Untitled

The world over,there have been stories told and chronicles written,of individuals who inspired jaded masses and disillusioned communities,to fight for their rights, to stand up and challenge oppressive regimes and unfavourable status quos. We know them by name,we quote them when looking for inspiration and when retelling history.

But what about the people that were inspired? The unnamed,the unsung 'ordinary folk?''

 In truth,it is they who are the heroes,the core of history,without whom,the Martin LutherKings and Wangari Maathais wouldn't be the icons they are. And it is the people that we ought to be making way for!

If any of you know this lady,you know we have waited for her album,let alone a single,for the longest while. To finally have gotten the chance to listen(exclusively too..) to what promises to be an 'on-repeat' kind of song is quite the moment of reckoning. She highlights that 'liberation will stay.' Sara Mitaru is not only an amazing singer,but hers is a message carried across a catchy tune: 'Make way for the people.' It reminds me of Che Guevara's saying, that 'liberators do not exist, the people liberate themselves.'

 

This,to me,is a song that encapsulates the recent history that's been experienced inNorthern Africa. The revolution lied,lies and will continue to lie with the people. A timely one,too, as we here in Kenya gear up for a politically feverish season. We allwant things to be different, but we often make the mistake of pegging our hope onan individual,or group of individuals...possibly why we are never satisfied with our leadership.

 

Sara calls out to make way for the people today! My interpretation of this is that if all you want to do is sit back and be pessimistic,make way for those who've had about enough of a culture of impunity,of self-serving and self-agrrandizing leaders. Make wayfor those who will hold their leaders accountable,or will do their best to.

 

A great song this,and hopefully it will rekindle the flames for our quest to see a better Kenya, a better Africa that can only be realized if we rise up and make that difference.

 

Check out the song's teaser below, and look out  for the single on your airwaves! 

 

 

Make Way(The Lyrics)

They Say 
We're independent but they won't set us free,
They Say
We are sovereign but we shackled and chained
They Say
The future is now but the past is with us
They Say,
We are tomorrow but we're stuck in yesterday

But

There's a Man down
Head down
No food on his plate
Will he bow down
Stay down
To see another day
He is pinned down
Spirit down his back against the wall
so stand down stand down
Liberation will say

Make Way
For the people today
Make way
Liberation will say
Make way
For the people today
Make way Liberation will stay

They say,
We won't sit around we'll fight for our rights
They Say
You have trampled us enough Is enough
They say
The future is now, we leave behind the past
They Say,
We are tomorrow say goodbye to yesterday

And we will stand up
Heads up
Put food on our plates
We won't bow down
Stay down
We'll find another way
We will look up stay up and push against the wall,
So rise up rise up
Liberation has said

Make way
For the people today
Make way liberation will say!

 

©2011  Music and Lyrics by Blackman Entertainment

 

Who Are You Really Writing Songs For? | Songtrust

It is natural for songwriters to think that you are always writing music for yourself. After all, art itself is a form of ‘self-expression’. However, take a step back and think about who you are actually writing the music for by asking yourself these questions:

What are your goals as a songwriter?

Are you simply writing the best music you can because you love it?

Are you making music that will appeal to your fans because you know they will buy it?

Are you writing music that will appeal to publishers who can try to pitch the music for commercials, soundtracks and the like?

This distinction is very important for you to understand, as it will be the basis for how you approach your songs, and just how ‘self-expressive’ you can be, or can’t be, depending on what is needed for the right scenario.

Read the rest of the article here:
http://blog.songtrust.com/songwriting-tips/who-are-you-really-writing-songs-for/

Why Musicians Should Own Websites.

I am a girl about the internets...(someone should look into offering valid credentials around that.)

Anyway, while this blog may have begun as a 'group therapy-let's-all-woosa-as-musicians' space, I've decided to add more objectivity to it, and one way is to curate content as I come across it.

Today, we look at this issue of owning your own space on the internet as a musician.(Stop panicking! Breathe in...out...and read on...LOL!)

It's been interesting to find that most musicians,locally and internationally haven't jumped onto this opportunity for many reasons. For instance,as a big hit, there's always content being put out about you, right? So if an interested party does a google search about who you are,plenty is bound to come up and inform adequately. And besides, if I have a facebook fan page and I tweet every now and then, what more do I need, right? 

