Lessons from a musician, and other stories :-)

There’s this guy- drop-dead handsome (but he’s taken ;-))- who I met at a worship night some 8 years ago, on a chilly Thursday evening. He was sitting at the drums- one of his fav places on the planet- and doing his thing. Our friendship grew largely on music. I remember one time he traveled all the way from JKUAT (yes, it’s a journey!) to come bring me music. But in characteristic fashion he fell asleep in the mat and the CD fell out of his pocket, so I’ll never really know what was in there! I remember spending hours with him, talking about music- he introduced me to Marvin Sapp (one of my favorites now), Israel Houghton, Joyous Celebration and so many other fantastic musicians. He spoke about music with rare passion. His love for it oozed out of every pore.

Fastforward several years, and this guy with a double degree in engineering actually quit his job to pursue his passion- music. I happened to live with him at the time (kinda still do hehe) and I remember how dreary he’d get in the morning when he had to go to work. He wanted this engineering thing to be something, he sort of wanted it to work out. And it would have, except you cannot silence the voice of passion within yourself. I’d often leave him in the house watching the morning shows where they have bands play on set, and I’d feel so bad knowing that he was going to a job he didn’t enjoy. I loved my job- still do- and I so badly wanted him too to get up every morning to do something he loved. I remember when he told me he wanted to quit and pursue music. At first I thought it was too soon. But watching him, day in day out, miserable as a frost- bitten apple, I thought to myself, ‘this isn’t right. Everyone deserves to do the thing they love’. And so it was. He left engineering, after spending five and a half years in school! And it was like a new breath of air was breathed into his lungs. Getting up before me, going to bed after me. Drive like I’d never seen before.

And I’ve watched, sometimes silently, sometimes not so silently, what he and his brothers at Shamsi Music have done over the years. Week after week, month after month, growing their skill, expanding their boundaries, breaking barriers, paving ways. I’ve watched them build amazing partnerships with some of the best in their industry. I’ve seen when they’ve fallen hard, and how they’ve risen like the mythical phoenix. How they’ve found and are carving a niche for themselves in the entertainment industry. How they’ve taken the sound of the land- our very beautiful and rich idioms- and created melodies that linger long after the concert, and rhythms that speak our African bones to life. I’ve seen them being audacious to venture into huge spaces ‘before their time’. I’ve seen how they make others uncomfortable with their presence, how they get the ‘who are you to be here’ kind of treatment sometimes. I’ve seen how they shake it off, encourage themselves, and continue putting one foot in-front of the other. Just like that guy in the very awful movie Acrimony, sometimes it seems they are the only ones who believe in their dream, but the just don’t let up! Even when odds are stacked against them and there is really no motivation, they keep showing up no matter what! And I’d be numb not to be inspired. I look at some of the things in my life that weigh me down, my own self- destructive anxiety shouting at me not to dare venture out of my comfort. I listen to myself tell me that I can’t do it. I watch myself berate me when I fail. And then I think of these guys and I ask myself, if they can do it, why can’t I?

So taking a cue from you Kenn Biggie and your brothers at Shamsi Music, I hereby charge myself;

I will pursue my goals relentlessly

I will fight for what is mine consistently

I will challenge myself to be better daily

I will beat my body and make it my slave mercilessly

I will go against every odd

I will be who I set out to be

With God on my side, I can and I will!

Oh, and one more thing- I will go for Afrosynthesis on Saturday AND Sunday, because nobody gives a performance quite like Shamsi music and because for all the inspiring they have inspired me (sic), I owe it to them to be there!

Come too, will ya? 😉