Born with a silver string

Members of Nothern Wing of Silver Strings Band posefor a photo  ( Photo:Courtesy)

When the Silver Strings Band started out in 1998, they were four members with no equipment, just a shared passion for music. They had to hold their first few shows for free just to build their brand.

“The band was started by my brother, myself and two more people. We met and started out in church where we played as instrumentalists,” narrates the band director and one of the founders, Dan Obwatho.

Their church, Nairobi Central SDA Church, was very supportive and before the band could save up for their equipment, they were kind enough to lend them the equipment.

As the band’s popularity grew, the four friends were faced by a challenge. The only way to move past this was to expand the group.

“Demand was going up and we were at a disadvantage because most events are held on the same day of the week. We could get like three invitations to three different events but all on the same day so we had to choose one. It is for this reason we decided to expand,” Dan points out.

In 2008, the second wing of the band was born. Auditions were held and the best from the exercise were picked to join the band.

Third wing

The wing was given the name the Eastern Wing with the first wing being called the Northern Wing.

“It made our work a lot easier because now we could be at two places at the same time. One of the people who founded the group became the head of the new wing,” says Dan with a beaming smile.

With two wings playing at events concurrently, the band was able to save up for another wing and in 2011 the third wing was born and it was given the name the Utalii Wing. Each wing has six members.

Even with three wings, their choice of music genre is cultural African music.

Dan explains that though at one point they were tempted to have some wings play recorded music, he is glad they stuck to the original plan. Live music is spontaneous and the lyrics and tone of the song can be customized to fit the event.

Despite the tremendous growth of the band, there have been a few challenges the band has faced and continue to face.

“I however encourage honesty within the band and the fact that the members have put their trust in the leadership of the band has helped us stay together,” he explains.

Too huge

The size of the band, with three wings, is another challenge.

“The different wings are controlled by the respective wing leaders and it is for this reason I usually encourage the wing leaders to be firm. For example, say a wing is late for an event, the complaint from the client will not go to the wing leader but it will come to me as the director,” he adds.

The peak season is between August and December, meaning there comes a time when they experience a dry spell as far as events are concerned.

“You will find that sometimes some wings get more gigs than others but I always try to balance things out. It would not be a good thing for the band if some members are earning and the rest are not,” he notes.

What is interesting to note about the group is the fact that it is comprised of members of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

“Though we are not from the same community, we sing songs from all communities. As artistes, we are required to be good actors as well to fit into an occasion,” explains Catherine Karimi a member of the band.

For some of the band members, performing in the band is a part-time job, which brings up the question whether the schedules of the band conflict with those in employment.

“Members have to organise themselves especially for those in full-time employment. But usually, they are at an advantage because most events will happen on weekends or after work hours,” explains Dan.