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| Sunday, 11 May 2003 |
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by Umangi de Mel Musicians may be good or bad young or old play pop or rock.. they may be win awards or not, but certain folks who actually make an acute difference demonstrating budding talent, go unnoticed. Claiming to have no regrets, `Misty' takes its turn to speak up. Explaining why they call themselves `Misty', the not-so-misty clan say that it was quick thinking. "There's no story behind the name as such. It was the tour that sprung up in `97 that made us want to think of a name. The whole outfit wasn't in existence then, it was just myself and another musician from a band called `Heat'. The two of us got lucky to play at a few resorts in Maldives and we didn't have enough time to sit and think of a name. `Misty' just struck my mind," says Rajitha, leader of the band. He says that initially he was playing with `Wildfire' at Clancy's, "It was Derek who pressed me to form a band of my own. And it was in 2002 that we formed the band." 'Misty' comprises Dhammika on vocals, keyboards, guitar and saxophone, Marlon on lead guitar and vocals, Dennis on drums and acoustic drums, Sanjeewa on vocals and bass. "Christo who has played a key role in creating `Misty' is like a father figure. He resides in Melbourne at the moment," Rajitha says referring to an ex-member. Claiming to be a retro band, Rajitha says, that they play `pop-rock'. "We play a lot of Neil Diamond, Paul Simon, Louis Armstrong, Elton John, Joe Cocker and similar stuff." `Misty' play at Clancy's, "but Geoff switches the days since we are busy on Fridays and Saturdays. We stick to the German restaurant and we play at Jaic Hilton on Wednesdays," they say. Talking about original music, they say that the one year old outfit hasn't been able to produce more than one original as the guys have been quite busy ever since they started. "We've been travelling a lot doing gigs in many countries. "We haven't had much time to write new stuff. We've been too busy with major functions," Rajitha says that they've had a blast every time they went places but admits the fact that they are `badly' in need of some original music. "We also do modern music but it's mostly pop-rock," they say. One thing leading to another, they start talking about the local western music scene. "The industry has definitely improved. There are heaps of rock musicians. Especially the rock industry," says Rajitha adding that it's `Wildfire' that made the difference. "They are responsible for the rise in the rock music scene. They actually help us a lot," says faithful Rajitha. Yet he feels that the young musicians lack adaptability and that they should be able to vary themselves. "A few years back, the music scene was like a graveyard. Youngsters are inspired by certain senior bands that do well, but they must try to be versatile." He believes that sticking to rock-only won't help them as musicians in the long run. "Who knows, there can be a Norah Jones among us," he says. `Misty' say that Sri Lanka needs variety in music. "It's very hard to find a country, jazz, modern acid jazz or a latin band. Musicians should be able to try out their capabilities," He adds that although he plays covers, he doesn't stick to conventional ways. "I do each song differently," He says. Speaking of fans, he says that `Misty' have a huge line of fans backing them up. "They are over 30. I don't cater to younger crowds Nevertheless, several youngsters appreciate my kind of music. Generally they go for Louis Armstrong music," he reveals. "My prime objective is for people to appreciate my music," he says. "In fact, the Prime Minister had a jolly good time with us in Nuwara Eliya, this season. He was so unassuming and amazingly down to earth as he enjoyed his stay," He reveals that not getting an award for his music doesn't break his stride. Having no regrets, he says he has a ball of a time with his band, going places and checking out the world. Taking a look at his clan, he says that most of them have been school friends. "Dennis, Dhammika and I studied at Mahanama College and Marlon has been there with me right through, Sanjeewa is our latest addition," says Rajitha. Being professional musicians the guys say that they practise almost thrice a week. "The secret behind my success is doing the one thing I do, properly." Rajitha admits that music is their bread and butter thus he doesn't believe doing two things at the same time. Having given up work to do serious music, `Misty' say their music plays a huge role in their lives. "We are born with the talent that brought us success and good times," Rajitha beams remembering their capers. `Misty' the band that claims to be a happy bunch, plays hell when going places, says its leader. "It's quite devastating, the guys get pretty wild and we always manage to have a good laugh but none of their capers get in the way when play time comes," he says and adds that the guys are electric during performance. He talks high of his group who are very particular about their work, "They are very consistent." Rajitha believes that irrespective of what's said and done, it's hard work that prevails at the end of the day. "There are times we argue but talking things over and working as a team help us to overcome the impossible," says Rajitha. The outfit talk about their plans. "We have got to work on a few originals and I want to enhance the image of our band," he talks about his plans to add a brass section. "I feel we are in need of a little variety, probably get another trombone or a trumpet player. And of course to do my dream concert," he says. |
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