Entertainment

A singer - with style

by Indira P. Dahanayake

'It was perseverance and years of patience plus hard work combined with the gift of god, that made me win the Presidential award', said singer Morris Wijesinghe at a recent interview with the Observer.

"I started my career under the tutelage of master T.S. Peiris who had links with Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation."

Morris started climbing the ladder of success as a mere kid at St. Peter's College Colombo . He sang for the choir under the guidance of late Rev. Fr. Marcelline Jayakody. Father Jayakody's training led him to mark his first achievement in winning a singing competition, when he sang a popular song of the late Sunil Shantha Nalavi Sanesenne. "It was a very touching moment when I received my prize from Sunil Shantha himself," said Morris with emotion.

"I also took part in two operettas staged at St. Peter's college. The Trial by Jury and Maritana.

Nihal Fonseka - the local Mario Lanza at the time gave me a lot of encouragement by singing a song with me in the opera 'Trial by Jury.'

Morris was also a member of the' Colombo Light Opera Society' where he came in contact with Lyle Godridge.

I broke away from my working life to continue my singing career as my first love was singing.

There onwards I got my first break for films in 'Induta Mal Mitak' in which the music was directed by Premasiri Khemadasa, thereafter, I sang for five to six films followed by a contract to sing at the Colombo Hilton for three years in the year 1984, at 'Ilponte' which in turn paved the way to my becoming a professional singer at the 'Italian Night' at Mt. Lavinia hotel.

I have sung all over in Sri Lanka even places as far as Passikudah entertaining the foreigners of various nationalities - Italian, Spanish, Greek, English, to name a few he said.

Going back to his humble beginnings once again he said, my father's collection of songs played often at home may have helped to kindle my talents, but 'I did not try to imitate any of the singers who sang on those records.

Of course one has to have a good ear to become a singer, each one has his or her own style, but voice training is a must. A song tells a particular story - it claims a particular way which includes a special resonator. Each resonator has a different tone giving expression to song.

"You cannot become a good singer overnight" agrees Morris "it requires a lot of physical exercises. I want to put out a cassette but finances are my problem, if somebody helps me to finance at least part of this amount, I will be more than grateful," expressed Morris.

Stigmata rocks again

by Mahes Perera

From being the 'outlaws' of the Sri Lankan music industry, Stigmata has emerged to become one of the creative artistes performing in Sri Lanka and had the good fortune to perform on foreign shores as well.

Committed and intense in their cause in spreading their specialised rock sounds to a wider audience for appreciation. Stigmata released another CD a year ago. Needless to say their recent presentation at Clancy's turned out to be a no-space - available affair and it was a evening of overwhelming success where music was the important factor.

The 'metal gods' as they are termed, rocked hard and long to the sheer delight of not only hard core rock fans but also to the peers of the music industry and music lovers.

The show at Clancy's opened with performances by the young Paranoid Earthling and the other up - and coming Ritual. Stigmata who followed played tracks from their current album Silent Chaos Serpentine.

To the delight of their fans the band performed Forgiven Forgotten, My Malice, Solitude and Lucid. As an added bonus they played familiar tracks from their debut album Hollow Dreams.

To their credit it must be said that the slogan 'Innovation will never be compromised' has been at the core of Stigmata's existence. Since the group's inception in 1999, Stigmata have played countless number of concerts, headlined open air festivals, auditoriums clubs/pubs, received acclaimed reviews from international magazines and websites.

Their album 'Silent Chaos Serpentine' was nominated for a Album of the Year abroad. Their debut CD Hollow Dreams and their EP according to the records have both sold nearly 10,000 copies and given Stigmata that extra thrust in the industry. This year the band, now a strong unit, have a committed vision to conquer all their goals, never comprise their sound or style and never give into the fickle music trends of today.

Like the sponsorship product of their show AXE which gives an extra edge to men, with its magneticism and appeal, Stigmata has the capacity to mesmerize its fans - both female and men - with their sound that is unique and intense. Fans of Stigmata will be happy to note that the band hope to tour India, Dubai and other parts of the world soon.

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V FM turns a new leaf

by Ruwini Jayawardana

Since its inception on January 1, V FM has captured a large crowd of listeners in the industry.

Now the breakthrough broadcaster is in the process of introducing a whole variety of new programmes to its listeners.

"This will be a new experience to the audience. We have included a selection of programmes in a new and innovative way. The difference between us and other radio stations lies in the mode of presentation," expressed Jayantha Ukwattha, the executive director of V FM.V FM is the first radio station to cover the entire island.

"We are frequently doing research on listener preference so that we are able to update our programmes according to the demands of our mass audience," Ukwattha explained. "We do not imitate others. V FM possesses its own style and originality.

All our presenters are trained to use quality language." Among the 39 radio stations in Sri Lanka, 27 are Sinhalese. Through this competitive environment V FM is able to emerge among the forefront in captivating listeners in both urban and suburban areas.

Listeners can even reach V FM through the internet. During the Sinhala and Tamil New Year period the station even launched a programme to bring the New Year festivity by connecting listeners from Japan, Australia and Italy with Sri Lanka.

What is the secret behind V FM's success? "I believe it is our quality service - the ability to satisfy our clients. V FM is not connected with any political party. We are unbiased," Ukwattha stressed. "We are taking long strategies to grow the industry.

We are grateful to our listeners for being with us and we are looking forward to serving them in a more improved manner."

Jazz vibes

It's the time of the month when leading jazz musicians leave their worries behind them, to meet and rapport with their peers at the jazz session today from 1.30 p.m. at the CR & FC.

The opening set at 1.30 p.m. will see singer Antoinette de Alwis spreading vibes of newly arranged jazz standards backed by Dilukshi Sirimane - piano, Nilantha Ariyaratne - bass, Rodney Rabot joining in on vocals and Royle de Andrews - drums.

The featured band will be led by the powerful electric bassist Upula Madushanka with Aruna Siriwardhana - drums, Derek Wickramanayake - guitar, Kumar de Silva - piano in a programme of original contemporary jazz.

Making her jazz debut with the group will be Umara Sinhawansa - now a part of the Bathiya & Santush aggregation. A few more surprises await you.