eric Wainaina's 'Bwana Mkubwa' video and listen to the song because since the 2007/2008 elections, it has never been played. He redid to Orutu Special in Love and Protest but then I prefer the original feel. The blending voices of Suzanna, Nyota Ndogo, Atemi, Chizi and Sarah Mitaru are just, to quote Russel Peters, 'too good'!

On to reason number two since getting the video took 5 minutes. I decided to watch a presentation done by Eric and Sheba at Aly-Khan Satchu's Mindspeak. Problem is I started watching at around 11.30 only to realise later that it would take hours to end.

It's not that I can't see the time thingy at the bottom of the video, its just that once they started,there was no way I was going to sleep and leave it halfway. Their informal approach to it is, to quote...umm...just go watch it for yourself. Pssst, he mentions the Valerie storo at the end. Does it in a very professional way I must say.

I am an Eric fanatic so you will have to excuse anything you find subjective/biased.

So, they discussed how they started out and why they opted to focus on music rather than other 'socially accepted' forms of life... and I dozed off inspired. Yes, I said they-because she runs the company.

Next morning after breakfast and some typing for Koa, I bump into this blogpost by Muthoni Maingi and I decide I have to repost it.

This is the reason why I do what I do. Very few people know or can understand what I have given up to follow 'the path not taken'. That poem by Robert Frost has been echoing across the walls of my brain of late.

It's not that long really. If I cut out my long 'preamble' it would help. The original post can be found hapa. Here it goes:

Business, conversations and lessons

I love having conversations with go getters, alphas and doers in society. Picking their brains and hearing out their dreams, ambitions and thoughts for a better future, in their corner of the world always fascinates me. In one recent conversation, we tore down what it was that kept people out of doing something that mattered to them.

Was it money, fear or the relaxed atmosphere that a comfort zone offers? Was it that as a society we feared ‘failure’ and discouraged it so much that we ended up stifling the necessary experimental and curious nature that innovation and solution finding calls for. Or was it also, that we, who had enjoyed some measure of success were not honest enough in giving our ‘rise to x..’ story, and insisted on the glamourous rags to riches format instead? Which rarely provides anyone with the relevant know how in achieving the same level of ‘success’.

I guess there are many reasons to the why, however, in today’s post I will share some of the lessons I have learnt in running, owning and ensuring my company survives and stays relevant to my staff and clients (the most important people in that order).

When I started Deviate I was passionate about providing better marketing services and platforms for small but dynamically growing Kenyan businesses. Brands like Tile and Carpet, Tropical Heat and Mercantile Insurance had fascinated me when I worked at Creative Edge. What I however, found was that despite their having a few million shillings to spare for marketing, they were not receiving the best service tailored specifically for them. Media (billboards, radio, TV and Print) and agencies usually priced themselves and built their models in a way that would work really well for a big brand eg Colgate but not as well for a brand like Whitedent.

So I started Deviate, a company who’s sole aim is to provide better service, delivery and set standards for SME and agency relations. It’s a company that picks brands that it can grow with as opposed to just a brand that can grow the profit margins of the company. The company is entirely built around two groups of people, the staff and the clients.

I believe this is one element that has helped us grow to where we are, currently the company represents over 20 regional brands. And we’re a year old.

However, our business model is not all that matters. One of the biggest selling points Deviate has is the relationships with clients. This really is not marketing lingo. My clients inspire me as people, and they happen to be some of the most interesting and forward thinking people I have met. A huge problem in agency is the idea that ‘client is confused/stupid/complicated’. In many instances they are able to provide an outside-in view that can truly guarantee marketing ROI. A notoriously difficult thing to achieve. So we value our clients and their input, as well as enjoy creating something with them. After all, we work with SME’s, one of the most creative and dynamic groups there are. Do I go out of the way for them in many areas, yes, is it worth it? Yes, all jobs and retainer clients have come from WOM of current/past clients. Not to mention the repeat business opportunities that can be explored.

