Island Sound Studios Now Hosts Live Music at The Lounge

Photo: Vanessa Hathaway

At Island Sound Studios’ newest cocktail lounge, music lovers can enjoy live performances from the same folks that produced iconic records such as Mac Miller’s Circles and John Legend’s “All Of Me.”

Opened on April 27, The Lounge is hosting an eight-week concert series highlighting local musicians brought together by Henry Kapono and Island Sound Studios’ owners, Kyle and Bryan Spicer, through June 22. A portion of the proceeds go toward the Henry Kapono Foundation.

SEE ALSO: Your Ultimate Guide to Concerts and Live Music in Honolulu

The Lounge features some unique twists on classic drinks, like the Mana Mai Tai—a combination of passion fruit, orange and guava mixed with Koloa rum—and the Coconut Mojito, made with coconut rum and shaved coconut. The renowned private chef Karol, who’s designed food spreads for Bank of Hawai‘i and Howard Hughes Hawai‘i photo shoots, created the lounge’s diverse pūpū menu, with items such as ‘Ahi Carpaccio and the simple Charcuterie for Two.

Photo: Vanessa Hathaway

Island Sound Studios, then known as Avex Studios, was founded in 2003 by Tetsuya Komuro, a Japanese artist who brought electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. In 2022, the struggling studio was purchased by the Spicer brothers, who were interested in its history and construction. The place still has much of its original recording equipment and aesthetics.

Now, with The Lounge, the Spicers are expanding the building’s potential by creating a space for live shows. They’re also transforming a kitchenette space adjacent to the recording booths into a speak-easy.

theloungeatislandsound.com, @theloungeatislandsound