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| Sunday, 9 November 2003 |
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by Umangi de Mel They hit high, take one day at a time and have a good time doing what they've always wanted to do. They strike violently against the jaded thoughts of the society.
"It happened during a physics lesson... I mean the teacher was explaining the term and it kinda stuck in my mind for no apparent reason. But it came handy later on when we were hunting for a name for our band," kicks off Anushka and adds, "In fact we were without a name for sometime and once we were going for practices and I had this sudden inspiration to call the band 'Head on Kollision' with a "K"." Head on Kollision includes Anushka on vocals, Eranda on rhythms, Teague on bass, Nirodha on drums and Shihan on lead guitars. The guys claim to have had a band in college back in 2002, Nirodha wasn't there then. We wanted to try 'On Stage' that year but the other guys (ie. ex. members) weren't that interested which is why the idea eventually died down and the band didn't do much for 6 months," Anushka explains 'Meeting Nirodha at 'On Stage' this year made us consider forming a new outfit 'cause we already had three guitarists and the vacancy for the drummer was filled in by Nirodha." Meeting Nirodha was like receiving the green light to buckle up and start again, they say "We formed the band four months back and we've already performed at several shows in school and we'll be performing for Rock Company, this month." Having to confront many people who dislike rock, stigmatising it to the root, the guys say that it's pretty hard to win hearts, being a rock musician. "The response for rock in school is pretty low but the upper school guys who actually like the kinda music, enjoy it," they say adding that it's highly unlikely to be appreciated for what they play. "When we auditioned for Rock Company 'Stigmata' appreciated our music and egged us on," Anushka says thanking both Rock Company and 'Stigmata'. Head on Kollision says that they practise twice a week. They talk about managing both strides and music at the same time, "well, we do things systematically. We give our strides, first priority and we don't skip classes," they say and add that they organise practice in a way that it doesn't collide with their studies. "Our parents are quite OK with it since we don't neglect our studies. By the way Nindha is just 14 and is the youngest member in the Rock Company," Anushka reminds. Playing new metal music to go with the style, the guys say that it's the new era of rock, Def Leopad and Iron Maiden were like the great musicians back then but new people like Korn, Slip Knot, System of a Down, Godsmack and Disturb play a key role in the rock scene. Drum beats and guitar rhythms have become heavier and tighter. All these are features of new metal. We play a variety of songs but most of our songs derive from new metal," they explain. Head on Kollision concentrate on a few covers like Korn, Slip Knot, Godsmack and Rammstein. "We've already composed three originals," they say and continue, "our first song 'awakening' talks about a guy who's being blamed by a woman for something he did but eventually the incident helps him to make a revelation about life. Its music W-S composed by Eranda & Teague worked on lyrics. The second song is called "Hate Factor" that talks about a man who's being shunned and left alone by his friends and the society. He expresses his anger and hatred. The music was composed by Shihan and lyrics by Anushka. Our third one which is an instrumental has no meaning. It has a pretty catchy tune and gets the crowd all worked up", they talk about their originals. Speaking of themselves as young musicians they say music is a way of expressing. We don't want to play covers 'cause that's not what we want. What's more, we hate imitating", they say. "Music is not a hobby or a profession. It's a lifestyle. Music is what brought us together", they claim that rock music is their passion, "We don't like love songs on hip hop stuff. We just want to send the message that we hate them", they grin. Head on kollision says that making your own music is hitting high, 'That's the only way to get recognition here and overseas. Rock Company is a major boost to all the young musicians and their original music. It was Rock company that brought us to this level", they say showing gratitude.Like a lot of other bands, they grumble that rock has become a fad in Sri Lanka. "It's like a tread to be satanic or project such an image", they continue, "but the point is rock music is nothing about being demonic or satanic. We are pretty religious and go to church. Just because you like rock music doesn't mean we've satanic on practise it". The guys continue to explain, "Marlyn Manson is one musician who actually has the craze to project such an image but it's not fair to judge everybody by the cover". They think that it's a wrong perception and that the society is merely prejudiced. "Eminem continuously talk about killing in his music. I'm totally against the idea of people being unreasonably prejudiced b'cos of our music", Anushka says. The five seem to get along quite well. "We've known each other for a long time. It's a pretty strong bond. We don't take anybody for granted but we're always there for each other. We just have a good time", they say. |
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