Mivule is a multi-cultural band incorporating styles of Reggae, Afrobeat and Dub in English as well as in Luganda.
Mivule is an African teak tree that Brian and his community used to gather under for regular village meetings. The village chairman would call for a village meeting whenever there was a dispute among people and each person in attendance participated in settling the dispute. The Mivule tree was chosen because of its long, extended branches that offered welcome shade to people of the village.
To Brian, a Mivule tree symbolizes unity because it brings people together and provides them shade to gather under and address their disputes. It also symbolizes justice because that’s where they went to voice their feelings and receive fair resolution to issues. In addition, the Mivule represents a place of healing—people went to the Mivule tree to be healed from the heartache they faced.
Mivule, the name of Brian’s band, is the plural of Mivule. Each band member of Mivule is like a branch of a Mivule tree. Their desire is to create music that provides shade to their listeners—music that brings unity, equality, peace, justice, and healing.
Ugandan singer and songwriter Brian Broda is the powerhouse front man of Mivule, delivering rhythm guitar and strong vocals featuring lyrics with themes of social justice and peace. Born in South Sudan and having grown up in Uganda, he came to Canada as a refugee. Brian has a perspective that many Canadians may not have heard before. His message is a simple and beautiful cry for peace and love for all.
Keyboardist Salvador Llanes (aka Chava) comes from Guadalajara. An extensive background in audio engineering and music production at his studio, Zonic Boom, makes him an incredible asset to Mivule. He graduated from Douglas college in 2022 with a diploma in Music Technology. Sal is a multiinstrumentalist who moved from Mexico to Canada in 2019 in order to validate his already professional credentials on a wider stage.
Jesiah Yarish is also a multi-instrumentalist and plays drums, guitar and various percussion instruments in the band. Having grown up in a musical household, he’s had the opportunity to play in groups with people from many different backgrounds. Jesiah has played in a number of bands such as After Later (prog rock), Tribe Exodus (Reggae, Kona Hawaii), Larry and Shar (Contemporary) and has an interest in a huge range of music from Funk, African, and Caribbean to Metal. His studio, JJ’s Jam Space, has been operating since 2021 where he regularly records and produces music.
Matt Yard is yet another multi-instrumentalist, though he mainly plays bass in Mivule. His first instrument is guitar but he was forced to play bass since they didn’t have a bassist. He took up the mantle and his love of the bass is something to behold. Matt was born in BC and moved to Chile for 8 years where he played in multiple bands (cementing Latin styles into his repertoire), met his
wife and hosted various radio shows. Matt also travelled to Uganda in 2006 and gained an understanding of African rhythms in the process. He graduated at Douglas college the same year as Sal (2022) in Music Technology.
The music of Mivule reflects the diversity of the band itself in that it can’t be reduced to one genre. Mivule plays a unique blend of Reggae, Afrobeat, Dub and World Music. There are hints of prog rock as well as Latin vibes speckled throughout.
Established in 2019, Mivule plays at local venues in Vancouver monthly/bimonthly and is excited to find ways to reach wider audiences. The band has performed at venues such as Guilt and Co., Makerlabs, Red Gate Arts Society, the Surrey Civic Theatre, BlackBerry Jam in Everson, WA, The Hart, 2nd Floor Gastown, The Anza Club, and Tsawassen Farmers’ Market. They have also played three consecutive years at the African Descent Festival, co-organized by Brian Broda, president of the African Descent Festival Society. Mivule is currently producing their debut EP record and is planning to record a full-length album in the coming year. They look forward to promoting their album with festival and venue touring circuit across Canada and the US.
Mivule is: Brian Baroda (guitar, vocals, percussion)
Salvador Llanes (keyboard)
Matt Yard (bass)
Jesiah Yarish (drums, vocals, percussion)
