Postive space for free expression
View(s):
Ryan Bastian
The 80 club was loud for a Sunday, last week. Drum sticks and open guitar cases sat propped against the few empty chairs as bands lined-up to perform at the first event of its name – “Sundown Jam.”
To call it just another concert, is to miss at least partially, the point of Devinda Amarasuriya’s intention behind putting the event together. How it is, in fact different is also less than obvious. We were tapping our toes and nodding our heads to meticulously executed guitar riffs before realizing the bands were composed of fresh faces in the local music scene.
Meaning to introduce new talent Devinda’s keen interest in “supporting younger performers” drove him to inaugurate Sundown Jam. “All the money goes directly to the artists,” he said of the donations each band managed to attract. “Sundown Jam” is designed to be a positive space for free expression.
For Krishani George her support for the event comes from a personal place and extends to the generally strong pro-youth stance she has adopted. Amal de Mel of the 80 club which opened-up the premises had a similar thought. “The piano was reserved for the sisters,” at the time of his boyhood, “I was told I didn’t have an ear for it,” he tells us. Taking-on the guitar instead, piano playing was a skill he eventually got around to although not as early as he would have enjoyed, “I believe in young talent.”
Subodhe Pilimatalawwe
Among the novice performers we spot Jitendra Uduman with his crew, Odyssey. It’s the first gig “since we won” the talent search ‘Tantalize’ last year, he smiles. Up to perform next on the evening’s schedule nerves were slightly at play “but we’ll be fine” he felt.
Originally a cricket team called ‘Three Slips and a Gully’ the young-at heart band decided to adopt only part of this as their stage name. The Slips featured debut singer Dilani de Silva who chose to go with some blues tunes. “I was a part of Shyam Selvadurai’s theatre productions,” as a teenager. The mandatory vocal training under Mary Ann David is the only kind she’s had for this purpose, following which for personal reasons her singing career never took-off until now.
Church is where all good things start according to Ryan Bastian. Re-acquainted with music through the spiritual genre, much of his musical heritage was lost with the demise of his father when Ryan was 16. “My great grandfather was Wally Bastian” he shares, and there’s much ground to cover in his musical journey. He’s taking his first steps with a band called “Photocopy – because we sang all covers.”
Kingdom-Life has been a band for about two years. Subodhe Polomatalawwe said they’re a “gospel band – we’ve been recording pieces for about one and a half years.” Deciding to go live the “urban spiritual band” was geared with everything from “Synth-rock, EDM and techno.”
We found Gyles Dharmaratne of the band ‘The Bakery’ enjoying his wait to perform. Initiatives of this nature are much needed he feels, “there may not be enough places for bands to perform, but there are never enough bands.”
Young bands at work