Since I met Ralph Malani, my life has changed:) He's my stylist, and has hooked me up with so many different polynesian based designers and their clothing. Names like Hinano Tahiti, Missing Polynesia, and Tiare Teiti... jewelry and threads, hats and shoes. Ralph has the eye for maintaining my connection to Hawaii through my clothes, even though my music isn't necessarily "hawaiian" at all.
Ralph owns and runs a modeling and talent agency as well.. http://www.hawaiipolynesianmodels.com. Ralph is a visionary, and he has decided to put on a big event to bring together all of Hawaii's finest designers and fashion lovers and calling it Hawaii Fashion Week. There's one in London, one in New York, Hawaii is next!!! Just like our music, Hawaii's fashion scene is so unique and so inspired by our natural surroundings. The fashion and style that comes from these islands deserves to be recognized and celebrated!
Sunday of Labor Day weekend! Get pre-sale tickets to Hawaii's Fashion Week Launch Party at Level4 Nightclub. Check out mean local styles for guys and girls (like MissingPolynesia.com), hot chicks, fashion shows, hot guys, and a live concert by some girl named Anuhea. Should be a fun evening!
And if you hadn't checked out this article about my style make over in Hawaii's Star Advertiser... here it is:
Live from the Guam Nation Festival in Las Vegas, August 21st, 2010. Anuhea backed by HaleAmanO
Live from The Compound, Anuhea backed by The Green
i dont know if you know......
posted: 8/13/2010
i dont know if you know......
posted: 8/13/2010
One more week on the road...
posted: 8/10/2010
Surf Roots Tour is going STRONG.. I say it all the time, but we are having the time of our lives on the road. It is HARD sometimes! Especially since this tour we don't have the tour bus like last time.. so its a LOT of driving, a lot of moving in and out of hotels, and a lot of late nights and early mornings. Taking a toll on my voice a bit, but I'm handling.
I'm sitting in the green room of the Hodi's Half Note in Fort Collins, Colorado. P-Knuckle rocking right now, then the green and I hit the stage in about a half hour. We have a show tomorrow night in Denver, then we hit Arizona and finally Vegas on Sunday. I can't wait!! I get to stay in Vegas and play the Guam Nation event in Vegas with Iration and Tribal Seed on the 21st. Should be a blast. Then its back to Hawaii. The whole tour so far has been great... started in LA, then up and down the Cali coast, oregon, washington, Idaho, Utah, etc etc... and we can't forget about our stop back to Hawaii for Birthday Bash (crazy!)
I'm getting anxious and excited for my next album already.. Collecting inspiration every day.
PS: Brad says HI! lol
Anuhea
PS: For the best most up to date photos of the tour and the adventures of myself and The Green, check facebook! I have a fan page...
The week I get back from tour, we'll be right back at it! Come catch my first Road Runner Music Hall Performance! Winning tickets is the only way you can be in the live studio audience, but you'll be able to tune in LIVE around the world on www.island985.com at 9am HST (Wednesday 8/25) to hear my hour set.
Check the press release from Island985 for details:
Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner ANUHEA will be performing at the Road Runner Music Hall. We'll be broadcasting and streaming LIVE with The Wake Up Crew -- Wednesday Morning, August 25 at 9 AM. Enter to win your seats to this event!
You and a guest could catch Hawaii's Hottest New Artist, ANUHEA, up close and personal, as she performs LIVE in the Road Runner Music Hall on Wednesday, August 25 at 9 AM.
ANUHEA will be sharing stories of her life and career, along with her Na Hoku award-winning music!
This event with ANUHEA will be Broadcast Live on Island 98.5 FM with Hawaii's top-rated Wake Up Crew - Rory Wild, Gregg Hammer and Crystal Akana.
The event will also be webcast live at www.island985.com and www.thehall.tv.
Additional Contest Details:
What's up for grabs (prize)? Each winner gets 2 seats at the Music Hall event.
How many times can I enter? To increase your chances, enter daily between now and Thursday, August 19.
How will winners be picked? Winners will be chosen randomly on Friday, August 20 and will be contacted by email.
On the road again! Surf Roots going STRONG!
posted: 7/31/2010
So I'm actually back in Hawaii right now... we just arrived for a quick trip back to the 808 for the KCCN FM100 Birthday Bash... kinda crazy we're doing this, (coming home for about 48 hours just for one show) but its a necessary break from the road, and this Bday bash is a huge annual concert. We have to show love to our Hawaii people. So The Green and I are going on tonight. Should be mean.
The Surf Roots Tour has been going strong! About 10 days in so far. Here's some YouTube I found from almost every show:
Wednesday July 21st, The Roxy in LA:
Thursday, July 22nd BriXton Redondo Beach, CA:
Friday July 23rd, Wavehouse San Diego:
Saturday, Tiki Bar, Costa Mesa, CA (raged!)
Sunday, Rhythm Lounge, Long Beach, CA (raged!)
Tuesday, Sandbar Santa Barbara, CA:
"Charismatic SOB"
We also played in Santa Cruz, and last night in San Francisco! Soo much fun. More pix and vids coming soon, but be sure to "like" me on Facebook so you can get the hottest updates!
Big ups Tamarama Stranger Resin Music and The Green! We're having a blastttt!!!
Aloha always,
Anuhea
Surf Roots Tour only 1 week away!!
posted: 7/14/2010
Getting very excited... we are hitting the road again in exactly one week. The Surf Roots Tour is taking us to the West Coast, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, and California! Should be so awesome. Resin Music is promoting it so proper. The Green and I have been practicing, got some new stuff up our sleeve for you guys out there and I can't wait to rock. We also have new merchandise that I designed myself: those slouchy beanies I always wear... yup... Anuhea brand beanies, T-shirts, boybeater tanks for girls, and trucker hats..... so sick if I may say so. Will post pix as soon as they get off the printing board. Also going to be printing ANUHEA LIVE FROM SUN STUDIOS EP featuring The Green backing me live from the legendary Sun Studios (from the Right Love Tour)... singing "Barista by Day", "Big Deal", "Right Love Wrong Time", "Here I Go Again" and "Charismatic SOB". Also getting my first BANNER and some sick decals including the new 'Like Jam?' anuheajams.com Street Team Official Decal in sum sickkkk colors, like pastel green and light blue? oh yeah. ;) xoxo
Get stoked West Coast Jam Team! We are coming!!!! Buy your presale discount tickets to ANY of these shows by clicking the SURF ROOTS TOUR poster below and don't wait in line to buy. The Green is KILLER live, STRANGER is amazing! I have yet to see Tamarama but their songs are so awesome... the vibe will be amazing throughout the whole concert, I promise.
