Kes The Band
Photo: Kes The Band members (L-R) Dieffenthaller brothers Hans, Kees, Jon and best friend Riad Boochoon

Reigning Joint Soca Monarch and Road March Champs, Kes The Band have partnered with the Ministry of Tourism to stage and market a series of scaled-down and socially-distanced live concerts from Tuesday February 9th to Saturday 13th in compliance with all COVID-19 Protocols. Only 1500 or so lucky patrons will be able to experience the magic of Kes The Band live this season, as Covid-19 protocols mandate limited audience capacity for live performance events.

KES will commence promotions this week for this mini concert series dubbed "IzWe" and consisting of five nights of live, socially-distanced concerts celebrating Soca, Calypso music and Trinbagonian culture.

Scheduled to occur during the traditional runup to Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival, the "IzWe" series will feature several surprise special guests each night and take place at the spacious, open-air venue theatre dubbed 'Sound Forge', which is located just off Mucurapo Road in Port-of-Spain.

In strict compliance with The Ministry of Health's COVID-19 Theatre Guidelines of 50% capacity, each night of KTB's performance will be open to only 300 patrons. The culminating performance on Saturday, February 13 will be aired live on local television in Trinidad & Tobago and on affiliates across the Caribbean. Fans outside the region can livestream the concert at KES' website, www.kestheband.com by purchasing tickets for $10. The live stream is available at no cost within the Caribbean.

Lead singer, Kees Dieffenthaller explained that with Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival festivities on pause in 2021, the band decided to re-brand and extend its Carnival season event to multiple nights of live music. This was decided in order to accommodate more fans, while keeping within the maximum gathering size, strictly in compliance with the Ministry of Health's COVID-19 Regulations.

Kees Dieffenhaller
Photo: Kes the Band lead singer Kees Dieffenthaller sitting in the Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

He said: "IzWe is a presentation of WE culture in all its different aspects... We'll be celebrating the essence of who we all are as Caribbean people. It all began with drums and fire and, out of the revolution of our ancestors, Carnival which came to be the sweetest revolution. As such, we are celebrating our light in these dark times."

The inaugural 'We Home' livestream event was held on Trinidad and Tobago's Independence Day in August, with 'We Home: Under One Roof' following up on Boxing Day, December 26th. Collectively, these performances raised US$15,000 in charitable funds, which were donated to Trinidad and Tobago-based charities, The Shelter and the Touching Hands Project.

Dieffenhaller added: "We are rallying together with the best of the best in the artform currently and celebrating the works of past greats, while bringing it into one place, one event, one moment where we all celebrate our culture together and in harmony and in unity... As we assemble in limited numbers and with all protocols observed, we will celebrate the why - why we do this, the joy of it, in hope of a brighter future, in hope of a different time. In this time, we want to hold the torch, we want to light the flambeau and keep that Caribbean and Carnival flambeau lit."

Kes feat Etienne Charles & Laventille Riddim Section - Iz WE

Last week on Tuesday, January 26th, KES released their first single of 2021, "Keep Jammin' On," a collaboration with world-renowned Trinidad and Tobago's very own DJ/Producer, DJ Private Ryan. Limited advance tickets for "IzWe" are now available at www.kestheband.com. Follow @kesthebandofficial on IG and Twitter for updates and more information.

PHOTO CREDIT
Kees Savannah Grass Photo courtesy Overtime Media
KES The Band 2020 Photo courtesy Marlon James