 
Soul Sounds sound success
Mahes Perera
It was a challenge and the choir Soul Sounds rose up to it admirably
laced with a great deal of success. Their tribute “To Michael With Love”
staged on August 26 and 27 at the Lionel Wendt Theatre proved their
ability to tackle the complicated contemporary songs of Michael Jackson,
their commitment in music and to give of their best to the audience.
They have the right to be proud of their performance because Soul Sounds
are the only choir that had a whole programme of Michael Jackson’s hits
hitherto untouched by other choirs.
 Under the astute direction of Soundarie David Rodrigo with special
arrangements by the recognised composer Mignonne Fernando the audience
were literally served a treat.
The programme opened with an Overture of the tunes of the hit songs
of Jackson’s arranged and played by Mignonne on her keyboards which set
the mood for the songs to follow and gave that special concert
atmosphere.
The Overture flowed rightly into Wanna be startin something with
Shehara Liyanage in the vocal spotlight and the choir giving her
laudable support. The first half contained songs from the Jackson Five
repertoire which included a poignant Ben solos by Raaya Gomez and
Amandhi Caldera. It was a special arrangement by Mignonne Fernando.
Other songs sung by Soul Sounds were I Want You Back, Love You Save,
ABC, Rockin Robin, and One Day in your life the solos for which were by
Tanisha Wijesinghe and Shehara Liyanage. Rock with You from Marisa de
Silva was a pleasant surprise, she delivered it with ease.
Mention must be made of the other songs sung by the choir I Just
Can’t Stop Loving You, the ballad I’ll Be There, Shake Your Body Down
and Blame It on the Boogie which revived happy nostalgic memories for
the audience who comprised music lovers who grew up with the music of
Michael and today’s young music lovers for whom the songs have opened up
a ‘new world’.
The second half was equally refreshing and enjoyable. Shehara
Liyanage gave her all in a sensitive rendition of the song Gone Too Soon
which Michael Jackson wrote for a very young HIV victim.
Dushyanth Weeraman moved onto the stage to dance and sing his way
through a la Michael Jackson. He chose a medley comprising The Way You
Make Me Feel, You Are Not Alone and You Rock My World. Dushyanth has
perfected the jerky dance movements of his idol included the acclaimed
moon walk and delighted his fans no end.
Liberian Girl the solo taken by Shyana Perera with the choir in dance
action made an impact proving how much effort had gone in, to pull off
the concert in such a short time. Remember the Time, Billie Jean,
Thriller, Beat It, We Are the World, Heal the World, Earth Song, Man in
the Mirror the gems in the legacy of Jackson all were sung with a
professionalism that was laudable.
We cannot leave out soloists Dakshitha Ratnayake and Dineshini
Jayawardena in Remember the Time and Dinushka Jayawickrema in Man in the
Mirror. They gave of their best. It was like second nature to them.
Finally we hope that Soul Sounds would give another opportunity to their
fans to enjoy this concert of Michael Jackson’s songs, never performed
before by a choir, here in Sri Lanka.
If you thought that your relationship with rock music was purely
physical, then you should think again. The creators of ‘Thry Minded’
know that your brain can be turned on just as much as your
muscle-reflexes, and are therefore threatening to drown you in a total
mind-body experience through their music. ‘
Thry Minded’ couldn’t be your typical rock gig even if it tried. With
the creative output of the two featured bands, ‘Thriloka’ and ‘Grey Mind
Domain’, being channelled back-to-back through the mixing-board, this
session of sonic audacity promises not only a workout for your ear-drums
and arteries, but a trip for your grey matter as well.
 Using broad genre-labels such as ‘fusion’ and ‘progressive rock’ as
incentives to explore the gamut of musical styles and possibilities, the
worldviews of ‘Thriloka’ and ‘Grey Mind Domain’ are distinctively
inclusive, playing against the predictable rhythms of mainstream
music-marketing that strive for neat categorization.
Fusion-outfit ‘Thriloka’ (lit. ‘three worlds) is now entering its 4th
year as a band, its musicians having consolidated their presence as
local artistic-boundary-pushers through their recent ‘Thrilogy’ project
with the Contemporary Chamber Orchestra. With all 5 band members -
Harshan Gallage (drums), Uvindu Perera (bass), Sarani Perera (guitar),
Eshantha Peiris (keyboards), and Pabalu Wijegoonawardane (percussion) -
contributing musical ideas to the band’s innovative blend of Sri Lankan
folk music, Indian raga, jazz and rock, Thriloka’s repertoire of
original instrumental music continues to serve up a fresh mix of global
sounds and rhythms for those whose ears crave musical novelty.
Formed in 2007 in time to launch themselves at TNL Onstage, ‘Grey
Mind Domain’ is another band that embraces the diversity of its members’
musical tastes as the core of its creative ideology. Showcasing the
talents of Shanaka Cooray (lead vocals), Rukshan Aponso
(keyboards/vocals), Pramyth Abeysekara (guitar), Shevanka Fernando
(bass/vocals), and Shehan Wijemanne (drums/vocals), this
forward-thinking line-up has cut its teeth on Rockapolooza and Acoustica
gigs in the past, and was most recently heard in action at ‘The Tripp’.
Citing rock influences as eclectic as Dream Theatre, Queen, Pink
Floyd and Dave Matthews band, ‘Grey Mind Domain’ is a band will grab
your attention and refuse to let go.
‘Thry Minded’ hits the stage of Punchi Theatre, Borella, on Sunday,
September 20 and will offer a whole new realm of music adventure.
‘Thry Minded’ dares you to enter the domain of the intellect, and
free your mind to explore the worlds that the music leads to. Are you up
for the challenge? |
