This week we speak to one of the founders of The Melomanic Sessions and also a brilliant musician who has a great sense of humour. Asela is one of those musicians whose music can get you on a different kind of high. Check out his story on this week’s Local Scene.

Tell me about your introduction to music?

My first recollection of exposure to music was most definitely through my father's passion for reggae. In fact I'm pretty sure that until I was about 15 I had no clue there was something beyond the world of reggae! It also helped that most of my cousins and my father are musically inclined and I was always in the middle of some form of musical environment.

Who are your Influences?

My influences have changed quite a bit over the years to be honest. Jon Foreman from Switchfoot continues to be a huge inspiration in terms of song writing. Then I also love to listen to quite a lot of indie singer/song writers like William Fitzsimmons, John Mayer, Civil Wars, Iron & Wine, Priscilla Ahn. Anything that has an eccentric and earnest delivery usually catches my attention. I'd also say I'm most defifnitely a "lyric" person!

You have written quite a few originals, which is closest to your heart?

That is a difficult one indeed. They all have an individual meaning to me personally. If I had to say there was one I keep going back to, it would be a song called "20:55". It's the only instrumental I've ever done and it speaks volumes to me on a personal level. I've had a couple of other people come back with their own interpretations of it as well.

What inspires your lyrics and music?

The EPs have always been a form of "self therapy". I wouldn't say I'm the best at communicating in general, so somewhere along the line I turned to song writing as a way to channel things that I am not necessarily comfortable speaking out loud about. So it would mostly be inspired by personal experiences, however for the new EP that'll hopefully be coming out early next year, I've also written a couple of songs from a third person POV and about a fictitious character, so I guess it's also about reinventing the approach and keeping it fresh from a writing perspective.

What made you want to start The Melomanic Sessions?

For the longest time before Melo came to be, CC and myself used to have quite a few conversations about how there wasn't an ongoing acoustic performance platform for artistes and musicians. There was most definitely the adhoc gig around Colombo but nothing substantial in terms of a series which enticed artistes, especially new artistes, to break out of their shell and feel absolutely comfortable in a performing environment. So the sessions were essentially the brainchild of Kavya, CC and myself with Natasha being an absolute close part of it from the very first session back in 2011.

Melo is as informal as it gets and I think the simplicity of the whole idea is one of the many reasons why it's going strong three years later. There's a close knit community that follows Melo and an ever growing group of very grounded and yet extremely talented artistes who perform at the sessions. As a team I think we constantly try to maintain the rule of "quality over quantity" for all aspects of the sessions, be it the music, the following, the venues and ..oh..the cake! For me personally Melo has been one of the most satisfying things that have come about musically and I feel absolutely humbled to be a part of.

Let's talk about the "bromance" between you and CC?

Is that what they are calling it now? Haha, well I think it's one of those things where we share a similar hope of seeing the music scene here in Sri Lanka, regardless of genre, grow beyond the status quo and most importantly on how to make it viable for an artist to pursue their passion in a way that it gives back to them and motivates them to continue doing so.

Being on the same page in that sense I guess is a huge part of why we get along so well. Without stating the obvious case of him easily being one of the most unique voices in the country, it simply boils down to him being a very grounded individual who has most definitely inspired me in my own musical endeavours. Without a doubt.

How do you define a good song?

I think that is definitely a subjective opinion. I've always found my interest to lie in songs that come across with a lot of sincerity and the "sing it like you mean it" factor. Lyrics, like I mentioned, do play a huge role for me and one thing I've noticed is that I love voices which aren't technically proficient but have the endearing quality to them. Again it's a very subjective opinion of course!

Would you say that in the local music scene, upcoming artistes have no room to progress into the international music scene because of the mass market following and the blockage it has created?

I would go out on a limb and say that there's a substantial amount of upcoming artistes who have more room to progress internationally than locally to be honest. It's not to say that oppurtunities locally haven't improved over the years but a majority of the talent I have had the oppurtunity to observe seems to have the capability of reaching out to a more wider international audience who would appreciate them due to the appropriate exposure in music beyond the mass market. Especially with the boom in social media breaking down the barrier between the international audiences, music is truly a global experience now. It's still not a ride in the park of course, but there definitely are opportunities.

You have been around for quite sometime in the scene, how have you managed to maintain your following?

Haha that's a really awkward question because I don't honestly believe I have a substantial following. Like I said, the songs I write are mostly a form of self therapy and I put them out there in hopes of these tunes finding their way to a handful of people who would be able to relate to them. Again quality over quantity I suppose. It might not be the most strategic way of going about things but it's honestly how I see my music.

What is the biggest obstacle you face as a musician?

The biggest obstacle I see for myself is the challenge to keep getting better creatively. I have a very simplistic sound to what I do and I'm constantly looking for ways and means by which to reinvent the wheel and to keep the experience rewarding for myself. I would like to think that musically I have evolved as opposed to when I first started writing and I don't plan to stop anytime soon.

What plans for your musical journey?

I've always maintained that I will keep writing music as long as I have experiences left to write about. Rehashing the same subject matter over and over is not something I'm fond of. It's partially the reason why I have been away from writing originals for a while. Almost two years after the last EP, this year I've finally gotten back to writing and it's actually been the most testing attempt yet. The immediate plan is to take my time and work on the songs for the EP and hopefully release it early next year.

Interviewed by Reihan Stephen
Photo credits: TheGargoyleInJeans, Mario De Kauwe and Nadya Tissera