  Sing and swing like a Nightingale!
by Nilma Dole
Having a birthday party won’t be
the same again!
Imagine your friends singing a very happy birthday to you and when
you can sing with them having a ball, no other place does it right than
the Nightingales lounge at the Galadari hotel. PR Manager of Galadari,
Nirukshi Rupasinghe said, “The Nightingale karaoke lounge caters to
birthday parties from sweet sixteen to even your stag and hen get
togethers.”
She even said that you can opt for social gatherings and
breaking-the-ice corporate events to instill more of an informal
atmosphere. What is more, the private and homely setting of
Nightingale’s makes you feel more at home while singing so you don’t
have to be embarassed with a big crowd who might not take to your
soprano style.
  For your birthday party, you get a choice of your own delicious
birthday cake, hot and cold canapés served with a tantalising welcome
drink or sparkling wine. “We even handle your decorations and if you
want to add some glitz and glamour with a theme party, you are more than
welcome to do that” said Banquet Manager Bernard Croos, who supervises
the karaoke party theme at Nightingale’s. “A party menu and open bar
packages are available for small or large groups at a nominal price,” he
said. Your friends can sing Happy Birthday to you in different ways with
the varied song list from the old classics to the hit wonders of today.
The delicious and special menu at Nightingale Karaoke Lounge dishes
the best delights and the choicest drinks at a reasonable price. To be
honest, you can walk in feeling right at home knowing that the wonderful
staff will be there for your every request.
“This is the place where everybody can go on stage and be a star
because at the Nightingale Karaoke Lounge, whether you’re a pro or if
its your first time, you’re sure to get that round of applause!”
concluded Nirukshi with a winning smile.
Mirage - a May reality
by Mahes Perera
At last!... Donald Pieris has decided to get back into an active
music scene here in Sri Lanka. High time too! As Donald Pieris is an
accomplished and exciting drummer / singer who has given his fans many
happy moments, he shouldn’t take a further hiatus. No sir! As a leader
of a band he is dynamic, as a drummer he mesmerizes and as a singer he
keeps you rooted to your seat.
Remember his versions of Bohemian Rhapsody, Music Is My First Love,
or Just A Gigolo - the songs had a speciality when performed by him.
That is why the news that Donald has decided to re-group his band Mirage
is “welcome news” for all music lovers. Their professional vibes will
rock the Margarita Blue on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays
from 7.30 p.m. onwards, commencing from the month of May, with their
repertoire of retro, contemporary hits and hip hop.
 “Everybody I ran into these past years was urging me to get back into
the scene and give the music lovers our expertise as a band. I joined
Fire and Rain to keep in touch, but that didn’t last. Benjy was pushing
me to get back into the scene, he was really instrumental in getting a
positive answer from me and so now Mirage has become a reality again. I
asked my guitarist Kamal Perera whether he would join but he is very
busy so I invited guitarist Derrick Wickramanayake to join us.
As you know he also plays trumpet and that’s useful. The rest of the
squad with the inclusion of Benjy Ranabahu - bassist and leader of
Aquarius are back. Melantha Perera is on keyboards and Gavin Senn will
be on saxes and doubling up on other instruments when the need arises,”
expressed Donald with happiness reflected on his face.
Mirage when they were in Dubai from 1994-2007 very decisively put Sri
Lanka on the world map with their music artistry which resulted in the
band being contracted to play for a solid thirteen years.
They were a popular band with a large fan base which included
cosmopolitan audiences. They received rave reviews in the media and were
successful in the global competitions that were held in Dubai. But when
they came home for the holiday season their fans in Sri Lanka were over
the moon whenever and wherever they performed.
Donald has certainly come a long way since he was a member of Jet
Fires a mix of some members of the Jetliners and the Spitfires. They won
a band competition and this was his launching pad as a musician.
Subsequently he had a colourful musical career. “In retrospect after Jet
Fires it was Experiments with Angelo, Noeline and Mohan. Amazing Grace
with Tony de Silva, Joey Lewis and Benjy came next. The urge to travel
was then a keen factor with all of us, so I joined Lotus with Raja and
Priyanthi and we toured Dubai and Kuwait, Italy, Venice, Nairobi in East
Africa.
When we came back home I formed Orpheus with Harsha Makalanda Benjy,
Conrad and Gordon Mayo and after a year we went to Switzerland. When I
came back the music in me saw the birth of Mirage with a launch at Mount
Royale. What followed after that is some what unbelievable. We were
invited to be the resident band at My Kind Of Place and soon after we
flew to Europe, played there, then went to the Middle East and stayed
put in Dubai from 1994 to 2007.
The scene was good then. And now musicians are again enjoying success
- so Mirage will be at Margarita Blue from May” Donald reveals his route
to success in music. Make a date with Mirage - you are bound to tell
yourself - ah at last Donald’s back!
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