WRONG!!

Untitled

Digital Music Distribution: Are We Willing To Embrace It?

I hope this post will be more of a discussion that yields fruit and proposes a way forth.

 

We have embraced tech in our everyday lives; money transfer, bill payments...and it's made our lives a whole lot easier. There is no shortage of documentation on app developments and competitions, all aimed at tapping into the connectivity and opportunity that the mobile phone has presented. Now, the music industry hasn't been left behind on the tech front, with iTunes Music Store as a benchmark success. And with that has come digital distributors such as TuneCore and CD Baby,SoundCloud and Reverbnation (who recently ventured into the distribution business), AWAL UK and Overtone in South Africa, who distribute to various online music stores, among them iTunes. 

In the US, digital distribution seems to have been embraced and is the success claim for many an artiste, primarily via iTunes downloads.

Whilst these services are accessible to any music lover, they aren't necessarily customized for our market(ie Africa). Reverbnation,for instance, is a platform that most musicians have embraced, and use to create a basic online profile,(call it the Facebook for musicians...lol). Tunecore delivers music to the Nokia store,whose African reach is limited to South Africa.

Physical CDs acquisition tends to be another logistical nightmare altogether, and in this digital era, it may not be the most convenient option,not in a world where a song becomes a hit overnight, yet shipping isn't as easy.

That leaves torrents as the only other option for us to acquire music from our favourite 'international' artists. True?

Now, closer home. I'm yet to come across a digital content distributor operating across the continent.(Massive opportunity if done well....could do a lot to curb piracy, and some of us can get decent salaries off our craft/vocation...) I've had the pleasure of sitting in on brainstorming sessions on digital content (primarily music) distribution proposals. Here in Kenya, two startups: PewaHewa and Hewa have proposed a solution to digital distribution. Yet to fully understand how Hewa works, but PewaHewa makes use of MPESA,Airtel Money and YuCash to purchase one's favourite music, upon which a link to the song(s) is sent to your email address. 

 

Pewa Hewa
        

 

  
Hewa
   

Has Africa been left behind on the music and tech front?

As an artist, this novelty sounds very appealing. It reduces the headache of mass producing CDs, of smooching retailers to carry your music and pay you in good time, or having to chase every Akamba bus to deliver the CD to an eager fan in Mombasa or Kakamega as a last resort. DIY(Do It Yourself) Music Distribution is something many musicians are having to look into because the 'systems' in place seem to do nothing more than abuse our art.

All the tech-savvy people I know can go on and on about apps developed to meet many other needs, but when it comes to music, it's a whole other story. Having recently released an album, and (thankfully) there being a demand for it across the city,country and even continent(woohoo!), we are almost spending sleepless nights trying to figure out how to satiate the urgency with which the album is requested! The Ma3 album for instance, is available on iTunes and Amazon for those outside Africa. Yet the interesting thing is that people want the physical copy of the album. While that is all good, (definitely a good dilemma)...it's a logistical nightmare. We put the album online for everyone to listen (hoping that come the time to sell, digital would be the primary preference). But not so the case! Make no mistake, we are very grateful that the product we've put out there is that desirable! 

The question begs, are we, as musicians and music lovers, willing to embrace to embrace technology's solutions to the problem at hand? As a musician, I have a product to get out to the market. As a music consumer, I want to get access to the product as soon as possible, and to my satisfaction. Basic supply and demand chain? Not so! As it turns out, demand entails tangibility as I'm learning, at least as far as music goes. Fans want autographed copies of records, and it would seem that digital distribution doesn't offer that? 

But what if, as an artist, I put up my album artwork/inlay on my website for free download? 

As a social media evangelist/strategist in the Kenyan music industry, it takes all I've got not to pull out my dreadlocks trying to figure out this quagmire!

 

 

@NiNanjiraNanjira Sambuli

Goodness me!!! there really is no embracing digital music purchase/distribution is there? everyone wants a physical CD copy! woi!

The response(s) to this tweet are the inspiration behind this post/conversation. I'd love nothing more than to ensure that every music lover of the music in my hands gets to it in good time, whether in Mtwapa or Munich! But what I desire even more, is to get this to every fan in the most convenient way possible! This convenience? Digital music distribution.

