Tini GreyFamily man and working artist, Tini Grey, who was recently featured on Season 7 of the popular NBC TV show, “The Voice,” is bringing an Island Style Christmas to you. He and his musical family and friends are putting together an unforgettable show that will surely get you and your families in the holiday spirit.
“I grew up in a very musical family that was rich in Island and family traditions, AND celebrating Christmas was one of my favorites ones,” Tini shares. “Now that we are older and have our own families, it’s very rare that we get together to do a show like this. So, I’m really looking forward to reliving some of those great memories and sharing them with a whole new generation of music lovers.” Island contemporary music and old Christmas classics will collide for an unforgettable evening of harmony and festive celebration. The pre-show and concert begins at 6:30pm and promises to be fun-filled celebration of music, faith, family and aloha – which is what the holiday season is all about. A nightcap of milk and cookies will also be available following the event to round out the evening in good ‘ole Saint Nick fashion. TINI GREY and his wife, Angela Perez Baraquio, Miss America 2001, will co-host the island-style Christmas concert together featuring their talented family members in Orange County, CA. on Saturday, December 20th, 2014 at 7PM at the Ebell Club Theater, 625 French Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701.
Included in the program with Tini Grey is his father, the musical icon, Jerome with his Jerome Grey Trio (Polynesian Family Band) and his younger brother, the ever popular Taumata Grey. He is the lead guitarist/vocalist from the up coming Pacific Island Pop band, The Common Kings, (currently on the 20/20 tour with Justin Timberlake). Also featured will be Na Hoku Hanohano Award Winner (Hawaiian Grammys) Shawn Ishimoto and more. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to charity and the family will be hosting a toy drive benefiting Toys For Tots. Bring an unwrapped toy and enjoy the concert with milk and cookies afterward. Brand new CDs, merchandise, and apparel will be available––first come, first served! General Admission price is $25, and the VIP Platinum is $40. Platinum Access includes exclusive Pre-Show Entry and Meet & Greet (5pm), Preferred Seating, Early Merchandise Access and Wine Reception. General Admission entry begins at 6:30pm. Brand new CD's and apparel will be available in limited quantities - first come, first served! To Purchase Tickets go to the website: www.agreyfamilychristmas.com Music Available on: Itunes.com andwww.agreyfamilychristmas.com For More Information:Contact: Tini Grey Tel: (808) 224-4882 Email: [email protected] Or visit www.agreyfamilychristmas.com J Boog inspired by Veikoso
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Dre BlueSan Diego is cursed with being too close to Los Angeles, CA. Flying too close to the Sun. Its like the little brother who never quite gets the same respect as his older brother like Eli Manning who wins more Super Bowls than his brother Peyton but cannot get the same respect.
The music scene in San Diego labors under the shadow of the entertainment behemoth just 100 miles to the north on the 5 Fwy. Hollywood and LA are the center of the entertainment universe. This has made it almost an insurmountable task for San Diego talent to emerge from the Music industry's Matrix of clouds and shadows that San Diego inhabits. Most have to travel the two hour road trip north before they get acknowledged. But while the majority of the World worship at the feet of Hollywood there are still those in San Diego who refuse to bow to the imperial authority of the powerful neighbor to the North. Its almost a defiant stance taken by the independent artists of San Diego many of whom are Hip Hop artists. This is the reality of the music world that Dre Blue, a Samoan-African American female rapper inhabits. She and numerous other up and coming musicians in Daygo have been dealing with this tough situation as they work hard to overcome this disparity of power. Dre Blue is no stranger to Hip Hop. She has been a part of the local Hip Hop scene in San Diego for over 10 years. Her style is a mix of lyrical philosophy and hard core street knowledge that flows in a variety of tonal movement that makes listening a pleasure and inviting rather than a chore. Now for an older guy like myself thats what catches my attention. But the lyrics are an energetic collage of words that interact emotionally with the beats that are produced by her record label ISIS Entertainment. (I know....they had this name way before the current situation in the Middle East) Dre Blue is known in San Diego's Hip Hop scene and has been involved in performing at a variety of different venues. She has been also part of the Blast TV family which put out a couple of alternate shows one, fresh Music which featured Dre Blue as the host. She interviewed Rap artist from Chicago, Big Sal and his brother who came down to perform at a show. We wish Dre Blue all the best in her future endeavors. SpawnbreezieAnapogi B. Fau was only one week old when the Fau family moved to Independence, MO. As a young boy, Anapogi grew up listening to his father make music, whether rehearsing in the garage or on stage at performances. Music was just as much an influence to Anapogi as his father was to him. So much in fact that young Anapogi learned to play drums at 4 years old and piano at 5 years old.
