Lead Singer Please
Monday, February 28, 2005
Hey, this is Mato Nanji from the band Indigenous. Hoj asked me to stop by and talk a little about how the band was formed, and about the concert last night.
Well, it all started back when I was in middle school. My older brother was in the school band playing trumpet, and man could he play that thing. I remember me and my parents went to a concert the band was putting on. My brother had a solo in one of the songs, so he was pumped, and I think I was more excited than him about it. So about halfway through the song, he stands up, the rest of the trumpet section falls away, and my brother belts out this solo that was just amazing. They were playing this Souza piece, and it was like my brother was actually playing notes written by Souza. That’s how good this solo was.
I became obsessed. I scrambled for an instrument I could play a solo on. I grabbed a trombone, and joined the 6th grade band. I begged for a solo, and eventually the band teacher gave me one on a Beethoven piece. I told him I didn’t need the sheet music, just to get those other band members out of the way, and let me loose. During practice the next day, we get to that part in the song, the other members fall away, and I let loose on the trombone. Sheet music can’t contain me. I have an ear for music, and the talent for improv. I had so many notes flying from that bell, my hand was moving so fast between notes, it was beautiful. I talked with the band leader after class, who told me to keep to the notes, he didn’t want me embarrassing the rest of the band with such a show of awesome talent.
In high school I moved from the trombone to the guitar, as this was more in line with my future musical plans. It was about this time I started my band, Indigenous. This was about ’95 or so. I was the only member at the time, but I was looking for others to come with me. That’s how I came up with the name. I am the original band. I am Indigenous. See, my plan was to be lead guitarist, and I would get a drummer, bass guitarist, and a lead singer. My concert would basically be to get the name out, show our stuff, and someone would ask if they could fill the role.
Well, back in ’96, I had three songs. Help Wanted; Needed: Drummer, Bass Guitarist, and Lead Vocals; and Guitar Solo #9. They were all basically me wailing on my guitar with a few lyrics scattered in to segue between guitar solos. I loved these songs, because when they were first written, they were about 7 minutes in length, but on stage, sometimes they would turn into 25 minute anthems, or 4 minute statements. The same song would never come out of my guitar twice. This one night in Chicago, my mind went blank, and I got so wrapped up in my solo I forgot the lyrics. What I did is I just jammed on my guitar for 20 or 30 minutes until I could remember them again. The crowd ate it up. I made it a point to forget the lyrics to at least one song in every performance from that night on. But in Philly, I got so caught up in my solo I forgot to end the song. There I was on stage, wailing for hours. The next morning I started to get hungry, and wrapped the song up as quickly as it would allow. Sometimes the song gets inside you, and all you can do is go along for the ride.
I forget where it was, but while I was reading off some lyrics on my new song, Drummer Please, I saw my girl in the audience, tapping her foot and clapping on her thigh. I asked her to be my drummer that night. She said she couldn’t. She had never hit a drum in her life. I showed her how easy it was to keep a beat, and all she had to do was hit the same sequence of beats over and over, I would handle everything else.
The rest was history. In ’03 a bass guitarist came on board, and the three of us toured until present day. I have a few new songs, and a few new solos to attract a lead singer. One of these days we might just find one. I thought we had one at our show last night. This guy, asked if he could play lead guitar with our band. I told him, “No, I’m the lead guitar. You would be lead vocals if you came aboard.” Well, he declared he was a better lead guitarist, and he challenged me to a contest, right there on stage. Whoever had the best solo would be lead guitar, the other would be lead vocals. We had our contest, even dueled once during a song, and he was good, but he couldn’t compete with my “putting the guitar under my chin and playing it that way” move, though he came close with the “play high notes as quickly as possible” offence. He didn’t hang around after the loss.
So the tour continues, as does the quest for a lead vocalist. Just remember, Indigenous is not a band, just a performing help wanted ad.