 Right. Welcome back to the show. Thank you so much for being here and you can see I have my co-host right here. I have my co-host for today. She schools I may have put you to pay. I should believe because I was like, you know what, no, I need someone else, someone better to come stand right here with me. Can you play music? Here and there. How are you doing, though? You're good? I'm very well. I'm very well. Good to be here. Good to be seen. Good to be seen. I'm happy to be here. Now, before we listen to the rest of the people. Now, here they are. Let me just show you guys where they are before we start talking to them. Right here. Right here. Yes. Yes. Yes. The man in black. Did you plan on doing that? I know. All right. Now, ladies and gentlemen, introducing not for the first time, for the second, maybe probably the third time on this show, the award-winning, multi-talented Kenyan Swahili hard rock band I had a different intro in my mind when it comes to executing it comes out differently But what's up with you? So good to have you guys, thank you so much for making time to be with us today We're so glad that you could make time Now I'm going to start on my left side I'm going to start with Ivan Yes, yes, yes, I got it right Yes, yes, yes, yes You see, I got it Now, we'll start right there You just introduce yourself and tell us what you do for the band Just a recap for the guys who didn't catch you last time Okay, my name is Komora And I play the triangle I play guitar, rhythm guitar Alright Okay, my name is Maxi Miliano You can call me Max Yes And yeah, I play lead guitar for Rush Right And right here with me, next to me, standing beside me DJ No My co-host and my co-de- Okay, go, I'm playing I should learn that though, thank you We have Oh, my name is Kolbat I play bass for the band He's the bassist guys I'm with the bassist right here What do they say about bassists? It's no bassist It's nothing That's how we want it to be Nobody remembers this If this was a stage bassist Then we could have points in the corner Only I can make fun of myself You don't like it when they do it Alright, now welcome back to the show Now, like I said, we're going to do a recap So we're starting right We've had you guys before But just a little bit of a background You were there when the band was filmed Back in 2013 in school Maybe you can tell us a little bit about that Then we can jump back to 2018 To when last you were here So tell us about that How did that happen? Okay, so basically At that point we met with Abedi Who's our former rhythm guitarist We met in USAU And actually I had my guitar So I happened to be playing some of it And then Abedi literally just passed by And then he was like Can we jump? So then he started playing I think it was nothing else matters Then I was like Well, okay, this guy At least knows some Metallica Over the surface is probably Like the one song that everyone knows Of Metallica But still that's a lot for As cool in which I've literally seen Most people were maybe Following hip hop and rap And you know It was like the first rock scene Then I was like Let's jump sometime Then we started jamming with him and my bro And we got Sam and Gakosh And we formed the band Then afterwards Some of the band members have gone And have been replaced with Other wonderful and beautiful people I know For this guy Yubu Paidway for Kamora Who is a great guitarist We'll talk about that By the way Yes But I want to know Tell us about life since you last Stay in mind The last time you guys were here Was just before COVID You know Just before you were told Okay, now this thing is serious It's here Everything was locked down We were so scared I would never leave the house Do you know I never even used my tattoo During that period Either I get a ride With someone Or I Uba I was just like No, no, no My tattoo to go in It was really, really hectic So how's life been for you guys There's a lot of changes in Raj So How's that been for you? There's been a lot of change But first of all Before we continue If you guys can tell It's only half of us who are here Yes So Yes That's my bad That is my bad By the way We should do that We should shout them out Yeah, definitely So I hope they're watching somewhere There's Yeah Somewhere Our background vocalist Gakosh Gakosh Okay, come on, go ahead The drama Gakosh Nice Sam Oh Sam New vocalist Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes I know that we have that out of the way Yes Cool So Covid It's affected us in a lot of ways Especially with regards to gigs Yes And outside practice But luckily for us Especially with these two days around There's a lot of pressure too All together Practice Put new things In clay To do new material To try new things So I can say 2019 Was it 2019 or 2020? It was 2020 It was 2020 So for most of 2020 Yeah, we kind of You know, adapted to the situation as it was But towards the end of the year We began to realise If you wait for things to happen out there You realise You'll be waiting for a very long time So we decided to take up the challenge And that's when we began to meet up again We found a really chill practice spot We wouldn't say where it is But we have the equipment there And suddenly when you have that momentum Of six people meeting up Weekly When you have the momentum of Guitarists and bassists Who have a lot of stuff going on You suddenly realise There's material here There is potential here There's potential here There's power here Hey! Breach! