Melomanic celebrates 5th anniversary
The “Melomanic sessions” have been a community experience of different genres of unplugged music at its core. At the same time the sessions have provided a platform for budding artists and established musicians to mingle with their audiences as one community.
To a random person looking in from the outside, ‘Melo’ might appear to be like a usual gigs in and around Colombo. Except for that over the span of 5 years, it has become the unassuming home to many friendships, memories, musical magic and a strongly knit community of grounded, big hearted people who have an honest love for music in its rawest form. In 2011, Chrisantha De Silva, Natasha Senanayake, Asela Perera and Kavya Galle Kankanamge founded the Melomanic Sessions and this year last month it celebrated a milestone of being its 5th anniversary .
“When forming melo we were looking at something like an acoustic set, with the essence of genuine music and a place for amateurs to perform. Right now Melo is about giving back to the musicians,” said Kavya recalling his first ideas behind the sessions.
The trio had the idea of how they wanted the sessions to sound like and even what the feel and look should be for those who attended the sessions. The all-round rustice genuine raw take of the sessions was captured in its initial days at the warehouse project in Maradana. “We ran it for a little more years,” Chrisantha explains.
Through each of the sessions the melo team discovered what the popular choice of sound was with originals taking a preference. “People like the originals more than the covers; 90% of the set list consist of originals,” Asela says.
Aside from the musical opportunities, the sessions present they’ve also built up a following of those who’ve been brough together by their love of music with many friendships being made along the ways says Natasha.
The Meloversary venue was the Auditorium at St. Anthony’s Church, Kolpetty. The line-up for the sessions consisted of the following artists: · Nikhil D’Almeida, Dilan Jayakody, Dan Aloysius, Circus Cult, Sankha Bee, Natasha Senanayake, Nabith Maeesh, Thusitha Neranjan, Asela Perera, And Team Melo