The Red Accapella: We want to be like sweet noise to you

Looking at them, you wouldn’t think they could get along long enough to commit to being a band.

Steve has short dreadlocks that stand at attention all on their own and is dressed like your typical street performer: sunglasses of an impossible shape, a woollen hat and a shirt buttoned up to his neck under a light sweater. Hobo chic.

Linus could be your everyday Nigerian patriarch dressed in pale blue damask from the neck down.

And Godfrey? Well, he looks like he belongs in a boy band: cool T-Shirt, what could have at one time been Clint Eastwood’s eyewear, jeans and funky, slightly worn sneakers.

To the eye, they all belong in different places doing very different things. Luckily for us, they found music, and each other.

Several times during the interview and photo shoot, one of them starts to sing and the other two join in. It’s chemistry, they tell me. They even sing a song with my name in it.

Chances are that, if my name was Niemantsverdriet (No man’s trouble), they would have found a way to put it in a song and made it sound good.

Together, their voices are sublime.

DRAMA FESTIVALS
Before The Red Accapella was even conceived, all three of its members were regular performers at high school drama festivals, or “funkies”. In those days they competed against each other.

“We all cleared high school at about the same time,” says Godfrey Atsiamba. “But even after that, we started hanging out together.”

Now that school was firmly behind them, they were ready to dive into the game. Suddenly, it was 2007, and, at a time when many of our countrymen needed solace, the trio took it upon themselves to be comforters, heroes even, of the few they could help.

“It happened that in 2007, we all joined the Kenya Red Cross as volunteers. It was, for us, a coincidence, or luck, I don’t know,” affirms Linus Onyango, who is also the Unesco Youth Forum Kenya chairman.

While there, at the height of the post-election violence in early 2008, they were all transferred to the worst hit parts of the country, Nakuru, Naivasha and other hot spots.

“The people there looked awful; they were maimed, stressed and they came from different parts of the country!” continues Linus.

They then wondered amongst themselves whether they could draw from their drama festival experiences, something to cheer the people up.

In the evenings, they started singing for people in the camps and everyone appreciated it because they sang traditional songs in several of the country’s languages.

“Our music was like therapy to them, and our name, The Red Accapella, was drawn from the Red in Red Cross,” Linus continues.

KIBAKI ENTERTAINED

Fresh as they were as a trio, they even sang for former President Mwai Kibaki during one of his visits to the camps.

When things had cooled down and they had left the camps, Linus, Steve and Godfrey became even more immersed in music. The Kenya Red Cross had given them a platform to explore their craft, even as they served.

In 2010, they were ripe performers, had refined their vocals and learnt to work even better as a team. They decided to try something new, like write their own music.

“It’s a collective duty,” says Steve, who until this point has been gently plucking the strings of Sunshine, his guitar. “We write depending on the mood.

Sometimes you want to write but nothing comes to you.”

Ideally, he continues, one should write when settled mentally, when inspired by major events, day-to-day life and one’s love for music.

Linus agrees, adding that they all write different parts of songs so that each time they perform, they are in essence giving a part of themselves to whoever happens to be listening.

“We’ve performed at many weddings, but haven’t tied the knot ourselves,” says Godfrey, “but apart from those commissioned by the government, the last event we performed at was the Art & Beer Festival. And, oh! They had great sound!”

MUSIC FOR ALL
And their kind of music isn’t so targeted as to leave anyone out. A child will sing it without the fear of embarrassing their mother.

Parents, too can sing along without polluting their children’s minds. But for some reason, we collectively tire of local music pretty fast.

In clubs, on TV and the more than 50 radio stations we have in Kenya, you can probably count on one hand the number of Kenyan songs played during any given show.

And even though there are shows that aim to promote local music, they are few and far between. We seem to favour anyone but our own. It’s a globalised world one could argue, and many artistes would agree.

As many Kenyan acts have found out, South America and Europe appreciate them more than we seem to do here. Just-A-Band for example, had Mexican fans who travelled all the way to Texas for the 2012 SXSW Festival, just to see the band perform.

Been to an Eric Wainaina concert lately? Most of the Kenyans are in his band rather than in the audience. Same goes for Kenya’s most successful and longest running festival, Blankets & Wine, as well as the newer Art & Beer Festival, Oktober Fest and even the Rift Valley Festival.

We’re too busy earning a living and trying to survive to go jump around at festivals, some would say.

