Rock in Kenya

Rock in Kenya
By

You’d think it was something out of a vampire movie set in the middle ages. The black clothes, the white and black facial make up, the silver chains, crosses, studs and rings, spiked arm guards and wrist bands; the marks of a rocker. Though slow, a revolution that’s happening and Kenyan Rock is today what European and American Rock were in the 70’s; unacceptable, deplorable, evil, a bad influence even.

The Rock Culture, in spite of its perception is gradually creeping into the Kenyan music scene.

A monthly Rock event dabbed the Battle of the Bands is held every first Sunday at the Rezorus Bar and Restaurant. It was started exactly one year ago in March by Mukasa Namulanda (Music to Overdrive - M2O) and provides a platform where bands can showcase their talent and compete against each other. Keeping the Battles going month after month are the fans that turn out to cheer their favourites. On Thursdays, the Daas Ethiopian Restaurant (Westlands), hosts a number of rock bands. So far the Go down centre has hosted two rock events, between 2007 and 2008.

To bring every band from every subgenre of Rock and their fans together, a widely attended, yearly shin dig, Rocktober Fest is held at the Carnivore. This is where the crazy meets the crazier as fans mosh (dance in a crazed manner) on the mosh pit (dance floor) to their favourite local bands.

Performing bands at any of those venues have included LYT, Narcissistic Tendencies with Delusions of Grandeur (NTWDOG- Punk Rockers), The Espionage, Awakening, Murfy’s Flaw, M2O, Seismic, Iscariot’s Smile (a side project of LYT), Groove Hogs, Ueta and Rock of Ages, and are all Kenyan.

Just one listen will reveal the amount of preparation that has gone into their performances. Another impressive aspect is the fact that many of the bands perform their own music and only a few covers of better known international bands. If you seek the Kenyan Rockers Living the Rock lifestyle, then Rocktober Fest is the place to be. It is where Rock Culture meets Kenyan Culture and the clash is evident.

John “Tazz” Matasa is a regular at rock concerts all over Nairobi. His Goth-like creations range from silver rings, wrist bands and arm guards to bracelets, necklaces, chains, belts, leather jackets and trousers. His is to provide the rockers with attire for the occasion. He owns a shop on 20th Century Building's fir where all the rock paraphernalia can be found. They do not disappoint.

Those who just love the Rock music but don’t want to mix in that culture, go to places like Choices Club, or others with such theme nights as Rock Night.
In spite of the positivity that Kenyan Rockers exude when they speak of their music, the Rock Culture has been dogged by allegations of negative influence to the youth, some causing suicide, murder and other acts of violence. Rock music has been for years labeled “the Devil’s Music”.

In 1993, Norwegian Kristian Varg Vikernes, a Goth Rock guitar player in the band Mayhem (among many other bands) was charged with murder and Arson. He not only claimed responsibility for burning four churches in Bergen, Norway, but also openly castigated Christians for being pretentious hypocrites and even more openly endorsed Satanism. In an interview for the documentary Head banger’s Journey, he said:

“Satanism represents freedom, that’s why we are burning down churches because Christians are against us.” Vikernes was sentenced to 21 years in prison where the interview was held. He was however released on parole in March of 2009, after serving 16 years in prison.

The situation in Kenya is very different. The slow acceptance of Rock’s genres and sub genres in Kenya has discouraged many musicians from playing their music in public because of the negativity their music is received with. Bands like Last Year’s Tragedy (LYT) however are fighting to change the perception of the heavier more grungy and metallic sounding genres of rock. Ruto Kipkulei a 25 year old classically trained pianist plays Keyboards for LYT. He clarifies what Rock and the Rock Culture and lifestyle in Kenya represent.

“The Rock lifestyle in Kenya as we speak is simply the love of rock music and all its sub genres,” he says. “The claims made about rockers drinking blood and sheep brain, having sex orgies or sniffing and smoking illegal stimulants at Goth parties is absolute nonsense. Kawaida (normal) parties are more likely to have that kind of thing going on than rock parties are.”

He adds that most Kenyan rockers are actually educated, Christian or other religion and would not blindly subject themselves to unnecessary suffering or practice such potentially self destructive behaviour. Kenyans, he asserts, are working towards making their lives better, not worse.