So the question doth beg? Are we willing to embrace digital music distribution? If so, what do we need to do, as musicians and music lovers? What are the problems that this novelty presents, and what are the possible solutions? For musicians: could digital distribution be a means of curbing piracy by meeting demand in good time? For music lovers: could this be a means of propelling Africa's musical talent onto the world platform? We have propelled the innovation behind some of our most treasured applications/tech startups, why should we not do it for our art?

 

Beba Beba: Ma3

 

 

I happen to be part of this awesome band called Ma3. Why Ma3? Well, I could give a profound, 'politically correct response'...but we borrowed the name off the ubiqituous and often inescapable public means of transport in Kenya...All across Africa, Ma3s-whatever name they have- are part of what defines present-day culture. That's what we hope our music will do/is doing.

Style of music is Afro-pop. We had a lot of fun making this album, and we are more than excited to share the record with you. Find all the details of the album launch here. We sure hope that you can come out and share this special moment with us,if in Nairobi city this weekend. Have a listen and let us know what you think. Catch up with us on Facebook, Twitter, Reverbnation and on our website.

Ingia ndani ya Ma3!

(Come aboard the Ma3)

How to Communicate With Fans So You Connect With Them (Instead of Bore Them to Tears) - MTT - Music Think Tank

http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/how-to-communicate-with-fans-so-you-connec...

Music Discovery by the Numbers | via Billboard.biz

http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/digital-and-mobile/business-matters-m...

Let's Stick To What We Do Best, Shall We?

This post will be followed by one on why/how musicians become divas. The unfortunate truth of the matter is that it sometimes is the only way to get things done to your satisfaction. Many a time we are screwed over,  by event organizers, sound engineers et al...The compensation? An apology. What good does a half-hearted 'pole' do for a musician's brand? It is the musician who gets the backlash for a gig gone bad...anyway, more on that later.

Joe Were, aka Jay Dabliu,a gigging musician, aptly retells the story of a recent gig run by people who should otherwise stick to what they do best. It is high time we called out these bad habits. Here goes:

"So this is my first ever blog post and unfortunately I have been driven to write this due to nightmarish circumstances that every artiste/musician dreads in the hands of a “professional” service provider. 

First of all, a little background on myself. I am a keyboardist and have played for various artists as well as Provided backline equipment (That would be Instruments, mics, cabling e.t.c) and also onsight Audio recording solutions. So I tend to believe I have a little know how and experience on the stage and how to solve problems as they arise. 

Now that that’s out of the way…here we go.

Enter Wednesday 5^th October, and I was playing with Just-A-Band, a popular Electronic Music band that just concluded a recent tour of New York, even getting rave reviews from the likes of Will-I-Am and Drum Magazine. So after the New York experience, this would be the first “back home” gig at the famous Tribe Hotel. The sound Provider for the event…Home Boyz Entertainment. 

We get the call to soundcheck at 5pm on Tuesday the 4^th…and we arrive 30 mins before…just to make sure everything was where it was supposed to be…plus I was carrying my pretty bulky Yamaha S90XS keyboard (just because I prefer using my own settings and am familiar with the sounds). When we get there…there is no evidence of any instrument setup going on…6pm…ummm, nope…7pm…still waiting…8pm…oh cool…a guitar amp has been put near the stage….9pm…no…just the guitar amp…so we decide to leave around 9:30pm and reschedule the soundcheck for the next day. 

Wednesday, 5^th October D-Day. We arrive somewhat late (a half hour late) for our scheduled soundcheck time of 4pm due to traffic. So we would imagine since we had an hour at least of slotted soundcheck time. We get there and the Instruments are on stage but no cabling has been done…so we wait…5pm…no…6pm…ummm, no. 7pm, I got impatient and decided I’m going to setup my keyboard myself. 

About 8 Home Boyz guys in “Crew” T-shirts walk around with walkie talkies looking busy but if you really follow one of them, he’s literally just walking around. So I ask one of them to point me to the person in charge of setting up the instruments as we were supposed to sound check about 3 hours ago. He points me to one of them and I go to him and ask him where I should set up and which channel I should use and what not. 

