Stories

Google "Tony Tam Sing" and you'll come across the blog Asita Recordings. I did, at least. Didn't find any info on the elusive TONY psych-folk LP, but I did learn that Lightsleepers recently started one of Hawaii's only record sale/swaps. There's been a few other big record shows in Hawaii, but BRB is the only one giving "Hawaii's diggers, vinyl junkies and collectors" a chance to meet in one place. The first BRB went down in early 2010. The next BRB? Coming up real soon. September 11th, 2010 831 Queen St. @ Fresh Café 9am - 3pm :: FREE beatrootbodega@gmail.com...

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...

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,...

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...

DJ Muro's Hawaiian Breaks Tracklist now complete! (I just need to add the little details, like release year, catalog number, record label) ALOHA GOT SOUL is dedicated to the funky, soulful, jazzy sounds of Hawaii, so it's only appropriate that I start with DJ Muro's 1hr+ mix, "Hawaiian Breaks." Released in late 2009, the mp3 is available all over the internet by now. It's got tons of great disco/funk tracks from the islands... But there's no tracklist! So I'm sitting here, scratching my head, trying to figure out who sang what... I've searched over and over and haven't found a...