Sitting in an internet cafe with Eric, Gordon and the boys on a Sunday afternoon after a big night out in downtown Nairobi. Finally broke through to the live music scene here and had an absolute blast with the guys at a bubbling club with a huge outdoor courtyard and an incredible Congolese 8-piece band! With incredibly smooth and flowing guitar licks and three-part vocal harmonies, and of course a kicking drummer and percussionist, these guys were charging the pulse of everyone there and compelling us to dance continually. It was a completely random and unique scene, complete with jubilant drunk men with their friends making a scene, contagiously happy couples getting down, gaudy prostitutes scattered about the place and shaking their thang to anyone and everyone, shady characters in the fringes scheming and drinking and finally us guys, a formittable crew of about ten or so, completely on fire with positive energy and rhythmic addiction!! (I'm feeling like really long sentences today if you haven't already noticed).

I'm hoping it will be the first of many nights on the town from now. We are starting to get a bit more of a steady flow of gigs coming in. Just played our second, at a wedding earlier in the afternoon yesterday and I got some great footage of it on video. Still, I feel like we're just getting started, and especially for myself, I'm just starting to tap into the potential of what this experience can be for me, musically speaking. It hasn't been easy to engage with music here so far. We still have only practiced once and just getting across the city from Peter's place to the east side ghetto where the boys are based is an ordeal in itself. Combine that with incredibly poor ability to communicate due to the insanely high price to use mobile phones and it creates a challenging setting within which to immerse myself in music. But, as they say, pole pole...
And finally it is actually starting to make sense. We have three more gigs on the horizon, coming up this Wednesday, Sunday and next Friday and on top of that I'm inspired to film original versions of each of their songs, all in different settings around Nairobi. We'll see how the project goes...
Also, hoping to escape down to Mombasa and soak up some coastal sunshine as I re-connect with the ocean (you know us Peace Boaters, we can't stay away from the water for too long ;). Hopefully we can fit it in next week, for about five days. Priority number one is to hunt down some waves and a board for a much needed surf! DUDE, I've been dreaming about riding waves just about every night and I don't think it's just from the larium. I've got some serious surfer withdrawls to deal with... Of course, I'm still savoring the memories of all the killer powder I scored snowboarding back in Japan winterland.

Well, the boys are done with their mails and getting very hungry to we are going to go grab some lunch at Jack's place (do you remember him? one of the dancers at the lodge).
Sending all of you huuuuuuge sticky mango hugs and big Kenya smiles!!!!!

sawa sawa