The Peru Gazette

A five-piece combo with roots extending from Sri Lanka to the Bronx to the North Country will showcase music from their new album on Friday, July 9, at Plattsburgh’s Harborside Stage, with some beloved rock classics rounding out what promises to be a spirited, impactful evening of original and familiar music.

Attendants at the Harborside Stage will begin parking vehicles on a first-come, first-served basis at 6:30 p.m. for this concert, with tickets available at the gate. Admission is only $20 per carload — not per person — with the box office proceeds going to the artists.

Attendees have the option of bringing a lawn chair or blanket and sitting in the area near their vehicle to watch the concert or remaining in their car, where they can listen to the music by rolling down their windows or by turning on their car radios and hearing the broadcast over an FM frequency directly from the stage.

Ursa & The Major Key — comprised of Saranac-born brothers Eli and Nelson Moore on guitar and drums, respectively; Bronx native Edward Morris on bass; Adirondack-born Tyler Bosley on guitar, and Vihan Wickramasinghe, born and raised in Sri Lanka and musically educated in the North Country — formed through friendships made at SUNY Plattsburgh, particularly the collaborations of most of the members in the college’s Mambo Combo jazz ensemble. Realizing that they shared similar musical interests, values, and dreams, the five artists decided to form a band of their own.

Recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, the group’s new album Daytime/Nighttime — comprised entirely of original music created by the group’s members — traces the emotional arc of a single day, a concept album hearkening back to the recording traditions exemplified by records such as The Beach Boys’s Pet Sounds, The Who’s Tommy, and Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here.

The album ranges from the day’s awakening in Only the Sky Is Blue to the tongue-in-cheek poetic sarcasm in Don’t Think It Even Matters to the ‘60s soul-infused emotions of Yeah You’re Gonna Be Something to the gritty, jam-heavy White Sands, an unfiltered musical look at the military industrial complex.

Taking center stage is the title suite, a four-part work inspired by the writing of Beach Boys front man Brian Wilson that provides the album’s harmonious moments of transition from daylight to evening to nighttime. Filled with memorable lyrics and melodies, the piece offers hints of Pink Floyd’s progressive works and the neo-soul concepts favored by artists such as Thundercat while steadily maintaining the suite’s irresistible melodic foundations.

The band members bring a wide range of backgrounds, educational pursuits, and interests to their music-making. Wickramasinghe will soon depart for Dartmouth College, where he will study medical physics in furtherance of his goal of fighting cancer. Bosley, one of the two guitarists, holds a degree in ecology from Sterling College and works as an environmental technician when not playing music.

Morris, the band’s bass player, initially came to Plattsburgh from New York City to study journalism before becoming inspired by Mambo Combo leader Herm Matlock to switch his focus to music. The two Moore brothers, who also play with Wickramasinghe in the popular Wickmoore Jazz Trio, became mainstays in their younger years throughout the North Country’s theatre and music scenes, and continued their musical leadership throughout the region during their collegiate studies and beyond.

Attendees are not required to wear face masks but are respectfully requested to refrain from bringing any alcohol or pets (service animals are welcome) into the concert venue.

This concert is generously sponsored by The Mariner Bar & Grill, dedicated in memory of former employee and music aficionado Kainan Provost, and by Adirondack Yoga & Family Center. The kind financial contributions of these locally owned businesses have allowed this program to take place as an affordable live music offering in the North Country.

For more information, please contact Benjamin Pomerance at pomerance.benjamin58@gmail.com.