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| Sunday, 29 June 2003 |
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The new sound, the new album and the new Rock disease .... Independent Square Get with it on Friday July 4th, at Clancy's! That's when the hottest alternative rock band around takes the stage to give you one night of vibes to remember. It's partly to promote their new album "Five and a half," and with Cold Fusion billed to open the show it's gonna be a blast. So cummonova and set free those demons within! A band can be the idealistic boys jamming in the garage next door or the talented dropouts of parent-devolved careers - Independent Square is neither and both. They are five guys - the youth of the generation in a country with limited opportunity and unorthodox cricket, doing their time for growing up too slowly and dreaming too vividly - Independent Square is an alternative rock band of the 00's. The band began in the mid 90's with Shehan and Anil & op who derived inspiration from each other. While other adolescents were discovering the intrigues of Playboy and Cricket, these three were engrossed in their explorations of word and tune, writing songs and chording bridges without knowing they were making the music that a society, compressed by convention and culture, would queue, request and pay to listen to in a few years' time. The time in which Independent Square was emerging was when the electric twang had been buried by the frolicking strum of calypso and a pop/disco commercialisation. With the death of bandanas, afros and the war in Vietnam, in which local classic rockers like The Savages jammed, the young of Sri Lanka forgot their inherent drive for guitar riffs and the amplified sounds of electricity on steel, until Independent Square made their debut performance in a radio-sponsored search for local talent, TNL Onstage in the year 1999. The band won under the category of best band and with the feel of head-banging crowds still afresh in their fingers, progressed to write and produce their debut album, Bring Back the Sun which was the first original Sri Lankan alternative rock album to be released. Due to a series of line up changes , the band took a break the very next year, but had inspired a number to remember what it means to be young, have a dream and love music. A number of bands began to emerge, and going to a rock concert became a new and preferred form of entertainment in Colombo; crowds that were accustomed to sitting at tables and only participating by applauding at the end of a song, were on their feet, head banging, clutching at the ankles of performers, throwing themselves at guitars flung onto the floor and screaming the words to every verse. The album Bring Back the Sun was an apparent musical milestone that had redirected a country known for its indistinguishable imitators of contemporary hits and classic never-forgets, to explore the possibilities of original music. More bands began selling their own home-grown originals to audiences packing in to concerts head bang - to - head bang and scream-to-scream. Now, local radio stations like TNL radio feature special charts for original tunes by current local rockers, all of whom associate the awakening of style individualization in bands and lyrical innovation with the sell out of Bring Back the Sun, even though Independent Square at the time had receded into a seeming curtain-call. Independent Square however, re-emerged after a two-year break to a society that hungered for more rock. With a slightly different line up, they were equipped with more expressive song writing skills, a new drive to experiment with variations of sounds, and a new determination to infect as many as they can with their creations. They were ready to release their second album - Five and a Half. The album derives its influences from a number of bands that Indie Square favour and frequents the lips of Colomboites more than the most aired contemporary hits on radio. Audiences already are alivened into a rock frenzy when the band strums the opening chords of songs like Anger, Cummonova and Sensodine. With the exhilarating resemblance of their lead singer's vocal talents to that of knicker-sweating voices of the past an electrifyingly energetic and acrobatic lead guitarist in leather who emulates Kirk Hammett, a riff driven monster known only as op and a thinking man's sticksman the band has a new magnetism collaring fans by the hair to thrash out at the frustrating edges of a stage, from inestimable audiences which include the awkward wallflowers, the staggering intoxicated, the mid-life-crisis-party-animals and the mesmerized rock addicts who never say no. Naturally, the new sound and the new album and the new rock disease are predicted to infect all into a sell-out success. 