Now to the dirty bit of it all, the top was all flowers. Lack of money and fear of failure. When I started out, Deviate was going to be all about carvertising-selling ads on taxi bodies. Long story short it didn’t work out yet I had spent all my savings on it. I was flat out broke. I don’t know whether I should thank Zeus, Bacchus or Thor, but someone who I had worked with at Creative Edge approched me to pitch for an online brand management job. I did and I got it. However, it took about three months for this and the cheque on it to clear. I lived on Uchumi points and for one month my electricity was cut. During the three months, I got three job offers, not interviews, offers, one of whom wanted to pay me 120 000 ksh net. I emailed my thank you but regretted to inform them that I had started my own company. My family and friends listed me off as insane, and in all honesty at that point I kind of was. There was the constant nagging of inner voice me that kept reminding me that I had already failed in the carvetising, plus, the online brand management client might not want to go with me. I guess the lesson in this is that I was determined, possibly half starved to a near insane at this point and I really had a good feeling about what I wanted to do and I believed my solutions could make a difference. Money and comfort were just not going to cut it.

source: trebas.com

That client ended up being my first major win in many ways. They were a very recognizable brand, and over the year that I worked with them, we not only receive fantastic online PR but this translated to offline as the brand is referred to as one of the few active and engaging corporate brands online. Plus we got nominated for best corporate account at BAKE.

Do I still have issues with money, yes, can I still fail yes. In fact failure at this stage would mean ruining the lives of my employees and clients. Will I give up, or am I tempted? No. Never ever. I plan on building a company that will be over 100 years old and still counting. How many of those do we have in Kenya/East Africa that are truly ours?

Event Review-Acoustic Worship 5

Footnotes: I did this review 3 months ago and it wasn't published so I figured, it does nothing better on my desktop. ION, join us for the fourth Twendelele this Saturday, titled An African Christmas.

  After practice, we all confirmed if we had our tickets on us as we hurried along Kenyatta Avenue towards the Alliance Francaise. It was the 4^th of September and the 5^th edition of Acoustic Worship was about to start. I took a detour and by the time I got to the Alliance reception area, the place was packed. As I craned my neck trying to figure out where my comrades were standing while we awaited for the opening of the Wangari Maathai Auditorium, I realised I was surrounded by notables.

  Since we had to wait, I decided to schedule an interview with Jaya, a lovely songstress. Meanwhile all around I could see people I am supposed to know and I didn't  Think of musicians in the live music gospel industry, the young ones, they were all (or most of them were) here.

  Once the two heavy doors to the auditorium swung wide, we all ‘lined’ up true Kenyan style, tickets in hand. Inside was the expected haggling for strategically placed seats, but nothing ugly. I have seen worse.

Ten minutes later, everything quieted down and the applause began as Kato Change and Noel Nderitu entered the stage.

Kato Change, Noel Nderitu, David Gitoho (background-Mathewmatix on drums).KweliMedia

With no official ‘MC’ in the mix, the focus was on the music. First off was a piece done by these two then the rest of the band joined them on stage all silently, almost solemnly, with no acknowledgement of our presence as the audience. It was a performance. A friend would later tell me, ‘it was like they came for a jamming session.’

  Noel Nderitu definitely impressed with his two songs and the back-up vocals later on in Karimi’s I belong to you. He sang in a clear and crisp tone, no unnecessary embellishments all over the place. The parts he adlibbed he did well, with well-placed runs that left the audience hanging on to every note.

His interaction was the closest we got to an MC and he did a fantastic job with his casual laid-back approach. He made fun of the pianist, George Nyoro and even himself, leaving chuckles that punctuated the entire event. I loved the reggae crowd-part for his song, Go.

  Kato Change as always, utilized his spotlight, amazing everyone and even more, the guitarists in the audience. His improvs are to die for. For a versatile jazz and blues-loving guitarist, one wonders what to highlight when Kato plays. This night he added some African two-chorded riff that left the audience humming to themselves. He also wrote a Luo song he couldn’t sing, as per his own admission.

The song, called Aparo was vocalized by Lisa who mesmerizes more and more. For those complex jazzy runs adlibs a la Ella Fitzgerald or Jill Scott, Lisa is the one to go to. She wowed everyone with her vocal technique as well as feel.

  Karimi was also in the performers list. She told of how she dreamt of singing at the Acoustic Worship since the first one. Her dream had come true and she did leave a mark. Everyone remembers the powerful-voiced belter at the concert. The blend of her song,I belong to you with Isaac Houghton’s I know who I am was my favorite.

Karimi the belter. Source: KweliMedia.Copyright Mwangi Kirubi.

  You rarely get to hear (I have never) the bass guitar sound like an acoustic classical one. David Gitoho, from the UK as Kato informed us turned that instrument into something else. His bass guitar solo was worth writing home and pinning somewhere. He added the licks you would hear in a kawaida acoustic guitar with some breathtaking improvs that left even the non-musical members of the audience shaking their heads in wonder.

