Nikki Birch | May 8, 2026 The island has come to Tiny Desk. "Representing for soca music, happy music, love music," leader Kees "Kes" Dieffenthaller tells us, KestheBand opens with "Hello," a warm, Caribbean welcome.
Founded in Trinidad and Tobago, KestheBand is must-play-music in soca DJ sets and a staple at international carnival celebrations. These are the kind of songs that inspire you to whisper their double entendres to your sweetheart and shout them raucously on the road, grabbing onto the night (or a waist) with both hands. While "Rum & Coca-Cola" (co-written by Michael “Tano” Montano), "Jolene," and "Cocoa Tea" (bakes not included) belong to the first category, "Fallin' " and the band's breakout song, "Wotless," exemplify the latter. It's clear from the smiles, waving flags and whining in the office that fun is the order of the day.
KestheBand concludes its performance with "Savannah Grass," a nod to the Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago's capital. Formerly a sugar cane plantation, it's become a vibrant center for culture and celebration for Trinibagoans. The song also holds special significance for Dieffenthaller and his brother, Jon, the band's guitarist. In performing it, they honor the memory of their father, George "Bunny" Dieffenthaller, credited as a co-writer, and their late sister, Danielle, a filmmaker whose pictures can be seen on the Desk. Soca's unique gift is its ability to simultaneously hold space for the bitter and the sweet, for pain and passion — a beautiful reminder that joy has season tickets to the Tiny Desk.
In that spirit, I dedicate this one to my beloved grandmother, the late Mrs. Cecilia Nicholas, aka Ma Cécile, a Saint Lucian who loved KestheBand's music so much that, even well into her 90s, she'd grab a hold of a chair and teach us a thing or two about whining.
SET LIST "Hello" "Fallin' " "Rum & Coca-Cola" "Jolene" "Cocoa Tea" "Wotless" "Savannah Grass"
MUSICIANS Kees Dieffenthaller: vocals Jon Dieffenthaller: guitar Riad Boochoon: bass Mario Callender: keys Geiron Mang: keys Dean James: drums Denilson Gulston: percussion Robert “Robby Styles” Persaud: quattro, percussion Dane Gulston: steelpan Terri Lyons: background vocals Teddyson John: background vocals
TINY DESK TEAM Producers: Suraya Mohamed, Nikki Birch Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant Audio Engineer/Mix: Josephine Nyounai Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Mitra I. Arthur Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer Photographer: Vanessa Castillo Tiny Desk Team: Josh Newell, Felix Contreras Series Editor: Lars Gotrich Executive Director: Sonali Mehta Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton
#nprmusic #tinydesk #kestheband
Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Proud supporters of NPR Music and the Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at Capital One dot com.