Bear in mind, on this night we had pretty minimal equipment by Just-A-Band standards…we just had to hook up the keyboard and a laptop which was hooked up to a loopmaster. We basically needed only THREE channels (Stereo output from the laptop and a mono feed from the Keyboard) 

The main engineer asks me if I have a jack to jack cable. WAIT A MINUTE…even I, who doesn’t do this on a day to day basis, do not leave home without a jack to jack cable. If it’s not in the boot of my car, it’s in my shoulder bag if I’m not driving….It’s the sim card in your phone, it’s the water in your rice…it’s the hour hand of cables as far as instruments go…Home Boyz Entertainment did not have Jack to Jack cables.   

I of course at this point was tired of waiting for them to sort the setup out so I obliged and went for the jack to jack cable…I get back and he asks if I had a D.I…  at this time…jumping into the nearby pool with my clothes on seemed like a very welcome idea because my blood is boiling… 

So I asked him if they received the tech rider that was sent to them earlier the previous week…he said he didn’t know…I asked him who would know…he didn’t know…I walk off to get my D.Is from the car… 

So they hook up the laptop and they don’t have any feed on the main mixer… after fiddling with buttons and knobs they ask me if I have headphones! HEADPHONES!!!!! Mr, sir on the mixer…how were you going to monitor your mix in the first place? No problem…another trip to the parking lot to get my headphones from the car. At this rate, I’m so fit from the trips on the stairs at the Tribe, I think I might enroll for the next marathon. 

It’s now about 10pm…no soundcheck…and we’re about to be called on stage…(well, we’re already on stage trying to sort the sound) so we decide since there’s no way we’ll use the laptop…we’ll play it full LIVE. Perfect…this is what I do baybie…let’s go. I, the client, am telling HomeBoyz, the service provider how to turn on Phantom power so that the keyboard feed can be received on their mixer…after fiddling with  buttons they eventually find the right one…which I had showed earlier anyway. 

So we kick off our performance with pretty poor sound quality with just the keyboard, drums and bass guitar! 

Right after the first verse…the keyboard is MUTED….apparently they have no idea the keyboard cannot be heard…as I’m signaling the sound engineer and he looks right at me with a blank stare. The drummer and bassist do a pretty good job covering for the rest of the song…and as the song is about to end…the sound engineer comes onto the stage to ask if we’re OK…and I ask him what he thinks…and he goes like, “Oh, the keyboard is off?” 
 

And that is why, ladies and gentlemen, HomeBoyz Entertainment should stick to doing what they do best..DJing!!"

 

Signed, 

Gigging Musician

 

Benefit of Playing Free Gigs....

The following are words from one of the most respected musicians around...and for him to even say there's benefits to playing free gigs,well, we have no choice but to bite our tongues, rub our eyes and listen/read. I presented the scenario that is free gigs, often packaged as  charity gigs (Bend Over:Scenario Two). The sum total of my experiences,and those of 'younger musicians' pale in comparison with this gentleman's. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, I present to thee Eric Wainaina's story. Indeed, he has a thing or two to say on the Life Of A Gigging Musician. (I especially love his intro to this post...:-D)

"Next year, 2012, will be my 20^th year as a professional musician. Believe it or not, to date, I still get asked to play free gigs. For some of you this might be shocking because you don’t believe that artists should ever be paid in the first place. If that’s your view please visit some other website. My suggestion would be www.eatshitanddie.com. If you however just have an innocent query or you’re an artist who’s been asked to play a free gig read on.

Requests for free gigs come in many forms. Maybe the organizer genuinely has no money, has a limited budget or is just plain greedy. As a policy when we get an enquiry about a gig we avoid blind quoting i.e., a potential client calls up and says ‘How much for Eric to come and play just 2 songs?’ We like to hear more about the gig so that we can tailor our quote according to the needs of the client and the value that we attach to the service. Very often potential clients will call to implore you to ‘just play 2 songs’. First off this 2-song vibe is a joke. Really it’s not a matter of how many songs one plays- one still has to get there, sit through most of the function, listen to the MC crack some really tired jokes, sit in the backstage area and eat the food reserved for ‘crew’ which is generally the worst drivel ever, do the 2 songs in question, get asked for an encore and still have to get oneself home. And if the artist is backed by a band as well that just ups the costs.