SURF ROOTS TOUR 2010
WED, JULY 21 - THE ROXY - LOS ANGELES, CA
THURS, July 22 - BriXton - REDONDO BEACH, CA
FRI, JULY 23 - SOUNDWAVES - SAN DIEGO, CA
SAT. JULY 24 - TIKI BAR - COSTA MESA, CA
SUN, JULY 25 - RHYTHM LOUNGE - LONG BEACH, CA
TUES, JULY 27 - SANDBAR - SANTA BARBARA, CA
WED, JULY 28 - DOWNTOWN BREW - SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA
THUR, JULY 29 - THE CATALYST - SANTA CRUZ, CA
FRI , JULY 30 - BROADWAY STUDIOS - SAN FRANCISCO, CA
SAT JULY 31- (ANUHEA & THE GREEN back to HAWAII FOR KCCN BIRTHDAY BASH)
SUN JULY 1 - THE UNDERGROUND - RENO, NV
MON, AUG 2 - SENATOR THEATER - CHICO, CA
TUES, AUG 3 - APPLEGATE LODGE - APPLEGATE, OR
WED, AUG 4 - WOW HALL - EUGENE, OR
THURS, AUG 5 - HAWTHORNE THEATER - PORTLAND, OR
FRI, AUG 6 - SNOQUALMIE CASINO - SNOQUALMIE, WA
SAT, AUG 7 - WILD BUFFALO - BELLINGHAM, WA
SUN , AUG 8 - THE REEF - BOISE, ID
MON, AUG 9 - TBA - SALT LAKE CITY, UT
TUES, AUG 10 - HODI'S HALF NOTE - FORT COLLINS, CO
WED, AUG 11 - CASSELMANS - DENVER, CO
FRI, AUG 13 - THE HUT - TUSCON, AZ
SAT, AUG 14 - THE COMPOUND - PHOENIX, AZ
SUN, AUG 15 - BLUE MARTINI LOUNGE - LAS VEGAS, NV
Style Make Over? ummmm ok!
posted: 7/14/2010
So I never really thought I had terrible style... but I did realize I was not feeling very confident on stage in some of the things I was wearing. So Ralph Malani, the artist who did my hair for the Hoku's (the vertical crazy faux hawk thing).. and I have made a connection, and he offered to help me get styled out before I left on tour again. He knows tons of designers, local and national, and they were kind (and stoked!) to give me some clothes. My style before was very Hawaii... I would wear slippers or bare feet, bathing suit tops for bras, and trucker hats all the time. Ralph wanted me to be a little more... "pretty" and since I am Hawaiian and am from Hawaii and live in Hawaii, but don't play Hawaiian music, he said I can and should embrace the florals and flowiness of Hawaiian style apparel. I was down to try. He cut and dyed and curled my hair, put lipstick on me, and gave me tons of cool clothes from local polynesian designers.
When the people at the Star Advertiser heard about our project, they wanted the story. Our Chinatown Honolulu photoshoot is documented below, photos by Whitby Beirwolf.
Today is the first day of SUMMER! Can't believe the year has gone by so fast. This morning was pretty cool... we went down to the Wet N Wild Waterpark in Kapolei for a live broadcast of Hawaii News Now morning news. All the Sunrise crew were there, and the public was invited for free if they were down to come that early. 640am was my first song... (Below) 'Come OVer Love'. The Green boys came after, and jammed, then us together at the end... then we had a nice little waterballoon fight at the end there (you can see on the camera.)
We then missioned the rides. I was down to try the FLOWRIDER... the stationary wave machine that you can ride stand up board or body board on... Girls should wear a rash guard... I also wore my padeo tied like shorts... JUST in case. First time I ever tried it, but it was a blast! And no clothing ripped off. (Ive heard horror stories from girls!) We did all the other fun slides and stuff too... what a great day. Got to hang with some of my favorite people too. #mahalokeakua
SURF ROOTS TOUR!!!
posted: 7/14/2010
Aloha you guys...
In about a month we are heading to America again. July 21st-August 15th we'll be on the Resin Music Surf Roots Tour 2010. Hitting west coast and mid west on spreading the surf roots culture across America. I can not wait to get on that bus again!
I am honored to be headlining the show this year, backed by my boys The Green again. The tour will also be featuring Stranger from San Diego and Tamarama from Australia. This is the 5th annual Surf Roots Tour, and the Resin Music team has it on lock booking at the sickest venues with some killer local bands opening in almost every city. The debut show is at The Roxy in LA on the 21st of July. Presale tickets already available too! Do not miss the opportunity to see us!! We absolutely can't wait to rock for you.
SURF ROOTS TOUR 2010
WED, JULY 21 - THE ROXY - LOS ANGELES, CA
THURS, July 22 - BriXton - REDONDO BEACH, CA
FRI, JULY 23 - SOUNDWAVES - SAN DIEGO, CA
SAT. JULY 24 - TIKI BAR - COSTA MESA, CA
SUN, JULY 25 - RHYTHM LOUNGE - LONG BEACH, CA
TUES, JULY 27 - SANDBAR - SANTA BARBARA, CA
WED, JULY 28 - DOWNTOWN BREW - SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA
THUR, JULY 29 - THE CATALYST - SANTA CRUZ, CA
FRI , JULY 30 - BROADWAY STUDIOS - SAN FRANCISCO, CA
SAT JULY 31- (ANUHEA & THE GREEN back to HAWAII FOR KCCN BIRTHDAY BASH)
SUN JULY 1 - THE UNDERGROUND - RENO, NV
MON, AUG 2 - SENATOR THEATER - CHICO, CA
TUES, AUG 3 - APPLEGATE LODGE - APPLEGATE, OR
WED, AUG 4 - WOW HALL - EUGENE, OR
THURS, AUG 5 - HAWTHORNE THEATER - PORTLAND, OR
FRI, AUG 6 - SNOQUALMIE CASINO - SNOQUALMIE, WA
SAT, AUG 7 - WILD BUFFALO - BELLINGHAM, WA
SUN , AUG 8 - THE REEF - BOISE, ID
MON, AUG 9 - TBA - SALT LAKE CITY, UT
TUES, AUG 10 - HODI'S HALF NOTE - FORT COLLINS, CO
WED, AUG 11 - CASSELMANS - DENVER, CO
FRI, AUG 13 - THE HUT - TUSCON, AZ
SAT, AUG 14 - THE COMPOUND - PHOENIX, AZ
SUN, AUG 15 - BLUE MARTINI LOUNGE - LAS VEGAS, NV
Anuhea wins two for two at the Hokus!!
posted: 6/21/2010
Anuhea is stoked to announce she won both awards she was up for at the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards last night! Most Promising Artist and Contemporary Album of the year! Congratulations to Anuhea and all those who support the music!
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Hoku Hanohano Awards coming up!
posted: 6/1/2010
In Hawaii there's this annual thing called "The Hokus", short for Na Hoku o Hawaii Music Festival... kind of Hawaii's version of the Grammy's. Local music in Hawaii has a style of its own, and we definitely aren't represented properly in the Hawaiian music category of the real Grammy's... all the more reason why the Hoku's are so cool in Hawaii. Pretty much the who's who of Hawaii music are in attendance at the awards show, and as long as you fill out your paperwork properly, sold records, and are down to rep yourself (as opposed to those who WANT to remain underground), if you're somebody in 808 music, you'll be at the Hokus.
This year I've been nominated for 2 awards! Most Promising Artist, and Contemporary Album of the Year. Its pretty cool for me, since I was a little kid I used to watch my aunty Nalani and Na Leo on the Hoku's. Now I'm going to be there, nominated, and I've been asked to perform LIVE on the Tv program. That's going to be nuts. The Green will be backing me, and we're going to do a unique version of the Hawaii hit, "Big Deal". (Been watching Beyonce live in DVD, and I'm ultra inspired! LOL)
So May 30th, if you in Hawaii watch the program... not sure if its going to be streaming live for mainland, but I'll def be filling you in via Twitter and such. (@anuheajams).
Also if you guys want something fun and different to do, come attend the HOku's! Anyone can come to the show... its pretty cool! I attended last year. Its almost like prom again! But you get to get dressed up all fancy, choke local celebs around, drinks, meals, entertainment, etc. Tickets to the event, and other events throughout the week can be found on: www.NaHokuOHawaiiMusicFestival.com!
For real, check it out.
Also, check this commercial for it... can you see me? lol
In the meantime, I gotta practice the show, figure out what I, AND the boys in the band are going to be WEARING, (I'm thinking I wear bright yellow, green or blue with the boys in dark gray..), and all the other details.
