What’s up guys! 

I am excited to announce that I am a finalist at the 2022 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards in two categories: “Alternative Album of the Year” and “Instrumental Composition of the Year” for my recent album, “E Ala ʻOe.” With these two nominations, it is an honor to say that I have been a finalist 12 times over the span of my eight year-long music recording career. 

“E Ala ‘Oe” was released on December 31, 2021, and the songs were written, arranged, recorded, and mastered by myself. This album displays my Rock and Reggae fusion style with Ska arrangements and Metal drumming from my dear friend, Luke D’Addario. The lyrics on these songs express the lessons I learned while dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. My title track, “Red Pill,” contains a rap verse performed by local artist, Rezzy Reps, who is a part of the rock group, NESTA. A favorite of mine is “The Golden Rule,” a Bob Marley-inspired reggae song that features O’ahu based singer/rapper, Trishnalei, who is also nominated for a 2022 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for “Female Vocalist of the Year.” 

To celebrate my recent nominations, the Poi Planet team and I made a special acoustic video of my song, “Red Pill.” To view the full video, you can head over to my YouTube page here.  Mahalo to Chris Lau of Rhythm & Roots Studio for letting us use your space to film the clip. For those who want to see me perform live, I play at the Beach House Bar & Grill in Kaneohe at 7:00 p.m., at Mai Tai’s every Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m., and at Stonefish Grill in North Shore every Friday at 6:00 p.m.

The 2022 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards will take place on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. I wish every final ballot nominee the best of luck. To all my followers, I hope to see you at one of my live gigs very soon and Mahalo Nui for your support. Until next time.