Having attended the 2009 Hawaii Underground Music Awards (HUMAs) at Honolulu Academy of Arts’ prestigious Doris Duke Theater, I was recently reminded that our island state and Honolulu in particular enjoy a wide variety of independent music. There are many euphemisms for music not produced by major record labels, and terms like alternative and underground are now saddled with mainstream recognition, for better or worse.

 

The event itself featured several local bands in a handful of genres, from pop-punk to jazz and hip hop. There were costumed theatrics and off-color remarks, pretty much everything you might expect from an awards ceremony honoring the unconventional personalities that make up an independent music scene in any city. About 150 people attended the event.

What got me thinking, however, was the emcee’s recollections of venues past, glorious havens to eclectic musical stylists that are now but fond memories for hundreds of loyal musicians and fans that made the scene back in the day.

 

I realized that although many of the legendary clubs that helped spawn a thriving alternative music scene way back in the 1980s and early 1990s are gone, more have sprung up around Honolulu and they continue to provide the spaces aspiring musicians need to hone their music in front of an audience. Places like Ong King, The Loft, Thirtynine Hotel and Next Door are at the forefront of discovering and exposing new talent to new audiences, and there seems to be no shortage of young and hungry bands to fill playbills every weekend. Anna Bannana’s near the University of Hawaii, a 40-year stalwart of local music continues to feature new bands.

 

Do to major changes in the recording and broadcast industries in recent years, it’s unlikely that local and visiting fans of independent, alternative music will be able to hear new music coming out of Honolulu unless they make the effort to make it to the venues those bands are playing. Some Hawaii bands have made it out on tour, in genres ranging from pop-punk to ska to hardcore metal. Bands like Pepper and Go Jimmy Go have toured all over the US, Canada, Europe and Asia. The reason those bands have been successful is that when they started out, there were venues willing to give them a shot at developing a fan base through live performances.

 

Thankfully, online resources like 808shows.com and 808scenezine.com make it easy for anyone with an interest in new music to find out when and where to catch the next show.