www.victorsila.com

Sila and the Afrofunk Experience ignite dance floors around the Bay Area with their exhilarating sound. A native of Kenya, band-leader and vocalist Sila is backed by Mike Pitre on trumpet, Andre Webb on trombone, David Boyce on saxophone, bassist Wendell Rand, Bennie Murray on drums, guitarists Ken House and David James, djembe player Karamba, and talking drum player Samba Guisse. With lyrics in both English and Swahili, the band’s sound is a funky fusion of African rhythm, funk, soukous, Afrobeat, and reggae, influenced by artists like James Brown, Prince, Otis Redding, and Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti. They released their debut album, The Funkiest Man in Africa, in 2006 on Visila Records. The band raises funds at their annual Afrofunk Music Festival on behalf of organizations such as Save the Children, who are working to improve the lives of children in Darfur, Kenya, Sudan, and Niger.