TV Times

TV Times

Good old 'Rock Company' is back
With re-emerging of rock music, Sri Lankan rock music fans are in a treat after a long silence with a massive rock concert featuring everpopular rock legends such as Cancer with Prasanna, Prins and the Friends, Rattlesanke and Venom. The Concert has not been finalised, but will be held towards the end of March.

" Rock Company", was a unique club that existed during the seventies and eighties at the height of the Rock era that engulfed practically the whole world. The Club was formed with the objective of bringing forth hidden talent and also to propagate camaraderie among Rock music lovers in Sri Lanka. Monthly meetings were held at famous KOKO's, where a large crowd of Rock music lovers gathered providing an excellent opportunity for young talented musicians to expose their talent in an ideal environment. It must be also said that the 'Rock Company' was the breeding ground for many top musicians, who are playing for popular bands of today.

In addition the monthly meetings helped to generate much goodwill and friendship among its members due to their common love for music.

Various Rock Bands and artistes played for free with a newsletter being sold and a nominal fee charged as entrance just to cover the expenses such as hall hire and sound equipment hire etc. At that time the 'Rock Company' had a large membership from all parts of the country.

Today rock music has re-emerged as the choice of music among the younger generation with Alternate Rock which is currently very popular in Sri Lanka. The recently concluded Levis Rock festival had eight local Rock bands playing original compositions of their own with some of the songs played being of International quality. In addition this young segment and older segment - who were Rock music lovers during the 80's - still pursue Classic Rock music that even now are very popular in both these segments.

The good news is, few of the old Rock Company members have organized to resume the 'Rock Company' on a regular basis as a monthly event so that Rock music lovers could meet on a regular basis.

It is also envisaged that through these monthly meetings the Rock Company could offer exposure to up and coming talented musicians to bring forth their talents while setting the background for development of camaraderie and friendship among each other.

The currently planned Rock Company monthly meet is the first step towards this objective and in the current context will at least generate - in the short term - the possibility for new talent to emerge and expose their talents to such a gathering. The first revived Rock Company meeting is scheduled for March 30,the last Sunday of the month from 5.00pm to 10.00pm at the 80 Club, Independence Square, Colombo 7.

The event will start off at 5pm with an unplugged Folk rock session for individuals or twosomes to be followed with an electric session from 6.00pm onwards where new bands or members from different bands could join together to perform Classic or Alternate rock music for around 45 minute periods allowing the opportunity for at least five such events on this day offering the opportunity for young talent to emerge.

Fifteen years of 'Ebony'
By Sanath Weerasuriya
The popular band Ebony will celebrate their fifteenth anniversary with a big bash at Bishop's College Auditorium in Colombo on March 31.

"Ebony" is a family band with four brothers and a sister. The band comprises Udaya Galappaththi, the leader, who plays lead guitar and on vocals, Channa Galappaththi on bass and vocals, Sampath Galappaththi on keyboards and vocals and Dilrukshi on frontline vocals.

"Actually I started this band in 1986 with few of my friends. After some time only my brothers and sister joined in and we started to function as a family band since 1987," Udaya said.

Sampath and Channa joined the line up in early 1987 along with their cousin brother Lasantha Boteju.

"Apsarika, my other sister was on frontline vocals during that time and Nuwan, who showed his talent from his tender age remained as the stand-by artiste often replacing other brohters", Udaya said.

In 1990, Nuwan joined the band as a permanent keyboardist filling the vacancy created by Lasantha, who joined "Stealers", a popular outfit during late eighties. Apsarika after her marriage paved way to the younger sister Dilrukshi Galappaththi to take-up the front line vocals.

The manager of the band was their father, late Hubert de Silva.

He contributed mainly to form this family band, which was his long standing vision. He too a musically talented person occasionally joined the group as singer. It was his great efforts that ultimately stamped the success of this popular band with bright future. His younger brothers Derrick de Silva of the band "Crystal Set" and Lincoln de Silva of "Supper Pink & Purple" are popular musicians, who gave their fullest cooperation to his brother and the children.
After the demise of their father Udaya Galappaththi, the Leader attends to the functions of his late father as Manager as well, on the line and training given by him.

Presently the band "Ebony" performs at the "Blue Leopard" night club of GOH on Fridays and Saturdays.

The newest addition to the line-up is Shanaka Senadeera.

"He plays lead guitar as I am not too well to perform during night times. Though Shanaka is not a family member, he is just like one of ours", Udaya said.

"The Ebony Anniversary Show" will feature some of the top singers in the current music scene along with the band.

"Sun Set With Sam"
'Sam the Man', Lanka's popular entertainer with more than two decades of experience, now performs with his band at the Terrace of the Mount Lavinia Hotel on Sundays.

Accompanying Sam at the Terrace are Sarath Perera on keyboards and Vocals, Ricky Christoffelsz on lead guitar and vocals, Granville Gomesz on bass guitar and vocals with Peter Welt on drums and vocals.

Aptly termed "Sun Set With Sam" the programme commences at 6.30 p.m. and goes on till mid-night. Sam plays all the romantic songs of the 50's and even earlier times . His signature tune "You Are My Sunshine" dates back to 1940.

'This would be an ideal opportunity to perform for real music Lovers because, Mount Lavinia is my favourite place from the very begining' said Sam, who returned to the Island recently after a very successful tour in Dubai.

Last July Sam was invited to perform in Dubai and he proved to be a real crowd puller. In early December he was invited for the fourth time (since July) to perform during the season in Dubai.

A professional career - now in its 47th year - Sam has a record of around 30 International tours. From New York to Washington D.C. to California and Arizona in the U.S.A to London and Leicester in the U.K. and then to Melbourne, Australia and to Auckland in New Zealand . Also Toronto in Canada - Bahrain - Dubai- Pakistan, India and Lusaka in Zambia are some of the places Sam has performed with his old sax.

"The most surprising of them all was when I was invited by a Spanish businessman to perform at his daughter's wedding reception in Teneriffein Grain Canary Island. I was also Sri Lanka's sole representative performing with a Japanese Band at the Toyama Trade Fair in Japan 1989." Sam said.

An invitation from Canada to perform in Toronto (1989) saw SAM taking his entire outfit. "This was the most disastrous tour of my life-as all the members of the band stayed behind in order to claim refugee status. Only the renowned Tenor Saxophonist and Jazzman Malcolm de Zilwa returned with me." he said.

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