Curious and excited about his life's involvement with music that he entered into talent shows and joined the church band. At 16 years of age he learned to play the guitar and eventually acquired skills of a bassist at 17. Anapogi soon realized that at a young age, music was not only a talent but a passion that now became his life. At 17, Anapogi dropped out of high school and made a commitment to his love and talent to pursue a career of music. With the combinations of island music, roots reggae, and hip-hop, Spawnbreezie has crafted a new kind of sound. Combining the percussions of hip-hop, the skank of reggae and the vocals of the Island music, he calls it, "Island Hip Hop". Spawnbreezie has performed for numerous venues: night clubs, parties, weddings, release parties and has done numerous shows to give back to the community. In 2002, Spawnbreezie and his family, formed a family band called, ‘Le Atalua Breeze Band'. Being a part of the Breeze Band, he thought it was only fair to represent it wherever his music took him. At that time he was going by the stage name of "Spawn" and was in the making of his solo debut album. In 2005, Spawn began his solo career and pursued it with great leaps of faith. In transition of leaving "Le Atalua Breeze Band" into becoming a solo artist, he took the word "Breeze" with him in this new journey and introduced himself as Spawnbreezie. His first project in 2006, with the help of his brothers. He had finished 12 tracks but due to a lack of serious promotion, the album went unnoticed. The wave of the entertainment business shook the new solo artist into spin that changed his perspective in his career. He learned from his mistakes and made another attempt to make a mark in the entertainment industry, Spawnbreezie hit back in 2007 along with the help of his brothers, and released their first band album, "Breezin' All Nite".
The sound of Island hip-hop began to grow, gaining recognition from both local radio and fans throughout the city of Independence. With awesome reviews in the local area and great feedback from MySpace listeners, Spawnbreezie is ready to take the world by storm. Having become a YouTube sensation, Spawnbreezie is now considered a main attraction of the international reggae scene and is hugely popular in New Zealand, Australia, and across the South Pacific Islands. Still fighting the foes of the entertainment business, Spawnbreezie became restless in performing in local functions, wrestling with financial independence and In 2008, Spawnbreezie released his first solo album called "Independent Soldiers." Singles from the album, "Baby", "Crazy", "Breezin" and "Is You" gave him the tools to begin a foundation. With the positive momentum that was started from "Independent Soldier", Spawnbreezie found the strength to endure the obstacles in the industry and started working on another album. In 2009, Spawnbreezie released his sophomore album called "Welcome to Zion." Hits like "Welcome to Zion", "Like Heaven", "Body Like", "Maasoama" and "25 to Life", started to grab the attention of listeners. In 2010, Spawnbreezie took the time out to make a plan for his next steps. He reflected on the accomplishments that he had and the work that needed to be done for the future.
The release of "Independent Soldiers" allowed Spawnbreezie to introduce himself to the world. And the following album "Welcome to Zion", allowed Spawnbreezie to gage the influence of listeners. It was clear at that point that Spawnbreezie had an opportunity to voice his music to a forum of listeners. He took advantage of the forum and talked about the trials that he faces as a person and an artist. He expressed his emotions through his music and talked about his life experiences. With the forum to voice his life experiences in June 2011 he released his 3rd Solo album "Dear Billy". With the smash hit "Oh My Goodness" and YouTube hit "Don't Let Go" but those are just some of many fan favorites. This album has allowed Spawnbreezie to enter into new territories in his career. not only is he opening up the eyes of music lovers everywhere, but also their ears and hearts. With upcoming albums he is sure to propel this not only himself into superstardom but also bring much need attention to the whole Island reggae genre and positive music as a whole. The Queen of Poly Music hails from New Zealand but her influence is growing with sold out concerts in Australia and USA.Aaradhna Jayantilal Patel (born December 1983 in Wellington, New Zealand) is an Award winning R&B/Pop Recording Artist, Writer and Record Producer in New Zealand, and is signed under the music label – Dawn Raid Entertainment. Patel is of Samoan and Indian descent, with her mothers family coming from Papa Sataua, Auala and Falealupo Uta villages.
She first showed singing aspirations at the young age of 12, singing along with her mother to traditional Samoan and country songs. She would try to imitate the songs she heard in Bollywood movies that her and her father watched and also went to festivals that her father performed at. Aaradhna began writing her own music at the age of 11; she entered her first talent quest at the age of 13 making it into the finals. She joined the school choir at Porirua College had got kicked out for rebelling, but went on to form a five piece girl group called "Lovera". According to Andy Kellman Aaradhna "lucked out when Dawn Raid co-founder Brotha D happened to get his hair braided at her grandmother's Wellington house. He offered a contract when the R&B-oriented pop vocalist was prodded by her family to sing for him." Patel has also worked with other New Zealand artists such as: Che Fu, Pieter T, David Dallas, P-Money and Young Sid. She recently completed a number of shows in the USA. Salt Lake City, Utah seems to have become very attached to the exotic Diva as she has performed in Utah twice in less than a year. In October, 2013 she performed there for the first time and was a huge success so she was again brought by Roots Rawka (promoter) to perform recently in SLC, April 3rd, 2014. This time Sammy J came with her from Down Under. The show also featured some new artists from the OC, Uso Coalition. In an interview with Le Malae, she discussed her newest release the album, Treble and Reverb. The style of music seems to have changed from pop to a more mature raw style. In her words her music has grown up. The style is more confrontational and edgy. Less of the Puppy love lyrics and more descriptions of the reality of life. It almost feels as if she has experienced life and the disappointments or let downs that can burst one's adolescent bubble. She is a woman now and her message has changed. Lorena Bobbit the song she wrote has evidence of her new attitude towards relationships. And it has struck a note with her fans.
