|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 24 August 2003 |
 |
|
 |
Magazine |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
by Umangi de Mel
"When we formed the band and wanted to hit the public stage, we still lacked one important thing. We didn't have a proper name. It was my father and our music teacher, the two people who are responsible for the outfit, that came up with the name," says Misha, the leader of the band that whirls around the city. `Whirlwind' includes Misha on vocals and guitar, Milinda on bass, Thilina on guitar, Umesh on keyboards, Upul on drums, Kosala on vocals and its manager Ossen. "Well to be frank, when we say rock, people freak out assuming its just noise and disturbance. But there's so much more to rock than that. People who know what music is all about, will surely know that rock music ranges from classical to heavy and death metal," Misha says. Having started the outfit in May last year, Misha says the guys have already been able to produce 40 originals. "By the time we were all set and ready to form the band, we had about 30 originals written by myself and when we finally started out as a group, we only had two guitars and a keyboard," he grins at the memory adding nevertheless that they are a fully fledged band today. Misha the lyricist cum composer cum vocalist says that through their lyrics they try to talk about the various emotions life has in store. "Life is a mixture of good times and bad. Our songs are a blend of our own experience we've gone through, at some point in life," he explains. The group says that their objective is to approach the international market, "'Whirlwind' tries its level best to expand its horizons. While catering to local needs, we want to go higher so that we can reach our target." Misha adds that the reason they do fusion rock is to attract the foreign market. "The kind of music is not at all ubiquitous. We've included three death metal fusion tracks called `She's on fire, `The only way' and `Ivasanu ba' (cannot bear) in our first CD called `Mixed Emotions' which will be released soon. It has 12 tracks including classic to death metal." The guys seem to be pretty content with their work, which include originals such as `Whirlwind', `You are the only one', which has apparently reached the charts of the `pop club', a programme on SLBC. "The track is at the second place out of 8 hits on the `Hit parade'," he brags. It has also been sent to the Global hot 40 in UK. The chatter continues..and they say that they have even included a track that talks about Lord Buddha. "We are an all Buddhist band and the track called `When I see your face' is all about how we've seen Lord Buddha. It's a heavy metal track," he reveals. Changing the topic, Misha talks about recording their music has been quite a task. "It's a common problem all the bands go through. We didn't have the kind of money and facilities it required. So we edited our songs on the computer at home," he says. `Whirlwind does covers of Bryan Adams, Iron Maiden, Guns 'n Roses, Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones and Deep Purple. Going back in time to talk about their first main gig, Misha says it was a grand night for them. "Then we performed for the second time at `Sport 'O Rama' in February 2003. It was a massive crowd considering the fact that we played mostly originals. They loved the originals and it was a positive response," he says and continues, "in April we performed at `Splash', the fun centre. It was drizzling a bit but there was a good crowd who wanted to hear more of our originals." Their last show was aired on SLBC in June called `Saturday night Live'. "It's the `Battle of the bands', a programme produced by Harold Fernando. We were the first band to be featured on that show. Harold was the person who backed us through out and he played our first original on SLBC," he remembers. They talk about the new bands that do originals, "It's a good thing, cause if the whole lot starts playing covers, there won't be any thrills and spills. I've been listening to rock for 13 years but we've got to have our own identity," he says adding that his fav bands are `Stigmata', `Independent Square' and `Paranoid Earthling' who play good originals. Giving credit to the Rock Company which has given the talented youngsters a break, Misha says it's pity none of our originals come on MTV. He says that everyone in the band is given a chance to come out with their ideas, styles and sounds, "We think alike, that's how we stay together to produce the music that keeps us going." |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
They come as a whirlwind, a tornado that shakes and breaks pulling
things under.. Full of gusto and force, the bands that come alive have so
much to offer the local music scene.
