Stories
On Kalapana: Jake Shimabukuro on jamming with Kalapana
There's a video on YouTube that we return to over and over – Kalapana jamming with ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro to the ultimate jam, "Black Sand". The amount of joy and energy pouring from each musician is electrifying. Seeing Jake and guitarist D.J. Pratt together is a sight in itself! Writer Jason Black asked Jake three questions about Kalapana's influence on him as a musician. Here's his answers. What is your all-time favorite Kalapana track? Why do you love it? This is a tough one because I have so many! But if I had to choose, I would say my...
Kalapana’s 1975 debut album returns to vinyl on March 25th
We're celebrating the music of Hawaii’s favorite contemporary music group, Kalapana, with an official vinyl reissue of the band’s self-titled debut album, Kalapana. The vinyl reissue will be available on Friday, March 25th. In 1975, four young musicians forever changed Hawaii with their unique sound. Together as Kalapana, singers Mackey Feary and Malani Bilyeu, guitarist David John Pratt, and keyboardist Kirk Thompson fused rock, pop, R&B, jazz, and soul to create their classic long-playing album, Kalapana. The music was a cross between electric and acoustic, and it provided the perfect soundtrack to a modern 1970s Hawaii. Over the years, the band...
On Kalapana: Kainani Kahaunaele celebrates the mele and legacy of Kalapana
Music transports us to the past and roots us in the present. The music of Kalapana does just that — and so does the mele of Kainani Kahaunaele, whose craft is rooted not just in the past, but pushes the present forward into the future with progressive sounds that meld Hawaiian music with contemporary sounds of the 20th and 21st centuries. Photo from BigIslandMusic.net. Born and raised in Anahola, Kauaʻi Kainani has lived in Hilo, Hawaiʻi for 27+ years as an advocate for Hawaiian language revitalization and the perpetuation of Hawaiian music through education and performance. While earning her B.A in...
Pushing Pallets across the Pacific: Closing our "LA HQ" and consolidating inventory
3 We've come a long way as a label, and continue to learn various lessons along the way. Earlier this week, we closed up our Los Angeles storage unit. For the last 10 months, our storage unit in Greater Los Angeles has served as a convenient locale for shipping orders to US mainland customers. Our LA counterpart, Vinyl Don, has lovingly been holding it down in the City of Angels by receiving pallets of records and shipping orders out to customers and distributors. It's saved us some time and resources, and for a while it made sense to ship part of our pressings to...
On Kalapana: Cnrboy talks about Mackey and 90s R&B group, chant
Continuing our series of asking artists about Kalapana's music and influence is local rapper and beat maker Cnrboy, who traces his Mackey Feary fandom to his father's time spent in a 90s R&B group, chant. What is your all-time favorite Kalapana track? Why do you love it?"Nightbird" is definitely my favorite track. I just love the visual storytelling behind mackeys lyrics. I heard he wrote the song in NY, while being homesick. Sounds like he’s talking about love or a woman but he’s really talking about home. I can definite relate. Nothing like Hawaii. How has Kalapana and their music influenced...