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| Sunday, 6 October 2002 |
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by Umangi de Mel
Successful and sought after, the band comprise Derrick on guitar and vocals, CJ - drums and vocals, Shafi, guitar and vocals, Damien, guitar and vocals and Nilantha on bass. Labelling themselves as 'a band that rocks', they are a supremely confident bunch and inject a stupendous amount of energy into their performance. Cocky and self assured they dismiss critics who claim they are too loud, as frogs in the well, and say in disgruntled tones, "Those are the ones who haven't experienced a genuine rock band - ever." "Music has to hit you to move your body, especially at a dance. And sound definitely depends on the crowd," says Derrick who subscribes to the theory that if it is rock, it should be played the way rock music is played. Derrick and CJ rationalising why they play the way they play say, "We certainly don't play background music and we are not a supper club band," points out CJ. "You come to see WildFire in action and it is all about action and energy. We don't play to entertain a bunch of guys who come to supper and chat." The group plays `pop-rock' (pop based rock as Derrick explains) and enjoy playing it with great gusto. They claim WildFire never plays rock at a dance, but emphasises they are not merely a rock band but a versatile band that can play any type of music. They also point out that they don't play at funerals or at weddings. So do they have a target audience? "Not really, our audience is anyone who enjoys our music. We have hundreds of moms and daughters, dads and sons coming to catch us live even during the week. And they actually have a good time." says Derrick. What about teenagers? "We haven't had such overwhelming experience with anybody else, we are a hit among the teens," says Derrick with supreme satisfaction. Striving for individuality and uniqueness and sounding somewhat selfish in the process, the group claims they don't play according to peoples' likes and dislikes, but play what they want to play and what they enjoy playing. However, on second thoughts they add "But we are concerned that people have a good time." Why haven't they come up with their own CD? Taking a deep breath Derrick explains, "Well, to be honest, We are perfectionists. We don't believe in doing things just like that." The band believes the CD, if it is to come out at all will have to be perfect and complete, and to do that they just don't have enough time or facilities. What about their fan club? "Awesome," Derrick and CJ beam. "I guess the difference is felt," Derrick says earnestly. Er..the what Difference?! "Well, a good band consists of many features; A good drummer, good guitarist and a good singer. Most of the local bands solely focus on vocals and they don't seem to focus on the instrumentalists," he explains adding "But we have given priority to the instruments. We have 100 per cent back up from instruments, that is the difference." As a group, Wild Fire is a well balanced unit with all the members sharing a close bond of mutual respect, common pride and a faith in their indispensability. "If we lose one of our members, there is no replacement. Wild Fire can't afford to lose any of its members", they say. "The chemistry that happens on stage among us is one-of-a-kind and we are lucky we found one another," say Derrick and CJ grinning from ear to ear. Derrick continues.."We value one another a lot. There's no one person who is more important than the other. The absence of one is felt by all, cause WildFire is like a hoop that's connected." And CJ elaborates, "Wild Fire is not about any particular person but a magic combination that we share and we are still trying to find our identity." What was life like before Wild Fire happened? "I was with Buddhi Keerthisena, and I was sick and tired of electronic music. What I wanted was a retro band," Derrick reminisces ... "I was a senior copy writer at Bates," says CJ. "But we never planned, let alone expect such a big crowd around us," they say. The group accuses hotels of killing Sri Lankan talent. "They hire bands and get them to play in such a way that the band eventually gives up on its originality and their music is resorted," they say adding "But we are not bound by such constraints, we love the way we do music." What inspires them? "I was told by a lot of people including my folks that I was a `superb' guitarist. And I thought I was," says Derrick and explains that watching Jo Byrd (Brother of Charlie Byrd) live in action in Afghanistan changed his attitude. "I felt so small. I knew I was wrong about my potential," he continues,"That made me want to learn and do better. And I'm still trying to do better..." Actually they all are. |
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Long
hair, chunky rings, silver studs and real tattoos...rock to the
root.."Don't get us wrong but we are not a rock band," they
protest, defining themselves as a commercial band that play all types of
musi. WildFire, the band prone to wild boasts and, protest
notwithstanding, rock inclinations. Wildly popular among the be-bopping
young and the young at heart, the group came together on as a band in
January, 2002 and had their debut performance in February that year.
