THE BAND

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VIHAN WICKRAMASINGHE

piano, dad jokes

Vihan Wickramasinghe hails from the breezy tropical island of Sri Lanka. He started playing music at the age of 17. Living in a car garage, starting out on a toy keyboard, and relying solely on his ears, he started practicing for hours per day on progressively more reliable instruments. His experiences at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh led him to study classical piano, and eventually jazz. Vihan met Nelson and Eli through college ensembles and eventually started joining them in musical ventures outside of school. In May 2018, he completed his BA in Physics and Music, topping off his last semester with a piano recital featuring the works of artists such as Sergei Rachmaninoff and Aram Khachaturian. He currently serves as an adjunct professor of physics and conducts research in biochemistry and physics at SUNY Plattsburgh. In between academics and powerlifting, he spends his time honing his craft in jazz. His inspirations include Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Mulgrew Miller, Hiromi Uehara, John Faddis, and Mahesh Balasooriya.

NELSON MOORE

drums, vocals, unnecessary but oddly accurate impressions

Nelson Moore is a native of the North Country, hailing from Saranac, NY. Along with the bass playing talents of his brother Eli, he has been proud to be part of the rhythm sections of many local bands, spanning many genres. Current projects include indie psychedelic rock band Ursa and the Major Key, and the backup band for Malone rapper L0ne. Nelson is also part of SUNY Plattsburgh Mambo Combo and the backup band for SUNY Plattsburgh’s Gospel Choir. As of 2020, he is in the process of completing his music degree at SUNY Plattsburgh. Nelson also dabbles in the arena of classical percussion. He takes influence from the rock and funk drumming of such players as Stewart Copeland, Levon Helm, and Carter Beauford, as well as the stylings of jazz drummers such as Max Roach, Ginger Baker, Steve Gadd and Elvin Jones.

ELI MOORE

bass, awkward blank stare (aka bass face)

Eli Moore is a Saranac, NY native who started playing bass when he was 14 because his high school jazz band teacher needed a bass player. Seven years and multiple bands later, he is still playing jazz on both bass and guitar with not only the trio, but also the Plattsburgh State Mambo Combo. He will be graduating from SUNY Plattsburgh in May 2020 with multiple major concentrations in audio and video production. Bass influences range from jazz players like Ron Carter, Christian McBride, and Scott LaFaro to rock players like Paul McCartney, John Paul Jones, and Phil Lesh.