So advanced is the Rock culture in Kenya that they have a website of their own. Once logged onto www.rock.co.ke the discussions include the plan to have a party at the Nyayo Stadium war cemetery! Some say the party must start at midnight sharp; drinks will be blood and sheep brain!

“The chat conversations on the site cannot be taken as gospel truth. Exaggeration happens in every chat room,” says Ruto (LYT).

Rock culture is without doubt here. That which we read about in books, newspapers or even watch on TV is now largely practiced by our Kenyan youth. Started by college students and supported by the young but working class adults. Just as the splash on www.rock.co.ke reads, rock is not just music, it’s a Lifestyle. But are there people who actually live this lifestyle? A lifestyle that many books, documentaries and newspapers have associated with Satanism, death, drug abuse, sex orgies and bloody scenes?

Asked about Goth and the Gothic Lifestyle Shiv Mandavia, a metal head, is quick to explain that Kenyans are yet to fully understand what Goth is. “Most young guys now like to say that they are Goths because they think it sounds cool,” he says. “Kenyan rock lovers have not got to the point where they would do stupid things like burn churches or have orgies just for the heck of it and I don’t believe they will because we are an intelligent people”. The same, he says applies to the extreme make up that many rock fans and performers will wear but only during gigs.

Gothic Rock, considered the darkest of Rock’s subgenres is yet to make its mark in the Kenyan Rock scene. The Ancient Goths who originated from Germany seem to have had some influence on the kind of Gothic Black Metal genre that emerged in the early 80s with bands like Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. Goths like Varg Vikernes, who was wholly against Christianity, share a lot with the original Goths who were mostly considered either Satanists of Atheists. Goth Rock is characterized by lyrically disturbing and depressing outbursts, harmonic chants, growls against a backing of heavy melodic metal sounding guitars, drums and keyboards and the organ.

Bleed (Martin Kirui) is a die-hard metal head who says that the Kenyan Goth community though minute, does exist. “Goths acknowledge a deep sense of death and the acceptance of it as a normal happening, and that there’s beauty in death as there is in life. They wear black clothes and dark mascara to that effect and to show that they’re not afraid of death.” Bleed who in spite of his name says that he is a deeply spiritual man who sanctifies the life within him. He listens to Goth and appreciates them but is a die-hard metal head (lover of rock metal and it’s subgenres like Viking Metal, Black Metal, Screamo, Emo, Speed and Melodic Metal).

Any Kenyan Rock band will have a list of bands that influence their music. Names like Demon Hunter, Slipknot, Killswitch Engage, Rage Against the Machine, Destroy the Runner, Amon Amarth, Daylight Dies pop up. While that may send shivers up your spine, a little research reveals that Demon Hunter is actually a Christian Heavy Metal band, spreading the Gospel through their grungy sounding guitar riffs and deep guttural vocals. Anyone hearing this kind of music for the first time would quickly dismiss it as ‘devilish’ music. But that is not necessarily so.

“These kinds of negative and misinformed perceptions are what we are trying to correct because we the Rockers know that we are Christians. Rock is such a spiritual kind of music because you really become one with your instrument as your making music,” says Ruto.

“I don’t think Kenyans, because of our bringing up, are capable of going bloody in the name of rock,” says Njeri.

Psychology experts say that most of the rockers who go to the extent of doing extremely dangerous things in the name of rock, are those youngsters who always want to rebel in their homes.

“All they want to do is to go against their parents, either because they have gone through a difficult past with restrictive parents, or they are in the process. They are willing to show rebellion and they feel that rock music will give them the freedom they are looking for,” says Mercy Kemboi, a youth counselor in Nairobi.

While what Kemboi says may be true, the Rock genre cannot be blamed for all acts of rebellion and. The airwaves are currently clogged with R&B idolizing sex and Hip Hop which proposes that murder is cool. There’s definitely a good and bad side to all music but the rockers agree that the work that goes into creating a piece is painstaking and truly spiritual.

All of the interviewees strongly believe that Rockers would not go cutting themselves, filling up on drugs or burning churches or engaging in indiscriminate sex just because their European counterparts did so some 20 odd years ago.

If anything, they all agree on one thing; rock music requires a lot sacrifice, a lot of focus, persistence, patience and time. “With all the practice we do to perfect our skills give to the fans, there is simply no time to engage in drugs or sex orgies. As for the blood drinking, that’s a tradition that many Kenyan communities can identify with. There’s no human blood involved,” says an amused Bleed.