PERFORMING AT EVERY EVENT
If that is the case, what hope is there for The Red Accapella?

Right now, the MTV EMA win by Sauti Sol is a sign in itself that there is light at the end of the dark, dark tunnel for people who can actually sing.

The four-man band has fans not only in Kenya, but all over the world now. Hanging out with the President hasn’t hurt them either.

Despite the gradual, global techno takeover, there is, indeed, a renewed appreciation of melody, harmony and the one instrument that when once lost, is quite impossible to replace — the voice.

The Red Accapella’s strategy is to satisfy, exploit even, this appreciation as much as they can.

“We want to be like a noise that people can’t ignore,” Godfrey says, “And finally, the [fans] will have to accept us. You know, that’s why I sometimes love matatus because, no matter what station they tune to, you can’t tell them to tune to another. You just have to sit there and listen. That’s how we want Kenyans to get our music, even though they don’t really want to.”

They intend to perform at every festival that celebrates music such as theirs, which, by the way, has a black-and-white era vibe to it. It’s something even the industry’s founding fathers like Daudi Kabaka and Fadhili Williams would give the nod.

“Pretty soon,” Godfrey adds confidently, “we’ll have The Red Accapella Tours and concerts all over the country, the region and the continent.”

 “We’ll invite both known and unknown talents, give them a platform too,” he concludes.

“Music is life,” says Linus. “If you truly love music, as an artiste, everything inspires you; your antenna is always up. In turn, you inspire and empower people.”

CHILDHOOD INSPIRATIONS
Growing up, he listened to a lot of Wyclef Jean, Jah Cure and John Legend. He loved the way they sang and tackled social issues and feels they influenced him greatly, as a musician.

Steve, on the other hand, is constantly in search of the unknown, the strange, and listens to a lot of music. He was influenced by Franco — to whose concert his father took him as a child — and Bob Marley.

“I’m also inspired by tomorrow because I don’t know if tomorrow will come,” he explains. “That’s what keeps the creativity flowing. I’m always thinking about the future.”

Godfrey’s greatest influence and inspiration is his mum: “Mum used to listen to a lot of Faustin Munishi’s music — I love that guy — and would sing along to all 16 songs on his tapes word for word. She also introduced me to Lucky Dube who sang conscious music. That’s how I started loving reggae music. Steve, too really helped me open up to different kinds of music.”

Despite these specific influences they cited, they are really in awe of the talent that is in Kenya: Sarabi, Juliani and Eric Wainaina, themselves. It’s an unending list of worthy talent.

Like many musicians who have for the passion, performed for free, they are now intent on building a career.

“We always put God first in every single plan and investment we make towards this music,” explains Linus, “We ask him to please show us the way, and we’ve got these shows and interviews and yet, we don’t know anyone!”

ALWAYS READY
At the moment, they are working with J Blessing, who has advised them and tasked them with several things they must do to make their music a product that everyone will want to buy. Following that advice has put them in a very easy-to-work-with place.

“Right now,” says Godfrey, “we’re ready. We’re always ready. If anyone calls us to perform, we’ll go.”

As the interview comes to a melodious end, with Steve, the heart mechanic packing Sunshine back into her bag, they tell me that they are off to perform at iHub right now.

They sing "Ka Gava" on their way out and something in the way people stare and smile says that these three will be living it large in just a few short months.

*********************

MEET THE BAND

STEVE 'MAGANIGA'
Oduor is from Ngong and is a mechanic... of broken hearts, a farmer and a fairly skilful guitarist. His guitar’s name is Sunshine. He says that by being a full-time musican, he’s living his dream.

LINUS 'LYNOH
Onyango is a poet and a musician from Eastlands and is also the chairperson of Unesco Youth Forum Kenya. He is also a master shaker player and because he of his artistic talent, he and The Red Accapella were given the opportunity to write, record and shoot the video for the Unesco Peace song 2014. It was released in July. He went to Aquinas Boys High School. It was there that, at the age of 16, as he stood in line on the way to a funkie, hdiscovered that he could sing.

GODFREY 'AGODYMAN'

Atsiamba, is from Komarock and works with CIC Insurance as an underwriter. He studied at Vihiga High School and was the chairman of the school choir. He plays the djembe, a type of drum from West Africa.

Their videos for "Ka Gava" (Arrested by Police) and "Dereva" (Driver), "The Unesco Peace" song and countless live performances can be found on their YouTube Channel The Red Accapella.