‘Ragnarok’ to rock it for city’s pooches

Saturday 27 April will see a rock concert with a difference kicking off at the British School Colombo auditorium – ‘Ragnarok,’ a gathering of musicians of all genres getting together for the benefit of the city’s pooch population. Hard rock with a conscience? It’s not something we usually associate with hard rock, so I sat down with the organiser 891 Managing Director and Stigmata headman Suresh de Silva to find out what this is all about

By David Ebert

Q: We haven’t heard much of the band in a while. So first of all, what has Stigmata been up to in recent times?

A: To be fair, we have not been idle, far from it if truth be told. 2013 marks our 13 year anniversary as a band, it is also the 10 year anniversary of ‘Hollow Dreams,’ our debut album (and the country’s debut hard rock/metal album released on 23 August 2003), which is now a cult classic of sorts globally. On one hand we have been relentlessly busy working on the tunes for our new record which will be our fourth album due out later this year.

We have naturally evolved musically to a point where every composition is meticulously looked at, carved, chiselled and brought to light and life – the new music is unmercifully epic; offering all the twists and mind eviscerating moments we are reputed for, while the new stuff is technically proficient with lots of variety and stylistic touches to it with a melodic essence which is rare for an extreme musical ensemble like us. We are still looking for a suitable studio and engineer, be it here or abroad if it’s pragmatic and feasible. It is a painstaking process working on new material; rehearsing it, performing it or entering the studio to capture our sonic sorcery. We performed select concerts of our choice last year including the Fete de La Musique with over a 1,000+ attendance, the Colombo Music Festival and we performed as special guests at a Gateway International Fashion Show in Kandy to a full house.

We have a modicum of luxury where we can be selective about the concerts we take, because we don’t need to overexpose ourselves, when we do play a gig it’s an event. You must also remember that to survive in this day and age is tedious; therefore we have to strike a balance between our bread and butter (which is work with our own Agency 891) and our life’s passion which is music. We are not dependent on the band to earn off it, so we are not obligated to succumb to commercial strains, meaning we can preserve our musical and artistic integrity and keep making music that shatters all trends, it certainly isn’t for the faint of mind, we create music that is visceral, powerful, universally relevant, challenging and thought provoking – it’s an acquired taste.

Leaving those things aside, Tenny and Andrew have both been busy involved with other musical projects and endeavours of their own. I am concentrating on my higher education and my writing a little bit more. I must tell you that our skinsman and bassist, Chathuranga and Lakmal, although young are amazing and we are blessed to have two guys who are so dedicated and passionate about pushing themselves and the band to the next phase of our musical journey. We are having the time of our lives with the new music right now; though as individuals we have changed drastically at least musically we have not lost perspective after so long together.

Q: ‘Ragnarok’ or the ‘Twilight of the Gods’ has obvious mythical Norse undertones to it. Was naming the gig after the Norse “end of days” your personal social commentary on the state of the world today?

A: That is a very acute observation if one dares to clean the proverbial flesh off the bone and pick it clean as it were. One thing about us is we have always had a sense of wit and ambiguity about us. We’ve always left some things for people to interpret because one cannot really always dictate to the public or their fans how their artistry ought to be viewed or perceived. The beauty of any art form is that it leaves room for people to connect with it on a deeper level and to be free to decipher what they will. We personally thought it would also twist quite a few people’s panties with the fact that it is an apocalyptic charity gig; to just render irony with a slap in the face.

Q: The concert is in support of the Blue Paw Trust this time around. Could you explain the reason behind your decision to support the cause of animal vaccination in the city and why is it so important to you and the band?

A: Because many of us are canine lovers. I am to a great extent, to a fault even. We have four dogs at home; three that we salvaged from the streets, saved them from injury, etc., and one littered and gave us a real princess at home who suffers from a rare dominatrix complex. If I had my way I’d have a zoo at home really. This isn’t a bunch of people using charity to further their agendas, or to seek popularity. We love dogs, all the artistes and sponsors are pooch lovers too so there is a real sense of camaraderie and like-mindedness for Ragnarok and that makes it quite special. Also there are too many pseudo-philanthropists displaying their feigned adoration for the canine population publicly – an almost ‘Oh my, look at me. I am donating so much for these puppies who are like so cute as long as they don’t grow up’ syndrome.

The Blue Paw Trust consist of vets and doctors who are passionate about the cause; we have seen them work, we have seen how engrossed they are to make this country a better and safer place for canines and let’s admit it; we do have a stray population issue in this country, fundamentally because people are rarely responsible or accept accountability for their actions. Our goal is to help the Blue Paw Trust in any way we can to help eradicate rabies and other diseases from Colombo, and to raise awareness that the Blue Paw Trust and others like them implement and carry out effective projects to neuter, vaccinate and treat the injured.

