Stories — Reflections

Sunday Manoa's Guava Jam signaled a new direction in Hawaiian music. The trio's definitive album, released on Hula Records in 1969, defined a new style of Hawaiian music, ushering the start of a new era in the islands known as the "Hawaiian Renaissance"—the revitalization of tradition, culture, and language of the Hawaiian people. But in the early seventies, many found Guava Jam difficult to accept.

Three key strategies make Fitted a world renonwed and respected brand: Keep it Local. Keep it Limited. Collaborate Often. Here's a quick look at what makes the Hawaii streetwear company so successful.

I'm always humbled whenever I engage with the Hawaiian music scene. It's a tight knit family of friends and relatives. People smile, hug, laugh. Everyone is warm and inviting. Everyone respects one another. It's a beautiful thing to be a part of.     No egos, no pride, just love and aloha. I was lucky enough to attend some of the 2011 Na Hoku Hanohano Festival Workshops. There were a lot of workshops held over a few days, featuring popular Hawaiian artists and mainland musicians. (Ernie Cruz Jr., Ray Parker Jr., Kimo Kahoano, Patrice Rushen to name just a few.)...

I'll say without a doubt that Japanese record collectors are probably the most diligent collectors in the world. Not only do they have deep knowledge of what's good, but they've got the good stuff in great condition: Nothing goes "uncollected". At least in my opinion. I still remember reading this post years ago and thinking two things: 1 Thankfully, many stores in the USA still price their rock (Led Zep, The Who, Beatles) high and the funky stuff low. 2 Record stores in Japan are nothing like America's, with plenty of specialty shops that carry specific kinds of music. Need...

I started ALOHA GOT SOUL out of a passion for this music. Every album I blog about is not in my record collection, and I don't have a library of knowledge stored in my head either. I'm here because I want to learn more, discover great music and share what I find. In the future I'll own these records if I'm lucky to come across them! Which brings me to the album Lui, by Maui guitarist Lui Williams. What the full album sounds like is a mystery to me. So far I've come across two snippets: "My Lover" and "Oh,...