The Uncommon Trio:

The Vibez is probably the most active Nepali band currently playing in Northern California.  The story of The Vibez is the story of a trio who had nothing in common when it came to music.  Now the album they worked on together is ready to release.

Established in 2005, The Vibez is Direk Shrestha (Percussion/Guitar), Prayeen Singh (Vocal/Arranger) and Rupak Lama (Lead)

Direk started learning drums under the influence of The Uglyz Familia in 1992.  He grew up listening to old-school rock and roll, blues, jazz, and early alternate music.

Prayeen, influenced by his older brother, Manose Singh, 1974 AD’s flautist and Indian classical musicians, started singing at an early age. 

Rupak is taking classical guitar along with his pre-medicine biology and chemistry classes in college.  He grew up listening to R&B songs and alternate music.

Direk says, “In the beginning, composing and recording music with Prayeen and Rupak was frustrating.  We argued every single night.  I wanted to give a feel of old school rock and roll to our compositions.  Prayeen wanted a soft rock, classical kind of feel, and Rupak wanted to compose alternate music.”

Prayeen added, “We grew up in different circles, localities, and times so our tastes in music are completely different.  As the saying goes, everything is meant to happen.  I am good with computers but I do not play musical instruments much.  Rupak plays lead and Direk is a good drummer and guitarist.  It was as if God sent us to the same location for a reason.”

Instead of playing only others’ music, the trio thought of recording something original and trying their luck.  Their dedication paid off when they started receiving good feedback from all their friends and audiences when they performed in several Northern California cities, mainly Santa Rosa, San Francisco, and Oakland.

The band proudly shares that they were the only U.S. band selected to perform live at the recent 2007 ANA convention in Los Angeles, the largest Nepalese event in the U.S.  The band received very warm feedback from the huge audience and online community.  Now the band is shopping for a record company in Nepal to launch their first album.

Rupak says, “The Vibez is a new band but as individuals we have a lot of experience.  On top of that, Manose Singh and Deependra Rai, lead guitarist of the Nepalese jazz band Full Circle, have polished our songs making them sound even more professional.” In concerts, Rupesh Singh (Rhythm/Lead) and Suneel Gauchan (Bass) jams up with The Vibez.

The scarcity of dedicated Nepalese musicians in the San Francisco Area put the trio together.  Now after two years of dedication, sacrificing clubbing and sleep, they have recorded eight songs.  They have two music videos shot in California, Nevada, and Arizona by Shailendra Dhoj Karki and Abhishek Shrestha, and a slick website. Their planned album release date is New Year’s Eve, December 2007.