By: Babatunde Odubanwo
One of the major contentions faced between band leaders and supporting team of band members (vocalists and instrumentalists), is the fact that the main act (in most cases, the band leader) is the only face visible to the public and spectators while the session guys (vocalists and instrumentalists) are left in obscurity – aside the payment for their jobs. The questions range between – Is it fair for instrumentalists to remain as supporting acts or should the instrumentalists be given a substantial dose of limelight? Whatever the answer is, the nagging reality remains that some of the band members are most likely to be at the other end of the band’s success. Some are paid off without any claim to their creative input to a successful run of a record.
It is against this backdrop that Olumide Ogunfowode took up the challenge to document the process of sound making (beats creation) with percussions and other musical instruments, and presenting same before the glare of spectators. The creative project, Drum Speaks, is a novel initiative which is an all drums performance affairs with accompanying instruments. The purported argument that dancers and performers take more credit than the instrumentalist engineered Drum Speaks.
The Convener of Drum Speaks, Olumide Ogunfowode, is a consummate Theatre Arts practitioner who is dedicated to his craft with over two decades’ experience. Olumide, a graduate of Creative Arts from the University of Lagos discovered his drumming talents at the tender age of 5 and played in the Church choir and Boys Brigade before eventually joining the multi-award Crown Troupe of Africa led by Theatre guru, Segun Adefila.
One would concur that Drums form an integral part of a musical ensemble. Ironically, drummers are accorded less recognitions for the profound contributions to a body of work/performance than the one who handles the microphone.
Speaking on why DrumSpeaks came into being, Olumide noted:
‘’DrumSpeaks came in to existence in 2019 when I felt enough is enough of musicians and dancer directors seeing drummers or percussionist as a second fiddle to the body work of Art. I said to myself if musicians can play without percussion in the form of an Acapela, Drums or Percussion can exist independent of singers and dancers. So, I created DrumSpeaks which a wholesome drum experience in a band performance basically to show the importance of drum in modern music’’.
He further reiterated that:
‘’At the DrumSpeaks first edition in 2019, the idea was immediately embraced by arts enthusiasts and scholars, much to my chagrin. They were thrilled that there could be a live performance of all drums affairs.
Come August 21, 2021, DrumSpeaks will hold another explosive session.
