Stories

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...

...and it was inevitable. Ever since I heard that 30-second clip of Lui Williams' "Oh, Oh (Think I'm Falling in Love)", I had a sense that the rest of the song would be just as enjoyable (and, at 3 minutes 45 seconds, much more gratifying). It's possible that Lui dubbed his own vocals for the chorus, but my best guess is...he didn't. The recording sounds entirely live, so a sideman probably backed him up. (I don't own the LP or CD, nor do I have the liner notes.) Still can't get enough of the near-constant guitar riffing that makes the...

The Do-Over is coming to Honolulu in 2011! What's that? Hosted by Aloe Blacc & friends, the infamous LA-bred Do-Over parties feature world-class DJs throwing down seriously good tunes. To name a few appearances: Kon & Amir, J. Rocc, Osunlade, Prince Paul, Flying Lotus...and many more. Quantic, aka William Holland, even did a cumbia mash-up set... Which makes me wonder what'll happen when Lei-Over's mystery DJs spin that Hawaiian heat. Quantic at the Do-Over, September 2010: (mp3 & video) Here's the poster: Rockin' the sunny jams and the classic tunes you grew up with, plus any other madness that comes...

What is soul? It's hard to pinpoint, even when so many artists past and present have given Soul an everlasting place in music. "Soul can mean anything, depending on who you're talking to". True. But can a single song be so soulful that it demands further interpretation from artists across the music spectrum? I believe it. Jackson 5's "All I Do Is Think Of You" laments with such generous amounts of bittersweet compassion that any listener should feel chills when hearing this song. It's not just Michael Jackson's wailing, heartfelt voice, or the swaying orchestration, or the synthesizers that sound...

Kuiokalani Lee was by no means a jazz or funk musician, but his music poured directly from the soul. A singer/songwriter whose compositions helped launch the career of Don Ho, as well as bridge the gap between traditional Hawaiian and pop music, Lee gave us what are his only recorded performances on The Extraordinary Kui Lee. The album was released just days before he died at age 34. "I'll Remember You", Lee's biggest hit, boasts a long list of covers (the most well-known performed by—well, just google it.) One of the grooviest renditions? Gotta be Aura's. In a clever twist,...