She has become a voice of enabling strength from Heartbreak to being the Heartbreaker, realizing that gossip is pointless and that you can and should learn to grow from it. She looks out over her audience now and sees the "Miss Lovelies" in the world and looks at herself as a former Miss Lovely, she now strongly advocates that they should be handled with care. Her message is now one of empowerment of women and the message to our men, come with your A Game if you want to be taken seriously. Professional Career:In 2004, she made her musical debut featuring on the single ‘Getting Stronger’ with singing brother-duo, Adeaze. The song peaked at #1 on the official Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) Singles chart.
The following year in 2005, she featured on the single ‘They Don’t Know’ with Samoan rapper, Savage, who is also a former member of the hip hop group Deceptikonz. The single was part of his 2005 album “Moonshine”, and appeared on the movie soundtrack for Sione’s Wedding under the Dawn Raid Entertainment label. The single peaked at #3 in New Zealand and #26 in Australia. Patel released her debut album “I Love You” in May 2006. Her first single ‘Down Time’ hit the RIANZ Singles chart at #4 on January 28th, and peaked at #3. Her third single ‘I Love You Too’, peaked at #5. Her second album ‘Sweet Soul Music’, is filled with throwback classics that include covers from artists such as: The Stylistics, The Jackson 5 to Al Green. The album was released in February 2008. Patel released her third album ‘Treble & Reverb’ in November 2012, which she says she was inspired to write new music by listening to tracks on the ‘Back to Black’ album by the late Amy Winehouse. Two of her most known songs on the 17 track album are ‘Wake Up’ and ‘Lorena Bobbitt.’ At the 2013 New Zealand Pacific Music Awards, she set a record by winning all five categories she was nominated in. Patel won Best Pacific Female Artist, Best Pacific Urban Artist, Best Song, Best Album, and Best Video for the song ‘Lorena Bobbit.’ Highlights & Awards:
From SamoanBios.com FIJI, from the islands of Fiji to Hawaii and now in the Mainland, he's a Legend but is still moving up and fine tuning his craft.BORN GEORGE BROOKS VEIKOSO Fiji is one of the biggest Polynesian artists of our time. His golden voice and musical blends have launched him on the world stage as a pioneer of the Pacific Island Sound… .. A fusion of classic reggae, Hip-Hop, R & B and Jazz set Fiji apart as a performer. His unique style defies the idea of categorizing artists into a single genre of music, giving Fiji widespread appeal and capturing his array of musical influences….. For those that love Hawaiian-style Hip Hop, Fiji offers established fans his recognizable energy and remarkable personality. Newcomers to his music embrace his smooth voice and exotic sound….. Previous albums Evolution and Born and Raised brought successful unique island style to the mainstream, launching Fiji as the one of the most recognized Polynesian artist in the world. Gratitude included hits like “Smokin Session” and “She’s Da Bomb.” co-written by Fiji, as well as a remake of Otis Redding’s “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay,” Songs from the album were heard on Bay Watch Hawaii and MTV’s Real World Hawaii. Transition carries on his tradition of soulful voices and appealing sounds. His latest release, Independence Day, has made the greatest impact on the pacific and west coast music scene….. Fiji has successfuly captured the beauty and allure of the island life through his music. In 1998, he earned the Na Hoku Hanohano Award for Male Vocalist of the year and Entertainer of the year, solidifying his place among Polynesian fans and introducing his sound to a wide audience of listeners. Embracing the Polynesian style, he has introduced music lovers around the world to his own take ..ting edge island music. ..
