kristy.ramnarine@cnc3.co.tt
Iz We Kes the Band Carnival Experience is heading back to Port-of-Spain.
Lead singer Kees Dieffenthaller, also known as KES, said the band will stage their annual concert at the Queen’s Park Savannah on February 6, from 4 pm.
“In 2023, the event was held at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba.
We had a good time at Brian Lara but it was also nice to come back to the Savannah,” said Kes.
“This is a very special year, I feel like we are still getting out of what we went through before. I feel like this is a year to sort of establish the music.
“The past year of travel has been amazing and I feel like a lot of people are coming down to experience it for the first time. I am happy that we can represent at a show in Port-of-Spain at the Savannah.”
He admitted that ‘South’ people were disappointed by the move, however, ‘Town’ people had a sigh of relief.
“Where we have reached now, I feel like this show is also a marker of who we are,” he said.
“I really want to put myself out there and do something spectacular that people never felt or seen before.
“Definitely a celebration of culture, a celebration of who we are in all its aspects.”
According to Kes, “It’s not just soca, it’s everybody, all the flights of soca, all the offshoots of who we are in Trinidad and Tobago. We really want to present culture to not only the people here but the people from around the world who want to experience Trinidad and Tobago in its entirety.”
Kes the Band originally comprised Kees Dieffenthaller and his brothers, Jon (guitar) and Hans (drums), and childhood friend, Riad Boochoon (bass).
Hans no longer plays with the band and they have welcomed Dean James into the role as drummer. The band is also supported by Mario Callender (keyboards) and Robbie Persaud (DJ).
Before forming Kes the Band in 2005 with his brothers, Kes was a frontline singer in the band Imij and Company.
The energetic and commanding performer has become a sought-after artiste locally and internationally. And has also become a major hit with the ladies.
His hits include Tuesday on the Rocks, Hello, Wotless and Savannah Grass—a song very close to his heart.
“My father, (George ‘Bunny’ Dieffenthaller), lives in that song,” said Kes.
“My father was a force and I feel like that force is in that music. It’s not surprising that it played in every nook and cranny around the world.
“It’s just proof that when it comes from a real and raw place you don’t know where the music will reach. Savannah Grass will live on forever. At the end of the day, it is a prayer for me and a prayer for my pops. I am very happy that people can enjoy it.”
Kes went on to describe his mother, Deanna, as the balance in the family.
“Mommy is where I learnt a lot of things, classical singing is through. Mommy is an opera singer. I used to be with her when she was winning music festivals and all of that.
“She is the one who encouraged us to formally train our voices and kept us in choir.
“Mom was also the one, pops was the party one, mom loved to dance but she was the reserved one teaching us about the balance of stuff. She really helps me on my spiritual journey. Every time she is reading a book that she is into, she would say read these two lines.
“Mom is that rock. She is somebody who has always been there.”
Kees attended the Cedar Grove Primary School, Presentation College, San Fernando and St Mary’s College in Port-of-Spain.
While being academically inclined with veterinary science as the biggest possibility, he chose music as a career.
“I still feel I’m a kind of vet nowadays. I love animals, I grew up around animals having all different types of pets and stuff,” he said.
“I still enjoy nature at a very deep level and animals. I don’t have the time because I travel so much. Big up Rosie by Cocker Spaniel. I feel like when I am around animals and nature I reset.”
When it comes to his fashion, Kes likes to keep things simple.
“I like to be most comfortable when I am performing soca music, it is a very hot and sweaty thing,” he said.
“If I could be as simple as possible and get to the point. Sometimes I dress easy, sometimes I dress up.”
The artiste said he intends to give fans a festival experience like no other on Tuesday.
