Stories

Summer is just around the corner for most of you, the sun gradually warming the earth and breaking those spring clouds and rains away. In Hawaii, it's almost always summer. Which means anytime is the the perfect time to celebrate sunny weather. Right now sounds good.     Enjoy the sunshine with this track by The Aliis: a medley of three tunes, "Keep the Customer Satisfied", "Didn't We", and "Summer Sun". What's your favorite Hawaiian track to celebrate the summertime?

Have you ever wanted to rewrite lackluster liner notes of an outstanding album? Explosive, unexpected, fresh—that's The Aliis, a group whose musical talents know no limits. But the liner notes to their 2xLP, The Aliis Live, fall short of proving the band's powerful performance is worthy of royalty. I propose that The Aliis Live needs new liner notes. Here's my take.

Monday's blog post painted a vivid perspective of the the weekend music sale in Hawaii—thousands of dusty LPs on sale, collectors anxiously waiting to flip through wax, the Hawaiian sky beaming gorgeous blue. I've been updating the Aloha Got Soul Instagram account frequently, featuring snapshots of records dug up over the weekend—Hal Bradbury, The Aliis, Summer, Ron Tish, Nohelani Cypriano, Cecilio & Kapono. (Yes, you should start following me on Instagram.) You should follow Aloha Got Soul on Instagram. More Photos from the Record Sale Saturday morning, the garage doors rolled all the way up. For a few moments the...

If you missed the Friends of the Library of Hawaii Books & Music Sale this weekend, you missed aplenty—nearly 30,000 vinyl records waiting to be combed through. I had a chance to look around the warehouse before the collectors, who started lining up outside around 7:30 am, rushed the stacks of wax inside. Doors opened at 9:00 am.

"You're My Fantasy" by Tender Leaf Beauty strikes hardest in its purest form. Tender Leaf is the perfect example. Back when life was simpler, a group of friends got together to create music. That group, led by Murray Compoc Spencer and Darryl Valdez, found joy in jamming acoustic guitars and writing songs together, eventually entering the studio with the help of producer Kit Ebersbach. The resulting Tender Leaf LP—the only songs the band ever recorded—is now a legendary free soul album sought by collectors of rare groove and AOR music. (Cool Sound/Cool Hawaii reissued the album in Japan). In conclusion,...