Stories — Interviews
In Search of "My Life": Interview with Eddie Tsuru
Bassist Eddie Tsuru emailed me in June to see if I had Brandon Bray's first single, "Glad You're In My Life". Unfortunately, I've never heard the song. But our subsequent interview revealed an impressive number of bands Eddie performed with, from fusion group Merlin to wedding entertainers Kaleidescope.
A Love Supreme: The Lyman Legacy Lives On
Sometimes a realization hits you so hard, you don't believe it's been staring at you for so long. Case in point: I recently re-connected with guitarist Alika Lyman, a good friend of mine since elementary school. We had fun on field trips, played games at recess, and later hunted for records in our high school days. We started talking through Facebook about Kalapana, Mackey Feary, and Hawaiian music. Next thing I know, Alika says, "Speaking of which are you familiar with exotica music? My uncle had a great group in the 60s, Arthur Lyman." Why it took me 15 years...
Doing Something Special: An Interview with Jay Molina of Music Magic
This weekend, jazz-fusion band Music Magic reunites for a three shows at Jazz Minds Café. I had the opportunity to ask Music Magic bassist/vocalist Jay Molina some questions over email before the band's rehearsal this past Sunday. Turns out Jay's been busying performing with a Maui band called SLAM, a "very funky smooth jazz and R&B" group. SLAM jammed with saxophonist Tom Scott and trumpeter Skip Martin (from Kool and the Gang and the Dazz Band) at the Maui Jazz and Blues Festival earlier this month. By the way, Jay tells me Cool Sound/Cool Hawaii owner Toshi Nakada will be...
Robin Kimura Interview: Part 3
Last update: 31 August 2011 I set myself up for a lot of work when I interviewed Robin Kimura of Greenwood. Robin had so many stories to tell, and I've been typing as fast as I can to get his words down. So I gave Part 3 the chance to go uninterrupted for most of the excerpt. We talked about Hawaii's high school dance circuits, intermediate school, Waikiki night clubs, the Spence Cliff restaurant chain, You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. ... Robin Kimura: I play for another cover band called RKSB with some of the...
The Magic of Mack: Robin Kimura on Mackey Feary and his Band
My interview with Robin Kimura was lengthy (in a good way), but not nearly as long as the extended performances Greenwood played at Waikiki's popular discos back in the 1970s. Greenwood started out in Waikiki clubs as the 'off-night' band—when a club's main performer had the night off. But when it came to Mackey Feary, Greenwood actually played after the Mackey Feary Band—sometimes with Mackey joining the funky ensemble for songs like 'Nightbird' and 'The Hurt'! Here's another excerpt of my interview with Robin, as promised in part one. This time, Rob remembers Mackey and the Magic Mushroom, a Honolulu...