I have some shows coming up with the Mana Maoli Collective. Read about them under "Shows" on this page... but I get to go to Big Island and play with them in couple weeks, show on Oahu, and one on Maui the night before the HOku's actually.
We're going to Moloka'i on Friday night too! Should be mean. Moloka'i is the "Friendly Isle" in Hawaii, small, super laid back, and its very exciting when a band comes to play at their one bar, Paddlers. So The Green and I are playing on Friday. Should be ridiculous. Can't wait to stock up on that 'ono Molokai sweet bread.
Looking forward to The Surf Roots Tour that I'm headlining starting July. Its official, The Green is coming too! Stoked to hana hou this time with all that we've learned from the Right Love Tour... how to live on the bus, how to perform, to travel, to get along, to stay healthy, etc. This time it should be a fine-tuned machine! So final line up for the Resin Music Surf Roots Tour!:
Anuhea
The Green
Stranger
Tamarama
and a local band in every city we go to.
Get ready, dates and venues for the country-wide tour will be released hopefully next week! Cheeeee!!!!
More later... love you all and mahalo nui for all the continued support!
Some promotion on the news the week leading up...
Some Kokua Pics...
posted: 5/2/2010
Kokua Fest was last weekend at the Waikiki Shell. I was so stoked to be on the bill with Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley, Taj Mahal, Jake Shimabukuro, and myself backed by my friends The Green. It was seriously one of the highlights of my life. And for such a great cause! The Kokua Hawaii Foundation is doing an amazing job blazing a trail of cleaner, eco-friendly living by blending their education with entertainment. Brilliant. Here's some pictures... more can be found on my Facebook Fan Page... click my Facebook link of the bottom of this page.
Me singing "Mud Football" with Jack Johnson at Kokua Fest...Day 2
"Three Little Birds" with Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley, Taj Mahal, Jake Shimabukuro, and Paula Fuga.. day 2 Kokua
Here I Go Again/Shoop remix on Day 2
"Big Deal" on Day 1
"Come Over Love" on Day 2
KOKUA FESTIVAL was nuts
posted: 4/25/2010
Just settling down at home after the best weekend of my life. Hands down. Kokua Fest 2010 is in the books, and what a success it was. I got to experience something I'm still struggling to believe was reality. Jack Johnson's music was so influential and inspirational to me thorughout my life, and I got to jam with him tonight. So rad.
More details and pictures, vids, later.
Thank you so much to everyone who was a part, all the support from the crowd, and all those who have helped us get here. Big ups to The Green for backing me at this amazing point in my life, and to my manager for putting up with me! LOL Maui Thing Clothing Co for helping me with my shirts (details on how to get the brand new T-shirts coming soon!)
More tomorrow...
Aloha always,
Anuhea
Anuhea featured on the iPads!!
posted: 4/16/2010
iKnow! i was iTripping when iSaw that! iTunes has been giving me love as their Discovery Download last July, featured me on their iTunes 9 Tutorial video, my songs on their iPhone demos in the stores across the nation, and now the iPAD! Wait, does this mean iGet a free one? Someone hook a sister UP!!! ;)
Aloha Always,
Anuhea
Right Love Tour Signing OUT.
posted: 4/16/2010
The Right Love Tour is officially Pau. I'm laying in my bed back in Kahala Avenue, spent the morning at the beach, slept, attempted to unpack my 4 suitcases, slept some more, laundry laundry and now I'm zoning out to Jack Johnson as I play out my Kokua Festival set (which is only 10 days away now!)
The Right Love Tour seriously changed my life. Anyone that knows me and my music will see that things are going to be different from now on. I have seen the country for the first time. Learned a lot about stage presence, live sound, managing your health and the physical aspect of being on a bus for a month, getting along with the people you're around day in and out with zero break, etc. I was also inspired and influenced by so much other music along my journey. Being around musical people day in and out definitely affected me as well. The Green and I would either be watching Live in Concert DVD's (John Legend, Beyonce, John Mayer, etc) or jamming 'ukulele/guitar making up funny songs as we travel down the road.
The intention was to have everyone in the band have their own little blog section... some attempted, but it just became too hard. I'm a feign at bloggin and keeping my stuffs up to date, so I tried to encompass everyone's experiences in my blog. But I suggest if you want a deeper bio of everyone in The Green's experience, check out their Facebook page:
Overall, the Right Love Tour was a huge success. Thank you so much to our sponsors Creative Labs, Kona Brewing Co., Hawaii Central Credit Union, to my manager and friend Warren Wyatt and the Worldsound team, Todd and Dwayne for the internet and design help, Julie for her constant hustle, planning and advice, to Ross the boss my sound-guy and friend who stepped up as Tour Manager extraordinaire, Kimo for being SUCH a huge help, Sheehan for the merch responsibilities, posting vids and pics and making sure we were all taken care of, to Rafe for the assistance at South by Southwest, Mike Cusanelli for all the work you did and stepped up to on this tour, to all the bands we played with on tour, Tribal Theory in San Diego, Sage from San Francisco at our SF and LA shows, Jen Kearny of Boston, and Analogue Transit of NYC for our Lowell and NY shows.
Also a big aloha to The Green boys Kaiks, Zion, Caleb and JP, also Les and Brad in the rhythm section. You guys became some of my best friends on that bus, and I'm so happy it was as good for you as it was for me. I can't wait to HANA HOU!!!
In the meantime, we'll be preparing for Kokua Festival on April 23 &24th, the Hoku Hanohano Awards on May 30th, and another mini-tour of the West Coast and Vegas in May! More info coming soon.
Aloha always!
Anuhea
Some pictures from our home stretch heading from New York to LA:
Click this link to download...
Big ups to the KWXX ohana for always supporting me and my music over on the Big Island! They even featuring me on their iphone app! Hows that for aloha.
So Hawaii Central Credit Union is helping me manage my life when it comes to money. Jump on the train Hawaii peeps! This is the real deal. Let's get our money right and enjoy life more! http://www.hccu.info
Koch, Keiki in Connecticut and Ma-MassaChewtsutz?
posted: 4/13/2010
To cover where I left off from Cleveland Ohio...
We rolled out of Cleveland on the Sunday March 28th and on to a quick stop over the NY border for a tour of the Koch/E-1 Entertainment Headquarters.
OneHawaii (my wittle indie label) has been with Koch Distribution (now called E-1 Entertainment, but I'm going to call them Koch for this right now okay?) since the start. They are the number one independent distribution company in the world, being up and up with the big guys like Universal for certain things. So we wanted to give back to the hard working handful of employees they have there and have a little jam sesh pizza party. Plus The Green are only physically distributed in Hawaii right now, so.... eh... you know... see how they like um! After jamming in the board room we walked around the warehouse, checking out the machines and workers that pile hundreds of thousands of CDs into boxes to ship out across the US. The people who work in the categorizing and organization of the warehouse itself are pretty amazing. But unless you deeply enjoy the wonders of the Dewey Decimal system, its not the kind of job I'd choose to pursue.
We pulled out of the outskirts of NY and headed to Connecticut (where I was TRIPPING out that there's a "c" in the middle that you don't pronounce... i was like nuh-uh! no way.) It was super stormy and cold there... not super common for this time of year, so Mike Cusanelli (one of my label/management heads) was apologizing for it being pretty miserable since that's where he's from. But it was really cool to be somewhere different. Mike had asked me if I wanted to do a little meet and greet and spread some aloha to his wife's students, since she's a KINDERGARDEN teacher at a local Montessori School. I was down! But as I pulled up I got nervous! Lol! The kids were so sweet! I brought one of the Pono 'Ukulele's from Ko'olau Guitar/Ukulele Co (Thanks you guys!!) and taught the kids how to play "My dog has fleas" (any Hawaii kid knows that song! No chords, just strum each of the 4 strings top to bottom.) They loved the download cards, and taught them the shaka, they all said my name properly, and pointed out where Hawaii was on a map. A few had even been before! I realize how much I really do like kids, and made me think back to when I wanted to be a teacher like my dad, my grandma and my great-grandma.
