Our band
Mark
Mark has lived in Switzerland since 2003. Initially a bass player, he chose the guitar at age 20 to become the singer-songwriter we know well.
A first collaboration with the group Inna Crisis saw the birth of 2 albums between 2003 and 2009: ‘The Time Is Now’ and ‘What If’, then an EP with The Passengers. 2009 marked a turning point towards a solo career, quickly rewarded with the ‘Orange New Talent Tour Contest’ and the ‘Best Male Performance’ at Balcony TV. Mark has since performed on many recognised stages (Switzerland, France, Brazil), opening for Ayo, Nneka, and M.
3 albums were released in the following decade: ‘Nothing’s Perfect’ (2012), ‘I Am Who I Am’ (2016), and ‘Swimming with Sharks’ (2018).
Mark also collaborated with The Shamanics, for an eponymous album in 2016, and since 2018 with Nalu (an album, ‘Ocean Eyes’ released in 2020). This new formation of The Peaceful Warriors is a return to the collective.
Marine
Marine has lived in Switzerland since 2009. Soprano, double bassist, and pianist, performs regularly in French-speaking Switzerland with the EBJoux and the AVSR. She recently joined the ranks of the EVL.
As a soloist, her taste for language & Letters often leads her towards musical theatre & other stage forms with strong literary content (Bachelor of Letters, Master of Lyric Singing — HEMU). His double bass leads him to perform in various aesthetics: swing music, tango, song, and ancient & contemporary music.
She also dedicates herself with joy to choral direction and voice pedagogy (vocal coach for various French-speaking choirs, assistant at the CNJ France) & respiratory coordination technique. Since 2013, she has worked within the Tunc Collective to develop multidisciplinary forms.
Betty
Betty Patural, 26, living in Lausanne, is a singer-songwriter and producer. Her music is a fine, flavoured brew of pop and ambient, on which French lyrics are set and love, doubts and daydreams are in order.
All the songs are self-produced and completely handcrafted, to the rhythm of the cathedral bells and the fountain at the bottom of the street.
Betty's first EP aims to transcribe the state of a human heart, in love and as close as possible to the sensitivity and fragility that this evokes.
Tony
Tony began his musical apprenticeship at the age of 9 with Elisabeth Peet, first on the euphonium, then on the bass trombone. He joined a brass band under the direction of James Shephard (famous cornetist).
From 1988, he studied at the Royal College of Music in London. 1990 saw the start of his career with Sir John Elliot Gardiner and The English Baroque Soloists. Until 2000, he played in prestigious classical orchestras (BBC Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra, etc.) and baroque orchestras (‘Age of Enlightenment’ London classical players, Gabrieli Consort, etc.), in the West End too, for the musicals ‘Les Misérables’, ‘Cats’, ‘Phantom Of The Opera’ etc. In 2000, he continued his career in Switzerland with the OCL, the Berne Symphonie, the Zurich Opera, etc. In 2008, he turned to current music.
He is often commissioned to record in studios, well known for his versatility, both on brass and percussion.
Robins
Robins is part of a family of griots. At the age of 7, he joined the Grande Chorale de Godomey as a singer and percussionist. In 1993, thanks to his talent for improvisation, he became a regular percussionist in his orchestra and went on tour across Benin.
In 2000, he trained with Sagbohan Danialou on African rhythms and met Soulémane — one of the best Guinean djembe players - thanks to whom he fell in love with this instrument. During his literature studies, he was appointed conductor of the UCAE with whom he undertook tours throughout West Africa. In 2008, while a French teacher, Robins participated in a choral exchange project with the choir of the EERV (Switzerland).
Since 2011, he has lived in Switzerland and supports different artists on an occasional or long-term basis. At the same time, he gives African percussion courses in various music schools (Ton sur Ton, SMC, etc.) and performs regularly with the group Onirical Blend or Proffa & Friends.
Ernest
Guitarist Ernest Ikwanga is a versatile instrumentalist, recording artist, charismatic performer and gifted composer.
He has had rave reviews overseas, performing in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Brussels, China, UK. Ikwanga has shared the stage with many great artists including Earl Klugh, Oliver Mtukudzi, Wambali Mkandawire, Masauko Chipembere Jr, Erik Paliani, Freshly Ground, and Beverly Knight, just to mention a few.
He joined the band last year in 2024.