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'Hele Ma' tour starts today
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jun 05, 2009
It will be a blend of hip-hop music and a reggae mindset tonight at Tropics Cafe when a trio of California-based artists arrive for the "Hele Ma" tour in conjunction with the venue's regularly scheduled "Hip-Hop at the Trops" party.
ONE LOVE COMMUNITY"Hele Ma" Tour with Barikuda, J. Ross-Parrelli and Ms. Mighty Junebug» Where: Tropics Cafe, 1020 Auahi St. » When: 9 p.m. today » Cost: Free for 21 and older; $3 for 18 to 20 years old » Call: 591-8009
ADDITIONAL SHOWS» 9 p.m. June 6 at Emerald Nightclub, Hilo» 10 p.m. June 11 at Ocean's Nightclub, Kihei » 10 p.m. June 12 at Casanova Nightclub, Makawao » June 13 and June 14 at the Sheep Dawg Hawaii Festival, Maui » 10 p.m. June 15 at Charlie's, Paia
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They'll be joined tonight at Tropics by local hip-hop acts Fat Soul and Intrepid, along with DJs Cozy, Revise and Careless1. Performances are expected to start around 10 p.m.
The Star-Bulletin caught up with J. Ross-Parrelli on Monday, as she celebrated her 28th birthday in Long Beach, Calif.:
QUESTION: How did you get started in music?
ANSWER: I got into music about seven years ago. I was in a duo with my brother. ... He rapped and I sang.
People thought it was really cute because we were siblings. We got into a lot of reggae festivals throughout the Pacific Northwest and Northern California.
Eventually, I started doing backup (singing) for a lot of different reggae musicians ... (and) within the last two years, I started touring on my own.
Q: Were you musically inclined growing up?
A: I was really reserved at first. ... I think it was my shyness. But don't ask me what happened, because now you can't get me off the stage! (Laughs)
My grandma, she competed with Shirley Temple ... and my dad grew up with drumsticks and a guitar. So music has always been in the family.
Q: Do you play an instrument?
A: I play the keyboards. It helps me to find melodies and kind of come up with different songs. I play the melodica and the flute, too.
Q: You spoke about touring as a backup singer for reggae acts. Is reggae your passion or just the genre that allowed you the fastest path to success?
A: I love the soul, the harmonies and melodies within reggae.
I think it was really me being 11 years old and falling in love with Bob Marley - that kind of set the stage for my music. My parents listened to a lot of Earth, Wind & Fire and jazz, so they'd be blasting that and I'd be competing with my Peter Tosh and the Maytals.
Q: How did you cross over to hip-hop?
A: I made the transfer from reggae to hip-hop when I was at a reggae festival and had the opportunity to open for KRS-One. He pulled me up on stage, and that was my introduction to hip-hop three years ago.
Q: Do you consider yourself a reggae singer or a rapper?
A: I don't know. At this point it's really hard to say. It's one of those Queen Latifah things, where she started off in hip-hop and started morphing into jazz and soul as she matured.
I love soul - that's kind of where my heart is at - but it's so hard to say.
Q: You use the phrases "aloha" and "mahalo" often in e-mails and in your voice-mail greeting. Do you have any ties to the islands?
A: I have an aunt out there on Maui, and my grandma used to live out there for a while.
And Barikuda actually has a lot of family on Oahu. ... His grandma is out there, and his cousin is actually one of the members of Ooklah the Moc.
Q: What else is coming up for you and your music career?
A: I'm actually getting ready to release my first major debut album, which will be out in August. We're still in the process of deciding (the name). ... That's the last thing we've got to think about.
And we'll be doing a college tour to utilize our built-in marketing up and down the West Coast and also on the East Coast. As a musician, you want to stand apart from everybody else, but there's no way you're going to make it right now without the support of your community.
It will be a blend of hip-hop music and a reggae mindset tonight at Tropics Cafe when a trio of California-based artists arrive for the "Hele Ma" tour in conjunction with the venue's regularly scheduled "Hip-Hop at the Trops" party.
