Here’s the official press release from HPR with concert details:
The Green Debuts in Atherton on Aug. 6th
THE GREEN TO PLAY HPR’S ATHERTON PERFORMING ARTS STUDIO SATURDAY, AUGUST 6TH;
Acclaimed Reggae Group Blends Their Music With Traditional Hawaiian Vibes
The Green will make their Atherton debut on Saturday, August 6th at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 general, $20 for HPR members, and $15 for students with ID. Reservations during office hours at 955-8821.
“There’s plenty of invention, not imitation, which should propel The Green to the stratosphere
reserved for few stars.” — Honolulu Advertiser
The Green released their self-titled debut album in February 2010. “The Green” debuted at No. 3 on Billboard’s Reggae Chart, and remained in the Top 10 for 25 straight weeks. The 13-track album has sold over 20,000 copies and continues to dominate the islands’ radio airwaves. iTunes named “The Green” 2010’s Reggae Album of The Year, and it landed on Billboard’s 2010 Year End Top 10 Reggae Chart.
Conceived as an idea among friends, The Green has developed into a reality, nurtured with drive and cultivated through experience. Four friends from south and east Oahu came together to form The Green. At the age of 16, singer Caleb Keolanui had already performed on the biggest stages in Hawaii and had multiple hit songs in heavy rotation on Hawaii radio. A soulful young singer with an amazingly high vocal range, Caleb’s popularity grew quickly. With this sturdy base of experience and inspiration from artists like Mana‘o Company, Fiji, and Bob Marley and The Wailers, Caleb practiced his craft and developed his skills as a singer and songwriter. Caleb, often referred to as the “harmony master” within the group, is the band’s lead singer.
John Pa “J.P.” Kennedy’s love of music has taken him to many places throughout the world including Guam, Japan, the South Pacific and North America. While his travelling experience was important, he also learned about recording, engineering and production. J.P. returned home to start his own studio and produce his own music. His knowledge has proven to be the catalyst for The Green’s recording process. Within J.P.’s songs one can hear the subtle overtones of his personal musical influences, like UB40, Bob Marley, James Taylor and Midnite. His vocals and guitar playing contain what other musicians search for and quickly recognize as great tone. His voice is often described as “powerful” and “captivating.”
Ikaika Antone grew up playing Hawaiian music. The popular music on the radio while he was growing up was a combination of country, folk, Hawaiian and a new sound called reggae. Ikaika was intrigued by the familiar yet relatively new music, and dove deep into the world of reggae. He discovered new artists and sounds. Honing his skills on the keyboards and vocals, Ikaika rapidly developed as he began to perform in his own bands as a front man and lead singer. Since then he has been a featured musician in many of Hawaii’s top contemporary bands, and has also performed with some of the biggest artists in the reggae world.
Singer and guitarist Zion Thompson waited until high school to create, play and perform his own music. He fell in love with the guitar and developed his talents through hours of daily practice. As a singer and guitarist, Zion naturally gravitated towards blues and soul music. His inspirations include Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Etta James. He loved the way these artists could express emotions like love, loss, pain and joy. Zion’s experience as a touring musician has taken him to over half of the United States to perform, and his experience lends a helping hand in the management of The Green. Zion has been a guest of HPR’s Dave Lawrence, who recognized the band’s national appeal by interviewing Zion from Birmingham, Alabama during one of their mainland tours. Zion has also spent time with Dave at the HPR Studios, where the idea for this unique pioneering HPR reggae concert was conceived.
The Green’s music is inspired by and drawn from many different sources: the heartbeat and power of reggae drum and bass, the soulful tone in the voices and instruments, the poetic words and kaona (double meaning) of the lyrics, and the consciousness needed to stand strong as a people and move forward together in these difficult times.
The group performing in the Atherton will include BW, Ikaika Antone, Leslie Ludiazo, Caleb Keolanui, Zion Thompson, JP Kennedy.
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