Stories — Bands / Artists

The Hawaiian version of Tatsuro Yamashita's "Sparkle" was recorded by disco-soul group Greenwood in 1985. Greenwood started in 1972 as a group of 9th graders at Kaimuki High School. The guys are alive and performing today in Hawaii. Their main gig? Probably the 70s Night Club Reunion, a popular concert series that reunites well-known bands from Oahu's disco days. The next reunion is August 14, 2010. And there's definitely more in the future. (Check out the flyer and see who's performing). The 70s Night Club Reunion website is full of history on local bands, plus a jukebox with "Sparkle", tracks...

Whenever I think of an album that encompasses what ALOHA GOT SOUL means, Mackey Feary's debut solo effort comes to mind. The album, Macky Feary Band, is an uplifting blend of jazzy keyboards, seductive strings and vocal arrangements—and of course, Mackey's sunny, tug-at-your-heart voice. Every time I hear "You're Young", or the cratedigger's favorite "A Million Stars", I can't help but smile...It makes me feel like all the world's a playground! There's an "urgency" in his voice when he's "talking to this person" - a tension, an urgency for the one he's "conversing with". It's in the "first person". It...