That night (Tuesday the 30th) we had a show at Two Boots which is an Italian and Boston fusion restaurant-- so think Pizza meets east coast style grinds-- but all their restaurants also boast great live music stages. The turnout in CT wasn't packed like our West Coast run, but we knew it would get less and less the further away from Hawaii we went. However the peeps that did come were super fans and knew our stuff, sang along, bought merch, took pix, etc. Plus Two Boots took mad care of us! Food, (best caesar salad I ever had! Grilled Blackened cat fish) and the boys had buffalo chicken pizzas! Unlimited drinks and great vibes afterward.
The hotel we got for showering had an indoor pool and sauna, so Les and Caleb enjoyed the steaming hotness. I didn't find out about it till it was closed, boo, but that would have been amazing in the 30 degree temp.
We rolled back out of Bridgeport CT over to Massachutsets (can I EVER spell these states and cities correctly? My gosh, Hawaiian is so easy for me, but these double letter silent 'c's are killers...)
We had a show at Gemstones on Wednesday the 28th, a sick venue above the popular bar The Blue Clover in downtown Lowell. Opening for us there were my management, Worldsounds' label artists and unique indie rocking New Yorkers 'Analogue Transit' and local soul Nikka Costa-esque singer/songwriter/piano player 'Jen Kearny'. Show went great, I had a blast, but at this moment I don't have a SINGLE picture! Lol... someone help me out with that please! Facebook me.
From Lowell we headed out for the climax city of our tour... our final city.... the big one... the big apple in fact.......... NEW YORK!!!!!!!!!!!!
To be continued......
Central Park NYC!
posted: 4/1/2010
Tour update montage from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, courtesy of Hawaii Central Credit Union!
posted: 3/29/2010
Jack Daniel, Cleveland Browns and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!
posted: 4/8/2010
The past few days have been gig-free, but very interesting! After leaving Nashville we had a weekend to do some exploring in the Middle America area. So after a vote, The Green and I decided we wanted to do 2 things.. visit the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg Tennessee, and hit up the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio.
We rolled through the most beautiful countryside I've seen (other than Upcountry Maui of course:) through Tennessee and into the quaint town of Lynchburg. The weather was perfect, rolling up at around 3pm, when the shadows from the trees, homes and cows created a nostalgic ambiance that made us keep the bus windows open.
We pulled up to the Jack Daniel Distillery, got our tickets and jumped on the last tour of the day. After watching a brief movie of the history of the land, we took the tour. Our tour guide was awesome, southern accents just make any story sound SO much funnier and interesting to us! We learned where Jack was from, how whiskey is made (from wheat, barley and corn), why Jack chose Lynchburg (beautiful fresh naturally filtered spring water), why Tennessee whiskey is different from regular whiskey (filtered through natural home-made charcoal) and how to assemble a genuine Jack Daniel barrel for whiskey. Most of us on the bus are Crown Royal fans through and through, but after seeing the serenity of the are where this whiskey is created, and the amazing vibes of the people and processing, we all have appreciation for Mr. Daniel. Seriously one of the highlights of our tour thus far! I highly recommend.
Jumped back in the bus and missioned it North all night, up to Cleveland Ohio. We were on a mission to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But we actually got something else that ended up outshining the museum... Maui boy and Defensive Line Backer Kaluka Maiava of the Cleveland Browns is friends with some of the guys, and he picked Kimo JP and I up, took us to lunch, and arranged for us to have a VIP tour of the Cleveland Browns stadium. The weather was perfect (although very cold for us 808'ers) we entered through the underground back-gate and headed through the private hall into the players locker room... checked out the training room, showers, coaches lounge, sky boxes, through the tunnel and onto the field. Private boxes above the field are rented for $30,000-$100,000 per season... seems worth it to me:) It was so badass up there. Again, made me want to be a Browns fan after getting so much behind the scenes action! (Sorry dad! (vikings fan))
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was cool too! Although you weren't allowed to take pictures inside, I sneekily snagged a couple (sorry! but isn't that what Rock and Roll is about?? Breaking the rules and stepping outside the norm??:)) Saw original drawings that Jimmy Hendrix drew as a kid:
Some clothes from pretty much every rock star in history, lyric scribbles, stage costumes, guitars, etc. Super cool. We heard a rumor there was a Bob Marley dreadlock in there somewhere but we couldn't find it.
We're in the south ya'll
posted: 4/8/2010
Yeeeeehaw ya'll!!
So right now as I type this blog (Friday March 26th) we're on the bus somewhere in the middle of Kentucky. Heading to the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg, TN, and then Saturday we're hitting up the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio. But before I get there, let's back track on our past couple shows and our southern endeavors! Arkansas, Tennessee and Louisiana!
Nashville, TN
We had a show last night in Nashville at this Grimey little spot called "The Basement" right beneath Grimey's Record Store, owned by Mike Grimey... lol It was awesome. Intimate crowd at 6pm on a Wednesday but we rocked it!! So cool to be playing in such a musically famous city! We had to check out Nashville city after that, so Pizzle and I caught a cab to 2nd street. Every bar on that place had live country music. It was pretty incredible. We went into this spot that had food, music and drinks and had some sweet Tennessee bar fare while watching a young girl jamming on the fiddle, another chick with the voice of Carrie Underwood singing any song you wrote down on a napkin for her while she danced all over the bar--all the while her dad played bass, another chick drummed, and it wasn't a big thing when 2 older men in denim overalls started like square dance tap dancing on the dance floor. So rad. Saw a couple other spots before we got too cold and tired and cabbed it back to the bus.
The night before was incredible as well. We had the honor and privilege of recording at the legendary Sun Studio in Memphis Tennessee. If you don't know what that is, its the original studio that legendary artists of history like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, BB King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Howlin Wolf, JUST to name a very few. They have tours by day, then in the evening they open the "museum" as a fully functioning LIVE recording studio.. Basically just a room with mics and no over-dubs... just jam and record! We had a blast in there! Recording late into the night. The Green did 6 songs, I did 6 songs. We're planning on releasing them in the near future for a live EP... LIVE FROM SUN STUDIO. Can't wait!
Little Rock, AK
The night before was also fun.. we had a show in Little Rock Arkansas... another place I had never been before. It was a cool venue with lots of character called, "Sticky Fingerz". Located near President Clinton ave... (yup.. we were definitely in Arkansas!) I had done a little in-store at an Air Force Base in Little Rock earlier that afternoon, and met a couple of Hawaii peeps there. We invited them to the show, and they came, rocked with us, hung out with us, showed us where to go afterwards. It was really fun! I met President Obama and made out with him.
JP caught him smoking a cigarette...That's it Barack, I'm telling Michelle.
