There's nothing like a live band to ramp up the buzz at a wedding reception, where the entertainment is invariably one of the most important elements of the big event. But how does it feel to be the band in charge of getting the celebrations started, and then keeping them going all night?
'Taxi' is a group of six good-looking and talented event musicians who do just that. Today, they chat with us about how they provide a lively and memorable wedding experience for numerous happy couples. Featuring vocals, guitars, keyboard, and drums, Taxi's versatile musicians Dilesh, Sam, Sahan, Shezry, Nirosh, and Tharindu will have your guests dancing all night long because, as they say, they’re all about "music that takes you to a better place!"
Hi!! Guys, great to have you with us today!
Let's start with you telling us a bit about yourselves ... Who does what in the band? How do you all know each other, and how long have you been performing together?
The band leader and lead vocalist is Dilesh Wellington. Sam Dayaratne is also a lead vocalist and plays rhythm guitar. Sahan Dasanayake is our drummer, while Shezry Shirajudeen is on bass, Tharindu Rukshan on vocals and keyboard, and Nirosh Samarathunga plays lead guitar. We all know each other from mutual friends in the music industry and have become a close unit since we formed Taxi in January 2019.
How did you end up specialising in weddings? Do you perform at any other events?
Performing at weddings in Sri Lanka is a great way to share your music with a wider audience, and as musicians, we genuinely enjoy being part of a celebration of love! Playing our hearts out at a venue filled with family and friends and seeing them have a great time – it really does make our day better. We do other events aside from weddings, and these include birthday and anniversary celebrations, concerts, tours, corporate and lifestyle events, to name a few.
How would you describe your style and what are the band's major musical influences?
We don’t particularly follow one style to be honest. We prefer to be open to all types of music and play what flows well for us as a band. In addition to this, we certainly take into consideration the preferences of our audience and followers as well. This helps us experiment with new genres of music and consistently bring in new variations to our play list.
Queen, Beatles, Jon Bon Jovi, John Mayer, Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars, Firehouse, and Maroon 5 are some of our favourite international influences. Locally, our music influences are mainly Gypsies, Rookantha Gunathilake, Marians, Desmond De Silva, Wally Bastiansz, and Clarence Wijewardena.
Do you all share the same music tastes or do you each bring something different to the table?
The best part of our dynamic as a band is that we have varying taste in music, and we have all continued to pursue that to bring something different to the table. But we have been able to work together and come to a consensus on what exactly works for the event/s that we perform at - because ultimately it’s about what our audience would enjoy at the end of the day but delivered to them in our unique style.
What sort of band rituals do you engage in before a performance?
No major rituals as such. But we do voice warm-ups and a mandatory sound-check before every gig.
Tell me about artists who have performed with you, and especially about your recent experience on stage with the legendary vocalist and drummer, Nimal Perera.
Sunil Perera, Piyal Perera, Rookantha Gunathilake, BnS, Umaria Sinhawansa, Raini Charuka, Sanuka Wickramasinghe, and Shihan Mihiranga are some of the artists we have performed with since we started Taxi three years ago. They have all been great experiences and we’re happy to have shared the stage with these talented musicians over the years.
Performing with Nimal Perera, or Uncle Nimal as we fondly call him, was a truly unforgettable experience for Taxi. Not only is he a wonderful human being inside out but is simply one of the best musicians we could perform alongside of. We’re honoured to have had the pleasure of having him onstage to perform with us as well as his continuous support as we go forward in our journey.
Now, let’s talk about those weddings.
How many wedding gigs do you typically do in a year? How many hours does the band spend performing at each gig?
Let’s just say we have our calendars full throughout the year!
