Band of Misfits: Bulawayo’s rising stars in live music

THE local art industry has much to offer when it comes to live band performances. With many groups displaying exceptional talent in Bulawayo, it becomes a challenge to choose the best among the best. Today, we will look at an emerging musical group named Band of Misfits, which has been showcasing unique performances around the city.

The band was established in October 2023 by Ronald Stone and Akim Kimtones. It consists of six members: keyboardist Akim “Kimtones” Chinula, bassist Khulekani “KhueBass” Ndlovu, lead guitarist Mbusi “MJay” Ndlovu, drummer Toufiq “MaNicer” Masinda, saxophonist Benjamin “I_am_Benjamin” Ndlovu, and vocalist Ronald Stone.

In an interview, Akim, the director of the group, stated that growing up, he enjoyed listening to jazz music, which is where he drew his inspiration from. He also revealed that they are resident at Umguza Yacht Club and ZKS Spinners Arena.

“We are resident at Umguza Yacht Club and have recently partnered with the ZKS Spinners Arena as their resident band. We also play at The Smokehouse occasionally, as well as at Vivo and The Place. We have a partnership with Ster Kinekor Bulawayo and the Red Café, although we haven’t played there in a while.

“I am the music director and founder of the band. I grew up listening to jazz music and neo-soul and R&B. Individually, we get inspiration from different artistes, but I grew up listening to George Duke, Cory Jamal, and lately, the Feel Good Live Sessions.

“As a band, the idea was to fuse different genres of music together, and we introduced a saxophone to give it the jazz feel we needed and to stand out from other bands in Bulawayo. We have also played for Thandi Dhlana and shared the stage with Selmor Mtukudzi. We perform at weddings, parties, and corporate functions,” he said.

Ronald always performs to perfection, as he can switch his vocals to suit any genre or imitate any musician’s voice. He has been seen on several occasions sounding exactly like Zimbabwean musician Jah Prayzah and South African musician Daliwonga, among others.

Akim highlighted that they have faced significant financial challenges as a band.

“Our challenges have mainly been financial, making the day-to-day running of the band and posting on platforms to showcase our craft and develop value while monetising our art. Cohesion has also been quite a challenge, but we are still a work in progress.

“As an emerging group, we consider our best moments to be every time we perform; we cherish every moment. However, we have our lows, especially when the dynamics of the group hinder progress, though this is a rare occurrence,” he stated.

Akim also mentioned that they are working on recording their own music, which will brand them, give them an identity, and enable them to perform at festivals. He added that they will be hosting their own shows and playing their own music soon.