Kees Dieffenthaller, the handsome, energetic leader of Kes the Band got together with former National Calypso Monarch/Road March champion David Rudder to produce the single Live Yuh Life.
Said Dieffenthaller this week: “This song was actually a song brought to us by Shaft (Jason Bishop). It wasn’t a complete song but I was most interested. From the inception, there were a few people I wanted to work with on this one, like David and De Red Boyz of Barbados. We appreciated that we were getting an opportunity to actually use live instruments to record it. We did the track in Barbados with some great musicians, like bassist Nicholas Brancker. So, we gave it that old Charlie’s Roots feel.
“While in Barbados, I wrote a verse for David, but when he held on to it, he gave it that extra ‘oomph’—he gave it a true Trini flavour.”
The 2011 International Groovy Soca Monarch, Dieffenthaller has been on an almost non-stop musical ride, his enigmatic stage persona and infectious music winning him, and Kes the Band, widespread acclaim and popularity. He said: “This year has been one of growth for me. I managed to see so many parts of the world, like Greece and Dubai. We really have done a lot of travelling in 2012.
“This shows that our music is spreading as it grows. This year has been a barrier-breaker as we did countless performances internationally, outside the traditional Carnival circuit.”
In Trinidad for a short stint with his family, last weekend Rudder gave his take on Live Yuh Life. “Kees told me that he had this song which he composed with me in mind,” said Rudder. When I heard it I was pleasantly surprised and, with some good vibes, I added a little ‘seasoning’ to it, to sorta brown it down.”
Kees has refused to say whether he would be participating in Soca Monarch 2013.
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