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Breach man! So with that in mind We began now to work on new material And then Max came around And told us Hey you guys, you know what I have this thing here And you're like, what thing do you have there? It doesn't take a disease or something So Which ended up being structures So we began working on that But we realised One of the pitfalls of being a musician Is when you work on something Especially if it's one song Or one project You tend to get a little bit of a confident Or complacent Which is a good thing Is it? Is it a good thing? It is For us fans It's not really a good thing Because that complacency means We sit back and say Because we've released one song We can now ride the wave And enjoy it Alright So we've really been pushing ourselves To work on more things And as we speak We've gotten back into the studio That's our story And I want to hear all about it But that is for We're going to be talking about structures In a minute But the last time you were here You want to meet it in 2010 For urban music As well as a prima In 2018 you didn't win But in 2019 they won They won in the rock category Best artist duo Best artist duo Or band category In African rock And they got it So you were here Who was celebrating before To Fungiwa We were like Rush to the world Ika Fungiwa But how was that for you guys Because that was the last Composition we had Did that change anything With the band How did you guys feel about that Well I must say That currently Ever since then actually It was a breakthrough Moment that made us realize That if we put this much effort On just one single project It gets to resonate All the way in the other side Of the continent And someone Who doesn't really know you at all Listens to your song And nominating you And you end up even winning That category It gave us That sort of Confidence in a way And at the same time It gave us that drive To keep on producing More music Because as it seems It's something that's We cognize also Elsewhere Which is a good thing It's always A really good feeling And is that the time You were officially in CNN Since Africa Is that after winning Or that was before winning That was before That was in 2017 And actually that was When we were interviewed For that They actually caught Some of the Sessions in which We were developing Need a change Need a change Which ended up becoming The biggest song That song On the elimination Of Fima in 2012 No But now in 2018 You nominated For another song Grave Robots No, no I say like Atakani kuchangoma One so yeah We don't mind Atakani kuchangoma One so yeah We don't mind We don't mind These guys That had to win A wide wide We are so That's totally cool We love that Now Komora Let's talk about you now What did I do? No, you did great You were featured in Apparently You were among Kenya's Top 10 best guitarists Wow As of 2021 Yes, yes Hey All right When you got that Because you were featured in Was it a magazine? Yeah, it was a magazine Yeah, it was a magazine How did that make you feel? Did you see that coming? I had no idea I didn't even know That actually happened For guitarists I didn't know So it was really It was a surprise for me But it was an honor Being there Yeah So now We changed walking style Now you're like No, no, no We tell you We tell you I should not even ask She'll ask Marks Marks and Colbert Like oh I'm a change walking style You know what? Yeah To be honest This guy is a beast And he's a humble beast Which is like The best part of it All right Yes That happened And yeah It was actually quite something Yeah I'm so happy that happened actually Yeah And now he has guitar classes people Like he's offering guitar lessons I do So if you want to Know how to play guitar He's yoga And you offering classes as well If you want to know how to sing He's yoga right here But that's for later When you're wrapping up But now Also another thing You're like I think all of you Are just like Doing a little bit of everything Now so this I'm going to ask you Colbert Like you are Part of Rush And recently part of Funkett Funkett I'm loving by the way You're doing a great job How does that happen Like Yeah Rush and Funkett How are you handling that Actually complimentary I don't know how that happens I think as an artist You realize that you have Quote and quote threshold For taking on different kinds of acts So with Rush When I sit down with These two dudes There's always that inspiration That I draw from here That I can always take back there They don't know that Now they know So when you have all these ideas Coming about And you realize Some of them You want them to Just to slip into somewhere else Begin to realize that No but That totally makes sense Like you'll have an idea But you're like This won't work with Rush But Nikila toku kwa Funkett That will make sense Yeah I totally get you Yeah that's great It's incredible I would love to Have you guys as well You come back as now Funkett But great having you as Rush So awesome Alright so Also another person You lead vocalist Sam Like he's your sister So busy by the way Sam is also Part of another group That is doing amazing One avocado And they are great And he's a great singer So are you guys struggling Or how Are you able to do that Like him being Part of one avokali Who are doing amazing And also part of Rush You're also doing amazing You're releasing new music Kuku Piawkwana New music Are you feeling the heat Well I think It's just like Like every other relationship It's all about communication Right And You know From the what go Like we were very easy Actually with him Being in one avokali And also being with us Because honestly Aside from maybe Missing Perhaps A few Rehearsal sessions Or something like that We haven't really had The main You know Challenge with that So And then also It's good that We share Also each other's Calendars as well And see like Okay here We can make it okay Here you have something