Aloha Got Soul’s Vinyl Reissues Celebrate Old-School Hawai‘i Jams
Offering fresh spins on Island classics, the local record label’s recent Kalapana and Brother Noland reissues have been garnering major buzz.
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
“Anyone who grew up in Hawai‘i is familiar with it in some way,” says Aloha Got Soul owner Roger Bong about Kalapana and Brother Noland’s classics from the ’70s and ’80s. Considering their age, however—it’s been nearly 50 years since Kalapana’s first record, and Brother Noland’s Jamaican crossover hit “Coconut Girl” just celebrated its 40th anniversary—getting your hands on the original vinyl has been increasingly difficult.
Enter AGS’s vinyl reissues. With Kalapana, Bong focused on their first two albums. And for Brother Noland, “he actually had a new version of ‘Coconut Girl’ recorded,” which is included with the reissued original. Aside from tweaks to jacket artwork—the Brother Noland reissue features new cover artwork by Punky Aloha—and the inclusion of liner notes to provide context for today’s audience, AGS strives for the reissues to be as true to the originals as possible. Up next in 2024 are Noland’s first two albums, Speaking Brown and Paint the Island.
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Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
Why vinyl? Bong sees the medium as a way to reach audiences who listen to music with intention. “It’s not passive,” he explains. “There’s this element of care that comes into the process of finding the record, putting in the work to go to a store, talking with the salesclerk or doing the research. Then you bring it home and add it to your collection—you have to make space for that. Then to listen to the music, you have to make the effort to put it on your record player. I think that a lot of people who are buying records nowadays, they’re seeking out a more tangible connection to the music they love.”
Interestingly, most customers who are purchasing Aloha Got Soul reissues are of younger generations, although the store has seen its fair share of their parents as well. “It’s nice to see the cross-generational interest,” Bong says.
As for the response from artists and their families, it’s been one of gratitude. “The artists put so much love and blood, sweat and tears into this, so seeing us, this younger generation respecting and celebrating their life’s work, carrying the torch and supporting the continuation of their legacy,” they’re appreciative.
2017 S. King St., alohagotsoul.com, @alohagotsoul, @ags.honolulu