  Words fail to describe when you need them to. He even did a rendition of Lord I lift your name on high, the popular and classic Pentecostal song.    His looping enabled him to do much more. He admitted to having had ‘goofs’of which I am sure very few, probably only 2, people noticed.

  It is not that there were no songs done with the band as a whole, but the set up was such that the strength of every performer was highlighted.

  The percussions, played by Mobutu Sese and the drums by Mathewmatix Rabala also had their moment to be heard. Using mime-like movements, these two left the audience in bouts of laughter with their simple dramatic performance. This of course did not overshadow their performance as they exchanged instruments, each one trying to outdo the other. Mobutu Sese was all-out playing the full percussion set that had a djembe, congas and dununs not counting the shakers and sticks with a lot of energy and vigor. I did not know Mathewmatix could play percussions that well as well.

Mobutu Sese.KweliMedia

   However, it was their versatility that caught the ear of the audience as they moved through different styles from salsa to isukuti then back to ragga then hip-hop followed by chakacha then bossa nova. To make it better, they increased the tempo to a mind-blowing climax that earned them a standing ovation.

The man who stole most people’s hearts though was George Nyoro, the pianist. His arrangement of gospel hymns such as As the deer panteth and Baba Hakuna was remarkable. His playing is not just technically impressive but also very expressive. His arrangements too were mindboggling. The fact that he is a jazz pianist gives a clue. His way of playing around with modulations and tempo-change, not mentioning his speed places him among the most promising pianists Kenya is yet to see.

Words do not fully describe the precision and clarity of the pieces presented that evening. The audience sat down for about ten minutes after the last piece, not believing that it had actually ended. I believe good musicianship is all about growth which comes from learning. If the standards being set by these young musicians are anything to go by, then the industry is on the right path.

Last Night in the News

Here are some of the things writers explore in their creativity.

So, yesterday in the news we all heard that some 3 women were arrested in a slum, claiming to be midwifes but suspected to be ‘jua kali’ abortionists. My creative juices also known as imagination decided to play around with the idea and think of how a novelist would put this story to work.

You could have a larger story,like something on unrequited love, told by a young Nairobian. And like any other plot, you explore a variety of themes, based on where you place a character, his friends, dialogue etc. At some point in your plot you could opt to start your chapter like this:

‘There were flies all over, irritatingly opting for people’s noses or rather, faces, instead of inanimate objects and clothing. It was the smell. Definitely had to be the smell. I also considered that it had rained in Nairobi last night for about 5 hours straight, not just Kurweini slums. In fact, there were rumours that houses, owned by the middle-class, had been flooded. We were shocked. That was Bobo and I, when I went to ask him if Shiks had called him by any chance after last night.

“Mimi sifanyingi hiyo kazi! Apana! No!”, the lady in the lesso with orange and black prints shrieked as she was led by the askaris to the waiting Landrover, already revved up.

It was a scene. The journalists with their paraphernalia (professional and semi-professional video as well as still cameras, colorfully-branded microphones and blandly designed audiorecorders, notepads and tiny pens) haggled and pushed each other like dogs by the butchery. It was beginning to turn messy as they were joined by the mothers who had tipped the police and wanted to lynch the three women. Or seemed to. The sight of cameras can do wonders. I tightened my grip on the black polythene bag with my two mandazis and mini-packet of Limuru Milk, and almost tripped as I turned…’

The pic should help with the imagery.. Source: Goodwin

I know, I know. I haven’t even touched on the stench of confiscated herbs, allegedly used for inducing abortion. I am yet to mention how some neighbor gave testimony, having seen a young girl led by an old man into the slaughterhouse and fail to come back. None of that yet, but then if I was to use all this, I would have had to tie it to our character’s story (see I can’t even tell you his name) and that would be giving too much away, and yet you just met himJ. Well, at least you know his gender.

Have a great November! Or as Capitalists would put it, have a Merry Christmas!

Learning Vulindlela-Compare and Contrast

Much as I requested Kevin to ask Kate, being a girl and all,(yes, all) to learn Nakupenda, I went ahead to learn this song by Brenda Fassie. You should watch the performance she does for Mandela, epic! Kwanza, that 180 split? No, it’s not the split that caught my eye though, it is the strong vocals, yidiyada.

This song is beautifully written and is slightly similar to Mwana Mberi.

