A few years back I watched ‘Give Peace a Song’, a documentary detailing John Lennon’s Montreal Bed-In protest against the Vietnam War and how it led to the making of ‘Give Peace A Chance’. I was mesmerized by the whole process. The energy inside that hotel room, the impulsive lyrics, people banging on furniture to keep time and everyone coming together to sing that now familiar chorus ‘All we are saying is give peace a chance’. The making of what still remains a peace anthem often heard at protests.
As a musician I believe in the power of music, regardless of genre, to change individuals. As a writer I believe in the power of words. Many of us have songs that forever changed the way we look at life, gave us something to believe in or are associated with significant moments in our lives. Such is the power of music on the individual.
However, a question I have pondered on in the recent past is the effect music has on society as a whole. It is difficult to point at one particular reason which triggered my interest in this area but I would think it is mostly to do with maturity and development of my musical taste and appreciation.
I discussed this issue of the social impact of music with others, read and researched, revisited music that changed my life and also music generally accepted as tools of social advocacy. This I did regardless of the particular genres of music and I reached several conclusions.
One is that music cannot act as a social advocate standing on its own; it needs a social movement of some sort to support it. In other words, music can achieve social advocacy by being a catalyst, by nurturing ideas society begins to consider. Another is that in order to create social advocacy, the genre of music has to be a medium the targeted society can relate to. For an example, with Sri Lanka’s long history of war and advocacy for peace, how is it that only pop music (Sinhala, Tamil, English) with relevant themes are widely accepted? And how is it that regardless of genre, there is a serious dearth of songs with other social messages?
Nonetheless let me not digress, given that my task at hand is to examine these issues within Sri Lankan rock music. For me, as a fan of Sri Lankan rock the biggest stumbling block it has with regard to social advocacy is that the country is still hesitant to accept it. There are several issues within this issue; the deep rooted misconceptions about rock music, the reservations of print and electronic media to give more exposure to rock and the lack of financial backing for rock music in comparison with pop and rap/hip-hop.
It is my personal opinion that the misconceptions about rock music have to be eradicated by the musicians themselves. It is apparent that this is already being done by them, one example being the magazine ‘The Outsider’, a work in progress which can be found online at http://outsider.lbinc.info. According to its creators, the magazine aims to “to educate; to lay to rest the misconceptions, prejudices and falsehoods that blight the music we love.”
According to Suresh de Silva, lead singer of Stigmata, the lack of exposure through media is a significant hindrance to the acceptance of rock music because “it is TV, radio and print media that dictate what the masses ought to love and shouldn’t”. He went on to say that people can’t appreciate what they haven’t heard and seen and that if rock music is exposed more, then people would have a chance to experience it and eventually appreciate it.
Another point brought up by Suresh was the lack of a big record label and a proper distribution chain for Sri Lankan rock music, though this in turn could raise the problem of big labels forcing bands to compromise their artistic integrity. Therefore it is evident that in order to reach out to a larger audience and send out a substantial social message, our rock music needs a strong support system.
However, it is not as if rock music in this country has hit a stalemate. There are new bands coming up, new music being released and as some examples I have cited would show, some with subtle or strong social messages. Websites such as rock.lk are being dedicated to Sri Lankan rock music, more opportunities being provided for bands - last December’s SAARC International Band Festival, for instance, featured a metal band: Sri Lanka’s own Stigmata. Therefore, the potential in our rock music for social advocacy has to be examined within this backdrop as well.
An important aspect of rock music in relation to social advocacy is the song lyrics. As important as the music and the force behind the music is, the comprehensibility and shelf value of the lyrics are vital if the musicians intend on sending out a message. This does not mean the lyricists have to compromise their individual style and language, and it is proven by the variety of styles we can find among different bands and musicians.
“It’s been some time,
But I still dream about,
That angry, that angry malevolent sea,
I can’t take much more of your,
Recurrent incompetencies,
Build my house or,
Let me build my own,
Another monsoon Sunday”. – ‘Another Monsoon Sunday’ by 10 Second Rule
“They try to crush us with their schemes
Their mordent points of view. Their political strain.
Their sheer disdain
Lies are all you feed
practice what you preach
we will not conform
fools can’t you see that there is nothing you can do that will change us
or who we are……”- ‘Jazz Theory’ by Stigmata
This paves the way to the fact that, as opposed to most other genres, rock music in several of its styles tends to give more emphasis to the tone of voice than articulation of words. Therefore for some musicians there is an added challenge if they are to deliver a social message without compromising their particular style.
One may contend that language is also an important aspect when considering potential in Sri Lankan rock music for social advocacy. The fact that, with the exception of one or two, all our rock bands use the English language is obviously an obstacle given that Sinhala is the main language of the larger portion of the population.
Aadhil Aziz of 10 Second Rule whose music is a fusion of funk, blues and alternative, speculated that while their fan base consists of anyone from teenagers to even people over 60 years of age, a majority of them tend to be from the English-speaking Upper Middle Class of Society. And he feels that the younger portion of their fans is more interested in their style of music whereas the older fans tend to read the lyrics again and again and give good feedback as well. However, the impact of language on the reception of rock music cannot be measured as of now because Whirlwind is the only well known rock band so far to experiment with both English and Sinhala in their lyrics.
The ‘Sri Lankan-ness’ of the lyrics and music also plays an important role. The implications of this are two sided because Sri Lankan imageries and ideas, while accepted by a Sri Lankan audience, may not be received too well on an international level. A prime example for this is ‘Andhura’ by Stigmata which is loved by and known to a wide spectrum of fans who may not necessarily be rock music fans in general. (For the uninitiated, ‘Andhura’ is a metal rendition of ‘Gajaga Vannama’, a traditional Sri Lankan tune).
While browsing through lyrics I came across Powercut Circus whose song ‘Red Spit’ has the ‘Sri Lankan-ness’ I referred to earlier.
“I’m walking these hot, sticky streets
dodging mud, red spit and crow shit
and I’m thinking about the news I read this morning
more people dead
more people missing”
There is a familiarity about their lyrics which a Sri Lankan audience would relate to and be comfortable with. “Moving on to the barricade, got my checkpoint face on”.
Lastly, the most recent developments in Sri Lankan rock music also have to be considered in order to determine the potential for social advocacy. Chathuranga Fonseka of Funeral In Heaven seems to be pioneering a new trend in rock lyrics.
“An age of oppression and thralldom, a blind eye towards unrighteous conduct
The Winds of Uva will foretell our future, a cause once to die for now lost”
- ‘The Winds of Uva’ by Funeral in Heaven
The use of historical references and Sri Lankan authenticity as shown above has the capacity to widen the audience and make it easier for many to relate to their message.
So it is up to you to decide, based on these observations, whether there is or isn’t potential in Sri Lankan rock music for social advocacy. And what does the future hold? I have no definite answers but clearance of misconceptions, more support from the media and investors and most importantly, more creativity and originality similar to ‘The Winds of Uva’ are bound to bring about a positive change.
“The revival of the paths where once our ancestors bled upon, I command.
The rise of Heladiva you patiently will await”
About the Author: Sachini Perera’s love for music – she’s equally at ease with everything from pop and hindi to jazz and doom metal - has been termed strange by her nearest and dearest.
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