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| Sunday, 28 December 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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New year resolutions that will gain momentum by Umangi de Mel
Ajith Perera of Rock Company Rock Company began in March, 2003. It's gained a lot of momentum in terms of supporting bands and original rock music in Sri Lanka which had no support up until that time. By creating an awareness and providing a forum for rock musicians, Rock Company's been able to generate a lot of support for the concept of developing original music. We've been able to get the back up of Carlsberg, Ceylon Cold Stores, ETV, Sunday Observer, Yes FM, Ole Springs bottlers and Ceylon Tobacco to create and organize funds for bands. The sponsors fund 'Rock Saturday' events which is a main forum where unsupported and unheard of bands could come out and expose their talents to get a band following. At the moment we've got about twenty bands including Bathiya and Santhush are registered with us. Bands such as 'Stigmata' and 'Stone broke' weren't given proper backing to expand their fan base before. Every band that gets to play for 'Rock Saturday' is given half hour scots to perform. My theory at the beginning was, if you are not heard, you are not known and now thanks to TNL & Yes FM, original rock music goes to the general public. I'm extremely satisfied with the success and awareness that's been created about rock music by our non-profit organization in the seven months that we've been in existence. Our goals are 1. To propagate the concept of original rock music. To provide a forum for the band's to expose their talents and music and develop their own fan following through Rock Saturdays. 3. To set up a practise studio where the bands can practise free of charge. We've achieved one of our main objectives which is the studio. Rock is a universal language, given the chance, will be able to have our own English music industry in another 2/3 years time. Rock Company doesn't consist of one person. It's a collective thing. Plans for year 2004. We want to be able to help the Bands to cut their own CDs and our total focus will be to set up the studio. So that the bands can record their own tracks and release it to the market to give them more exposure. We'll be releasing our first rock CD in Sinhala and hope to improve on our journal which talks about the local bands and bring it to international standards. Rock Company's being referred to as a new revolution in music in our country. Our Rock Saturday events has been drawing ever increasing crowds. We hope to have about five gigs out of Colombo next year. And also to have a Rockard together with a poetry contest involving the schools where we'll select the best three poems which will be made into songs. Suresh de Silva of 'Stigmata says 2003 has been a very eventful year. We've achieved a lot, a little beyond what we aspired to achieve in year 2003. I think objectively what the band has achieved has to deal with in terms of original music cause we've had everybody including poems, industry and family telling us that there's no future for us but we stick to our guns and what we believed in. After a lot of hard work, when 'Hollow Dreams' came out in August, 2003 not only was it a stepping stone in terms of pushing original music for the first time but it showed that we were focused enough and worked towards what we believe is that with enough discipline and confidence you can achieve whatever you want in most cases. Subjectively we've grown as a band and as a unit. We coordinate and play well with each other. Both musically and lyrically we are able to do stuff which are much more technical, complex and diverse now that we've grown as a band. We hope to magnify upon all these aspects and hopefully to do our second album that's nothing short of breath-taking. As a leader, I've achieved a fair deal of what I wanted to in year 2003 along with the other guys. But personally, I want to push myself much further to the extreme as a vocalist, song writer, lyricist, student, poet and also interns of work and a better human being, hopefully. Paranoid earthling Plans for 2004 Well. We'll be hitting the studio around early Jan...to record our singles Half-cast and the high'way They hope to release an EP in February ... and will put 100 and 10 per cent into the recordings but its up to the public to push the records....We hope to get the records to all the record stations not just TNL. We'll be organising a concert along with Stigmata in Kandy somewhere in January... They hope to play more shows and are trying to organise their own headlining show. Independent Square Independent Square took a break from the stage in mid 2003. At a time when most bands became a permanent fixture at pubs and outdoor gigs almost every weekend, Indie Square decided to take a break and go back to the studios and do what they do best, write songs for their third album. With almost 40 new songs completed all that is left is the elimination process. The band came back on stage in mid November and kicked off where they left maintaining the kind of consistency that has seen them become one of the true forces in the industry. As 2004, it is predicted to be one of the biggest and most important years for the band. "Expect the new album out in March", Says Anil Balasuriya, lead vocalist of the band. Also planned are a couple of videos and a long awaited tour outside Sri Lanka. Finally Anil, OP, Malinda, Sunil and Gune would like to thank all their fans for all the love they've shown the band during 2003 and promise to keep changing underwear regularly and increase on the number of hairstyles during 2004. Plans for 2004: 1. To release an EP 2. To continue fervently in song writing to expand the horizons of our music and be in a position to work on a full length album in the studio. 3. To play more gigs to build up a greater following and make our music reach out to more people. Resolution: To continuously improve ourselves musically in order to be one of the leading bands in the country in terms of originality and musicianship. To spread the wings of Dark Wave/Gothic Metal over this our paradise island and to leave an indelible mark in the music industry. Never to be satisfied. Always hunger for more. |
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| Produced by Lake House |
Yet another New Year is on the verge of dawning... People look forward
to welcome the year 2004 in style and especially think of a good new year
and make resolutions, in most cases that are hardly ever kept. Talking to
a few people who have made a difference in the Sri Lankan music industry
just by virtue of planning original music which sometimes sounds loud and
hardy to some. We take a look at their plans for year 2004 and what their
new year resolutions would be and would they stick to them.