The points to ponder are the following:

 

Does the free gig fit into your vision as an individual? Or Do I like you?
Do you believe in the cause that the organization espouses? Take for example we play a gig in Kariobangi for an organization called Education For Life (EFL) pretty much annually. There was a time when the same organization had put together 4 gigs for us to play in a month at schools bordering or in the slums in and around Eastlands. I played these gigs for free. For me, EFL is playing a huge role in keeping kids from underprivileged neighbourhoods away from the vicious cycle of crime, despondency and disease through mentoring in behaviour change, nurturing of talent, etc. That’s an organization whose ethos is appealing to me. So check! A free gig for as long as they need it.

Can the organization/ individual pay for the costs of the gig? Or can we play ‘at cost’?
Like I mentioned earlier and as I’m sure you’ve observed though your own dealings there will always be costs associated with playing at a gig, even if you’re an A Capella group with no costs for instrumentalists. You still have to get there and people still have to eat. Very often when I’m faced with the ‘play for free’ dilemma I tell the client that we can play at cost. I.e. Pay my band, pay our cab fares, pay for the PA, pay for rehearsals, pay my management company (a nominal fee because at the end of the month the watchman still has to be paid). This allows me to play the gig for a cause that I believe in or an individual that I like (or owe a favour) without burning my fingers in immediate and future seen and unforeseen costs.

Is there any publicity/ future relationships/ future business value? Or what’s in it for me?
OK let’s be honest. While altruism is a good motive to give handouts on the street or at the traffic lights it doesn’t pay the bills and you will be auctioned! Another good measure for the free gig is what you stand to gain. If the CEO of a blue chip company calls you up and says, ‘Hey play this gig. It’s a last minute thing and we have no money,’ don’t sit there thinking ‘Yeah right! You grossed 100 Billion last year and after tax surely you can pay me 100K from your net, dude.’ If it’s the third time he’s asking that year then maybe you can raise a red flag, or an orange one at least. Very often it is plausible that you’re being called at the desperate attempt of an individual whose just trying to spice up the annual Retailers Thank You Dinner, which has all the excitement of a Budget Speech, and really there’s no money for entertainment. You have to remember that the financial director who has to sign off on the gig is a graduate of the College of Boredom and sees no need to breathe let alone dance. In this instance it helps to ask yourself whether any long-term business can be garnered from this interaction. Maybe you can sell some CDs. Maybe you can get into a genuine personal friendship with the individual who called and who’ll be more than happy to be consulted when you tackle the impossible animal that is, say, distribution. Maybe they’ll like you so much that next time when there is a budget they’ll call you because you did them a favour last time.

The publicity thing always gets thrown at you. It happens to me at least three times a year and like I said I’m heading into my 20^th year in music and I am a household name, whatever that means. But truthfully when I began my career in 1992 with the A Capella group 5 Alive we played our first 2 years gratis. In fact because we mostly played at churches when we first got offered money we turned it down saying that we were doing it for the Lord. This is allowed when you are 19 and living under your parents’ roof and drinking their tea and eating their bread. In the words of Cedric the Entertainer, ‘I’m a grown ass man, now’. While money isn’t everything it is something. But publicity is still a valid reason to do free shows as I learned with 5 Alive. There was a time we were doing 5 or 6 engagements a weekend. We’d play 2 church weddings on a Saturday, probably a wedding reception or a Church Youth Meeting. Sunday would roll around and we’d do 3 services. Within 2 years we were widely known. Of course this was before the proliferation of commercial radio stations in Kenya. Nowadays if you have a song which falls into the tastes of the programme controller (PC) you’ll be played. Very often though the PC will choose songs that sound like the other songs already being played on their and other stations. So if you don’t fit into their palette, which can sometimes be very narrow, you cannot lose by playing the ‘publicity gig’. It’s how you get known.

So good luck with the free gigs. Weigh it and decide. Never just throw it out. As always it is better to play than not to."

