Flame on a new journey
Twenty-two years ago, two guys began an impromptu Simon & Garfunkel session…
Roshan Premasinghe and Naushad Rassool were rehearsing together with the Merry-An Singers for an upcoming concert. During a break, Naushad was drawn to a corner of the room towards a favourite tune by Simon and Garfunkel being strummed by the Merry- An Singer’s back-up guitarist, Rienzi Pereira.
The story of Flame starts with Roshan, Naushad and Rienzi’s small, impromptu collaboration, and their mutual love of 70s and 80s music. Naushad and Roshan were practising “American Tune” by Simon and Garfunkel, to perform it at ‘Country Roads’ the charity folk and country music concert. Naushad’s chance encounter gave them their back-up guitarist.
The trio was a hit at Country Roads. In 1989, Naushad, Roshan and Rienzi christened themselves as Flame and began playing a regular gig at the Mount Royal Beach Hotel. They also auditioned and won a Wednesday night spot at the Taj Hotel lobby bar; a gig that is still remembered by Flame fans. Their popularity grew from playing at intimate hotel lobbies to being the go-to-band for large celebrations of weddings and dinner dances. Today you have to secure seats early to catch Flame at their weekly gig at the UBG (Hilton Residencies) on Fridays.
The Journey will be Flame’s first concert, to be held on November 11 at 7 p.m. at the Bishop’s College Auditorium. The decision to stage an exclusive concert came two years ago when the band celebrated its 20th anniversary. Flame considers the 70s and 80s to be music’s golden ages. They are also the two eras that best describes the band’s formation and popularity. The Journey promises to give the audiences a one-of-a-kind concert, rocking with talent and packed with hits such as Sound of Silence, Tequila Sunrise, Africa, Nights on Broadway, Layla, as well as material that Flame is re-working especially for the concert.
Roshan, the band’s founding member, named the band Flame, a word, that best describes their passion, ambition, and energy, when bringing music to live audiences. Seen from a different light, the band’s name speaks of a group who burns a flame for folk music. Flame was the first Sri Lankan band to play folk music professionally. The band has a deep appreciation for the genre and they are famous for entertaining crowds with folk music not commonly heard in Sri Lanka.
The trio, since 1989 has multiplied. Additions and popular members of the band over the years include – Ikram Miskin, Siraj Saboor, Suranga Fonseka, Primal Liyanage, Joe Lappen, Chamath Ariyadasa, Rafi Buksh, Lal De Silva, Lenny Vittachchi, Shane De Silva, Allan Outschoorn, Ranjan Josiah, Kamal Perera, Chris De Alwis, Nishantha de Abrew, and Niroshan de Silva. Flame’s first female member, and the latest singer to collaborate with the band, is Anne Jayamanne. She will add pop and jazz to Flame’s repertoire.
The Journey will be compered by Viran Corea. Tickets are priced between Rs. 750 and Rs. 3000 and are available at the Hilton Residencies and the Bishop’s College Auditorium. The fun will continue for concert-goers who are all invited to an after-party at the Park Street Mews!
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