If the people of a nation reflect what that nation is made of, then
surely the music and exuberance of dynamic radio personalities reflect
upon the radio station they serve.
That statement was proven true a week ago as the biggest outdoor
event organised by a Sri Lankan radio station that took place recently.
 The venue was the TAJ hotel’s North lawn and the event was the
exciting Gold FM Country Show. Not even a New Years’ Eve night (outdoor
or indoor) could match the standards of this concert attracting a
massive crowd.
From CEOs to Directors, entrepreneurs to entertainers, tourists to
Sri Lankan yuppies, many from far-flung parts of the country and the
world gathered in thousands to witness this gala event.
The quartet Flame, known for their rich harmonising and smooth
acoustic sounds set the pace for what was to come.
They mellowed the sweetness of music with tantalising melodies. Next
up was Missing Link who took over the audience with some contemporary
classics that definitely gave everyone a trip down memory lane. Cosmic
Rays gave a heartening daze to kick up the beat a notch higher.
In between the action and hype, some of the Gold DJs made random
appearances onstage to interact with the crowd and picked winners for
the competitions that they promised.
Among the lucky prizes were return airline tickets and porcelain sets
worth over Rs.50,000! Derek Wickremanayake of Wildfire fame then teamed
up with Crossroads to give an amazing rendition of his talent,
serenading the audience with the mastery of his guitar. Being the
versatile and talented musician he is, Derek performed some great
country favourites.
Thereafter, the stage was set alight with the radiance of the lovely
ladies Nadine and Dulani who gave their respective solo performances.
Nadine’s rendition of ‘Runaway’ and ‘Bless the Broken Road’ had the
crowd mesmerized.
Anno Domini, who performed an Unplugged gig at the ‘Coffee Stop’
recently, astounded the audience with a fully thrilling power-packed
performance that made the crowd rock around the clock.
The melody was upbeat and the music was lively and jively that toes
were tapping with merry. Cosmic Rays then came again for a final encore
and by the time they finished, it sure looked like nobody wanted to go
home.
To cap the event, was the return to the fold of Tom Hart who has a
strong fan base for his dexterity mixing music surely Gold FM have
outdone themselves with an awesome Country Show and we all hope they’ll
bring back more!
Mahes Perera
Suddenly the interest in country and Western music has gained
momentum with our audiences. Recently there were two open air shows that
were capacity packed with both young and old singing lustily along with
the bands that were featured. Now C&W fans have the opportunity to enjoy
their favourites weekly as Cosmic Rays perform on Thursday evenings at
the Mix Bar at Taj Samudra, and on Monday evenings at the Cinnamon Grand
lobby.
 The band has always been acknowledged as having a wide C&W repertoire
plus an elastic repertoire of popular contemporary and evergreen songs.
Although Cosmic Rays experienced personnel changes, their overall sound
is strictly Cosmic Rays thanks to their committed leader/vocalist
Tyronne Pieries, who has seen to it that their sizzling and rhythmic
sound is intact.
“The band now comprises Sheridan Kuruppu - lead vocal, an experienced
musician, Roshan Perera - vocals and keyboards, Patrick Davidson vocals
and lead guitar, Dilhan Wisidagama - drums and vocals, Nalaka de Silva -
bass guitar and vocals and we have a violinist in Ravindra Weerawardhana
who is also an acoustic guitarist.
A violinist adds a lot of colour to our C&W repertoire and we were
fortunate that Ravindra joined us,” says Tyronne who handles the load of
the vocals in the band. With Sheridan Kuruppu another experienced singer
in the band who joined them recently, plus the other members who are
vocalists as well, there’s no doubt that the band will travel further
down the road of success with ease.
Apart from their repertoire of country music which includes covers of
Alabama, Randy Travis, Bellamy Brothers, Kenny Rodgers, Freddie Fender
and more, Cosmic Rays is also a popular band at wedding functions and
dances. “Yesterday and the day before we played for two wedding
functions and we were over whelmed by the reaction of the guests.
Now that life has eased out for musicians the prospects are good and
I hope that all musicians will have a good season this year,” comments
Tyronne. With just three months more for the festive season to roll in,
make your tracks to the Mix Bar this Thursday and shed your cares away
in the company of Cosmic Rays.
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