Posted by NguoiViet.com

Bayadera, which means “firedancer” in a Native American tongue, has been performing since 1999. Its members, from left to right: Gina Bandy, lead singer; Nathan Illes, drums; Đạt Nguyễn, guitar; Saatara, electric guitar; and Chris Payne, bass guitar. ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE: Đạt Nguyễn strums his guitar with lead singer Gina Bandy, whose vocals have been compared to musicians Jewel and Stevie Nicks. Photos by Benjamin Vu and courtesy of Bayadera.

Nguyễn Đức Đạt is a man with vision, even if he cannot physically see. Blind since birth, he is using his abilities and his favorite instrument for the band Bayadera — creating a world he could not have in Sài Gòn — especially as an Amerasian with a disability.

His father was an American serviceman who went back home after his tour of duty, leaving his mother behind with two children. The beginning of this story is common for countless Amerasians, but it came as a shock to Nguyễn when his mom died suddenly. He was 5 years old, an orphan with a baby sister, and peddling on the streets just to stay alive. He doesn’t discuss these days much, explaining only that it is a life that he no longer lives.

To hear him tell it, it’s as if the life he wants to remember began around the age of 18, when he first learned to play the guitar.

“I feel the notes,” he said of its singular vibrations, which are more meaningful to him than seeing the strings. “It’s probably much easier that way,” he adds, chuckling at the idea that he might have had an easier time picking this up than a student with sight.

Lighthearted comments come rapid-fire from Nguyễn’s quick mind and although he might be considered handicapped, he is no charity case. Bayadera is a highly successful alternative rock outfit that allows Nguyễn to experiment and progress with his style. Most recently, the group emerged from California’s Orange County Music Awards with wins for best world band and best live acoustic band — with many of its acoustic performances revolve around Nguyễn’s natural ability.

“The guy is absolutely amazing. There’s no other way to put it,” said Chris Payne, bass guitarist and a founding member of Bayadera. “You can’t just say he’s great for a blind guy.”

Nguyễn is a consummate joker and says his sense of humor is part of the family dynamic in his band. During a group interview, he plays comic relief when fellow members are at a loss for words.

He jokes about being influenced by punk rock music — he holds a bachelor’s degree in classical music from California State University, Fullerton — and how happy he is that blindness, the result of a genetic error in the womb, frees him from worrying about rising California gas prices. “That’s my least concern, gasoline. I only care because it affects my drivers,” he said, laughing at his own cracks.

Johnny Ramone influences notwithstanding, Nguyễn actually discovered music while still in Việt Nam. His first teacher was a blind musician who rescued him and his sister from the streets.

The man taught Nguyễn how to read Braille, introduced him to classical guitarist Andreas Sergovia’s music and showed the boy how to play.

“He is presently headmaster of a school for musically talented blind children in Việt Nam,” he said. The school is also a place for some of the students to live, which is not much different from Nguyễn’s own experiences.

“When I have time, I do charity work for fund raising or a gala to send money to the school in Việt Nam and also good causes in (Little Saigon). The Braille Institute has invited me to do some things in the past,” he said. “Hopefully we can do more as a band.” Bayadera also performs annually at the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific’s Festival of Human Abilities — a celebration of success through great adversity.

“Through Bayadera’s participation in this festival, Đạt Nguyễn helps us to encourage others to reach their own personal best,” AOP’s Marilyn Padilla said, noting that the group is a huge draw for the event. “They are definitely one of the more popular performers.”

Aside from shows with Bayadera and a few solo performances, Nguyễn also is an accomplished speaker. He often shares his experience about how far he has come in his relatively young life, especially since he landed in America.

Nguyễn made his way to California when he was 20, thanks to the Amerasian Homecoming Act. The program was a blessing for him and his sibling because they had no other way of getting to the United States.

“Otherwise I didn’t have any money to pay” to escape by boat, he said. Refugees “had to pay a lot of money to hire a captain and the boat. I didn’t want to go that route because it was also dangerous. We might get caught by police and, you know, we didn’t want that.”

Although he enjoys traveling the United States, Nguyễn’s first stop was not necessarily his choice: the East Coast. “American refugees go to Philadelphia first. They would pick sponsors for you. I could be anywhere, Alaska, Alabama, but I was lucky because I got a Vietnamese family in California.”

Nguyễn now travels extensively with Bayadera, though he confesses that the Golden State is where he has always belonged. “I was born for California, I suppose,” he said. His host family enrolled him in Anaheim High School when he first came to Orange County and Nguyễn continued working feverishly on his guitar playing. He won the Disney Creativity Challenge award in 1993 for his musical prowess, and when he went on to Cal State Fullerton after graduation, his life changed forever.

He studied various forms of music and became fast friends with Payne and fellow guitarist Sataara. Impromptu campus jam sessions developed into Bayadera, and just a few short years later, the quintet is now gelled into what Music Connection magazine lists as one of the Hot 100 Unsigned Artists in the industry.

Billboard magazine also honored the group for their songwriting abilities, and Yamaha is both a fan and a sponsor. They are the only unsigned band sponsored by the company. Currently, Bayadera is performing Thursday nights at the new Mai Tai Bar in Long Beach.

“People are always coming up to me and saying that they are really impressed with Đạt,” lead singer Gina Bandy said of the band’s audience. “They want to meet him but are afraid they are going to say the wrong thing because the disability is right in front of them and they are trying to act like it’s not there.”

Once Nguyễn is on the stage though, the onlookers become blind to his disability. Sataara says there is nothing but the music.

“He just gets up on that stage and performs and then we become like one guitar. There is a good chemistry happening there.”

The band will perform in September at the Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona and plans to spend more time recording a new album. The musicians say they are aware that Nguyễn’s uniqueness is a draw, but also know that his hands, not his eyes, are what make the man.

“We get into a groove and it has nothing to do with sight. We just feel the music,” Payne said.

Nguyễn thinks of his blindness as a chance to teach others tolerance and understanding. Still, he maintains the vision to always think ahead. “Someday, someone might have a relative or some friend that’s blind and they can remember the conversations and know what to do.

“That’s what we’re about anyway,” he said. “Human talent.”