New Orleans, LA
Of course our favorite city for food so far was New Orleans! We had a day off before our show at the Republic New Orleans on Monday, so The Green and I saw, did and ate as much as we could:)
Quick story, the morning we got there we decided to find some food. We all stopped in a casino to use the bathroom, then we walked like 10 blocks in the unusually cold windy afternoon weather, and finally found Acme Oyster House!! All excited while waiting in line I go to bust out my iPhone to tweet something, I realize its gone. I search my purse, ask around... nothing. I figure I must have left it IN the Casino bathroom!!! Leaving your phone in a casino isn't like leaving it in a church... the chance of you getting it back is not quite as high... I HAD to try though. Pizzle came with me and we jumped in a cab back to the casino... just knowing that it was already history. I walk into the bathroom, and low and behold... HALELUJAH it was right there. Amazing. I was all stoked. As we're going to run back to the restaurant, JP suggests we stop at a craps table cause I was the luckiest person in New Orleans right then. I had never gambled before so I let him take the lead. He puts $5 on 20 on the craps table, and within 30 seconds of us squeezing on this table, it HITS!!! We won like 140 bucks. Crazy!
Acme oyster house was insane.... Even the guy from Man Vs. Food ate there! He pounded 42 dozen oysters, we had like 3 dozen on our table. Not to mention fried catfish, hush puppies, or what I ordered, Shrimp Po' Boy sandwich. The Gumbalaya was nuts! As were the 2 shots each of Crown Royal that J and I took to celebrate our big win:) Good times.
After a good nap, we got together and roamed the famous/infamous Bourbon Street. It was a Sunday, so it wasn't like packed, but everything was open, and bumping, and live music, and naked ladies, and all the things you want in a street named after an alcohol.
Next night was our show at the Republic NOLA. Our friend and Worldsound helper Rafe went to school in Nawlins, so he invited a bunch of his friends out. The venue was sick! Awesome sound, and we were all stoked to be playing in the super bowl city, especially since it was booked last minute. Bonus.
So I think I covered all the blanks. Shout out to our sponsors again, Kona Beer, Creative Labs and Hawaii Central Credit Union! You guys are creating so much inspiration and memories for us, and we hope we're showing our fans and friends around the world that we can spread the aloha throughout the US.
Aloha always,
Anuhea
South by Southwest a success!
posted: 4/8/2010
So we had a blast at our week in Texas. (March 16-20th)
South by Southwest 2010 was even better than last year. Highlights? Meeting Doug Benson, watching ESTELLE LIVE!!!!!! and seeing Travie from Gym Class Heroes after a few years, Stone Temple Pilots, Mayer Hawthorne, late night Gyros, jamming with Tavana, The Green (of course), Kona, Pimpbot, Sabrina, and all the other Hawaii peeps, JP's parents surprising us in Austin, and the kick ass Official Showcase at Submerged on Saturday night. I want to re-live South by again and again, but alas, the week is over. Good news is that we are still on the road for 2 more weeks! More memories to come!
We are currently in New Orleans for our show tonight at the Republic NOLA. Off to Little Rock Arkansas tomorrow!
Aloha always,
Anuhea
Big Mahalo to HCCU!
posted: 3/16/2010
I just wanted to send a special Mahalo out to HCCU, Hawaii Central Credit Union. They are sponsors of our Right Love Tour and helped to make all of this possible. I had the pleasure of working with them to make a radio commercial for Hawaii, and upon opening a savings account with them that day I learned so much about credit unions and how they are different from banks. HCCU is pretty much a non-profit. When you become and HCCU member, you're basically owning a portion of the company. They hook you up with everything from Auto Loans, personal loans, and checking and savings accounts. Their one branch is located on King Street in downtown Honolulu, but they have ATM and debit cards you can access at multiple atms throughout the islands with no fee. Since its a small place, you really get to know your bankers and work one on one with them to help you to achieve your financial goals. I personally have never had a savings account before, but they have like virtually no fees, and they can help you during a time you may be struggling.
I had always been scared of credit unions because I thought I wasn't eligible. But the requirements for HCCU are if you work in Hawaii, and your company has less that 3,000 employees, or you're RELATED to someone who is under that requirement, you're IN! Its pretty cool... cause they're out to help the typical Hawaiian resident.
I highly suggest you make 2010 your year of financial freedom, and talk to the friendly peeps at Hawaii Central Credit Union.
Hawaii Central Credit Union
681 S. King Street
Honolulu
808-536-3677
www.hccu.info
Follow them on twitter! @HCCU
Aloha always,
Anuhea
San Diego Rage-o and choke Aloha in Arizona!
posted: 4/8/2010
Aloha my friends, 'ohana and Anu-nationals,
So Thursday night (March 11th) was our show in San Juan Capistrano. The venue was called the Coach House where Pepper played often years ago when they were starting off. When they told me they were going to come support, I was tripping! Stoked, and nervous too! lol... The service at Coach House was off the hook. There was a helper, August, who was dedicated to keeping us stoked. Open bar, open menu, green rooms with the sickest decorations, and so much aloha and respect. There were two other local bands who opened for The Green and I... (I gotta find the names!! They were good!!) Then the boys hit the stage. Rocked their set, I did mine repping my Buti Groove shirt for this show:) Cruized with some friends from Twitter/Facebook after (big ups girls for driving 5 hours!!!) and we spent the night in the bus in the parking lot! The yushe.
Went for a run the next morning by myself in SJC, rocking out to the new Iration album (congrats on being #1 on iTunes reggae charts in your debut days!!) Then it was off to Ron Burgundy's hometown... SAN DIEGO!!!!
San Diego was awesome. (Friday March 12th) Rolled in, my brother picked us up and first things first: BURRITOS. Then second things second: LAUNDRY!!! We cruized at his house watching movies and catching up while my clothes washed, then he took us on a mini tour of Coronado Beach as we caught the sunset! Rolled us back up to the 710 Beach Club right in Pacific Beach, and it was already packed. Although we had a couple of issues with peoples personalities at the venue (douches), we had SO much fun. SUCH an awesome turnout, line out the door, over capacity, etc. Aloha spirit wide. Only thing is, someone stole my Tamba hat right off the stage!! I wanted that hat for the tour, girl! So un's. ;) Sadly we had to bounce immediately after the show, cause we were heading to ARIZONA for a performance at the annual Aloha Festival in Tempe at TWELVE NOON.
Woke up at 11 in a parking lot in Tempe... (hey that's a cool first line to a song!) and I had to get READY to be on stage, more importantly SING in an hour in front of potentially 50,000 people. (Annual festival in AZ hosts over 100k people over the weekend... HUGE festival at Tempe Beach Park, sponsored by our friends at Hawaiian Airlines!;) I was exhausted... semi-sicky vibes going around the bus little bit, and I was tossing and turning all night. So my voice was acting kinda nuts. Slapped some make up, threw all my un-brushed hair under my hat, brushed the jaws and rolled out the door, singing to the sound guys radio the whole ride over to the park. I think I did okay considering I just rolled out of bed. The boys rocked, and everyone else loved it. All the Hawaiians and polys were just so stoked to see some peeps from the islands. Although this was my show I knew the people wanted to hear The Green, or would at least fall in love with them if they did for the first time. So I asked them to play none other than.... "I wanna love you love you girl..." Signed autographs, shirts, cds etc with The Green and grinded.... YUP: Spam Musubis.
That evening we wanted to do something, and our friend from Hawaii, Blaze who's living here in Tempe right now for NFL training camp, suggested a bomb sushi spot called Sushi 101. We all met up there and grinded some of the most ridiculous rolls we've had, let alone from a land locked state like Arizona! Sake bombs wide. Then we had to hit up Mill street... I guess that's where its bumping we heard... so we stroll through the number one college party town in the nation (ASU) and roll upon some douchey douche bag door guys at one of the clubs. He checks id's.. checks all the boys in front of me, then when he gets to me, my hologram sticker thing was coming off my ID so he's like, "No your ID is damaged) and wouldn't let me in. Les and Z were all like dude, come on, etc etc... finally after begging he let me through. No Aloha. :):) After more drama that I'm not at liberty to discuss on a blog... ensued, we were able to sleep and prepare for day 2 of the Aloha Festival.