 

 

Be sure to check out Eric Wainaina's blog for some very hilarious posts on music and his wide travels,(bona fide Life Of A Gigging Musician)  and catch up with him on twitter and facebook.

 

Signed,

Gigging Musician.

Scenario 3-Africa Yelele!!

Just so as to ensure I lose no one, this is what I am referring to.

Scenario Three(My personal favourite):Bastard songs.
These are perhaps the most lucrative venture for an artiste in one go! Wealthy NGOs, government agencies,politicians and corporates will often approach 'artiste extraordinaire' and ask them to record a hit single on MDGs, Census results, 'Vote for politician X', 'sing about our products' respectively. And the cheque dangled as the kill for hungry hunter sends many an artiste into the studio; they can afford to forget the silliness and ridicule of the lyrics drafted for them. Just this one time, they can overlook their creative element. (Full article <a href="http://life-of-a-gigging-musician.posterous.com/bend-over">here</a)

 

I wanna delve into this scenario just a little bit,indulge me if you will.

Some of the most memorable songs to emerge from this continent have been songs about the motherland, true? Allow me to share some of my favourites,in no particular order:

• Mamaland-Yvonne Chaka Chaka
• Homeless-Lady Smith Black Mambazo
• Kenya Only/Daima Mkenya-Eric Wainaina
• Aluta Continua-(The Late) Miriam Makeba
• Freedom Is Coming Tomorrow- Sarafina( The Sound Of Freedom Album)
• Different Colours, One People- Lucky Dube
• Todii-Oliver Mtukudzi
• 7 Seconds- Youssou N'Dour

(Feel free to share some of your favourites)

 

If you look into these songs' storylines, again, it's about the mamaland. The good, the bad, the ugly. By default,these songs are activism songs, in my humble opinion. Subtle activism; a call to unity, freedom,peace,awareness...the list goes on.

 

However, as I mentioned in Bend Over, Scenario 3, musicians have been, from time to time, been called upon to 'compose' songs on certain subject matters. Music has the ability to push agendas, and it is up to musicians to consciously decide what agenda each lyric brings forth.

I don't know what my sentiments are on artists being called upon to compose songs on 'pre-determined themes'. There are some that have been pulled off rather well, but lately I find myself cringing when I listen to songs with hooks on  MDGs, Environmental conservation, HIV/AIDS etc... Africa, fortunately or unfortunately, has no shortage of such themes.

A good musician will be able to cleverly guise these themes and actually come up with a song that can enter the 'Africa Hall Of Fame'. Back to my list. To the best of my knowledge, none of these songs were composed on 'contract'. They were products of inspiration; the respective artists having churned over matters, and intellect coupled with creativity and musicianship bringing forth the great songs we've come to love and sing along to.

There seems to be a prevalence of songs with heavy intonations of matters that might as well be addressed in a documentary. I have been to launches where poems have been recited and songs been sung on themes not well tucked underneath the music. And this has made me wonder,is that the future of music? At the end of the day, there's a cheque written, and as much as music is about talent, those that choose it as a career also must make money.

I really don't know what to think. Is that the future of music? Because if that's the case, complications in the life of a gigging musician just went ten notches higher!

 

Bend Over 2:The Woes Continue!

Good evening viewers,it is my great horror...sorry...honour (maybe both) to continue with this painful analogy.
This fine lady, @mwixxy7 shared in my agony and dug deep into her experiences in the not-always-as-glamorous music industry to continue with some of those not-so-pleasant scenarios I shared in Bend Over. Without further ado, I present, Bend Over:Part 2.

So in solidarity with @msupastar and the other gigging musicians out there, we continue with the peeves of those working their backsides off in the music industry and facing almost insurmountable but not totally impossible mountains.
 
Scenario 4:

Every musician has friends. Unfortunately there are friends/fans and “friends”/”fans”. Friends/fans will hear or read about your gig and show up with five or more pals in tow, buy an album or two and yell the loudest as you do your thing. “Friends” or “fans” will however keep your phone ringing off the hook, pestering you for complimentary tickets, asking you to put their name on a ‘list’ so they don’t have to pay or not even bother to show at all. All the notable greats began in their backyard, local watering hole, church and school-borrow a leaf? No make that the whole tree.