Okay even you Like Colbert You have your own thing Or Komora You have a gig We try to adjust Oh yeah We are very accommodative Yeah I think it's also a very Beautiful problem to have Because If Komora is doing something On the other side And Max is doing something It means that First of all They have a passion for the craft Right Second of all They are good at what they do To the extent that someone else Wants the input And third of all I think at the end of the day Everyone brings his own network Because Whatever Komora is So we think we are At a very Very good place You are literally at a peak Right now You are doing great Alright Now let's look structures A single that has everybody talking Because you guys did What not so many Kenyan artists do Especially in this scene What the song Apart from the song being amazing The visuals The animation What are you kidding me That was so awesome Like So let's talk about the song What was the inspiration behind that? Okay Kaul bacha wisha se maini Max So Umma Okay So structures is a song That's inspired on Social division That happens Due to how Our societies are structured Yeah Yeah So throughout the song You can see different Historical examples Of conflict And how It is so easy to Demonize the other side Right Without really understanding What's Driving them to Commit such atrocities Yeah At the very end of the song You can easily see That without those Social structures Once all that is gone We are literally One and the same Yes We are the same We are literally just Clueless beings trying to Survive and Trying to get to like Sick happiness Yeah I get that And the animation One When did you get one? One Yes I got that right I know Komaro was expecting me to say One No No Nice place one One is a very He's a long time Good friend of mine And also a bit of a mentor as well He really got me into Into arts in general For those of you who didn't know Like actually I used to draw a lot And actually You know that? Yeah You didn't know that? Oh I mean I used to I used to I left it a long time ago But I left it actually When I found my actual Passion which is music Right So yeah I had known him for a while From high school times And then He approached me one of these days Because he saw how With a band And he was like I'd really like to work with you guys And I knew about his art And all that And I'd always admired that So We got to sit down with him Especially when I went back When I went back to Argentina In December And we sat down with him I was like This is the track how it is So far So you guys put your minds together And you said it This is what the song is going to look like Ah, nice I thought you were just like You know what, this is a song Do whatever you want We had a whole concept Blue guys against red guys Because it's usually It's usually blue Against the red Right? Whenever it comes to So We already decided That we wanted to do it that way We had a whole Ironically Like we had a whole structure For the concept itself But actually even if you listen to the song It's not structured the same way As all the other rash songs This one has some different parts That take you to different directions Where you're not expecting For instance the outro It's something completely different I saw that And I wanted to ask Is that the direction you guys Are looking to take moving forward Is that a new style You guys want to try Or it was just for that one song I think when I came into rash I talked a month About getting a bit heavier Yeah So I guess we want to go Even though they were already heavy They'll get them wrong But it's a bit heavier than that So I think that Maybe we're going to try New elements in the music Yes But still maintaining the same rash texture Yeah And your new background vocalist She's amazing Can you talk about her How did that come about Because the last time You guys were here You were just like No, we're an all male band We have five kids We're cool We're not looking Actually I asked you guys And you're like No, we're cool You're not looking to recruit Other new members And then is it COVID What happened You have a new member And a lady for that matter And she's incredible How did that come about Well We actually realized That even though We had already Taken all the guitar section With such a wonderful bassist And then at the same time Wonderful Wonderful He's like Wonderful We're doing it better So if I do use that word Then it's well allocated Yeah But Well allocated Yes And then of course With Komora and I We were well established In terms of the guitar sections Right But we noticed that we May want someone To actually back up some Yes Yes Because at the end of the day Some is actually telling us Each and every rehearsal Like Good Like I don't think I've ever sung Difficult songs Such as Rashes Apparently for the vocal range And all that Yeah And he's incredible I think he's like One of the best vocals ever Like right now in Kenya He's a monk You see how Komora is top 10 I think he's top 5 Yeah Yeah 100% Right Yeah All right So it structures the album Because that was Your first single Of the album Structures So when No actually Okay So this is how it is Yeah So we have Our first album Only a few survivors Which is actually available On various Swing platform Swing platform Even Spotify Spotify Like there's no excuse Yeah Spotify This Apomusic Yeah Even the ones you don't know Yeah The Chinese And Korean Right So after Only a few survivors We decided that We had been faced With a challenge Which is that If you record a full album It's really difficult To release just a full album And then expect To get some benefits Or exposure Or whatever it is Recognition Out of just that one album Promoting