The Physics Of A New Record Deal

Melissa Moniz
By .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Friday - December 30, 2009
| Del.icio.us
Taisen and Duncan of PureN8ive

Taisen Abreu and Duncan Osorio met outside the music department during their senior year (2006) at Kamehameha Schools and have kept in touch musically ever since.

Abreu, from Waipahu, and Osorio, from Palolo Valley, spent the past few summers playing music during their college breaks - jamming, but nothing serious. They put some of their jam sessions on YouTube and collaborated via phone and Web chatting while Abreu was away attending Pacific University in Oregon.


“We didn’t really play much. It was pretty much every now and then,” says Abreu, a physics major. “And Duncan would come by during the summers and we would just play music.”

This year, they have made it official with a group name, Pure N8ive, and a debut R&B-flavored single, As Close As This.

“I think what’s different with me and Taisen is we have way different influences as far as music,” says Osorio. “As I’ve developed in music, my style became more of an R&B rock, and he’s always been a strong R&B type of singer.”

SOJA at Pipeline next Thursday

In September, Osorio was contacted by the Core808 production team and Soundscape Studios to record an album, and Abreu jumped on board.

“I was in my dorm room and I got a call from Duncan about being contacted and a record label wanting to do a recording,” says Abreu. “It was just surreal. Next thing we know they’re flying us to Detroit to record, and it’s been crazy.”

The new track can be heard on their Web site, http://www.puren8ive.com.

“They were so happy with the singles that they decided to do a full-length album, so right now we just have the first three songs in, so we’re working on writing more,” says Osorio. “It’s really important to us to do original music, and I like that we’re doing our own. And with our first three singles, all are completely different - R&B, rock, hiphop. At this point it’s nice seeing what works for us.”

The expected album release is spring 2011 ...

SOJA (Soldiers of Jah Army) is gearing up for a return to Hawaii as it presents its fourth annual January Tour. On Thursday, Jan. 7, the band will take the stage at Pipeline Cafe, and joining them is Natural Vibrations.


Hailing from Washington, D.C., SOJA is a reggae band that tells the roots story, but from the other side: America.

The members - Jacob Hemphill, O’Shea have been a team since childhood in Virginia with lifelong musical goals: creating real music that can’t be ignored.

In 2002, SOJA released its first full-length album, Peace in a Time of War. And in 2006, the band released Get Wiser, its second full-length album that explores the duality in their music, combining beautiful, longing melodies with hard drum and bass, and layered with intricate lyrics.

“When you listen to an artist, you can either have a series of one-liners, or you can tell a story with your music,” says Hemphill. “We set out to tell a story. It’s like poetry - dancing around an entire theme, but never putting a period on anything. It is like the two sides of a coin, but you can see them at the same time.”

Last year SOJA released the EP Stars and Stripes, which blends new sounds and rhythms with its existing reggae sound. And earlier this year, the band released the documentary DVD SOJA Live in Hawaii: A Marc Carlini Film showcasing the power and energy of its 2008 Hawaii tour.

SOJA returns months after the release of its third full-length album, Born in Babylon.

The band agrees that this is the album they’ve been wanting to make for 10 years. It’s hard roots drum and bass, big, wide guitar and vocal melodies, with two- and three- sided lyrics and messages.

Tickets for SOJA’s Jan. 7 show at Pipeline cost $25 advance and are available at Pipeline, Hungry Ear, Butigroove, Holy Smokes, UH Campus Center and online at http://www.groovetickets.com. Doors open at 9 p.m. ...

Kutmaster Spaz, Milano Freezer, Hawaiian Brian’s and 88 Tees are kicking off the year Saturday, Jan. 2, with the first massive teen dance event of 2010 at Hawaiian Brian’s Billiards.

All high school ages welcome to this Teen Vibe dance party series that will feature a performance by one of Hawaii’s hottest dance crews, the 808 Breakers. Hosted by new teen talent Rusty Russ, and with the legendary innovative DJ Kutmaster Spaz in the mix, this party is set to go off from 6 p.m. to midnight. The $10 cover charge also enters you to win tons of prize giveaways all night long. And the first 100 paying attendees through the door receive a free “88 Tees” shirt ...

E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS Comments (0) |

Most Recent Comment(s):

Posting a comment on MidWeek.com requires a free registration.

Username

Password

Auto Login

Forgot Password

Sign Up for MidWeek newsletter Times Supermarket
Foodland

 

 



Hawaii Luxury
Magazine


Tiare Asia and Alex Bing
were spotted at the Sugar Ray's Bar Lounge