A youthful Band from Seeta Miracle Center is ready to give people an encounter of a lifetime. With a vision to start up a music school, a music fellowship or rather fellowships at different campuses, it was refreshing to interview Benjamin Mitala the team leader of D-vinez Music Band. He told Ug Gospel Life that their vision involves having major branches for their projects in East Africa – that is their goal, and as sure as the journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step, the movement has begun.
This is how the interview went. It was a very thrilling chat.
When did you start the band and why?
This happened in January 2016… and about why we started the band, let me explain from the name. I personally feel like there is a divine purpose to bring youth together through music and to change the life of youths. The band runs on the principle that we are doing it for God and we need to transform lives. That is basically it.
The name D-vinez is coined from the fact that we have a divine calling. Well, there is already Divine Shakers at our home church, Seeta Miracle Center. D-vinez is just to be a bit different from them.
There is a type of music we do. As the leader, I am not just raising the band to be settled here in Uganda. We do gospel rock. Most of the music is written by the members of the band.
Are you strictly Gospel Rock from head to toe and who are the musicians that inspire the band?
We do Gospel music basically. We are inspired by Israel Houghton, Joel Houston of Hillsong, Chris Tomlin, and then bands like Elevation Worship, Planet Shakers. Anyway, if you realize, it is bands that do a certain type of music.
How many members are you?
We are like 16 consistent members who all fellowship from Seeta Miracle Center. The rough estimate of our age-group is, 18 to 25 years of age.
What is the criterion for recruiting people to the band?
For me personally, I have a calling. As the team-leader, they follow my leadership. Also, friends invite others. If you know someone who sings well, you invite them to the band… someone who is easy to be nurtured in music, one who already has an idea. If the person freely picks interest, they are absorbed into the group.
Let It Be Known Concert 2017 by D-vinez Music Band.
Who trains the band?
Mmmmm….we have a trainer called, Okurut Benon. He is also the bass guitarist but helps with training.
Does this mean Benon is the music director?
No! The music director is Aguti Edith. In addition to this, there are two ladies who are my assistants in leading the band. They are Idiat Elizabeth and Apio Edith.
How many events of your own have you done so far, whether at Seeta Miracle Center or elsewhere? And what are they?
We have had a couple of events at Seeta Miracle Center, one at Uganda Christian University (UCU) in Mukono… For this one, the UCU Nkoyooyo Hall was full to capacity and many people were standing outside to attend the event.
If I did not attend that event, the one at UCU, what did I miss?
You really missed the music!
What about the music?
There is a certain kind of music we push.
So, at this event were you singing your own original songs or renditions of other people’s music?
We sung some of our own songs, and the other songs were by other artistes.
On that note, at the Let It Be Concert, are you going to be performing mostly your own composition or something else?
There is definitely a praise and worship session. We will welcome people. We have G Way in the building and Lyrical Mycheal. We will perform our own music. We have original jazz pieces that we will perform.
Some of the band members pose for a photo.
Hold that thought, you did not exhaustively answer the question of, ‘how many events you have held so far?’
We also had one other event at Paramedical Mulago in January 2017.
What is going to be the difference between the events you have held so far and the “Let It Be Known” Concert?
Well, this time we are focusing a lot more on our music. Another thing is we are going to have better sound, and we are working on a better-organized program. People are arriving at 4pm on Sunday the 9th of July and by 8pm the concert should be done. We want everything that will happen in the event to be in a particular time-frame.
We want to do something in the event that stands out.
Earlier, you talked a bit about the future for the Band, D-Vinez, what does it look like? Let us start from, after the event. When it is done, then what?
After this event, we will be organizing some more. The reason why we decided to have this one at Seeta Miracle Center is because, it is home and that’s where we need to get the basis. The next one will be in a more central place. Also, hopefully, by then we will be done with the recording of our songs.
Wait, are you currently recording?
Yes we are. We have recorded two songs already from Crystal Klear. We will be working with C19 studios on some of our songs as well. Immediately after the concert, we will be going to C19 studios.
About the music we are recording and releasing, we want to give people something they have not experienced anywhere. We are coming from the basis of this being an encounter. We want people to have an encounter with God.
And that is how it went.
Let It Be Known Concert 2017 by D-vinez Music Band.
Ug Gospel Life 