The Green (band)

The Green
The Green performing in Berkeley 2020
Background information
Origin	Oahu, Hawaii
Genres	Roots, Reggae, Hawaiian, Rock, Pop
Years active	2009 (2009)–Present
Labels	Easy Star Records
Members	Caleb Keolanui Ikaika Antone Zion Thompson Brad "BW" Watanabe Jordan Espinoza
Past members	JP Kennedy, Leslie Ludiazo
Website	thegreen808.com

The Green is a reggae band formed in 2009 from Oahu, Hawaii.^[1] Their sound blends dub-heavy roots reggae, smooth lovers' rock, and contemporary pop and rock with indigenous Hawaiian musical/lyrical references.^[2] The current band consists of Caleb Keolanui on vocals, Ikaika Antone on keys/vocals, Zion Thompson on guitar/vocals, Brad Watanabe on Bass/vocals and Jordan Espinoza on drums/vocals.^[3] The group has released five full-length studio albums to date.

The Green formed on Oahu, Hawaii in 2009. What makes this band unique is having four lead singers. The core-four singer/songwriters came together first with the band's frontman Caleb Keolanui and former guitarist J.P. Kennedy (who are first cousins and played together in a band named Next Generation). Along came the other two core singers, guitarist Zion Thompson and keyboardist Ikaika Antone who had been in a band called Stir Crazy. When their band split up, the pair came together with the cousins, and all missing their home of Hawaii, formed The Green. Kennedy explains the band name, "We wanted a name that didn't really point you in any direction. It's just a color, it makes you figure out what you want it to mean." Then they added songwriter Brad Watanabe on bass and producer Leslie Ludiazo on drums.^[4]

With four distinct voices with the ability of four separate songwriting talents, and musicianship of "pop-burnished roots reggae style" that they cooked up, The Green quickly became a popular local band on the island.

The band released their self-titled debut album The Green on February 2, 2010. The album's single, "Love I" was the band's breakthrough single on Hawaiian radio, and set a Billboard Reggae Chart record^[5] by remaining on the chart for 69 straight weeks.^[1] The album was also named iTunes Best Reggae Album of 2010 and finished the year as the #9 album on the 2010 Billboard's Year End Reggae Chart^[6] alongside artists Rebelution, Matisyahu and Bob Marley.

On August 9, 2011, The Green released an EP titled Love & Affection. The EP quickly secured the #1 spot on the iTunes Reggae chart, passing Bob Marley, Shaggy and other heavy hitters along the way. The EP featured four tracks to be later seen on their sophomore album Ways & Means.^[7]

On October 25, 2011, The Green's second album Ways & Means was released and spent four weeks at #1 on Billboard's Reggae Chart and won Best Reggae Album at Hawaii's 2011 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards.^[1][8] With the success the band was finding with their recorded music, they were able to embark on a full touring schedule, supporting bands such as Rebelution, Iration, SOJA and Damian Marley. The band also performed at festivals like the Wakarusa and Sierra Nevada World Music Festival.

In 2013, The Green teamed up with producer Danny Kalb to record their third album, Hawai'i '13 at Hurley Studios in Costa Mesa, California. It was the band's first time working with an outside engineer and producer. They also brought in Joe Tomino, drummer from Dub Trio and for Matisyahu's backing band to be their session drummer.^[9] The album which was officially released on August 20, 2013 became the band's third straight album to top the Billboard Reggae chart, selling 4,960 copies in its first week of release.^[1] It was also named one of AllMusic's favorite reggae albums of 2013,^[10] and won several awards at the subsequent Na Hoku Hanohano Awards including Best Reggae Album and Artist of the Year.^[11] The band went on to perform at festivals worldwide, including California Roots Music and Arts Festival, Vans Warped Tour and One Love Festival New Zealand.

On October 20, 2017, The Green released their fourth studio album, Marching Orders, through longtime label partner Easy Star Records. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Reggae charts and remained in the Top 10 for over 17 consecutive weeks, regaining the #1 spot multiple times during its run.^[3] The band's new album was once again awarded "Reggae Album of the Year" at the subsequent Na Hoku Hanohano Awards^[12] and won "Album of the Year" at the 2018 Island Music Awards.^[13] The band followed up their release with a winter tour that boasted sell-out shows across the mainland.^[3] In November 2018, The Green performed at several sold-out stadium shows in Honolulu with Bruno Mars.^[14]

On March 22, 2019, The Green released their fifth album, Black & White, an acoustic take on their greatest hits. Most of the album was recorded at Hurley Studios, where they recorded Hawai'i '13. The album was mixed/mastered by Danny Kalb.^[14] The Green was awarded "Group of the Year" at the 2019 Island Music Awards.^[15]

On December 20, 2019, The Green released a single titled, "My Hawai'i" which featured fellow multiple time winners of Na Hoku Hanohano Awards Sean Na'auao, Kaumakaiwa, and Kumu Hina. Since they started, The Green has been a vocal supporter of Hawaiian rights and a model of what it's like to be young, modern Hawaiian natives. And "My Hawai'i" is their latest anthem for the Hawaiian nation. The band and their label, Easy Star Records donated the proceeds from the track to The Hawai'i People's Fund (HPF), which has helped to support, build capacity, and amplify the impact of grassroots social change movements in Hawaii since 1972.

Ikaika Antone who co-wrote the song, explains, "'My Hawai'i' is about the ever changing landscape of Hawai'i. These changes we feel are often not in the best interest of the land or its people. It is a song that speaks of the beauty of Hawai'i, and of the importance to protect it. 'My Hawai'i' is inspired by the strength and courage of our Hawaiian people, and that we as stewards of this land set the right example, so that our keiki [children] may have the tools to continue to move Hawai'i in the right direction."^[16]

The Green recorded their sixth studio album, Brand New Eyes, which was released on November 5, 2021. It features art by Hawaiian artist Kamea Hadar. Special guests include Alborosie, Gyptian, J Boog, and Keznamdi.

The Green describes Brand New Eyes as "an ode to our commitment to both our love of music and family." Their influence for naming the album: "After six albums and 12-plus years together as a band, much has changed but nothing as impactful as our growing ohana and us being able to see life through a new lens; the eyes of our children and loved ones."^[17]

In December 2021, The Green was nominated for the fans-choice "2021 Album of the Year" award by Surf Roots TV & Radio for their album Brand New Eyes. Voting was determined by Facebook, Instagram and Twitter users. This was the band's first time being nominated with the reggae rock streaming TV channel on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku.^[18]

On September 1, 2023, The Green released their third EP titled, Summertime, featuring three tracks.^[19]

• Caleb Keolanui – Lead Vocals (2009–Present)
• Zion Thompson – Guitar, Lead Vocals (2009–Present)
• Ikaika Antone – Keyboard, Lead Vocals (2009–Present)
• Brad "BW" Watanabe – Bass, Keyboard (2009–Present)
• Jordan Espinoza – Drums (2011–Present)

• JP Kennedy – Guitar, Lead Vocals (2009–2022)
• Leslie Ludiazo – Drums (2009–2017), Producer (2017–2019)

• Official website