Last week Seychelles NATION brought you a small glimpse of one of the biggest bands in Seychelles — the Warrior Band. This week our spotlight is on a band that has been in existence for a quarter of a century and leading a new wave of Seychelles traditional music.
It is no other than the Tanmi Band. Each time it performs, the performance is more memorable than the one before.
The band is made up of musicians who are highly motivated, dedicated, and goal oriented. With such a desire to excel, they have reached the highest level of success in the local music business.
The talented musician-cum-comedian Joseph Sinon aka Patoustous has much to celebrate this year as he marks his 25 years in music, theater and the creation of his group Tanmi.
To mark this auspicious occasion the singer is organising a gala concert on June 2, 2018 at the Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort where he will launch his new album entitled ‘Les Li’.
The band has organised and taken part in so many concerts locally and also abroad. Besides entertaining audiences, the band also helps out in the community.
In August 2016, the band organised a concert at the International Conference Centre Seychelles (ICCS) to help raise money for a colleague, Vincent Isaac, to be able to undergo surgery, something which has been successful and allowed him to work again.
Seychelles NATION met up with the band’s founder Joseph Sinon to learn more about its music.
Besides Joseph himself the band comprises 14 other members (both musicians and dancers). They are Jack Valentin (lead guitar), Stanley Monnaie (rhythm guitar), Johnny Robert (keyboard), Mervin Camille (bass guitar), Bernard Havelock (drummer) and dancers Jemina Jouaneau, Colvin Barra, Petrina Valentin, Kesha Dupres, Shira Annacoura, Najoie Philoe, Willnette Joseph, Marc Banane and Dalibeth Jolicoeur.
Another smaller group called Tanmize is also part of Tanmi. It is made up of Vincent Isaac, Paul Revera, Allain Melanie, Roy Rene, Francis Volcère and Rolley Barbé.
Q: What genre of music do you consider your work to be, along with your major influences?
A: Since our creation 25 years ago, we have adopted our own style of music. We try our best to engage the public in our entire concert with our traditional and sometimes international music.
Q: How long have you all known each other?
A: The group has changed over the years, some members are new comers while others can be considered as the pillar of this dynamic band. We all have the same goal, and that is to bring good entertainment to the community.
Q: Where have you performed so far?
A: We have performed in different hotels and other tourism establishments, open air shows and international promotions.
Q: How has your music evolved since you first began playing together?
A: Our music has evolved through the long time commitment from all the members of the band. With perseverance and determination we have managed to successfully create a name for ourselves in such industry.
Q: What has been the group’s biggest challenge?
A: Our biggest challenge was to establish a name for ourselves until now. To be able to keep together a group for 25 years you need a lot of willpower and good ideas.
Q: What advice do you have for people who want to form their own group?
A: You must always follow your dream and always believe in yourself. You need to have willpower and discipline to be able to stay in a group.
Q: What are the biggest obstacles for local bands?
A: All musicians are concerned about not having a performing venue for our concerts. We also need support from the government and tourism establishments so that we can earn a living doing what we love.
Q: Tell us about your next shows and why we should be there?
A: Our next show will be to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of the Tanmi group. The event will be on June 1 to 3, 2018
Q: How can you describe the local music industry?
A: The local music industry is booming with a lot of creative work from our younger generation of artists, they only need the right connection to make it through.
Source : Seychelles NATION