Which brings me to today. Today was awesome. We played at the smaller stage, at 2:30 so I had time to warm up, get ready proper, etc. We had a super good production meeting this morning with all of us, just focusing on how to streamline our procedures, duties, evaluating mistakes, quality control, blogging/vlogging responsibilities, post show etiquette, and bus behaviors, etc. I think that really made us closer and pumped us up on stage. Not to mention we sold like 10 times more cds and merchandise today than yesterday, which was a goal of ours. This bus does not pay for itself! We gotta hustle, my friends. Hustle.
Ate some huli huli style chicken (sooo many food booths to choose from! Shave ice, hawaiian plate, teri chicken, malasadas, etc etc etc) then we went back to the bus for some R&R. We all watched a bit of Coming to America, showered in the hotel, relaxed some more, then some of us went to watch a movie, others (me JP Zion Ross and Kaiks) went to CLAIM JUMPER for dinner! Again, one of those HAD TO things cause we're on the mainland!
Now its like 1am and we're on the move again, heading as far as we can towards Austin Texas for South by Southwest Music Festival! We have to stop in El Paso for 8 hours or so so John our bus driver can sleep. Heard some scary stuff about El Paso. We probably won't be leaving the bus.
Good night for now! Aloha always,
Anuhea
Creative Labs!
posted: 3/12/2010
Our California endeavors
posted: 4/8/2010
Aloha friends and Anu-Nationals!
So its about a week into the Right Love Tour... its our first day off and I'm catching up on the pic/vid/vlog update-age.
After Seattle and the amazing hot dogs, we bounced down to Oregon for our show at Pacific University. I was very excited to see my sister who's a student there, and everyone else in my mainland family.... plus college shows are always a blast! The place was RAGING! Its like the kids hadn't seen a good reggae show in months! So much good feedback and aloha.
Got to have a drink with the mom, she finally met JP and Warren and the rest of my main peeps in real life, and we had a drink with her and her coworkers and my uncle at a local pub. Dropped off my suitcase of Hawaiian snacks and goodies (mochi crunch, shrimp chips, li hing mui gummies, iso peanuts, etc.) to my sis, and then we had to bounce to the city by the bay!!!
Our shows in San Francisco was killer! Pulling into that city was the best feeling ever! The Broadway Studios was such a rad venue, so much character... and i got my own little green room to chill in. We also had enough time to run down to the Pier and get some classic SF seafood!!!
The turnout was great! Ikaikas sister and his family came out, lots of classmates, and random fans as well. We actually had the option for peeps to buy a ticket to come early, cruize with us for dinner and chatting, and I met a friend (Shanna) who I only knew on Twitter until then! Another testament that Twitter is the shit.... :)
We stayed there that night, then headed out the next morning to San Jose. It was freeeezing in SJ! We checked into our awesome hotel, The Fairmont San Jose and I called dibs on sleeping in the room that night! Sound checked then started the show. It was an awesome venue... it was a Sunday night, so we didn't know what to expect with the turnout for our first time, but there was a lot of good vibes! The Bay area got mad love for reggae and island influence music... much love.
THAT night however, I was trying to be funny and I started to run alongside the equipment truck with everyone inside as it was cruising down the street. I ended up twisting my ankle in a pot hole and going DOWN. My ankle felt BROKEN! Was so insanely sore... I was carried into the Taqueria where everyone was teasing me as I cried, then hobbled back to hotel where I got hooked up with a wheelchair. Sleeping that night was painful. No painkiller (other than a couple of shots of Crown Royal) and no compression. I needed to get to Rite Aid or something pronto.
Next day we were heading to San Luis Obispo, but not before a heavy WalMart stop. I still couldn't walk, and needed some stuff to make me better. So JP hooked me up with a motorized wheelchair and I got my shopping done. Ace Bandages, Aleve, Icy Hot, and ice packs. It was very humbling being in that wheel chair. Hard work. Makes me thankful for everything I may take for granted at times.
We arrived in FREEZING SLO and unloaded our stuff at Downtown Brew. Again, a Monday night we weren't sure about, but we were greeted with posters of mine lined throughout the venue, and a bunch of fans waiting in the upstairs restaurant for us to start! Great vibes, and a bunch of our Santa Barbara peeps came over for this show. Can't wait to return on a weekend and just RAGE it. Awesome show in SLO.. thanks to Korey and the crew!!
It was off on the bus again the next morning to Los Angeles which brings me to YESTERDAY. Last nights show at The Mint was amazing... one of our best so far ever. It was a very important show to me, not just because there were a lot of big wigs in the house, but also because I had played The Mint about 8 months ago, and it wasn't a homerun for me personally as a performer. I just really wanted to knock it out of the park at that legendary awesome LA venue, and I think last night we succeeded. I Love playing with The Green... they are some of my best friends so being up there is just millions of times more comfortable. Makes a huge difference. The band that played with us in San Francisco and here in LA was this band SAGE. You guys gotta check them out! Super interesting sound, like Pepper and Jake Shimabukuro put together!After the show was over we all just hung out and enjoyed our Kona Beers that the Kona Brewing Company hooked up for us!
Anyway, so right now me brad and JP are in the back of the bus watching "Longest Yard". Prolly gonna watch 3D Alice in Wonderland later tonight with everyone! Don't want to overdo it tonight, our first night off since the Right Love Tour started. Tomorrow we bussing it super early to the OC area and playing at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano.
We're having a hard time getting everyone's videos from their Vado to this site, just because things have been so hectic! But I'm working on it slowly but surely... and be sure to check my first edited video Vlog here on this page.
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO THURSDAY!!! SAN DIEGO FRIDAY! ARIZONA SATURDAY AND SUNDAY!!!
Aloha always,
Anuhea!
Pepper supports the Anu-Nation! ;)
posted: 4/8/2010
Check out this video that the boys from Pepper made promotin the show in San Juan Capistrano! So rad...
Seattle in the books! Now on the trail blazing to Oregon!
posted: 4/8/2010
Official day one of our Right Love Tour was all that I imagined it would be... with a few crazy twists to keep it exciting!
We woke up at the hotel had some breakfast at a local by-the-airport-diner called Dave's Diner, then packed up our hotel. Waited anxiously for our bus to arrive, and finally it pulls up! It was so much better than we expected... leather couches, 2 flat screen tvs, wifi, 12 beds, full fridge, etc etc.... so lush and so pimp. We picked our bunks and semi settled in. Still missing our 7 bags, I realized I had to rock the show without my hat that night... Brad hit up Urban Outfitters since most of his clothes were lost in the air.
We did a small in-store performance at Silver Platters Record Store at around 530. Met a few girls from Lanai and some other locals. Then we zoomed back to Chop Suey for soundcheck.
Chop Suey was a hip lil venue and we were greeted by the local band Island Bound (comprised of mostly peeps who lived/has family in Hawaii). Once the doors opened it started getting flooded with local peeps... lots of flowers in the ears, Maui Built shirts and hats, college kids and young local music lovers wide. So stoked with the turnout.
We slept for our first night on the bus as it was parked behind the venue, after having one of the most amazing late-night-hot dogs (made with grilled onions and cream cheese!) As I was falling asleep we would all look at eachother and just stop and realize... OH MY GOD we're on our tourbus, on tour, playing music every night!!! HOW stoked are we.
