Some positive news during uncertain times — two of our releases from 2019 have been nominated in the upcoming Na Hoku Hanohano Awards.
The Anthology of the Year category includes a nomination for our compilation of sun-tinged folk and psych music, From These Shores. This record took about three years to fully license and restore/remaster for release. A good deal of effort went into making FTS possible — not to mention the enthusiasm and trust each artist gave us in re-presenting their music to the world.
If you haven't heard From These Shores yet, you can stream in on all digital platforms including Bandcamp.
Nominated for R&B Album of the Year is Maryanne Ito's "Live at the Atherton" album. I'm so glad because this record means so much to me. We recorded it live in November 2017 at Hawaii Public Radio's Atherton studio, with the help of engineers Kit Ebersbach and Jason Taglianetti. It wasn't just any recording session, however. Less than a week after the recording was made, Maryanne Ito moved to California. It was decision she'd made several months prior.
Furthermore, we weren't alone during the recording session. We invited our close friends and family to sit in on the session. Maryanne's live performances are so full of life, love, and emotion that we wanted to try and capture that experience in the studio. What better way than to have a live audience in the room with us?
So, in a way, this recording was a farewell party for our dear friend, who'd be off to California almost quicker than you could say Sunset Boulevard.
Maryanne has made several trips back home to Hawaii since that recording, and whenever she does she usually blesses her friends and fans with performances around town. Meanwhile, "Live at the Atherton" exists as a moment in time where Maryanne and her band were surrounded by nothing but love. And you can hear it in the record!
By the way, Maryanne won a Na Hoku for R&B Album of the Year in 2015. Let's hope she finds success again with this year's awards!
If you haven't listed to "Live at the Atherton", find it on all digital platforms including Bandcamp.
