Let the Marians move you with those memorable CT favourites
View(s):Who would forget hits like Punsanda Himmenne and its lyrics … Wasanthaya samayedi oba langa indagena //Mihirata kavi kiyami // Saman kekulu mal// Pokurak aragena obe hise gasami//?
Come August 20 and the Ave Maria auditorium at Negombo will come alive with the songs of the evergreen C.T. Fernando sung in Nalin and the Marians-style, probably one of the few outstation groups in recent decades to hit the big time in the city. An example of their success: a giant container truck load of sound equipment often parked by the side of a city hotel during a gig by the band.
The Marians – starting off with Sinhala pop and now handling a range of music including western pop, jazz and the blues -, is on a mission; to popularise music across the ages which have stuck a chord with audiences in the 60s-70s for the simple reason that these songs are meaningful, melodious and often emotional, drawing many a tear from the audience.
“As musicians we have a great responsibility towards society; how we behave on stage, what we say on stage. It we are entertaining an audience that includes families and kids, then our music should reflect and connect with that audience,” Nalin said explaining how since 2006 most of the band’s unplugged concerts have been geared towards profiling musicians of a bygone era like Clarence Wijewardena or baila ‘chakravarthi’ M.S. Fernando.
“I try to tell a story with every song, occasionally focusing on a particularly lyric that not only sounds beautiful but is full of meaning.”
Being in the business for 28 years – since 1988 when he was head prefect at St Mary’s, Chilaw – and known now as a successful band, much has been written about the band. Type Marians on the Internet and you have everything you want to know about the band, its charismatic leader and their success.
However Nalin’s passion for reviving the 1960s music, that spawned the values and discipline in society that is missing today, is little known and that’s what brought him to the Sunday Times.
“We will never find another Clarence, another Jothipala or another CT. That’s why we perform these evergreens because they are stories of the past, stories of a bygone era when life was simple but had a lot of meaning,” Nalin explains.
So if you want to sit back, listen and be moved by CT favourites like Kimada Sumihiriye, Ambili Mame (my favourite), Hela Jathika Abimane (revered and popular as the national anthem), Bilinda Nelawe, Salalihini Kowul, Suwanda Rosa, Ambaruk Sevanalle or Lo Adaninde, make a beeline to Negombo – just 30 minutes from Colombo on the highway. Nalin must also be taking a cue from the great Jim Reeves, a favourite of this Chilaw schoolboy who formed a band just for a school project. The rest is history.
| Head to Ave Maria auditorium, Negombo The “CT Show by MARIANS” is presented by Noble Events in association with Chandimal Entertainments on August 20 at 7 pm at the Ave Maria Auditorium, Negombo. Tickets priced at Rs.1000, Rs. 1,500, Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 3,000 are available at – Singer Mega Negombo // Molly at Ave Maria Auditorium and www.tickets.lk |
- Feizal