Woke up the next day later than everyone, and we were at the Seattle airport FINALLY picking up our lost luggage. Once we got that down, we stopped at a grocery store to meet Warren and grab some stuff for the bus. As we were pulling away, JP gets a call from Shniggs. Yup, sure enough we accidentally left him in the parking lot! LOL... had to get Julie out of bed and pick him up, and meet us a bit up the freeway since it was too late to turn all the way around! So classic.
So now we're on the bus to Oregon where pretty much half of my family is currently living. Sis is in college, brother in school, mom is living there, and that's where my grandparents, uncles, aunties, and cousins live too. So trying to swing it to have dinner with them tonight... mom wants to feed all 11 of us at my grandpszz house.. I'm warning her these Hawaiian boys can EAT! beware....
Tonight at Pacific should be awesome! Our first college show, and my sis is telling me all her peeps are super stoked we're coming. Lots of Hawaii people at Pacific U, so let's entertain them and those who appreciate the island vibes!
Free to students, $10 donation to all else. All welcome! We'll start around 930, open mic starts at like 7pm.
Its a piece of cheese!
posted: 3/8/2010
Right Love Tour Episode 1 "Hawaii Times to Seattle Vibes"
posted: 3/8/2010
Check this article about us returning to SXSW!
posted: 3/7/2010
SXSW 2010 Texas hana hou
Several acts from Hawaii hope to make an impression on attendees at an annual music conference in Texas
By Gary C.W. Chun
For the second year in a row, a little bit of aloha hopes to make its mark at this year's South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas. Starting on March 17, several local acts will be among many from the United States and around the world vying for the attention of its multitude of attendees.
Anuhea Jenkins and Pimpbot return to SXSW for another go-round, this time with Erving "Kona" Chang, Tavana McMoore and Sabrina Velazquez.
"We want to show that the islands are not just about tikis or your typical Hawaiian music," said Pimpbot's Eric Lagrimas.
Hawaii's official music reps gathered at the Manifest downtown bar Tuesday night for a group interview that also turned into a mininetwork gathering, as they traded contact info and conference tips.
On the Austin schedule are two promotional events and a Hawaii artist showcase to be held from March 18 to 20, including a sunset luau on the roof of the flagship Whole Foods Market and a happy-hour gathering at Roy's restaurant.
"I hope to do the same things I did last year, only better," said Jenkins, who's hoping her backup band the Green will get as much attention as she does. Besides a promotion deal with Whole Foods, the current Anuhea Right Love Tour has materialized in part because of her appearance at SXSW last year.
By the time their tour bus arrives at SXSW, the band will have done 10 gigs in Washington, Oregon, California and Arizona.
"We should be on fire by the time we hit Texas," Jenkins said.
Warren Wyatt, president and CEO of WorldSound and One Hawaii Music, who also manages Jenkins, said efforts last year were "specifically to bring attention to an unknown artist on the mainland, who even though has Hawaiian influences in her music, is strong enough to go larger than the local and tourist markets."
Things worked out well enough that Jenkins' mainland sales are now closing in on 60,000 physical and download sales.
"She's been the biggest-selling Hawaii artist outside of Jack Johnson over the past six months," he said.
The Green has their own local radio and national download hit "Love I" to promote.
"Hawaii has a renewable resource in contemporary music, much like agricultural products ... and it's an export crop that the state government has recognized by their support of the Hawaiian presence at SXSW," said SXSW's Australia/New Zealand rep Phil Tripp. Tripp organized Hawaii artists' participation alongside the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
One potential trailblazer is Chang, who has been performing music since he was 13. He spent 12 years as the drummer of Tropical Knights; now, with guitar in hand, he is a solo musician in Waikiki. His two albums include last year's "Acousti-me."
"I pray for big doors opening up for my music career that could take me to the next level," he said.
Velazquez, who starts recording her new album in Portland, Ore., three weeks after SXSW, has already made a connection with prominent Austin power-pop band What Made Milwaukee Famous.
"I'm thrilled to be playing there because it's always been on my bucket list," she said.
Even though McMoore is new to the Hawaii contingent, the "bluesman at heart" has taken it upon himself to commute to Austin over the last five or so months, playing upward of four gigs a week in Texas' main music city.
"I originally went there because Stevie Ray Vaughan is my hero," McMoore said of the late singer-songwriter-guitarist. "Now I'm there to really work on my craft. It's really killer to play there, and it's taken my music to a whole other level."
But Austin is just another stop for him on his way to expand his fan base, much like his extended stays in Northern California. "I've been doing this for the last couple of years, and it's a successful way to get to know people."
McMoore will be bringing copies of his new album, "Electric Monkey," back to Austin.
Pimpbot goes back to SXSW better prepared. Since they were not part of last year's official contingent, the ska-punk band relied on their do-it-yourself wits and relentless energy to make the most of being at the event.
"We printed up fliers at the local Kinko's, pasting our faces onto a page bought by DBEDT in the conference's program," said Lagrimas.
The band also worked trade shows in the convention center, where they met a rep from Armed Forces Entertainment. They joined in June, and a month later they were told they would be part of an Asia tour in September of U.S. military bases.
"We'd like to see Hawaii build up a showcase that is as big as other cities that feature their acts at SXSW, like Chicago, Nashville and Seattle," Lagrimas said.
"We're certainly going to be offering up an eclectic group of talent," said Jenkins. "We'll be saying, 'Look, this is the new face of Hawaii's music.'"
Seattle in the books! Now on the trail blazing to Oregon!
posted: 3/5/2010
Official day one of our Right Love Tour was all that I imagined it would be... with a few crazy twists to keep it exciting!
We woke up at the hotel had some breakfast at a local by-the-airport-diner called Dave's Diner, then packed up our hotel. Waited anxiously for our bus to arrive, and finally it pulls up! It was so much better than we expected... leather couches, 2 flat screen tvs, wifi, 12 beds, full fridge, etc etc.... so lush and so pimp. We picked our bunks and semi settled in. Still missing our 7 bags, I realized I had to rock the show without my hat that night... Brad hit up Urban Outfitters since most of his clothes were lost in the air.
We did a small in-store performance at Silver Platters Record Store at around 530. Met a few girls from Lanai and some other locals. Then we zoomed back to Chop Suey for soundcheck.
Chop Suey was a hip lil venue and we were greeted by the local band Island Bound (comprised of mostly peeps who lived/has family in Hawaii). Once the doors opened it started getting flooded with local peeps... lots of flowers in the ears, Maui Built shirts and hats, college kids and young local music lovers wide. So stoked with the turnout.
We slept for our first night on the bus as it was parked behind the venue, after having one of the most amazing late-night-hot dogs (made with grilled onions and cream cheese!) As I was falling asleep we would all look at eachother and just stop and realize... OH MY GOD we're on our tourbus, on tour, playing music every night!!! HOW stoked are we.
Woke up the next day later than everyone, and we were at the Seattle airport FINALLY picking up our lost luggage. Once we got that down, we stopped at a grocery store to meet Warren and grab some stuff for the bus. As we were pulling away, JP gets a call from Shniggs. Yup, sure enough we accidentally left him in the parking lot! LOL... had to get Julie out of bed and pick him up, and meet us a bit up the freeway since it was too late to turn all the way around! So classic.
So now we're on the bus to Oregon where pretty much half of my family is currently living. Sis is in college, brother in school, mom is living there, and that's where my grandparents, uncles, aunties, and cousins live too. So trying to swing it to have dinner with them tonight... mom wants to feed all 11 of us at my grandpszz house.. I'm warning her these Hawaiian boys can EAT! beware....