each and every song Separately Right So we took that strategy From Nita Change On once So Nita Change was the first Single Of this second album Oh And then Grave Robbers And then now Structures is our third And Of course When we release the album There will be probably A bunch of songs That will come together But we are Trying to do Half of them Maybe singles Now I get it Most people That the first song Will still be the Album song So in his structures And the album is structured Which is assumed like Oh that's the first single Of the album But we are excited Who are you featuring Locally Or is this an all rush Project Well So far We already have An idea of Who to actually Feature in some of The specific songs And therefore Like Of course we are going to Work with Local artists And then Most likely With Foreigners as well Alright Yes please That's incredible Like I would love to see that Like we cannot wait Like you guys are working so hard I don't know how I don't know if you know How much you appreciate it Like we appreciate you guys so much Because you put in the work You understand Like you put in the work Not just the audio But the videos as well Like you go out of your way And that's why you won That's why you won At Afri Ma All these African nations You beat everybody To take me on It wasn't for Because you have many fans It's because of the work You put in That's amazing Oh even though you have Like a lot of fans Guys were literally Waiting for this today Where are we streaming from Like I'm outside the house But I still want to tune in I want to see Raj So that's incredible And Adromida Yes You work with him on structures Is he still the same person Who is producing All the songs on the album Nick is amazing I don't know how you guys are Like just like Yes Nick is a girl on a brain Like what are you thinking Nick is a girl Nick is amazing man For this project We got to work with Nick In terms of sound production Then of course Actually Nick Right now he's The producer We are working with Adromida Yeah Shall we talk to Nick Nick Wadi, right? Nick Wadi Very talented It's incredible It's ingenious He's totally super talented All right now Do you have any Projects coming Any station coming Anything Your fans Would love to know So that they check it out Before we wind up Of course We have released structures You can find it On all these Various platforms Streaming platforms Yes All right now What do they search Yeah you have to search For structures Raj That's it Is another Raj Yamaju Yeah So is it like Rashband Apare Oh yeah Well I think Yeah it's also Rashband, right? Rashband 5 But I've been able To train it as No Rashband 5 Just Rashband Maybe YouTube Can you check out Rashband 5 That's popular Rashband Kenya That's on YouTube On YouTube On YouTube only Yes But then also I just wanted To let everyone know That of course This is not We're going to hear Of us For this year I know I know Let me just tell the people They were in the studio the other day When I called Mark They were like On their way to the studio So sometimes cooking And I'm excited They were like We're driving to this On this place I wouldn't say where Because in Jajju And you want people They were like We're driving ahead here So they have new material On the way And I'm so so so excited So your social media Where do people follow you Okay So Those who have more questions Because you know We still have to play music So we got to cut the interview But for follow up questions Where do they find you For almost all Social media platforms Except for one exception Which I'll tell you It's Rashband 5 All together Right So Rash Of course with an A There's a people They actually get to know you No no no It's not with you R-A-S-H Yes yes Rashband 5 Digit Yeah And then Yeah that's Twitter And Facebook But now for Instagram It's rash underscore Band 5 Rash underscore Band 5 Now guys Thank you so much For coming through Like it's been incredible Having you guys I can't wait For you to come back Anytime you release New music You know this is home Like you are always welcome You don't even have to ask Like you're just like You're just like You're just like You're just like You're just like Just like You're just like So many It's always a pleasure Having you guys And they totally appreciate it Unless you have any last remarks Any shout out Before we play structures For the guys at home Right On my atmosphere With me Not you in particular Not you Your personal person I-A-S-H I don't understand Yes Unless they took guitarists, how their personal people are. Ya, maybe. Any shout outs, whoever you want to shout out before we call it. Mine is not a shout out, but it's basically just saying that we will be present at the event next weekend. Yes, black on black. Yes, you see they are already practicing. But I have black jeans. You see this is work. Black on black. So what he's talking about is the electric harmony event. It's happening next week. I'm going to be talking about it just in a few. And I told you I have tickets. I'm going to be giving out to maybe two or three lucky people before we wind up the show. So just stand by. But most importantly, what he said, black on black. Black t-shirt, black jeans or black dress with a leather jacket if you can, right? Sort of like a rockers event. But right now we have to check out structures. You guys were like, ah, but you love them now. I hope to, but they're not that good. Honey, this is happening. So that you know what we're talking about. Alright, thank you so much for stopping by. The hashtag is rocktor254. That's our Twitter page at Y254. And of course on Facebook at Y254. On Instagram at Y254 Kilomali. At Filingin at Rashband 5. Now structures up next.