 If you don't have a moral at the end of this post, remember, Africa is not a country with villages called Sangala where everyone speaks like Dubaku (24 ssn 8)  :-D Kenyan filmmakers should do a movie with a made-up European country and call it...I don't know, Skumavenia?

Now, if you are planning to do your own rendition of a song; one, get the pronunciation correct and two, find out the meaning. Otherwise you end up with this

Instead of this

Cracked me up! 

I Don't Want to be a Music Teacher

Article edited to incorporate reader response. Don't worry, the edited part stands out, you won't miss it.

The other day I was labeled 'rebellious.' Quite a shock for all who know me…and even to me. I am one of those ‘yes’ happy-go-happy bendera-hufuata-upepo people.

I however fit into the image of that character with hidden pride, the one mentioned during church seminars. Those with the pious look, but actually pride in the fact that they outwardly appear holy. Lots of church people have the same problem. It is a very subtle thing and one rarely sees it creeping in(sic), like the wasp that you’ve been seeing around but didn't know it was building a nest in your room at the top-left corner of the ceiling. Too much info, Charles.

By the way, when your girlfriend calls you by your first name, it could mean only two things… (refer to that Nigerian comedian for the rest)

Where were we? Yes! Rebelious. I prefer writing in a conversational manner. You should be able to hear me speaking to you. I dislike extremely complex prose (most probably because I'm not good at it). I inwardly correct someone when they say primare instead of praimari. I love simplicity, like Mathe does. For this post though,

I don’t want to be a music teacher. I was told every movie has the title mentioned somewhere by the characters and you should watch out for it. She (not Mathe) is the one who told me this.

Teaching music makes no sense specifically, to me. It is redundant. I mean, music is the only art/field that one studies so that they teach other people to become good enough to teach other people. WTH?!

At some point in my life I decided that I want to be a performer of music when I grow up, or should I say if. The allure of the stage and all that attention one gets, mind you, is a sign of some inner inadequacies. We won’t go into them right now though.

Do you realise we can’t have Eric Wainainas changing the sound of a generation if every music lover wants to go to K.U to get a PhD in music so that they later teach high school choirs during music festivals? A musician should create. I know they do, but when was the last time your playlist had a music teacher’s song favorited? No, seriously. Every great music teacher I know of, be it Brett Manning or Kavutha is known not for their creative work, but their teaching skills.

hmm...I've been thinking of getting dreadlocks...Quaint Photography

Other than Andrew, Sautisol’s bassist, most teachers who end up in international schools are lost in the schedules; preparing the kids for the annual concert, teachers’ meetings and supplementing that with one-off performances with the orchestras around Nairobi every now and then.

What’s the point of being a musician if all you do is teach? Ever heard of 90% of the graduands from Chiromo looking for universities in which to train other doctors?

Why should kids look up to you as a teacher if by your own example you are proving to them that their future, if they are to pursue music, is limited to becoming teachers of other kids who will be teachers of other kids who will be teachers?

I personally have chosen a better alternative. I want to be a drug tycoon so that I sponsor really good bands and launch their careers as a way to launder money. 

I prefer being a manager. In fact, I have often said to my Lele Ngoma band mates that they should allow me to quit and just focus on managing them. I could also become an events organizer coming up with concepts that can sell makers of good music. I am even willing to learn guitar and sit cross-legged at a high traffic zone in town and sing for money. But I don’t want to be a music teacher. In my not-so-humble view it is the death of the musician in the individual.

p.s. Kevo, I am not brushing aside the Masters idea.

Pause...

Are music teachers important? Heo yeah! Everyone including the aliens in space know that our music industry is in dire need of musically savvy superstars. But more than teachers, it needs role models. Think about it, who inspires you to sing better? Yolanda Adams or her vocal trainer? Atemi's vocal prowess or that of her vocal trainer? John Mayer or his guitar and songwriting teacher? 

Lessons from the Last Performance

(Sounds like a 90s movie title, yes?:-) No? Probably a book on the movie 'The Last Performance?'

I was to do a proper post since my last one was…kinda crappy. Am being honest here. I will stop giving you peeks into my thought-speak, you get to know too much, and I love my privacy. Lemme just type them as they come, even if in bits and pieces.

Performance

This is the first part of a post for the Lelengoma blog. 

Before I continue, the concert went well….naaah, away with modesty, it was AWESOME! Now I will restrain myself and continue.

