Stories — Bands / Artists

The beginning notes and bird calls of "Lihue" quickly hook you into what becomes 3 full minutes of a seriously tropical groove. I played it last night and again today, and I swear the song gets better with each listen. But you don't have to be from Hawaii to enjoy "Lihue"—music lovers from Detroit to France praise this tune—and better yet, you don't have to spend a lot of time or money finding it. eMusic sells the LP, entitled "Around Again", at $5.99; iTunes, $9.99. (Note: the vinyl release is often referred to as her "Self-Titled" album). ...as Nohe was...

Just as it did 30 years ago, Hawaii's economy thrives largely on tourism, so it's no surprise that many of the musicians I've mentioned were/are also entertainers. It's hard work entertaining people 7 nights a week (see: Phase 7), because for vacationers in paradise every night's a Friday night, right? Vic Malo is no exception here. His handsome voice filled the now-closed Golden Dragon Lounge at the Hilton Hawaiian Village almost every night of the week (I'm guessing) for several years—during the mid/late 1970s through the mid 1980s. Those lucky enough to hear him in person were no doubt captivated...

New year, huh? What's on the resolution list? 1. Get back to the islands. 2. Eat more lau lau and poke. 3. Find more hard-to-find Hawaiian LPs. Accomplishing #1 means the other two will easily fall into place. But what if I'm not on the islands? Well, there's a few Hawaiian food spots around town. And what about finding more Hawaiian music? The local record shops don't offer much outside of touristy albums, eBay auctions usually end beyond the reach of my wallet, and Japanese web stores are even further beyond that. Which is why I'm adding a new series...

With two gigs nightly, 7 days a week aboard the Rella Mae cruise ship, Phase VII must have met many people during their tenure. So I was happy to find this photo in my inbox the other day, courtesy of saxophonist Edd English (far right): Edd gave me a bit of background on Dolly Parton's appearance aboard the Rella Mae: That year she took her family to Hawaii for X-mas—I mean everyone because she was able to rent the top deck of the Rella Mae, the boat Phase Seven played on. This photo is on the Top deck, as after...

"Sweet Love" by Phase VII, from their Windjammer album. From what I know, this song is part of a self-titled album by the band. Definitely released after Playtime. Maybe their 3rd album? Here's the tracklist: 1. Sweet Love 2. Girl, It's Up To Me 3. Show Me Your Magic 4. Angels Around You 5. Live It Up, Love It Up 6. Itchy Fingers 7. This Time 8. Don't Girls Get Lonely 9. Say The Word 10. Say It, Say It Again Anyone wanna confirm this? Anyone wanna share some audio clips with me?