1. OK, so who's independent and who's square? Anil Well I think we're all abit of both actually, but mostly independent. Op bit of both , I guess Malinda Huh??????? Sunil consider my self quite square. I'm very happy at home with my 2 kids and wife.I'm not into nightclubs.I enjoy lunching/dining out at nice restaurents. I love Peking duck and Dim sum.I enjoy hosting small dinner parties at home. I'm not into late nights. I enjoy watching good DVD's. Pretty square. Gune Is's a combination of us and our fans. I still do not know who is who. 2. Are you expecting loads of lingerie to be tossed onto the stage during this gig? Anil oh ya lots an lot's ,hey when we started out playin our own songs about6 years ago wo got a lot of stuff hurled at us(hahaha)...so lingerie would deffinitly be an improvement. Op Well will have to see !!! Malinda Hope for the best and expect for the worst Sunil Never seen lingerie ever thrown at any of the bands in Sri lanka. It would be most interesting to be the first. Gune I have no idea; I hope this doesn't happen to us. 3. Do you have any juicy secrets in your closet? Anil Well if I told you it would'nt be a secret, but let's just say I went through a t-shirt twisting phase Op well not much of juicy secrets in my closet. But have plenty of secret juices, if any one is interested. Malinda Wet my bed when I was 11 (not what U think) Sunil No juicy secrets in the closet. Gune I've got secrets in my closet but not juicy ones. 4. If your hair gel could speak, what would it tell you? Anil Don't cheat on me with that other mousse, it aint worth it. ( I use shit loads on my hair) Op that it needs a hair moose to gel around Malinda Go have a bath!!!!!! Sunil With regards to Hair gel very difficult to answer as i have a very little Hair. I guess the Hair gel would say"Hey, where's the hair" Gune Stop using me. 5. Do you have the ability to send people to sleep when you talk? Anil Well I kinda hope not cause it might be quite damaging to one of my careers, but you never know Op Well actually I have the ability to fall a sleep when people are talking to me , especially in the nights Malinda No, But I have the ability to sleep when people tallk!!!!!!!!! Sunil I hope I don't send people to sleep when I talk . So far all have stayed awake. Gune I do not know if I do. 6. What's the most cool thing that could happen during a gig? Anil Hearing every note and arrangement exactly as it's meant to and seeing the audience get off on your music is the ultimate high Op Seeing people singing along and head banging for our own originals Malinda Got Russians to dance on stage and the whole audiance started drooling Sunil The coolest thing that could happen during a gig is that the audience sing along to our original songs . Gune Getting a good response from the crowd. 7. What's the most uncool? Anil Haha.. besides the opposite of all I've said above .. bad sound 7 nasty sound checks. Op breaking guitar strings while playing Malinda mum was there too!!!!! Sunil The uncoolest things is being asked to stop playing. Gune Making huge mistakes while playing or a power failure. 8. The wackiest thing you've done on stage? Anil Jumped from the stage on to the dance floor and got eletrocuted by some wires. Op Jumping off stage and after done playing the song , realizing that the guitar cable had come out all that time of playing Malinda Thrashed my guitar on stage(Got blasted for it later, I had 3 guiters now I have 2) Sunil I'm not whacky on stage . Gune I haven't done anything wacky with independent square on stage yet. 9. The most daring thing you've done in life? Anil Buying tickets to Venga Boys concert Op Eating Soya meat Malinda Got a snake wrapped around my neck at the age of 5. (no kidding) Sunil The most daring thing I've done in life is learning the bass guitar. I'm quite a safe guy. Gune Coming soon... 10. The craziest thing a fan has done for you? Anil Sorry don't kiss and tell......hehehe. Op this girl buying 3 copies of "5 1/2" , so that if something happens to any of the cd's , she still would have a reserve copy to go with Malinda Framed one of our cover page pictures and hung it up her room. Sunil No crazy responses from fans Gune Coming soon... 11. You are taking this gal on a hot date, what are you gonna wear? Anil Depend's on the mood I'm in, but for sure something in black. Op like a p--t. Just want to show her the b-nd -g- (Please choose a vowel of your choice) part. Malinda Clothes and a C______? (Figure out the next word ) Sunil I enjoy wearing jeans and shirts untucked. Gune I do not believe in puting a false act in front of a woman. Wearing your real self is what I would recommend. 12. What sorta babe did you fancy when you were growing up? Anil Maddona! Hey who else is there... Op One with a solid body. A good tone and specially a good touch and feel to her. With a cute name such as Gibson or Fender. But ended up with a Samick. Malinda Pamela Anderson Sunil I think Halle Berry is very sexy Gune I'd rather fancy what I've got than talking about the good old days. 13. How do you like to be treated by a woman? Anil Well I'm not very picky. But I guess you get what you give an all that ya! Op Like God ( ha!!! ha!!! ha!!!....Just joking) Malinda I shall Refrain from answering that question Sunil I like to be treated by woman or anybody in fact with respect. Gune Treated well wouldbe my answer, But this involves of how you treat her. |
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