One on One with Kenya’s finest rock band ParkingLotGrass
22 October 2013
Parking Lot Grass, hands down, has to be the best band in Kenyan rock scene right now; as much as we are proud of all other rock bands who have ventured into the genre, the boys particularly stand out for their amazing twist of mixing a local touch in their music by use of Swahili.
It’s no surprise that their lead single off their EP ‘Shimo Mfukoni’ peaked all the way to no #1 on XFM charts.
Mdundo caught up with the boys who opened up about their experience in the industry so far.
Describe what is like to be a rock band in Kenya
Two words come to mind; ‘Not Easy’. There is a lot of misconception about the genre especially the more extreme side of it. People need to see music for what it is – an expression of emotions – and not be as judgmental as they are.
How do you think you have survived in the Kenyan Market?
Well, given that rock isn’t popular style in Kenya we’d say we’ve survived simply by staying focused and believing in what we’re doing as well as through having fans that make it all worth it.
One thing that did us a lot of good in helping us survive was localizing the content. Given that a lot of people associate rock with the West, it was very different for people to find Swahili lyrics in a rock song. We even titled our EP after the first track that was written fully in Swahili ‘Shimo Mfukoni’.
What are some of the challenges you have faced as a band?
The biggest challenge has simply been staying as a band. A band is a group of different people with different ideas, different expectations and personalities. Trying to get five out of five in perfect harmony isn’t easy. But we try our best.
It would also be nice to see the media focus more on the rock scene and rock music from Kenya. Media forms the perception of the masses. If they paint a good picture about the rock scene, we’ll see a lot more people interested in it. A lot of people don’t even know that rock bands exist in Kenya.
How would you describe your fanbase?
Our fan base is quite diverse. We’ve got fans from all around the world of different ages and backgrounds. We feel blessed to have been able to reach such a wide number of people and bring them together through our music. All our music is done because of the kind of support we see and that has helped us believe in the band even more.
What are some of the positive results you have seen so far through your experience?
I will have to say there has been phenomenal progress in the rock scene since we got active in 2010 and we’re happy to see what’s going on especially with more bands getting formed and performing, more venues getting interested in having rock nights again and even asking for bands to play regularly. So, as with all good things, it’s a factor of time. We know we’ll be here for a while doing this because we love the music, we love the scene & are happy to see it growing.
You will be performing at 49 Degrees Metal Zone in Germany, how do you feel about it?
We’re stoked! We’re extremely excited. To be the first Kenyan rock band to play in Europe is a big thing for us and also for the scene! We’d be as excited if it was any other band because whoever goes out there will be an ambassador for the Kenyan rock scene. So were going there not to just represent ourselves, but the entire scene.
What do you hope to gain from the experience?
We hope to learn more from other artists. Getting to spend some time with better established artists will be very useful.
It’s no surprise that their lead single off their EP ‘Shimo Mfukoni’ peaked all the way to no #1 on XFM charts.
Mdundo caught up with the boys who opened up about their experience in the industry so far.
Describe what is like to be a rock band in Kenya
Two words come to mind; ‘Not Easy’. There is a lot of misconception about the genre especially the more extreme side of it. People need to see music for what it is – an expression of emotions – and not be as judgmental as they are.
How do you think you have survived in the Kenyan Market?
Well, given that rock isn’t popular style in Kenya we’d say we’ve survived simply by staying focused and believing in what we’re doing as well as through having fans that make it all worth it.
One thing that did us a lot of good in helping us survive was localizing the content. Given that a lot of people associate rock with the West, it was very different for people to find Swahili lyrics in a rock song. We even titled our EP after the first track that was written fully in Swahili ‘Shimo Mfukoni’.
What are some of the challenges you have faced as a band?
The biggest challenge has simply been staying as a band. A band is a group of different people with different ideas, different expectations and personalities. Trying to get five out of five in perfect harmony isn’t easy. But we try our best.
It would also be nice to see the media focus more on the rock scene and rock music from Kenya. Media forms the perception of the masses. If they paint a good picture about the rock scene, we’ll see a lot more people interested in it. A lot of people don’t even know that rock bands exist in Kenya.
How would you describe your fanbase?
Our fan base is quite diverse. We’ve got fans from all around the world of different ages and backgrounds. We feel blessed to have been able to reach such a wide number of people and bring them together through our music. All our music is done because of the kind of support we see and that has helped us believe in the band even more.
What are some of the positive results you have seen so far through your experience?
I will have to say there has been phenomenal progress in the rock scene since we got active in 2010 and we’re happy to see what’s going on especially with more bands getting formed and performing, more venues getting interested in having rock nights again and even asking for bands to play regularly. So, as with all good things, it’s a factor of time. We know we’ll be here for a while doing this because we love the music, we love the scene & are happy to see it growing.
You will be performing at 49 Degrees Metal Zone in Germany, how do you feel about it?
We’re stoked! We’re extremely excited. To be the first Kenyan rock band to play in Europe is a big thing for us and also for the scene! We’d be as excited if it was any other band because whoever goes out there will be an ambassador for the Kenyan rock scene. So were going there not to just represent ourselves, but the entire scene.
What do you hope to gain from the experience?
We hope to learn more from other artists. Getting to spend some time with better established artists will be very useful.
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