Flame cruising on a popularity wave

By Mahes Perera

When you're weary
feeling small
When tears are in your eyes I will dry them all
I'm on your side when times get rough
And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water...

The lure of the meaningful lyrics and haunting melodies of Simon and Garfunkel were irresistible to the group Flame who started off their musical career way back in 1989 and has not looked back since. Their beginnings, under the leadership of Naushad Rasool – vocals and guitar, was a trio with Roshan Premasinghe and Rienzie Pereira. The trio Flame was an overnight happening according to Naushad. “Roshan and I were at choir practices with the Merry-Ann Singers and Rienzie had come to play the guitar for Mary Ann.

I asked him whether he could play the guitar for us because that particular week we were singing at the Country Road Show. He agreed. We sang a few choruses of Simon and Garfunkel songs and thats when I decided to launch Flame. The group held the spotlight at the Taj Hotel lobby gathering a never-ending fan base, which in hindsight in history.

Now twenty-five years later Flame still burns bright. Today the personnel have increased, there are seven yet their popularity has not in anyway diminished.

They've travelled to many countries performing their particular brand of music. They've dazzled audiences in Australia, India, the Middle East, New Zealand, New York and are billed to go to Australia to play for two special occasions they are looking forward to.

Question: There has been a big difference in music, then and now. Your group Flame was recognised as a leading Folk group, what would your reason be for the lack of folk groups in today's music scene?

Answer: The music has changed over the passing years. Society has changed. If you take the modern generation those who want be a part of the scene too have changed.

The landscape has changed. So as a band, if you take most of the bands performing today, they are playing on the basis of demand. Contemporary music is the demand today.

True there was contemporary music at the time we were on the scene with our folk – there was pop, rock, funk and dance.

But the trend today leans on contemporary music, especially in the lobbies. If Flame plays only folk then, maybe we would have to face the decision of not playing often at the lobbies.

One big reason for our success was at that time we were heavily influenced by the music that was played on the radio especially on SLBC, the national radio. The radio was like a guiding light to all music lovers.

We were exposed to Simon and Garfunkel, Cat Stevens, Carole King Joan Baez, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and so many other folk singers and groups and this was a whole new world.

With the passage of time the radio gave way to TV and things changed and the youth threw themselves into appreciating rap, hip hop, disco and every upbeat tempo that goes with it.

Q: How come then that in countries such as the States, England and Australia folk music hasn't gone off the radar?

A: In certain places not all the places in these countries. In certain hotels or restaurants folk music is played and they want it that way.

Here in Sri Lanka we play at Loon Tao and Sing Tao and in a few other places where there is a big demand for folk and country music. So, really the music hasn't died, it's alive at certain places.

Q: You changed tracks in your music today. Why?

A: Because as professional musicians we had to change our music to move from year to year.

That is the trend now. We can't play folk at a wedding reception. We need to play a variety of music – including pop, the latest hits, the music of the 60s, 70s, 80s you name it. We had to change, otherwise as a group we would not have been able to enjoy the success we have achieved thus far.

Q: Unlike in the earlier years there is a shortage of bands to play for weddings, corporate functions and dances. As a leader what do you attribute it to?

A: There are many reasons for this situation. One is to keep a band together means that you have to work hard to ensure that the band does not disintegrate.

We are lucky to have such a group. Getting the right people to the band is quite necessary.

They should be very simple, down-to-earth people, who think alike and work very hard.

Then as a leader it is important that you give your members new and fresh music and music arrangements. I call the shots during a performance and the members have learnt to move with my decisions.

Most important of all as a leader, I never tell my members “I'm the leader, therefore, I have a right to have more in the financial distribution.”

I see that there is an equal distribution of the finances. I know many band leaders err on this issue, thus leaving the members disgruntled and they leave.

I don't hide the amount of the payment.

It's an open book. We have talented musicians, six outstanding voices who are versatile musicians and so I can confidently say that's the secret of our success. Of course, I musn't forget to mention that I'm very hard on discipline yet I look after the welfare of the members, help them when necessary, have get-togethers for them and see that they are one big happy family.

Q: Now playing at the Margarita Blue, is an attractive prospect for you and the band – can you elaborate?

A: It has been fantastic and no doubt will continue to remain so. We have put our repertoire together and it's a wonderful sight to see all our fans with us on a Wednesday night.

We go on till 1 a.m. And very often we find it difficult to end our show, as they keep asking for more. We are happy to see new faces, who have heard of us but not heard us live, so our popularity is escalating. Also Margarita Blue has opened a fourth channel which helps us a lot. We start off our show with folk, and we can close up with folk. In between however, there's the pop, funk, dance and contemporary. We are hoping to build the following we had when we started our career.

In fact, we have opened up a fan club on Facebook, so we hope that the future will also see us enjoying the glory days of our folk music career.

Flame comprises Naushad Rasool – vocals/guitar, Anne Jayamanne – vocals, Chris de Alwis – vocals/guitar, Primal Liyanage – guitar/vocals, Nilantha de Abrew – keyboards/vocals, Joe Lappen – bass/vocals and Diren Sabaratnam – drums. Highly competent in their vocals, their repertoire spans folk and country, pop, rock, funk, Latin and jazz and so they are justified in calling themselves a band with a difference.

Their career saw them recognised as the Best Folk Band in Sri Lanka in 1994 when they were awarded the Sunday Observer Golden Clef Award and from then on the band's career was a success story. Undoubtedly Flame is now cruising on the crest of popularity.