Malawi is a country I knew nothing about. When I moved to South Bend, IN, the last possibility on my mind was meeting someone who would know everything about African music that I had ever wanted to learn and more. But that’s what happened. In a random church, from a friend through a friend through a friend, I met Black Lion aka Apatsa Kwilimbe.

 He impressed me with his guitar playing, only to learn that he considers himself more of a bass player, and even more of a drummer. I asked him for some bass lessons. He came to my house a few times and educated me about incredible bass styles that I had no idea existed. He knew them all, because his father was one of the most famous and foundational modern musicians in Malawi. 

 Dropping him home one day, I asked him what kind of music he prefers to play and he said, “Me? I play reggae.”  Somehow in the four or five  times we had met for bass instruction, we had not discussed that I too love and play reggae music. He told me that he had many original songs and albums, and proceeded to teach them to me. 

 They were unlike any other songs I had ever learned. They are the basslines I have always wanted to play.  Complex yet perfectly sensible combinations. Very specific placements of notes and where to play them on the bass.

 That was 2018.  I wanted his music to be recorded and heard. He asked if I knew of any good studios. We took a trip to my hometown of Rochester, NY, to meet up with my great friend, engineer, musician, and more – Matthew Goodwin of The Movement and Easy Star All Stars.  We did a monster 24-hour recording session. Apatsa played the drums, guitars, and percussion, while Matt played keyboards, horns, and some lead guitar. I played bass and did some back up vocals. 

 Money is a difficult thing and life gets busy, and then the pandemic hit. We were not sure how to push the album forward, but sometime during the pandemic, as Panda was working on our album Love In Time, I asked great reggae bass player and producer Jah David Goldfine if he might be able to give Black Lion a mix and a dub or the music we had tracked.

 He agreed that Black Lion’s music  was a very unique style of reggae, so alive and complex with rhythms everywhere, so he said he would love to give it a mix down and a dub. He sent us back “Peace and Love” as well as “Peace and Dub”.

 The project is finally beginning to see light. Black Lion is now performing live and the rest of the album will be completed in the near future. He is now backed by Heat Wav, a Sly and Robbie meets Midnite style rhythm section consisting of South Bend, Indiana’s go to drummer John Thomas, as well as myself on bass. 

Please open your ears and look into this artist.  It is not easy to transfer a career from the warm heart of Africa, Malawi, to the United States. The U.S. continues to develop a powerful, rich, and diverse reggae scene. What a blessing it would be to include more African artists to help spread the music and the musical possibilities to come.  

Between the years of 2000-2024 a  digital divide occurred in between the transition of tangible and cloud based music collections.   CDs gave way to  streams.  A lot of music that was recorded and released on tape and CD  is now unavailable. This is a new seed. Everyone in Malawi knows who Black Lion is. Now it is time for the rest of the world. Wish him a happy birthday this May 23 by sharing this single, following his socials, and looking for the concerts to come.

BIO –

 Apatsa Kwilimbe aka Black Lion is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, bassist, and drummer from Lilongwe, Malawi. He is the son of musical legend Bernard Kwilimbe, and grew up traveling and watching his father play in the top national groups while absorbing a variety of styles and skills that have culminated into his unique sound. Kwilimbe delivers original songs in the reggae style while reflecting on themes of love, peace, and national pride. A well known recording artist in his home country, Kwilimbe has emigrated to the United States to share his music and expand artistically. He recently recorded a full length record, scheduled to be released in early 2025. He currently resides in South Bend, Indiana.