With Special Guests: Through the Roots. THIS FRIDAY, January 30 @ 9PM, 18+
by Lisa Morgan
The Green’s first, self-titled album, steeped in roots reggae and Hawaiian traditional music, was released in February 2010. The album’s single “Love I” was the band’s breakthrough single on Hawaiian radio. The album set a Billboard Reggae Chart record by remaining on the chart for 69 straight weeks. The album was named iTunes Best Reggae Album of 2010 and finished the year as the No. 9 album on the 2010 Billboard’s Year End Reggae Chart, alongside artists Rebelution, Matisyahu and Bob Marley. In May 2011, The Green’s second album, Ways & Means, spent four weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Reggae Chart and won Best Reggae Album at Hawaii’s 2011 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards.
Hawai’i ’13, the latest album by the 6 year old band from Oahu, topped the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart once again, selling 4,960 copies in its first week of release. It, along with Ways & Means, has sold 50,000 copies. Reaching deep into their arsenal of sonic expression, Hawai’i ’13 could have just as aptly been called, “50 Shades of Green”. It’s a sexy blend of genre influences atop their traditional foundations, that become even more evident after you talk with Zion Thompson, lead guitar, lead vocalist and one of the bands many songwriters.
Once Thompson starts citing his influences of soul, blues, and a “few other old funk guys”, your ears begin to open up. Suddenly, the obvious influence of roots reggae gladiators like Bob Marley grows into an extraordinary listening experience, as other names are sonically forced to memory – names like Al Green, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimi Hendrix. There’s even a contemporary pop flavor at times. “Our music is influenced by everything, really,” shares Thompson. “The Green is a really diverse band. There’s no telling what you’ll hear when you walk onto our bus. I remember the Rebelution guys walked on our bus once, and we were slamming Shania Twain real loud. They looked at us like, ‘What is this? This is not what I expected!’” He laughed as he recalled the moment, and then continued, “There’s a time and a place for every kind of music. We listen to it all, and are influenced by it all. We especially sponge it up when we tour and hear other bands. To us, it’s all relative, even country music. Hawaiian music – the chord progressions, the story telling – they are so similar to country music.”
With a steady diet of touring, and the regular success of their albums, I asked Thompson if they receive the “Rock Star” treatment on their home island. “There’s no real rock stars from Hawaii,” he laughed. “If you’re known as a musician, you’re just a musician, like the musicians that we looked up to growing up. We see them all the time. I may take a picture with them, but it’s not like a big rock star vibe. The music community is just like family, and there’s so much talent out here.”
Hawaiians who have been transplanted in the mainland particularly love to come to their shows, reminding them of home. But not all places are as receptive. Still, you won’t hear Thompson complain. “We’ve been lucky enough to see and play places that don’t see reggae – ever,” he shared. “We’ve played places that have never had reggae and may never have it again, like Tyler, Texas. You see them, and it looks like they’ve never imagined this kind of music. That’s the great part…you get to open people’s minds.”
Having seen the growing popularity of the genre here in our own community, I asked if he’s noticed it growing elsewhere. “I think it’s been growing since we started. But I think reggae, in general, is spreading more and more, and getting popular in main stream culture. You see actors, athletes or even other musicians who don’t play reggae, listening to reggae and wearing shirts representing reggae bands. I think it’s that connection people feel through the ideas or even the melodies. It’s kind of feeling like the biggest thing right now. The people that come to our shows – their comments, all reflect things that really keep us going. You can connect to any genre, but the message on top of the emotion that the music delivers, is a positive one, so the connection is very strong. We just try and be real with what we write, and the music we come up with isn’t forced. We keep it natural.”
Authenticity is a key word in the music industry. Everybody wants it or is trying to attain it in their music. With The Green, it comes as natural as breathing. Get to their show this Friday, and slip into a state of “Mahalo”. Then buy their albums, so you never have to be too far away from it.
The Green band members are:
Caleb Keolanui – Lead Vocals
Ikaika Antone – Keys, Lead Vocals
JP Kennedy – Guitar, Lead Vocals
Zion Thompson – Guitar, Lead Vocals
Brad “BW” Watanabe – Bass, Keys
Jordan Espinoza – Drums
Find their music and more information at these websites:
iTUNES smarturl.it/oph4p8
AMAZON smarturl.it/qhlqpk
CD / VINYL ow.ly/rN0DF
GOOGLE PLAY smarturl.it/vk0n7y
STORE: thegreen.shop.redstarmerch.com
