Stories
Hal Bradbury "Babe I Want You"
"Babe I Want You" by Hal Bradbury If you've been longing for a heavy tune from Hal Bradbury—his previous efforts featured on Aloha Got Soul have been smooth, laid-back, and jazzy—this is it. Sexy, groovy, dancefloor-ready: "Babe I Want You" is ripe for the arsenal of the modern-day, crate-digging DJ, whose turntables crave that obscure rare groove record no one's heard yet (well, no one else but DJ Muro.) Go ahead, give it a spin! Listen to more music by Hal Bradbury here.
The Hawaii Music Sale by Friends of the Library
Events Record Shops / Crate Digging
The Friends of the Library of Hawaii are hosting their annual music sale, "Friends, Books, Music... The Sale!" this weekend, May 24-26, 2012 at their Honolulu Harbor Warehouse near Pier 1. It's the biggest record fair in Hawaii, hands down.
Hal Bradubury "You Send Me"
"You Send Me" by Hal Bradbury This song is almost too good to be true, just like that feeling you get when you know you're with the love of your life. Hal Bradbury thrills us with "You Send Me", a smooth, modern soul jam that's not-so-heavy on the synth or drums or guitar riff—which is a good thing. The instrumentation leaves enough room for Hal's voice to captivate, but the music still grooves enough to keep you nodding all the way through. Slow jam? Maybe. Whatever you call it, keep this tune in your pocket of favorite Hawaiian soul tunes....
Ernie Cruz Jr. "Together Now"
"Together Now" by Ernie Cruz Jr. In 2011, I attended the Na Hoku Hanohano Festival workshops and had the pleasure of hearing stories and insights from some of Hawaii's best musicians. Ernie Cruz Jr. was one of them. Ernie talked about rhythm at the workshop. The tempo, the beat—this is what brings the soul of a song together. It's the heart of the music. When Kalapana introduced a fresh sound to the islands in the late 1970s and 1980s, the people of Hawaii immediately connected with this "contemporary style" Hawaiian music. Songwriters throughout the islands started composing music and playing...
The Home Grown Series, Volume I (1976)
"Inspiration is where you find it," wrote Wayne Harada in the Home Grown I liner notes, a Hawaiian music compilation released on KKUA Records in 1976. Me? I find my inspiration in music (of course), and I know I'm not alone (hence: this). In 1976, prolific radio DJ Ron Jacobs released Hawaii's first volume in the Home Grown series. Ron had moved back home to Hawaii from San Diego and immediately fell in love with the music of the islands. While living and working in San Diego, Ron Jacobs produced the California city's own Home Grown LPs. But he dreamed...