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| Sunday, 02 March 2003 |
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Suresh (Stigmata)
"The industry is more or less governed and it always has been under tight constraint due to the narrow minded thinking of thosewho don't make room for newer and innovative music. And there is a new generation of musicians and a handful of very humble and genuine senior musicians who are doing everything to break the confines of convention." According to Suresh a majority don't give a chance for originality. "Musicians are at fault. Also the authorities as well as club owners etc. and the public never really care much for originality. And the industry tends to manipulate younger musicians at times. Nevertheless, there are a handful of musicians who seek to do something unique, inspiring and original. A lot of new bands are able to put aside rivalry and be very realistic for a change. They are more united than they ever have been". Speaking about the Golden Clef Awards, he says that it acknowledges a musician's ability and effort. " And as long as they go on the lines of originality, I think the event will be successful. As always a little competition is not a bad thing." Anil Balasuriya "For a long time, it's been a bit dead but in the last year and half or so there has been a rapid improvement. When we first started playing in 98/99, well let's just say it wasn't the easiest time for us. We were lucky however to win TNL's Onstage in 1999 and that got us more recognition. It's not as tough for bands these days as there are plenty of venues to play at and if you deliver good quality music, then there are people who are not afraid to listen." Speaking about the pro's and cons he says that the bad outweighs the good, "This country does not have any real infrastructure to support bands. There are no record companies, no record deals hence there is no money made on music sales. So most bands resort to playing a bulk of cover songs at pubs and clubs. It's not a bad thing as the majority of the public remain happy plus it pays the bills. For a band whose dreams have faded are past their time, this may be just the thing and no doubt go laughing all the way to the bank. But for most of us, those dreams are very much alive and it'll take a cold day in hell before they start fading away. I think musicians should learn their craft completely whether it be vocals, guitars, drums or whatever and never stop learning as they keep learning. And never be afraid to express yourself in your music. Start doing your own thing. It's great to sing "How you remind me" or "Enter Sandman" and have the crowd sing along but the high when people start chanting to songs like 'Cummonova', 'Anger' or 'Egocentric' is unbelievably wild. And as for the Golden Clef Awards, I can't see why it wasn't brought back sooner. But I guess the fact that there wasn't much of an industry alive, there was really no point in having the ceremony. It's healthy for the musicians. To quote Geoffrey from Blind Faith "It creates a tremendous spirit amongst all musicians. It's good to have a bit of unity in the industry. The clefs are great and I applaud the committee, the sponsors and anyone else involved with resurrecting it." Derek Wickramanayake
The industry is definitely getting better, three years ago bands were breaking up because there were no venues to play. Now there are more clubs, open seven days a week with live music. If a band is good there is plenty of work which is a good sign. The good side is most of the younger musicians follow a style they like to play instead of playing all the chart hits played on the radio, something I did before Wildfire. The bad side is most of them are part-timers, they don't believe that they have a career in music, to achieve a goal one has to work towards it, what comes easy, goes easy. You can be a star today and gone tomorrow because someone better than you will appear from nowhere, but if you are really good and know your stuff, you will have plenty of work. Wildfire is a good example, the levi's rock festival proved it. The younger musos must work harder and one day you'll reap the benefits of hard work. The Clefs should encourage every player and singer to improve their talent, I wonder why this event wasn't held all these years." Robert Jayatunga "The industry has come a long way from what it was a few decades ago. And the good side is that it's starting to open up to young bands like us. It gives us an opportunity to express ourselves through our music. On the other hand, I would have to say that the emphasis given to bands to produce their originals, instead of just continuing to do covers of other popular bands. The Golden Clef awards are a great opportunity for Sri Lankan bands and solo artistes to be recognised for their talent and their contribution to the local music industry. The event gives musicians the encouragement they need and also recognition for their hard work." Geoffrey Fernando "We have loads of talent in the industry. Providing all our local artistes do some originals and selling it worldwide. It doesn't take them anywhere if they keep doing covers. There are no loopholes in the industry as such. It's part of our mentality. We try once, twice and give up. Speaking about the Clefs, it's great that we've started it after many years. Young bands haven't experienced the event that actually encourage the musicians. People look forward to it." Vije Dhas
At the moment, the industry seems to be developing. Five years back there weren't many bands nor any talent. But now bands like Stigmata and Inependant Square who are focusing mainly on originals, do quite well. And bands like `Urban Sound' and `B&S' have made quite an impression on the muisc industry. Musicians should do their own music and promote originals. There's no point in doing someone else's thing brilliantly if you can't make your own music. Nevertheless, there's variety in our music now. B&S do their own thing while Blind faith and Widfire do their kind of music. Golden Clef is a good launching platform for new bands. It gives recognition and publicity. But judges should be versatile. It's better if there are people who have tasted all type of music from rock, pop, jazz to reggae. by Umangi de Mel |
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