Tonight at Pacific should be awesome! Our first college show, and my sis is telling me all her peeps are super stoked we're coming. Lots of Hawaii people at Pacific U, so let's entertain them and those who appreciate the island vibes!
Free to students, $10 donation to all else. All welcome! We'll start around 930, open mic starts at like 7pm.
"Right Love Tour" Starring Anuhea & The Green
posted: 3/4/2010
From Hawaii, 6 boys, 1 girl, tour bus across America. The Right Love Tour featuring Anuhea and The Green. Check anuheajams.com for tour details!
Just arrived in Seattle!
posted: 3/4/2010
So we got here a few hours ago... its pretty fricking cold! But we're in good spirits. One little problem:(well its actually a huge problem but we're not letting it get us down) is that most of our bags are still in Hawaii! Yes, we checked in 20 bags (including instruments) and a keyboard, some controls, all Zions clothes, Brads clothes, all The Green's merchandise and one of my suitcases, are all NOT HERE! We were having trouble getting ahold of someone from Hawaiian Air, but finally did and they realized that almost half our stuff was still on Maui for some reason... saying they'll get it to us by tomorrow night.. which won't work.. major bummer.
We're staying in a hotel tonight, then hitting the tour bus tomorrow. Can't wait to get on that thing!
2 shows in Seattle tomorrow to kick off the tour: a small acoustic set at Silver Platters Record Store at 530pm, then playing our big show at Chop Suey at like 9 with special guest DJ and local band Island Bound. I go on at about 11.
Lets see what tomorrow brings!
So stoked to meet some Seattle fans and friends in real life! We're doing all this for the FANS so thank you soooo much for all the support!!!
Aloha always,
Anuhea
We leave tomorrow!!!!
posted: 3/2/2010
Last night at RumFire was the kickoff party for our Right Love Tour. The Green and I played for about 300 of our friends, family and fans who came to the swanky spot to give us their blessings and aloha for the mountain that we're about to climb! Tomorrow we all leave from Honolulu to Seattle where we'll hit Costco and Walmart and stuff to stock up on our last minute necessities for the bus, then our first show kicks off at Chop Suey in Seattle that night! I absolutely cannot wait. I'm so excited to get on that bus... Like I said, we will be sharing the experience with you all along the way, so please check back on to www.anuheajams.com and the developing website for the tour, www.rightlovetour.com.
Now my mission is PACKING. I haven't cleaned my room in a week cause I figure, hey we're leaving...PLUS the tsunami scare on Friday night, I quickly packed like a weeks worth of clothes and haven't put them back. Whew... here we go!!!
More later...
PS check this pic from a fan friend in Seattle! Get your tickets peeps!
Countdown to the Right Love Tour!!!
posted: 2/21/2010
As of today, 2/21, we are one week and 2 days away from our flight to Seattle, which will kick off the mainland leg of the "Right Love Tour", taking us from WA, down the West Coast to San Diego, over to South by Southwest Music Festival for a week, then to New York City. 31 days, 25+ shows, and no doubt a billion funny stories and lifelong memories.
I haven't really seen the US. Living in Hawaii 99.9% of my life the furthest I've ventured past California was changing planes in Phoenix (other than our first SXSW experience in Austin last year). So I'm thrilled to be passing through more of Texas, Tennessee, New Orleans, the Carolinas, DC and of course NYC!!! The road trip of a lifetime with some of my favorite people.
For those who aren't from Hawaii or haven't been listening to the radio lately, The Green is a local band comprised of 4 guys from Oahu: JP Kennedy, Ikaika Antone, Caleb "Shniggs" Keolanui, and Zion Thompson. Read their bio and hear more of their songs on www.myspace.com/thegreenband808 Their song "Love I" has been a hit in Hawaii for like 6 weeks straight, and their self-titled debut album came out on Feb 2nd, and has been the #1 album in Hawaii since. Not only are they amazing songwriters and singers, they also play their instruments, so they are going to be backing me for my set as well (with the addition of Leslie "Big L" Ludiazo on drums and Brad "BW" Watanabe on bass.) Truly an allstar band. I'm so proud of them, as I watched the development of each of them as artists, and the development of their album pretty much from the start. We've been doing tons of shows together here in the 808 in preparation for this tour, and although they are way more reggae than my album is, our vibes blend together super well, and the combo is undoubtedly going to be a KILLER show. I'm beyond excited.
This week we are in mad rehearsal mode, really preparing our set and making the dynamic of the song list/transitions/harmonies/etc all cherry. Also shopping for some warmer attire (its fricking cold out there!!) and staying healthy for the germ battlefield that will be our tour bus!
Today I recorded day 1 of the "Right Love Wrong Time" music video (finally!) in the bamboo jungle of Jackass Ginger with the creative genius brothers of Kai Media. Also today we wrapped up the final mix of "Come Over Love", my first cover song that I'm going to release as my new single. Originally performed by Estelle, this song has been my absolute favorite for a couple years now... and I'm honored to be making a version of my own. BIG UPS ESTELLE! LOVE YOU!
Bye for now!
Aloha always,
Anuhea
On kaua'i
posted: 2/16/2010
We got to Kauai on Wednesday. I love this island so much. Half of The Green and I went up and stayed with JP's cousin Kimo and his family on their farm in Anahola. Kimo's family is amazing. Their two kids Tea and Heath are true country kids! Running around in their pig farm, riding dirt bikes, horseback, fishing, jiu jitsu, hula, jamming uke, all the while being respectful helpful children to their awesome parents. I loved being at their place. Watched Kimo shoot a pig in the head, rode a mini dirt bike, cruized with the boys on a completely empty beach, got chased by dogs while running in a padeo, bathing suit and slippers on the Anahola homestead, ate some amazing food, and relaxed a bit!
Had an eventful night last night out and about in Kapa'a. Ate some awesome sushi at Kintaros (awesome) over a nice cold Kona Brew.
We then went over to Lava Lounge to preview our venue for the show Friday.... Mad love from Kaua'i peeps. Friday night was ridiculous! We got picked up by the Tamba-zine (full on awesome SUV limo decked out with crown, champagne, vodka and all the mixings, we rolled up from the hotel to Sushi Bushido for an awesome spread of our fave sushis, then we headed over to Lava Lounge.
Already packed before we walked in the door, Chanel Flores opened with some beautiful tunes on her yuke. The Green killed it to the awesome raging crowd, then by the time my set came up the popos were trying to shut the place down! I could only do like 5 songs! But it was all good... No complaints!
Koko Productions, Tamba and Bud Light did an amazing job. Big ups to Koani and Tamba, cousin Kimo and Lauren, and all the peeps of the Garden Isle! We love you!
Kealakehe High School show...
posted: 2/16/2010
I love Kona. Two weekends in a row we played there, this past Saturday was the Kealakehe High School fundraiser for their Project Graduation. We shared the stage with Ekolu and had such a blast checking our the sick vintage cars and trucks, meeting the students and taking pictures. Of course I had to throw in some preachin' in quoting call back rappage from Nas "I know I can... I know I can... Be what I wanna be... Be what I wanna be... If I work hard at it... If I work hard at it... I'll be where i wanna be... I'll be where i wanna be..."
Hawaii's First Fashion Week!
Since I met Ralph Malani, my life has changed:) He's my stylist, and has hooked me up with so many different polynesian based designers and their clothing. Names like Hinano Tahiti, Missing Polynesia, and Tiare Teiti... jewelry and threads, hats and shoes. Ralph has the eye for maintaining my connection to Hawaii through my clothes, even though my ...
Events
9/3/2010
Honolulu, HI
Vertical Junkies Back Yard BBQ at Fresh Cafe w Anuhea
