Live, original reggae music is echoing on South King Street from a single bedroom apartment in Kalihi. The blaring, ‘Jah music’ could easily be considered a noise complaint, but the closest neighbor is a homeless gentlemen sleeping on the steps, and he’s too intoxicated to object. The music is coming from Dubkonscious, one of Hawai‘i’s most promising underground roots reggae acts, who are rehearsing upstairs barefoot. Hawaiian and Japanese rule– leave your footwear at the door.
This custom makes the doorway a venerable, gauntlet of slippers and shoes. So, watch your step. Not too mention, there are empty beer and water bottles distributed through vines of audio wires. Don’t forget to watch your step. The walls are reeking of collie herb, as 11 members of Dubkonscious sweat their Thursday night away. The band’s “progressive roots, reggae” is hot and the temperature in the room is the same. “It’s like Bikram reggae,” jokes guitar player, Brett Richards of their balmy, practice studio. Just like yoga, band members come to the studio ready to perspire and work hard.
“When we play we get hot and sweat together as a sign of our dedication to the music. Sometimes we practice and it gets deadly hot, but we don’t even notice because we love to play,” says the leader of the band, lead vocalist, Dub technician and keyboard player, Mike Love. “Everyone comes ready to practice and be a family. There is no ego in the band so it’s really cool working with everybody and no bad vibes.”
This team cohesiveness makes Dubkonscious’ live performances an intoxicating display of harmony and positive vibrations. Their upbeat and dance friendly tempo dispels the myth that reggae shows are a bunch of stoners bobbing their heads, standing in one place. Instead, a typical Dubkonscious show is full of energy, with the crowd and band skanking like a Jamaican dance hall. Dubkonscious is rehearsing with this in mind and they’re heating up, literally.
The band beats the heat with water, beer and rum and Cokes, the traditional cocktail of the Caribbean. Dubkonscious’ music is also from that region, but their sound is a hybrid of Jamaican, roots reggae, rock and roll and, small kine, Hawaiian influence. Unlike Jawaiian music, which is a Hawaiian remake of reggae classics, Dubkonscious music is original.
“Every song has a lot of sounds and tones coming together to create a bigger picture,” says bass player, Reid Yamasato. “We’re looking forward to people understanding the messages that are coming forward through the lyrics.”
This is apparent in one of the band’s most requested songs, “Loloiwi,” a love ballad performed and written by Dubkonscious vocalist, Paula Fuga. The popularity of this song has a lot to do with the success of Paula’s solo album, Lilikoi. But, “Loloiwi” was a fan favorite long before Fuga’s album because of the song’s lyrics. “It’s a roots, reggae song and it’s all in Hawaiian,” says Fuga. “If you listen to the words or translation it’s a song asking someone how you feel about me because I love you.”Hearing Paula’s voice project off the studio’s walls makes the air in the room heavy with emotion and humidity. Perhaps, the warm temperature of the practice studio helps Dubkonscious prepare for their strenuous, fast paced live shows. At the moment, the band is getting their live act down since taking a break from performing for the first half of 2008, but will be gigging and practicing like crazy to promote their debut album this winter.
“It’s been good these last six months because we took this break and got a real power up in the band,” says Love. “It feels like everyone is playing a lot tighter and the sound is a lot fuller and stronger.”
These sound improvements are evident in the band’s practice sets, as Dubkonscious prepares for an upcoming show at Hale‘iwa Joe’s. With a couple of new songs in rotation and new drummer, Sam Gonsalves, Dubkonscious is looking hotter and more fluid than liquid, hot magma.
“We’re just on the edge of breaking out and we haven’t played live shows in six months and it feels like a volcano ready to erupt,” says Richardson, while the rest of the band takes a ‘smoke break’ in the other room. “I’m just super excited for what’s about to come up.”
words by: Daniel Ikaika Ito
contrastmagazine.com
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