Entertainment

Fascinating singers

By Mahes PERERA

What’s your favourite song these days? A song that makes you sing it ever so often? Is it You Ought To Know by Alanis Morisette or perhaps Mariah Carey’s Without You? If we struck a chord then you have to enjoy the vocal stylings of Ice and Apple the featured singers with the band Aquarius now in sizzling action at the Margarita, Galadari Hotel. What is fascinating about the twosome is that they are cool dancers as well. A pow wow with both of them was equally exhilarating. Their sense of humour is spontaneous and they laugh a lot - puts everyone at ease. Ice hails from a musical family and her real name is Aileen, shortened to Ice for the stage. “My Dad is a singer. He’s not a professional one, but sings for the sake of a hobby. In school I was into music.

I had an all female band we were young then and I called it the Chick Point Band, we enjoyed ourselves. I was nineteen years old when I turned professional, and sang at local restaurants, clubs and special events in Cebu City - a place for entertainment” says Ice who plays rhythm guitar and has a repertoire that extends from alternative rock, to soul, to r & b, to pop and to retro. Is this your first outing from home? “No. I came to Sri Lanka from Doha. When I turned professional at nineteen years my first overseas gig was in Hong Kong and from there I went to sing at Malaysia, Singapore, New Delhi, the Middle East and here I am in Sri Lanka. I would love to see places of interest in your country, but so far we haven’t been able to fit it into our schedule. When you are not singing what do you do with yourself? “Well you’ll be surprised! I play billiards and I watch a lot of movies!” replies Ice flashing that characteristic smile of hers.Apple Alog says she inherited her musical talents from her uncle. “My father and mother couldn’t sing a note and I was trained in school.

I sang in the choir, entered singing competitions and was lucky to win one of the competitions organised by Manila.

When I turned seven years my mother used to encourage me to sing whenever and whatever, she was always behind me pushing me on. It paid off I guess! I was just sixteen when I turned professional. What’s your repertoire like? “I sing a wide selection of pop, jazz and rock. I love country and most of my songs are ballads. I enjoy singing ballads, the songs of Tina Turner and like Ice I play the rhythm guitar”, expresses Apple.

And when you are not singing? “I play a lot of video games and spend long hours of browsing the lap top” Apple’s parting shot. Experience their singing with Aquarius - it’s exciting. The group is on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Drumatix

by Mahes PERERA

Bubu Wijesinghe former drummer of the popular band Jetliners led by the “living legend” pianist / keyboardist Mignonne Fernando, will be in Sri Lanka this week to conduct a drum workshop for the benefit of young drummers, percussionists and musicians. Bubu will be flying down from Hong Kong where he has been since the Jetliners ceased playing at the Regent after a record breaking seventeen years. The workshop titled Drumatix will be held on January 26 at the CR & FC from 2.30 p.m. onwards.

Bubu as we in Sri Lanka fondly call him and DC as he is known in Hong Kong (derived from his real name Dulip Charith) leads his own band called DC in Hong Kong and is featured regularly in gigs at the Hong Kong Jazz Club, Fringe Club, Chicago Blues Club, the Macau Jazz Club and has toured with jazz bands in the region. He performs regularly and is a sessionist and recording artiste in the professional music industry. A well respected musician who ranks highly among his peers in his artistry Bubu is also an accomplished vocalist who has fronted many live gigs and major shows in Hong Kong and abroad. Most recently according to him with Ted Lo and Eugene Pao in Vietnam for the cultural festival.

Most important of all Bubu provides lessons and tuition to aspiring young musicians at the German - Swiss International School in Hong Kong and master classes in drumming at the Academy for Performing Arts, Tom Lee and privately.While in Hong Kong he has performed with top local and numerous international acts and has done opening acts for a number of other artistes like The Pointer Sisters, Helen Reddy, Julio Iglesias, Patti Austin - the list is long.

A drummer who had a formal training since he was nine years old, Bubu’s workshop on January 26 is open to all musicians and undoubtedly will be an asset to all the young drummers and percussionists who want to progress in their musical career.

Visual splendour

Entertainment on a high level will be witnessed by Sri Lankan audiences when the HSBC Colombo Fashion Week 2009 will unravel in all its splendour from February 19 to 21 at the host hotel Taj Samudra.

Fourteen Sri Lankan designers and seven international designers will display their creations. The collections will be available for retail orders and the Sri Lankan collections will find prominent spaces at well-known Sri Lankan retail stores. The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau joins hands with the Colombo Fashion Week as a destination host, creating a partnership that will work towards exploring opportunities for Sri Lanka as a destination. The Sri Lankan newcomers to the show this year are Kanchana, Sarani, Charani, LICC and another four collections which will be unveiled only at the event. The other SL designers are Prabath, Middle Finger, Yoland Aluvihare, Sonali White, Asanga and Dharshi Keertisena.