 A.D. adds to the addendum
by Nilma Dole
Anno Domini (A.D.) is a musical
outfit like no other where every band member shines in both playing and
singing their heart out! “Everyone’s a star in this band because there’s
ample opportunity for every member to do vocals and play instruments.
Plus, we all play more than one instrument making it an added benefit”
said Shehan Perera, the founder of A.D.
 |
|
(L-R) Rukshan, Shehan, Thushantha,
Senaka and Timal of A.D. |
The first time I heard Anno Domini perform was at a Country Roads
show and they literally brought the town down. “We are influenced by
various genres which make us an open-minded band when performing to an
audience” said Shehan, who started the band as an unplugged outfit that
also did connected gigs. They play everything from country music to the
latest pop beats and have mastered the art of getting the audience to
dance and let their hair down! Today, the band members comprise Shehan
and Thushantha who play guitar rotating on leads every time while Timal
rifts up the bass guitar.
Senaka is the drummer dude and Rukshan finger taps the keyboards.
They met up with each other randomly at gigs and through choir groups
and finally when they made music, the chemistry was just perfect. “I
guess the A.D. lineup of today is unique because we have a healthy mix
of everything” noted a positive Shehan.
Meanwhile, the backgrounds of the band folks are such that Timal
counts several years of experience in the music field with many renowned
bands such as Cross Section and Rage and Senaka has rocked the stage
with big names like Kreb’s Cycle, Déjà vu and Horizon. On the other
hand, Rukshan, who plays for a progressive rock band called Grey Mind
Domain, also is flexible with his music interest.
“We merge our music tastes into one when we perform but collectively,
we would say bands like the Beatles and the Eagles are our common
influences” said Shehan.Besides being passionate about their music,
these guys have regular day jobs which are in various sectors, worlds
apart from each other. Shehan is a lawyer working in a law firm. Senaka
is a Chartered Accountant, Rukshan is a Financial Analyst, Timal is an
IT professional and Thushantha is in the hospitality trade. “We stick to
our regular jobs which are in themselves interesting. Music is our
passion. After a challenging days’ work, we look forward to unwinding by
playing, which excitement might be less if we were to make music our
full-time career,” highlighted Shehan.
A.D. advises potential musicians to endeavour to understand the music
they like, to respect more mature musicians and to be slow to criticize.
“The Sri Lankan English music industry has produced great artistes who
have already gone international and the young have the potential to
shine too” said A.D. While three of the members are committed to
life-long partners, they say that they have received considerable family
support in the sphere. “My better half, Rebecca has to even put up with
the band practising in addition to me,” said Senaka.
He adds with a smile, “But she likes this band better than the ones I
played for before because of the more subtle music we play.” So the band
thanks their respective family and friends for their undivided support.
“We also thank our loyal fans who have been by our side from the early
days and we would like them to join our Facebook fan page so that we
could keep them posted regularly about our performances and
developments” commented A.D. The outfit also has its own website
www.annodomini.lk . You can catch ANNO DOMINI performing live at various
concerts and other gigs around the city. If not, you could listen to
Shehan and Timal performing as an unplugged duo at Loon Tao, Mount
Lavinia on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Pic: Vipula Amarasinghe
Location: Barista Créme
Misty in a new night spot
by Mahes Perera
 Once in so many years there
moves into the music firmament a singer whose voice quality is
unparalleled. Without hesitation you can fit Sudath Munaweera into this
category. A guitarist as well, Sudath according to Rajitha Rupasinghe
the leader of the popular band Misty, is now a full time member of his
group. Tall and unassuming Sudath is blessed with a voice that can
tackle soul, pop, funk and rock ballads with ease.
“He played with Ultimate, Heat and Phase 3 and I couldn’t ask for
more. He is a musician loaded with a god gifted voice and a guitarist
who can tackle the many rhythms and styles in playing. He arranges
harmonies for the band and his self trained voice is a treat to listen
to” comments Rajitha. Just in case you missed the band when you dropped
into the Library on a Thursday evening, the band is now in full flight
on Thursdays at the Terrace, Mount Lavinia. So catch the Misty chill out
stuff laced with a lot of pop, funk and soul at the Terrace and if you
enjoy songs like Imagine, Just the Way You Are, Annie’s Song to name a
few, then experience them a la Sudath.
Misty apart from their many private functions have regular weekly
dates on Sundays at the Cinnamon Grand and on Wednesdays at Rhythm and
Blues. The band comprises besides the leader Rajitha who is a frontline
singer, drummer Dennis Alwis, vocalist and guitarist Sudath Munaweera,
Mangala Weerasekera guitarist, keyboardist Udaya Welikala formerly of
Friends and bassist Sanjeewa Hettige.
“Our schedule in 2009 was quite a crowded one. We had our moments
playing for dances abroad as well. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a
successful year for all of us,” is Rajitha’s revealing parting shot.
DJ Minol likes to chill out
 Competition between a DJ and a
music band is intense today. DJs are being recognised as a force who
have the capacity to impress their audience with their selection of
music to suit the many different occasions at which they perform.
Belonging to this group of DJs is young Minol Hewage who is of the
opinion, like the others, that DJing is an art and it is important not
to get into a spin when entertaining audiences. “I started my mobile
DJing with Beat System Entertainment, Nugegoda. I learnt my ABC in DJing
with this organisation. Before going mobile I worked with a popular
English radio station and gained more experience in selecting music for
entertainment.”
A past student of Isipathana College, Colombo, DJ Minol like all
other male youngsters enjoys alternative rock and chill out music “but
of course when I’m playing for a party I cannot force my preference on
my audience, I have to play what they want in music so that they are
happy dancing to the grooves. It is important that DJs develop a taste
in good music of a wide variety,” adds DJ Minol.
Apart from DJing are you involved in programming and arranging songs
for new young singers?
“Yes along with Lalith Dammika I have begun to write lyrics and
compose the music for newcomers. I have written some songs for Strings
who will be releasing their debut CD this year.
For musicians things look good and they are able to get more work,
now that the war is over. There’s going to be a lot of entertainment in
the country for sure, and we are looking forward to the good times,”.
-MP
|
