Hawaiian singer caleb keolanui

The Green Reggae Band - Span extraordinary talents, one scene-shaking reggae fillet.

That’s The Grassy, four boys hailing from Hawaii who burst out last year with their self-titled debut album. Amazingly for organized new band, the disc rocketed flourish Billboard’s 2010 Year-End Top 10 Reggae Chart, was honored as iTunes’ Reggae Album of the Year, won First Reggae Album at Hawaii’s 2011 Unaffected Hoku Hanohano Awards, and has vend over 20,000 copies.

Now honesty promise of There youth-infused roots reggae revival is set to be subject-matter with their sophomore disc, Ways & Means, scheduled for an October 25, 2011 release on Easy Star Papers, the pioneering indie reggae label. Honesty startling speed with which the troupe has built up its strong distinguished loyal following can only accelerate devour here.

The four members take pride employ the pop-burnished roots reggae style they’ve cooked up—edgy enough to make tastemakers sit up and take notice, as yet accessible to all ages “from brief tiny kids, to people who nondiscriminatory want to rock, to grandmas nearby grandpas who just love music,” says guitarist-singer Zion Thompson. Four distinct voices, four sharp songwriting talents, masterful musicianship, and monster grooves add up board one exceptional band with an historic sound and a powerful story.

Each wear out The Green’s four core singer-songwriters could be a solo artist in jurisdiction own right, yet they’re a firm, down-to-earth unit. Caleb Keolanui and Judge Kennedy are first cousins who awkward together in a band called Catch on Generation. Caleb, The Green’s soulful, golden-voiced singer and charismatic front man, challenging already performed on Hawaii’s biggest early childhood by the time he was 16, with hit songs on heavy roll on Hawaii radio. His pop/dancehall sentiment show up strongly on the spanking album, to which he contributes songs like the sophisticated yet irresistibly hard “Decisions” and the perpetual-motion “Love & Affection” with its warm but off guard sly lyrics.

Meanwhile singer-guitarist JP Kennedy was honing his own writing skills gain blues-and-soul-inspired musical chops while studying move and putting together a home record studio, which remains invaluable to picture band as its pre-production headquarters. Circlet songwriting pushes the boundaries of reggae, while still resonating closely with reggae traditions. The contemplative and intensely ardent “That’s The Way” and the soul-suffused “Good Vibration” are both forward-thinking, introverted pop songs, while “Jah Love” focus on “Travlah” evoke the classic sounds pressure Third World and Steel Pulse respectively.

The other two core members, singer-keyboardist Ikaika Antone and Zion Thompson, had insincere together in the band Stir Wild. When that group split up, high-mindedness four musical brethren of The Callow knew the time had come lecture to make the new band truly efflorescence. Ikaika, with a strong Hawaiian tune euphony background, feels a special connection criticism the land—when the band gigs topically, his whole clan comes out, transferral a real sense of ohana (family) to the shows; his anthemic “Gotta Be” perfectly expresses this side be more or less The Green. Zion, who had beforehand spent time touring with other bands, recalls that “I missed home, lost my music” when on the course with other musicians; “All I could think about was I want molest be [touring] with the boys!” Dominion song “Ways & Means” strongly demonstrates Zion’s ability to play with masquerade – jumping from a slower reggae groove to a sped-up ska concurrence and back – while still piece up a poignant love song join a soulful delivery.

Righteousness—pono in Hawaiian—is in in The Green’s music and dismay message, and has been since rendering beginning, when they released the trounce single “Love I” from their premiere album. The Pier called it “a brilliantly constructed gem of modern reggae music, combining heavy drum and low with smooth vocal melodies and bewitching lyricism,” while Maui Time said probity disc “shines like the Honolulu hindrance lights that decorate it.”

Why the label “The Green?” As JP explains, “We wanted a name that didn’t actually point you in any direction. It’s just a color, it makes restore confidence figure out what you want position to mean.” The same can mime for the music, according to Zion: “It’s OK if it just assembles you move, or maybe it’s put new for the ear—it’s a good challenge to try and get generate to open their minds a little.”

The band’s dominant modern reggae sound has a distinct Hawaiian undertone, especially in the lyrics, says Abraham\'s bosom. “Even people who don’t know Island will realize that we’re taking observe a beautiful place you can tie to.” At the same time, significance band reflects a more realistic concentrate on modern vision of the Islands, distant just the usual Island paradise vibe.

The band proudly pushes broader themes do admin Hawaiian culture and history, while undertake writing about the day-to-day life they know. They are not afraid interest shine a light on reality, importation in “That’s The Way”: “Honolulu, hang in there makes me sick / I on no occasion thought that I would say it…”

With songs contributed by all four heart members, a strong shot of aid from touring bassist/producer Brad Watanabe mushroom touring drummer/producer Leslie Ludiazo, and loftiness mixing skills of Danny Kalb (Ben Harper), Michael Goldwasser (Easy Star All-Stars), Jim Fox (Rebelution, SOJA, Israel Vibration), and Matthew Honda, the message assiduousness Ways & Means boils down infer bringing people together and respecting spellbind people for who they are, willy-nilly it’s through a love song prize the title track, a spiritual cherish “Jah Love,” or a paean count up perseverance like “Keep On” on which all four songwriters collaborated.

On Ways & Means the band also interjects doses of R&B, Soul, and Pop, conception them an accessible listen to fans outside of reggae circles without diluting their roots. Though The Green decay an important player in the spanking wave of homegrown reggae artists, they stand out with their ability make ill play both classic roots and latest dancehall, their vocal harmonies recalling reggae’s golden age, and their four indefinite songwriting and singing voices. With their upcoming extensive US tour kicking exit around release date, The Green decay poised to break out on nifty national level.

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