 

Scenario 5:

Back to the corporate gig clients; surely! Must an artist send a tutorial along with their bid so as to get decent moolah?  After weeks of negotiation only to hear, “We’ll just go with a regular DJ” is so inane I can barely type. Package 101: Bands have people. These people play instruments and sing. This combination of instruments and singing is entertainment. Entertainment is work. Work denotes pay. Pay the workers. Or should I highlight this in corporate blue?

 

Scenario 6:

Dear Viewers,

(especially to all ya’ll who think being on tv or radio means rolling in the benjis…)

Videos, singles, albums and all that goes into brand building cost money to begin, grow and maintain. Not even some of the big names in the industry can lay claim to living solely on their trade and so the pressure for gigging musicians to dish out ‘hits’ every two weeks(tongue in cheek) or so is simply nonsense. Resources go into rehearsals, equipment, transport, wardrobe, extra hands, promotional material(including those free tickets ;-) It’s basically insane.  Cut an artist some slack, will ya?

                                                                                                 Signed: Gigging Musician

Sent from my BlackBerry®

The Song I Sing

There are many things that a musician can draw inspiration from, and put forth through lyric and rhyme. From chirping birds to breath-taking scenery,from life's greatest gift...to life's ups and downs.

I find that the song I sing today,is not a new one. It has been put forth differently,but the story remains the same.

Many an artist has/will at some point or other sing about Africa,about its woes,about its troubles. We will sing about change,we will sing about hope,we will call out to Mama Africa,sing her many anthems,sing in her many dialects...

The song that resonates in my heart,in my mind,is this very song. When will Africa show its full potential? Hunger,drought,disease,poverty,all these I sing about. Deceptive politicians,hopeful mwananchi,war,peace...these I think about. This past week,and the news it has brought have been close to depressing for me. And the song I sing chokes at my throat. Choked by anger,despondency,bitterness,confusion. Numbed by apathy,indifference,disillusion. Why must this be the song I sing? When does the script ever change?

It's the same old story,
It's the same old tale,
It's the same old worry,
It's the same old game,
We're still fighting the same war,
We're still crying out for more...

Who is to blame?
Who is behind this?
Who is in the shadow?
Who lights the flame on this raging inferno?
And watches from high windows?

You are chicken to change!

Bwana Mkubwa,here what we say!

What happened to L.O.V.E.?
Gimme that L.O.V.E..
The hate is killing me...

Freedom is coming tomorrow...

The song I sing,as you can see,is one that's been sung before. And now my mind,struggles to draw inspiration from less than pleasant realities to sing this song yet again,because the song hasn't resonated enough to foster some change! So I draw out my God-given weapon,and take to the battlefield.

The song I sing.

Sent from my BlackBerry®

Bend Over: For Rose Nasimiyu I Will

In my previous post,Bend Over, I confessed the dilemma(s) that I believe many a musician have faced,especially when it comes to charity events. Often,one has to 'bend over' and accept gratitude as their day's wages upon performing at one of these concerts.

I am reminded of my dear friend, Karimi Wandiri'srhetorical question to artistes, at last weekend's POWOconference: 'Do you want a 100% of nothing,or a smaller percentage of something big?' True, this is one's career,one's mode of earning income,and it's understandable to walk away from pro-bono events,especially if they seem to be the only ones calling, but just how far doing them anyway can take you is a matter well worth considering.

Rose Nasimiyu. There is no shortage of compliments to pay to this 9 year old angel. She has enough optimism to save Africa from its woes,in my humble opinion. She wants to model,she wants to be a doctor. And I see why. She's at home with medical terms such as: biopsy,leukemia,lymph nodes,chemotherapy. She was featured on K-24s Capital Talk (The Bench), and previously at the launch of The Africa Cancer Foundation ,where,on and on,she talked about her condition, with such ease and eloquence,not forgetting her infectious smile. At some point I was confused, hers was the countenance of a 9 year old talking about gummy bears and fairy tales!But no...the matter she addressed? The cancer she's battling.

Rose's story has tugged at my heart's strings. Instead of giving in,she's fighting back,and fighting hard. She has released a single, I Believe, to help her parents raise funds to meet her medical bills. How about that!!! Sir Bob Collymore has agreed to put her song on Skiza Tunes, and all proceeds from the downloads will go to Princess Rosie's medical fund.

