Just a Band

One bright day February of 2003, Blinky ran over Daniel’s foot in his red Volkswagen van – he quickly rushed him to the hospital, and in the ensuing hospital visits, they decided to form a band. Daniel recruited Jim – who happened to be testing the acoustics in the sewers beneath Daniel’s house. The boys consulted a psychic friend of theirs about what name they should give to their band. She spoke a single word in Dholuo to the astonished boys, which could only be loosely translated as “just one band”. Five years later, and after many adventures – the trio finally released their debut album Scratch To Reveal in May of 2008 – accompanied by visuals and promos created and animated by the band themselves. The album has since been well received, with reviewers describing the sound as “a pleasant departure from usual Kenyan music”, “a breath of fresh air” and vaguely “very cool”, and receiving nominations for a KORA Award for the Best African Video Clip and a Kisima Award for the Best Urban Fusion Group. The boys then released their second album – 82 – in October of 2009. This second album has helped them find new audiences, with the first single “Usinibore” entering the We Are Hunted and Hype Machine charts. The boys remain surprised by the reaction.