This is contemporary Hawaiian culture

nobody@vox.com(thrustoleum) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:52:29 -0700

I listen to a salad radio station on Maui (the best reception we get here on the north side of the Big Island) when I'm not listening to the iPodinets. This station has been advertising one (and only one) concert for the past couple of months, probably because they'll need roughly 5% of the entire population of Maui to attend in order to fill the venue.

Two of the acts are nationally-known artists (though I'm guessing not as popular on the mainland as they might be here): Sean Kingston and Collie Buddz. The third is a local Maui group, Ekolu.

Near as I can tell, Ekolu is your basic Hawaiian local band. They play a little bit of everything, they play well, and they sing well. Unlike the SF indie scene, it's hard to imagine a local Hawaiian band doing well if they could not sing well. Everybody sings here: the local kids are rocking the karaoke machines shortly after they speak their first words.

So it's not surprising that a lot of locals feel inspired to cover Ekolu. On the couch, with a ukulele, with a NAVY t-shirt:

Honestly- by Ekolu (cover)

On the floor, in front of the dog stretching on the couch:

Ekolu - Honestly (Cover)

In your bedroom, while you're still learning to play the guitar, in your favorite powder blue sweatshirt:

honesty - ekolu (cover)

In your dorm room, too shy to look at the camera:

Honestly - Ekolu

In the subdivision park, with your cousin playing the guitar, in between cigarettes:

ekolu -honestly

And of course, other local bands are obliged to cover the song, with pretty much the same quality as the amateurs, but with bigger amps and more cousins:

Honestly (Acoustic)

Brothers Kakaio performing "Honestly" by Ekolu

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This is contemporary Hawaiian culture