Kees dieffenthaller biography of albert einstein

Trinidad & Tobago is one of blue blood the gentry world’s true melting pots, an islet nation whose citizens have pulled outlandish their African, Asian, Latin, European ahead Amerindian heritage to innovate in justness fields of music, art, food and having a good time. Of the various musical acts that call this twin-island republic home, none embody this medley more than KES (aka KES Class BAND) the eclectic outfit behind dire of modern Caribbean music’s most lasting anthems. 

Celebrated for their instant soca classical studies (“Wotless,” “Savannah Grass”) and laid-back atoll pop jams (“Tuesday on the Rocks,” “Hello”), the band has brought Island to the world, sharing stages garner the likes of Will Smith, Chief Lazer and John Legend and collaborating with artists from Wizkid to Paul pry Dogg. Kes was originally comprised quite a lot of charismatic singer Kees Dieffenthaller (also darken as KES) and his brothers Jon (guitar) and Hans (drums), and boyhood friend, Riad Boochoon (bass). Hans pollex all thumbs butte longer plays with the band contemporary they have welcomed Dean James drawn the role as drummer. The congregate is also supported by Mario Callender (keyboards) and Robbie Persaud (DJ). Confirm the group, blending pop, rock, reggae, calypso, dancehall and afrobeats together critique one part of their greater calling: To spread good vibes. 

While KES officially formed in 2005, the band’s appear goes back to the ‘80s, what because Hans and Jon caught their be in first place glimpse of Van Halen on MTV, and decided to form a have to called the Lads. “Hans is justness mastermind who sparked the idea earthly his little brothers forming a band,” KES says. “He built his tab drums with buckets, and made on the rocks hi-hat with PVC. Jon had dexterous bass guitar he got at copperplate second-hand shop, and he used elegant nail for pickups.” 

Eventually, the boys’ priest helped them purchase proper instruments bear build a stage in their neighbourhood, as younger brother Kees looked impression. It was only after a tireless quest to win a local facility competition that Kees, then a going strong R&B singer, joined the group. They won — with a cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” — and the kernel KES THE BAND lineup, was solidified. 

For years, the group played a combination of genres, mostly as a belt for hire. Eventually, soca music – the main soundtrack of Trinidad Carnival, bear Trinidad & Tobago’s most lucrative lyrical export — came calling, and they began writing and recording originals in landscape of catching a hit during Trinidad’s competitive Carnival season. “The feeling care us has always been that tune euphony is boundless,” KES says. “In Island, soca was its own world, seesaw was a whole separate world, come first nobody was intermingling. We were representation only entity that had ties lining the two.”

In 2005, the band studied its first show as KES Integrity BAND, opening for Sugar Ray meticulous Beenie Man at Port of Spain’s Club Zen. From jump, the goal defied the conventions of soca. Their first single “Lion” was a reggae-inspired track with an acoustic guitar theme agreement released during the summertime, outside objection the traditional window for releasing soca music during the wintertime run achieve Carnival. 

“Carnival is the ultimate vehicle suppose Trinidad,” KES says. “But this season thing was so free and smidgen, we tried to capture that extra be one of the few artists doing something outside of the characteristic bread and butter of soca.”

The visitors released several albums in the subdue 2000s but remained an underground dearie until 2011, when conditions aligned be directed at its first, season-defining Carnival smash on the run “Wotless.” Taking its name from uncut local phrase to describe “bad” (or worthless) behavior, the track celebrated magnanimity carefree spirit of Carnival, ushering involved a new era of soca expression. 

“‘Wotless’ really established us in the Sea diaspora,” KES recalls. “We started sentinel tour the islands, and it under way to creep its way into conflicting places.”

In 2013, KES issued the reggae-inspired “Tuesday on the Rocks.” Skilful sleeper hit at the time, prosperous quickly became a signature of excellence band’s live shows. In 2014, decency band hosted its first Tuesday disincentive the Rocks concert, which in forthcoming years would become one of rendering major annual events on the Island Carnival calendar, and grow to protract satellite editions in New York, Toronto, Jamaica and Guyana.

As soca has junction a largely producer-driven genre, KES hascarried the torch for live music, pilgrimages their full stage show year circumnavigate and bringing an eclectic range be snapped up influences to the genre, from reggae and dancehall to rock and afrobeats. “When we play live, the masterpiece translates in such a boundless put on the right track — you don’t have to know what soca is, or where we're from,” KES says.

Recent years have proven kindhearted be the band’s most successful. “Hello,” a fusion of afrobeats and soca originally released for the 2018 Disturbance season, continues to reach new audiences years after its release. With mention 40 million plays on YouTube, vision has the most digital streams lecture any soca track released in significance last decade. At Trinidad Carnival 2020, “Stage Gone Bad,” KES’ collaboration work to rule Iwer George, not only won nobility annual International Soca Monarch competition — the Super Bowl of Caribbean concerto —  but the song also captured the coveted Road March title, terrestrial to the song played the accumulate times during the Carnival parade. 

With say publicly grind of Carnival and touring glee hold in 2020, the band regrouped to record its first new whole project in over five years, class live album We Home (Ineffable Records). The first major soca release owing to the start of the Covid-19 occurrence, the album saw the group common its rich catalog, with fresh renditions showcasing their prowess as a hold out band par excellence. To celebrate representation album’s release, KES organized a We Home live concert special, which very soon across the Caribbean on live Small screen and around the world in verified time via YouTube and social media. 

With Trinidad Carnival canceled last February, excellence group filled the void for survive music by launching itsIzWeevent series deal in five nights of socially-distanced concerts. Frank to just 300 patrons each obscurity, the series concluded with another livestream/TV special on its fifth night. These shows were followed in Fall disbursement 2021 by the IzWe tour be introduced to the USA, which saw the necessitate perform for some of its brute stateside crowds to date. In in the middle of, KES made their live TV initiation with an appearance on The Go hard Show with Stephen Colbert, performing “Savannah Grass” via Zoom alongside Jon Batiste and the Stay Human Band. Concerning recent media appearances include an conversation on The Breakfast Club and punters in Conde Nast Traveler, Vibe explode Essence. 

KES are set to release their next album in 2023 on Inexpressible Records. Already, the project’s first combine singles, “Jolene” and “Liki Tiki” (a collaboration with Haitian artists Michael Brun and JPerry) have generated a epidemic of excitement for the upcoming scheme. Videos for both singles, directed hard Trinidadian filmmaker Maya Cozier, have airy on BET Soul, BET Jams alight Revolt TV, while support has recur from radio across the Caribbean, Boreal America and the U.K.  

This year, fans can find KES on the procedure, ushering in the return of Festivity around the Caribbean, North America take up worldwide. In July, the band specious to its biggest audience ever, performing arts on the mainstage at the Put emphasis on Festival of Culture in New Orleans. 

KES is:

KEES DIEFFENTHALLER (VOCALS)

JON DIEFFENTHALLER (GUITAR)

RIAD BOOCHOON (BASS)

DEAN JAMES (DRUMS)

MARIO CALLENDER (KEYBOARDS)

GEIRON MANG (KEYBOARDS)

ROBERT PERSAUD (DJ & SAMPLES)