Q: Tell me about the bands we’ll see up on stage this time.

A: The first thing I would like to say is that this charity event is a celebration of live music. There’s plenty of electronic music to go around and nothing and I mean nothing compares to the raw intensity, sincerity and aesthetic value of having real musicians on a stage sweating and bleeding for their artistry. Many of the artistes on the bill have paid their dues and have pursued through endless days and nights honing their craft and mastering their instruments. We wanted an eclectic mix this time to offer everything from metal, jazz, blues, hard rock, gospel to good pop music.

So we are naturally very excited that Wildfire is on aboard and it’s iconic because Stigmata and Wildfire have not performed together in about a decade I think. We have last year’s TNL winners Magician’s Toolbox, who are an awesome Hard Rock band, Shehara who will bring her unique melodic metal sound to the concoction, Hollow; who are a Metal band that kicks some serious butt, Shehan J who is a saxophonist and will bring us his soothing jazz and R.A.G.E who are a technical metal outfit that take no prisoners.

The event will kick start at 5 p.m. with a special guest performance by Circus Uncle; a reputed individual who salvages stray dogs from the streets, looks after them and trains them to perform neat tricks.

Q: How else will Ragnarok be different?

A: It’s for a relevant and rare cause, it will feature some of this country’s finest talent, there will be a wide variety of genres so people will have diversity for a change, it’s live music you know, there are no gimmicks and frills, it’s a pure live performance with feel and soul and that’s something I know a lot of people have missed in the country with the so called electronic devolution. There’ll be stalls from merchandise to food and beverages and it’ll be very festive. It’s an event by 891 which is swiftly making a name for itself as one of the leading new integrated ad/marketing agencies and event management entities in the country so the standard and calibre of the event will be rather high.

Q: Let’s talk about the different musical genres you’ve promised at Ragnarok; there’s everything from progressive rock to even blues. Explain that.

A: I am personally weary going for events where most of the artistes sound the same; where one performer is hardly distinguishable from the other, people often focus on events and tend to focus on promotions and stuff but neglect things that are imperative like booking good sounds, good lighting and a venue worthy of a performance. There are so many factors to be brought into consideration when one organises any event that you can’t take short cuts. You have to think about the performers, the sponsor value aspect and the audience; we must evaluate the event in different perspectives in order to identify its potential impact. I’ve heard from so many people that they are sick of the lack of variety in this country and this is the kind of gig we would love to attend personally. No one’s taken the 15 minutes of fame/shame approach and jumped on a trend wagon here; every performer has worked hard, continues to work hard and will give it their 101% on that stage for the pooch community and for all our fans. Anyone with a decent sense of pitch and skill can master the art of spinning a CD, but not everyone can be a musician.

Every genre at Ragnarok offers something unique; originality, passion and true musical dexterity. There are so many styles of music featured that all those who attend will have a great time and know that we have all gathered as one body, one mind and one united voice for a truly worthwhile cause.

Q: What’s new on the Stigmata front?

A: Our fourth album is coming up soon and that’s a record that will appeal to a lot of people; Metal and Rock fans as well as music enthusiasts who enjoy prog rock, jazz, classical, blues, eastern music, well even baila and fusion. However, at its base is the unforgiving beast of chaos controlled. Is it brutal? Hell yes. Will it be melodic? Hell yes. Will it have all the jaw-lacerating moments we have become renowned for? Of course and much, much more. It is our most evocative and complete body of work to date.

We will also celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the first metal album in Sri Lanka. We plan to re-release ‘Hollow Dreams’ for its gigantic 10-year anniversary as a collector’s edition with revised artwork and with our fingers and toes crossed with two surprise bonus tracks as well which aren’t on the original release. More news on that once things are set in stone.

Q: What is the band’s message to the world?

A: Irrespective of race, religion, demography or status rock and roll and heavy metal music will always bring people together. If you are a new band or musician stick to your guns, be prepared to endure a lot of hardship, be passionate and humble and don’t ever give up. If you are just getting into heavy metal music, have an open mind because it isn’t an easy listening experience; it’s thematically and sonically profound. The more you learn about the purpose and the role of a musical genre or and its sub-genres you will be able grasp why so many people find this music so sacred and precious and why so many people stand by it around the world.

Music is a universal language and metal is its illegitimate offspring, often misunderstood, impossible to simulate and full of provocation, depth and wonder. As rock and metal fans we are among the loyal music fans in the world who still embrace the old ways with the new; we buy what albums we can to support our heroes, we attend concerts, buy merchandise, support and explore new artistes and genres and infinitely stand by our inspirations through trends, tempests and thunder.