ONE LOVE COMMUNITY"Hele Ma" Tour with Barikuda, J. Ross-Parrelli and Ms. Mighty Junebug» Where: Tropics Cafe, 1020 Auahi St. » When: 9 p.m. today » Cost: Free for 21 and older; $3 for 18 to 20 years old » Call: 591-8009
ADDITIONAL SHOWS» 9 p.m. June 6 at Emerald Nightclub, Hilo» 10 p.m. June 11 at Ocean's Nightclub, Kihei » 10 p.m. June 12 at Casanova Nightclub, Makawao » June 13 and June 14 at the Sheep Dawg Hawaii Festival, Maui » 10 p.m. June 15 at Charlie's, Paia
|
They'll be joined tonight at Tropics by local hip-hop acts Fat Soul and Intrepid, along with DJs Cozy, Revise and Careless1. Performances are expected to start around 10 p.m.
The Star-Bulletin caught up with J. Ross-Parrelli on Monday, as she celebrated her 28th birthday in Long Beach, Calif.:
QUESTION: How did you get started in music?
ANSWER: I got into music about seven years ago. I was in a duo with my brother. ... He rapped and I sang.
People thought it was really cute because we were siblings. We got into a lot of reggae festivals throughout the Pacific Northwest and Northern California.
Eventually, I started doing backup (singing) for a lot of different reggae musicians ... (and) within the last two years, I started touring on my own.
Q: Were you musically inclined growing up?
A: I was really reserved at first. ... I think it was my shyness. But don't ask me what happened, because now you can't get me off the stage! (Laughs)
My grandma, she competed with Shirley Temple ... and my dad grew up with drumsticks and a guitar. So music has always been in the family.
Q: Do you play an instrument?
A: I play the keyboards. It helps me to find melodies and kind of come up with different songs. I play the melodica and the flute, too.
Q: You spoke about touring as a backup singer for reggae acts. Is reggae your passion or just the genre that allowed you the fastest path to success?
A: I love the soul, the harmonies and melodies within reggae.
I think it was really me being 11 years old and falling in love with Bob Marley - that kind of set the stage for my music. My parents listened to a lot of Earth, Wind & Fire and jazz, so they'd be blasting that and I'd be competing with my Peter Tosh and the Maytals.
Q: How did you cross over to hip-hop?
A: I made the transfer from reggae to hip-hop when I was at a reggae festival and had the opportunity to open for KRS-One. He pulled me up on stage, and that was my introduction to hip-hop three years ago.
Q: Do you consider yourself a reggae singer or a rapper?
A: I don't know. At this point it's really hard to say. It's one of those Queen Latifah things, where she started off in hip-hop and started morphing into jazz and soul as she matured.
I love soul - that's kind of where my heart is at - but it's so hard to say.
Q: You use the phrases "aloha" and "mahalo" often in e-mails and in your voice-mail greeting. Do you have any ties to the islands?
A: I have an aunt out there on Maui, and my grandma used to live out there for a while.
And Barikuda actually has a lot of family on Oahu. ... His grandma is out there, and his cousin is actually one of the members of Ooklah the Moc.
Q: What else is coming up for you and your music career?
A: I'm actually getting ready to release my first major debut album, which will be out in August. We're still in the process of deciding (the name). ... That's the last thing we've got to think about.
And we'll be doing a college tour to utilize our built-in marketing up and down the West Coast and also on the East Coast. As a musician, you want to stand apart from everybody else, but there's no way you're going to make it right now without the support of your community.
Today’s Edition
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- Whatever Happened To: Case of baby who died in Customs heads to trial after failure to settle
- Newswatch
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- Amis out indefinitely with foot injury
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- Hawaii Beat
- Scoreboard
- Television & Radio
- New kite business takes off
- Business briefs
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- Hawaii Real Estate Sales
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