Star of the week: Feed The Flames

Feed The Flames, one of Guyana’s most famous rock bands, is igniting the passion for the rock genre locally. The band was officially started by Gavin Lee Persaud (vocals/bass) and Gavin Singh (lead/rhythm guitar) in 2008.

Nicholas Chung (drummer), Quacy Cayasso (ex-member), Lee Fung-A-Fat (ex-member) Imran Baksh (ex-member) joined shortly afterwards. After encountering problems with a place to practice, the band was determined not to give up, and practiced anywhere they could. However, after much searching, they were able to rent a place in Sophia to practice and store their music equipment. After one year working together, in 2009, their first original song was completed.  The lyrics to “Thoughts of a Dreamer” were written by Quacy Cayasso and the band members composed the music.  The band felt a sense of accomplishment but was later faced with disappointment when their Sophia location was broken into and their equipment was stolen. Also, the line-up of the band changed when Imran Baksh quit and Quacy Cayasso migrated to the US. Despite all the challenges, the remaining members pushed on. As fate would have it, Gavin Lee Persaud met Emilio Martins, a fellow guitarist who accommodated practice sessions at his home in Eccles. After playing a few sessions with the band members, Emilio joined and the band learnt to play more song covers which included “Smells like teen Spirit” by Nirvana, “All the small things” by Blink 182, “Breaking the Law” by Judas Priest and much more. After learning to play these covers, the band members decided to be more original and their first piece of music “Sons of Sin” and “Firefight” were composed.  These two original songs were played at concerts by Feed the Flames and were very well received. The line-up changed again after Lee Fung-A-Fat left to pursue his studies.  Two new faces were added after Lee left the band, Gavin Mendonca (vocals, rhythm and bass) and Rene Caldeira (vocals). However, Caldeira later left the band for personal reasons. The remaining members have teamed up with other local bands such as Et Tu Brutus and Keep Your Day Job for collaborative events which were all very well received. After a yearlong absence, Nicholas Chung has returned to Guyana after studying drumming in England. He has brought his expertise to the band and now Feed The Flames is evermore active in its pursuit to show Guyana and the rest of the world their ability to produce music. The band has played at the event held for the 20th anniversary of Jerries Snackette on Waterloo Street and has also performed at Sidewalk Café. On September 29, at Butcher’s Bar on Middleton Street, the band will playing at “The Alternative Party” hosted by Guyana Palace, which they promise will be a very intense evening of performing their original and favourite rock songs. A young band consisting of young members, Feed The Flames has great potential to become an international band representing Guyana in the wider world of music. For more information on this group, visit ‘Feed The Flames’ Facebook page.