The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer MEMBERS of Stinkin Wayz band, winner of the Global Battle of Bands Bahamas competition, received gold medals this week for their leading performance. Lead singer, Kirkland "KB" Bodie, introduced his alter ego, a rock music loving persona, whose name could easily be mistaken for a Scandinavian artist. Kirkland "Swett Swenson" Bodie is the name of the lead singer, who will jet set to Romania this summer for the international competition. He along with lead guitarists Colin McDonald, drummer Anthony "Monks" Flowers, keyboard player Darrel Thurston, who make up Stinkin Wayz, are planning to live out childhood dreams of playing rock music on the international stage. "It was almost 17 years ago that I was actually saving up this name Swett Swenson to use. When people see the name Swett Swenson they are going to be expecting some white guy from Sweden. They will also wonder who is this guy Swett Swenson. But it is just a twist. Because you are doing rock music they expect that you are doing something different. I just want to give them something different," said Mr Bodie. In the international competition, Stinkin Wayz is planning to take no chances. Last month, the group was criticised for going over the allotted 8-minutes in the final round of competition. The international rules state, a group can lose points or be faded out in such a case. "We will be more conscious of it. This time we will make sure that does not happen. We are not going to take that chance in the international competition. Our first thing in rehearsals is trimming what we need to trim. But mainly I blame the guitar player he was just getting wild," said Mr Bodie. Guitarists Colin McDonald, said he let loose in the competition, because it was the first time in a long time that he was able to take up his guitar, express himself freely and release all inhibition, not Bahamian style, but heavy rock style. "I said that night and I will say it again, that was a statement of we did not care if we won or not. We were there to have fun if we won it was a bonus. We just wanted to live out our dreams. That was the first time I got to turn up my guitar and no one say turn it down or you are black you should not play that," he said. Stinkin Wayz has been influenced by music including jazz, blues, classical, rake n' scrape, R&B, gospel, and country. The band plans to use its winning 'rock 'n scrape' tunes from the local competition to competed in Romania. Over 30 countries will compete in Bucharest, Romania for the "Best Band in the World" title. Stinkin Wayz will also vie for a band development package worth $100,000 and a chance to go on a world tour.