Alien Accent reborn
The year was 1983. Two 16-year-old schoolboys held their very first folk
rock concert against all odds, while awaiting their examination results.
The concert was a roaring success, which came as a surprise to young Suresh
Jayawickrama and Husni Ghouse who became known to music fans  simply
as Suresh & Husni.
Encouraged by their success, the duo held many more concerts, performing
songs from their favourite bands such as Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor,
Cat Stevens & Crosby Stills & Nash. They also began experimenting
with their own compositions. This resulted in the duo releasing an album
of original music, which injected a breath of fresh air into the local
music scene. All copies of the album were sold out within a month! Suresh
& Husni were on a roll and had become two of the most sought after
musicians performing original western music in the country.
The following year Suresh left for the USA to pursue his studies and
Husni embarked on a solo career. Husni's solo concert 'Husni in Concert'
was a two-day sell out at the Lionel Wendt. During this time Husni teamed
up with another musician, Dyan Wijesinha (DK) for several performances,
which were once again, hit musical events.
When Suresh returned from the States, having completed his higher studies,
it was only natural for the three of them to get together as a trio. This
was the birth of Suresh & Husni with DK. Suresh wrote the lyrics and
collaborated with Husni to compose the music while DK played an important
part in arranging vocal harmonies and instrumentation.
Their first concert 'Sound of Silence' held in 1991, was the first three-day
musical extravaganza held at the Lionel Wendt theatre. All tickets were
sold out. The shows were a tremendous success.
This was followed by many more sell-out concerts as the demand for their
music grew along with an increasingly loyal fan base. Their next performance
at the Lanka Oberoi Golden Ballroom was another success.
Next came a performance at the Colombo Hilton along with the German
band 'The Thomas Brill Quartet' which was also a sell-out show.
Fired up by the success of the above events the trio decided to release
their first album of original compositions entitled 'Promised Land' along
with a spectacular two-day launch concert at the Lionel Wendt. Needless
to say the concert was a sell-out and all copies of their music was sold
out during this time. Newspaper headlines described the show as 'The Best
of Suresh Husni & DK'.
These events enabled the trio to win five awards at the Golden Clef
Musical Awards in 1992 and 1993. It also resulted in the trio getting a
huge break by being invited to perform at the 'One World Concert Tour',
a month long tour of Germany, by a German music promoter who had been impressed
by their performance at the Colombo Hilton. Their performance at this musical
fiesta brought an interview with the BBC, in a programme highlighting the
new music of Asia. However during this time Husni unexpectedly left for
Japan and the band went into hibernation for several years. Their comeback
as 'Alien Accent' with another spectacular concert titled 'Legacy' at the
Bishop's College auditorium for three nights running in 1998 was produced
by Jerome De Silva. This concert featured some of Sri Lanka's premier musicians
such as Aruna Siriwardhana and Shafi, and was once again a sell-out.
A few months later, the lead vocalist of the band, Husni, decided to
retire from the music scene owing to personal reasons.
Await 'Rites of Passage'
Alien Accent is back. Alien Accent is the reincarnation of the trio Suresh
& Husni with DK, renowned for their songwriting prowess and groundbreaking
live performances. "Rites of Passage" is history in the making. It is Alien
Accent's new album of original music, recorded in Los Angeles with some
of the finest session musicians from L.A. This spectacular CD will be launched
with a three-day live performance at the Bishop's College auditorium on
March 22, 23 and 24. Alien Accent's songs feature a unique blend of east
and west, influenced as they are by artistes such as Sting, Paul Simon,
Peter Gabriel and Crosby Stills and Nash. Their ability to skilfully and
tastefully incorporate local melodies and rhythms into their compositions
has been critically acclaimed especially in Los Angeles. Today, Alien Accent
comprises Suresh, DK and Ricky Bahar who replaces Husni. As always the
trio will not compromise on quality. The finest sound and light equipment
in the country has been hired and a professional production team headed
by Producer Jerome De Silva of Lion King fame has been put together to
make sure 'Rites of Passage', the show, will be of international standard.
Alien Accent will be backed by some of the veteran musicians in the field
including Aruna Siriwardene on drums, Kumar De Silva on keyboards, Shobi
on bass and Shane Berenger on electric guitar. The guest artistes will
be Thilan Wijesinghe, Sureka Amerasinghe on flute and various artistes
on oriental drums and backing vocals. |