This was said by one Wangui Githu to her students at the Sauti Academy (I paraphrase), ‘The moment you step on that stage, it’s yours. You own it and you can do almost anything. It is your space.’ Just assume she is still talking and add this to your imagery so far. ‘When at home (or in your room), you decide whether to watch TV seated on the carpet or on the sofa or stool, you name it. It’s your space. The stage should come close to that.’

Wangui.Quaint Photography

Pauline who has a beautiful voice by the way asked me a lot on stage fright. Thum was her first time on stage with Nouvelle the band and she had those moments all performers have at some point or the other.

Once you get Wangui’s concept, performance becomes slightly easier. When you are that familiar with the stage, you can start practicing in front of a mirror and all those other things ‘public speaking’ experts tell you to do.

Similar move learnt from MJ

It is all about creating an illusion of completeness. My own thinking is that performance is a  representation of real life hence anything done on stage should be as full/complete as real life. This is why actors wear big outfits and bigger, more exaggerated expressions when on stage. That’s why choirs at the Kenya Music Festivals arrange themselves in such a way as to cover the whole stage.

Old stuff you say. Well, in today’s technological age, this is why lighting is important to a set. You either have large cameras that keep the eye roving or dancing/confusing/captivating lighting to keep you glued to the stage and…say it, create the same illusion.

Hiphop artists usually jump up and down and move around, changing formations as they perform. Ballad singers a la Luther Vandross and Ella Fitzgerald do the same, but with their voices mostly. The same applies to Operatic singers. Keep in mind their audience though-if you stand at the same place when performing to children/adults with ADD, you will have no concert. I promise.

K.R. Watch Kasiva play the djembe…or Mobutu for that matter.

I was awed the first time I watched her play.Kasiva

Lingala performers prefer to dance, but other than that they also fill the stage with ‘extras’J Not in a mean way, but honestly, you have the sexylooking mamas, about 8 of them on stage, 8 dancers and 8 vocalists, not counting the instrumentalists. What for? Ask one-man guitarist Mike Rua how to cost-cut KQ style and save money for investing in a plot in Kisaju.

The Last Performance

For THUM, we changed our usual performance set up from mic on stands to chordless mics and it worked! Especially for me. I always felt like the stands were limiting. It is based on a simple concept. If dance is not your thing or your music is not hype/pop such that you have to dance throughout the set, then move around and achieve the same illusion.

Either way, if you are a performer, find a way of performing that works for you if the above don't. You could opt to just do dreadlocks and shake them every once in a while. Or not. Experiment and find something that works with your personality. Moreover, research and observe.

And that is how you get carried away doing a blog post for one page and end up writing it up to the end. Oh well, the readers are different and the material suits both. Oh, and copy/paste option was made for a purpose!

Mi huwanga Emcee

If Michael Jackson’s Earth Song had been written by a Kenyan ‘artiste’, this is how the lyrics would have looked like:

The green, green earth

Gives us food, rain and

Protects you and me

From the harmful effects we see

Of the scorching sun

Save the environment

Give the children a future

Save the environment

It only takes

You and Me

What happened to depth, creativity and poetry in how we write lyrics? Dear young ‘MC’ who is so passionate about society, how do you ‘katia’ that girl? You write her a poem that goes,’I love you and I want a relationship with you starting probably a month from now. I can provide for you so you have no reason to refuse?’

Well, if you do, then both of you are probably ‘MCs who want to win a Grammy for your skillzZ!’

This is how the Earth song was written, kindly compare and contrast-give your opinion, only if you have high self-esteem.

What about sunrise?
What about rain?
What about all the things?
That you said we were to gain

Wanted to post the first stanza only, but then the mouse refused. It just couldn’t resist copy pasting more…

What about killing fields?
Is there a time?
What about all the things
That you said was yours and mine?
Did you ever stop to notice

All the blood we've shared before?
Did you ever stop to notice
The crying earth the weeping shores?

Such depth, beauty and ..and emotive words that make you stop and think. Lyrics must be poetic that is why you are called an artist. Being obvious-in case 1 above makes your song only last one ‘Mzungu’-sponsored tree-planting ceremony. Keep in mind Lucky Dube’s ‘prisoner’ is still played in radio stations, yet it is about apartheid.

Your song is not a lecture,it should get that message in a sublime, sweet and subtle way. 

Note:
I think I should do another post on Kenyans use of 'cliches' when writing love songs. Now you see why, it's not just autotune that ticks me off?