Roman Rocks Dot Com is Live

I now have a Web site devoted specifically for my music. Please check it out at romanrocks.com

Distant Dream

The NPR Monitormix blog had a fun challenge for musicians last weekend – to record a song and submit it by their deadline on Sunday night. I felt inspired, and although I had a terrible cold, I managed to finish my song and submit it in time. However, their mailbox was over its limit, and my emails kept bouncing back. Nevertheless, I managed to submit it the following morning, after they realized what had happened.

Here is my submission:

Roman Edirisinghe - Distant Dream

They will post 30 submissions per day in alphabetical order (by first name). I’ll update this post when mine gets posted on their blog.

UPDATE: The song is now featured on the NPR Monitormix blog as part of a collection of songs that got submitted. Check it out here:

• These People Recorded A Song In A Weekend: Part Four

The Rapunzel All-Stars…

…is a rotating improvisational ensemble hosted by me on sporatic Wednesdays at Milwaukee’s Jazz Estate. The music is extremely unpredicable as there are no charts, songs, or rehearsals. It’s been an interesting adventure, for sure.

I’ve scheduled shows for February 4, 11, and 18, 2009.

February 4th will feature the following musicians: Roman Edirisinghe (guitars/percussion), Andy Aeros Kaiser (bass), Steve Nelson-Raney (piano/sax), and John Sparrow (drums/percussion).

$3 cover fee.

Where?
Jazz Estate
2423 N Murray Ave
Milwaukee WI 53211
414.964.9924
jazzestate.com

RIP Singi

???? – November 24, 2008

Singi was with us more than 15 human years.

Until Last Night

• Until last night, I had been ashamed of the choices that the people of the United States made politically.
• Until last night, it was impossible for me to travel overseas and not feel sheepish whenever conversations gravitated toward U.S. politics.
• Until last night, I honestly believed that the people of this country were slaves to obsolete belief systems.
• Until last night, I had lost faith in the political process of the U.S.A.
• Until last night, I thought it improbable that an African American would get elected president in my lifetime.
• Until last night, I had never known what it was to feel pride in an elected official.

This is the first time in my life I can proudly declare a sense of nationalistic pride, that we, the people of the United States of America, elected a president who embodies our values, hopes and goals.

I have no illusions about the challenges ahead. I just believe that my generation and many others have finally declared, “Yes We Can!”