BY GEORGE
Fiji's got it, and more, including a Hoku and a new CD By John Berger Special to the Star-Bulletin GEORGE Veikoso's first professional singing appearance earned him $5 from the audience and "the lickings of my life" from his mother. Mom didn't want her 8-and-a-half-year-old son singing "worldly" music. "The only place I could sing was in church, so every chance I could I'd sneak out. I felt in my heart that I had something (to share), and all I needed was a stage. I got on every stage I could to make that dream come true." The little boy with the big dreams has made them come true in a big way. Twenty-one years after his first paid performance, George Veikoso, better known as Fiji, ranks as one of the most popular entertainers in Hawaii. Today marks the release of his third album, "Grattitude." "The 'grattitude' is hard-earned, we're grateful but at the same time we've worked hard to get here," Fiji explained. "I put the name Fiji on me just to show that Fijians are definitely a very positive force in the Pacific," he said, explaining although he is known to most people as Fiji, he doesn't keep his given name a secret. G. Veikoso is credited for writing most of the songs on "Grattitude." "This (album) was due for the holiday season. I wasn't happy with it until now. "There's a lot of happiness, a lot of things that have happened in my life I've put in there -- heartbreaks to great times, to 'Riddim of Life' which talks about why don't we just stop fighting and groove to the rhythm of life." Fiji credits three relatives with encouraging his interest in secular music and in shaping his approach to it. A great-uncle, Isireli Racule, who helped make "Drums of the Island" a hit for Elvis, was an early inspiration. Uncle Sakiusa Bulicokocoko (of Bulicoko Band fame), was another. Another uncle, Paul Stevens, turned him on to people like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, and groups like Third World, whose music "was a melting pot of groove and feel." Fiji mentions Earth Wind & Fire, Chaka Khan and Rufus, Janis Joplin, the Bee Gees, Parliament, the Average White Band and Tower of Power as other early inspirations. Fiji's mother eventually bowed to the inevitable. By the time he was 14 he no longer had to sneak out to sing and was working with a Fijian band, Rootstrata. "That's how I learned to be in a group. Being in a group teaches you that you are one of eight guys who make this sound (together). "As you go solo you tend to forget that there's a group behind you that worked very hard to create what you need." Fiji left his homeland at the age of 14, came to Hawaii, and spent less than a year in Los Angeles before returning here. Hawaii has been his home ever since. "I couldn't hang (in L.A.). I found more love here. This is closer to where I came from, especially the mentality, the thoughtfulness and the sensitivity of the people." His rise was slow, but steady and well planned. He sang with a group called Par Three at Someplace Else in Kailua, appeared in talent showcase nights at Fast Eddie's and eventually gained a bigger following as one of the later recruits in the Hawaiian Style Band. His debut album, "Evolution," hit in 1994. "Born & Raised" followed three years later. Fiji's popularity and presence in the local music industry was made clear to all when he won the Hawaii Academy of Record Arts' Na Hoku Hanohano Award for Male Vocalist of the Year, and won the public balloting for Favorite Entertainer of the Year in 1998. "In order to have respect and recognition, I wanted to first be a part of something that was Hawaiian and molded to Hawaiian culture and Hawaiian music. Hawaiian Style Band was a really great example of people who either had migrated to Hawaii or who appreciated the culture. It brought together a melting pot of music, and I felt that going with them was something I needed to do while I was working on 'Evolution.' "On 'Born & Raised' I wanted to go back also to where I came from and get that whole thing sorted out. Now I'm coming out with something that I've always wanted to do, which is to have a majority of originals so they can hear me more as myself rather than the people who influenced me." An upcoming compilation album will be followed by a project aimed at the national pop charts. "It may have seemed I'm confusing myself by collaborating with so many people -- singing background here, writing this song there, singing with this person or that -- but I wanted to saturate myself in the market at that point. Now we're learning to draw back and just focus on our thing." Fiji was born five months before the official end of English colonial rule and the restoration of Native Fijian sovereignty on Oct. 10, 1970, and speaks fluent Fijian and English. Although he has considered Hawaii his home for half his life, he follows events in his birthplace. When the Fijian chiefs ceded the islands to England, traditional Fijian institutions were kept intact and laws were passed that prohibited sale of land to non-Fijians. Fiji supports the efforts of Col. Sitiveni Rabuka and others who are fighting to keep Fijian lands in Native Fijian hands. "We are very grateful for our forefathers who preserved and protected our culture. We still have the council of chiefs, and the Native Land Trust still belongs to the people, but democracy is coming in with a whole new set of rules, and if we're outnumbered they can break that all up. "If we don't have the power they can outvote us and take all our land, but if we stick together as our forefathers want us to, we definitely can preserve what is being lost in so many Polynesian islands today. "I really empathize with the Hawaiian people and I feel for them. I'm trying to reach our people, island people and people who love the islands. Not necessarily Polynesians but people who know how beautiful it is to live here. You can see the resurgence on Hawaiian music with people coming out with their own style. Some (are) following trends but some more are really trying to create something." He says originality is the key to national and international success. "We can hear what they're doing on the mainland but at the same time be here and create our own (sound). "That's what it's all about -- learning to help each other out and learn at the same time about this music that we're trying to bring up out of Hawaii." |