Back to Karimi's question. My response? I want a part of the 'something big',in this case, giving Rose a chance to fight for her life! She wants to sing her song to the world,and with the confidence that oozed from her,enough to leave Jeff Koinange speechless (did I see him tear? :-D).

Thus,ladies and gentlemen,for Rose,I will bend over,and accept her smile alone as my wage! I invite any and all ideas to help out 'Princess Rosie'. She doesn't know if she can still be a model with all the scars from the chemo deals, to which I reacted, Photoshoot PAP! Let's give this angel of hope a reason to reignite any lost hope in our very selves.

I gladly accept this Bend Over :-D

Sent from my BlackBerry®

Bend Over

Sent from my BlackBerry®

-----Original Message-----
From: nimsupastar@gmail.com
Date: Fri, 15 Jul 2011 06:17:25 Reply-To: nimsupastar@gmail.com
Cc:
Subject: Bend Over

Man must eat. Whether politician, hawker, billionaire,musician...we all must eat.

Music is a great art,possibly the greatest (*insert heavy bias*). It's ability to sustain its artistes is something that I challenge statisticians to give an accurate probability measure!

There can be seasons where artistes are in so much demand that they can say no to some gigs,and they are those seasons where almost any gig goes! Artistes are forced to bend over every now and then.
Allow me to break it down a bit further.

Scenario One: Corporate gigs:
Sigh...
I... have a strong dislike for such gigs.I even have a heartburn stirring within at the thought. But before I go there, corporate gigs in Kenya seem to have reached an all-year-round status.
I will definitely have someone else...a more experienced musician on this particular issue tell us more.

My soul dies a little each time I'm told there's a corporate gig that we've been 'invited' to play at. This is when corporate secretaries assume the role of music event managers and dictate to you ridiculous terms. This is when even respectable bands,except for a very select few, are transformed into juke boxes! This is when artistes who command attention on stage are reduced to event props. Did I mention costume? This is when you find your stylish celebs choked into ties and 'formal' regalia because it was part of the contract. At the end of each song played, it becomes safer to clap for oneself to avoid bursting into tears.

So why do a corporate gig?
Money. As my good friends Tim Rimbui and Karimi Wandiri always say, 'ni pesa ya Pampers' for their bundle of joy,Rithi. Who doesn't want to make an extra buck?
After a few of these gigs, you realize that they provide perfect practice opportunities ,and great bonding sessions too,seeing as not much attention comes your way whilst playing. So I've had a good laugh every now and then while providing background entertainment. You wanna shout at the organizers, 'why not get a friggin juke box,or a DJ!'...But when counting the extra coins earned,you remember why not.

Scenario Two: Charity gigs:
There is no shortage of these! Noble causes,trying to raise money will often call on sensational musicians to put up a concert. Well...and this is a difficult one...usually they'll sweet talk you, try to fine-tune you to play such a gig pro-bono! Imagine with me, telling a hawker to give you all his oranges for free,coz you cannot afford to pay for them,but you offer him eternal gratitude instead. Yeah...that's what a whole lot of artistes go through,on an increasing regular.
The dilemma presents itself. Your humanity cries out to jump into the cause and help out. Your empty pockets demand a fill,and fast. Now, do you ask for a percentage of proceeds from starving children? Do you play the gig pro bono,put up the show of your life and go home with a sense of satisfaction as your salary?
It is not the kind of bend over you wanna be forced into!

Scenario Three(My personal favourite):Bastard songs.
These are perhaps the most lucrative venture for an artiste in one go! Wealthy NGOs, government agencies,politicians and corporates will often approach 'artiste extraordinaire' and ask them to record a hit single on MDGs, Census results, 'Vote for politician X', 'sing about our products' respectively. And the cheque dangled as the kill for hungry hunter sends many an artiste into the studio; they can afford to forget the silliness and ridicule of the lyrics drafted for them. Just this one time, they can overlook their creative element.

You thought it was all glitz and glamour for a musician. I forgive you.
This is just but an overview glimpse of the life of a gigging musician.

Sent from my BlackBerry®