Aloha Got Soul Record Label Launches This Week

Aloha Got Soul’s first release, a vinyl single by Mike Lundy ROGER BONG PHOTOS

Something five years in the making comes to fruition this week: I’m finally launching a record label.

The label’s first release will be a 7-inch vinyl single by Mike Lundy, featuring two songs from his Hawaiian funk-and-soul album, The Rhythm Of Life, which originally was released in 1980.

To celebrate, I’m having two parties this week (and you’re invited!). They’re free and open to the public. Plus, there will be copies of the record for sale at both events.

Thursday, Jan. 29, at Bevy Bar, 7 p.m.-midnight: The official Aloha Got Soul Record Label Launch Party, featuring all-vinyl sets by myself and DJ Oliver Twist, plus a special appearance by Mike Lundy.

Saturday, Jan. 31, at Hungry Ear Records, noon – 2 p.m.: Official Release Party featuring a meet-and-greet with Mike Lundy, plus in-store listening sessions of Hawaiian funk records including Mike’s album, The Rhythm Of Life.

Support for the Aloha Got Soul record label has poured in from around the world. There also will be release parties in London and Chicago this week. Plus, the record will be available in shops across the globe, including Melbourne, Fukuoka, Amsterdam and Shanghai.

This has been a dream of mine since starting my blog in 2010. Back then, all I knew was that I wanted to start a reissue label to make hard-to-find Hawaiian funk available for others to enjoy.

Now that I’m here (with the help and mentorship of many), my mission extends far beyond just re-releasing music. I want others to know that Hawaii is on par with everywhere else in the world, both in terms of extraordinary musical talent and respectable record labels.

More than that, I want to instill inspiration in Hawaii’s music community by giving today’s generation greater access to music that is part of our Islands’ heritage. If more people learn about this incredible, infectious music of Hawaii’s bygone nightclub era, then more of today’s generation will discover what has come before them — providing an important building block to grow our musical identity. (Who knows what’ll happen when a teenage musician in Manoa hears Mike Lundy’s timeless track? I’d like to find out.)

My biggest hope of all is that Aloha Got Soul becomes a mainstay in the music industry as a source for Hawaiian music that has slipped through the cracks of our collective knowledge. And when the time is right, a platform for new artists, too.

What’s next? I have more releases in the works, including another 7-inch single with Mike Lundy this June, plus a full reissue of his album, The Rhythm Of Life, slated for November.

For now, though, let’s take it one step at a time: Please join us this Thursday and Saturday as we celebrate the launch of the Aloha Got Soul record label and its first release. See you soon.

For more from Roger, check out his blog at alohagotsoul.com