Day 8 - Band Things

So, ladies and gentlemen, I have joined a new band. Well, technically it's not new, because I have some of my instrumentalists from my previous band, and we have members from another band, so we are somewhat familiar with each other on a musical level. Finding a band that is "the one" is like dating seriously to find your soul-mate and settle down. Aside from the fact that I am a little bit picky, here's why I think it's been especially difficult:

1. Kenyan musicians, especially instrumentalists, are very unfaithful characters. Myself included. More often than not, you find guitarist so-and-so "committed" to bands W, X, Y and Z, while accepting a few one-time gigs with other bands. It's like in a relationship: if you and your partner are both seeing other people on the side and having one-night stands, then there is no time to really build your relationship. I officially only belong to two bands (yes); the church one and my new one. I hereby also promise to fight, with all my might, the temptation to play for another band. Unless of course this one breaks my heart.
2. If you are Kenyan and your parents support your music career, you either have very modern and internationally exposed parents, or they don't love you enough to care about what you do with your life. Sadly, music as a career generally in Africa is not as respected as in the West. I once heard a Kenyan MP use "musician" as a simile to describe poverty. Of course this is not necessarily true for all countries. I grew up in Southern Africa, where the arts and extra curricular events were quite supported, as opposed to here where more emphasis is on academics. The Nigerian entertainment industry is also doing pretty well. Anyway, because of this lack of support, our beloved musicians usually have a "hobby" mentality towards music, therefore they do not put in the extra work and professionalism required to excel. This has been an issue for me because I am quite a driven and goal oriented person. 
3. Working in any group is never an easy task. This is more so true when you toss a bunch of different characters with different missions in life. Say, for example, in one band you have someone who wants to pay their bills through performances, another one who comes to unwind from other jobs, one who lives a fantasy life and likes the swag of being in the band and nothing else, the one hungry for fame, the inexperienced guitarist just trying to get girls and of course the arrogant, off-key singers who get offended when you correct them. This, my friend, is a recipe for disaster.

To be continued...