CATCH THAT HAWAIIAN VIBE
The Green brings its reggae roots to Skylight
It’s 75 degrees out and JP Kennedy is taking it all in. Who wouldn’t if they lived in Hawaii? “It truly is paradise,” he says during a recent interview. “The weather makes it difficult to get work done.”
Kennedy is a member of the reggae group The Green. The band also includes Caleb Keolanui, Ikaika Antone, Zion Thompson, Brad Watanabe and Jordan Espinoza.
The Hawaii-based band released its first album in 2010 and found success with its first single, “Love I,” in Hawaii. The album also remained on the Billboard reggae charts for a record 69 weeks.
In 2011, the band released “Ways & Means,” which also was No. 1 on the reggae charts. The Green soon followed it up with “Hawaii 13” in 2013. This album also debuted at No. 1 on the reggae charts and spent more than a month in that spot.
“We’ve been lucky to have audiences gravitate towards our music,” he says. “It means a lot to us that the music connects with the audiences.”
Kennedy says while the band awaits its tour, it has been putting in a few hours a day working on new music.
“Our process has evolved in that it’s more efficient,” he says. “We don’t waste time and we are trying to push ourselves to take our music to the next level.”
In addition to writing music, the band has been figuring out all the logistics for its tour. Because all members are based in Hawaii, they have to make sure equipment is flown to the mainland, as well.
“It’s really a mad dash to get all of these things done,” he says. “We’re used to it, so we plan for any scenario.”
Kennedy says the band will play an assortment of all of its songs.
“There’s plenty of material for us to pull from,” he says. “The main focus is to make a great show for the entire crowd.”