Meet Keahi & Kauka | One Island the Band

We had the good fortune of connecting with Keahi & Kauka and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Keahi & Kauka, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor behind the success of our brand is we stay true to who we are. We are the same people off stage as we are on stage. When we perform, some of the feed back we get are “your synergy is crazy”, “You guys are having too much fun up there”, and “You’re addictive…we can’t get enough”. Just be you and be true to your self and believe in your self. That’s what people gravitate to.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Individually, we have achieved many accomplishments in our own lives that we are proud of. But together as One Island the Band, we are setting new ground. It’s been about four months since we officially branded ourselves as One Island the Band. However we’ve been playing together for the past two years. Some of our notable moments include performing for Jamie Foxx, invited as the featured Hawaiian band on the Royal Carribean Cruise Line, performed for the guardians of Mauna Kea movement on the Big Island of Hawaii, and hired by FUNKO to perform for their Comic-Con event, As with anything, hard work pays off. In our case as a band, no one knows who you are if they can’t hear or see you. We worked farmer markets, we did free events, we traveled far and wide for pennies and was willing to do what it takes to get our brand out there. But eventually it began to pay dividends. Opportunities arose. Big opportunities! And we’re still pushing towards the goal…still working hard! If you’re reading this, don’t give up on your dreams. Do what it takes to succeed. See who your competition is, learn and do it better. Hard work pays off! In the last four months, we just launched our first two singles as a band. The first one called “He Pa’ina” (Let’s Party) and a Polynesian tribute to a Christmas Classic “O Come O Come Emmanuel” with Hawaiian translation and authentic Tahitians drums. We are streaming on all digital platforms.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If you were hanging out with us in San Diego for a week, we’d probably see you for just a day because a week is too long. Hahaha! So the first thing we’d do is go and eat some authentic Hawaiian style Poke in Ocean Beach at a place called “It’s Raw Poke”. We typically get the Poke plate which comes with your choice of two types of Poke, Kalua Pork, one scoop rice and one scoop mac salad. Once we get our plates, we walk down to the beach just two blocks away and kaukau (Hawaiian word for “eat”). Next, we’d bust out the ukulele’s and start jamming for you live! There are so many street musicians in O.B., they’d probably join right in on the jam sesh. After that, let’s head to Mount Soledad National Veterans Memorial to pay our respects to the hero’s of this great country. But what also makes this spot so special is you can literally see the entire San Diego from here…from North county to parts of Mexico. The views are stunning! Since we’re in La Jolla, our next stop is La Jolla cove where we can hang out with the seals and watch the Seagulls and Pelicans go gliding by. Just a short walk up the street is Bobboi Natural Gelato. This place is amazing with tons of flavors to try and new ones added almost weekly! At this point, it’s almost evening and it’s time to relax. No more going out. Instead we’re heading over to Keahi’s place for some cocktails and home style cooking. Keahi bartended for 14 years and also worked as a Sommelier. So he’s got a grand selection of wines, spirits and beer for the choosing. After inviting over a few friends, we’ll enjoy a spread of Chinese roast duck and pork, Vietnamese style clay pot fish, Russian potato salad, Kalbi ribs, cheese spread to do with the wine, and other pupu’s throughout the night. Next we pull out the guitar, ukulele and conga’s and have us a music feast as well. And don’t forget the custard pie to top off the night! That’s day one. Day 2-7, you’re on your own. Hahaha! We recommend you go out and enjoy this great city and we’ll meet up for more cocktails in the evening. Mahalo!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We both agree that having a strong support system of family and friends is the key to our achievements. Things will not always be rainbows and sunshine. Especially during this covid thing right? We lost 97% of our gigs! it’s easy to get down on yourself. Did we go through some form of depression? You bet. But that’s where being able to turn to people who love and care for you can make the biggest difference on how you respond. So thank you to all of our family members, friends and fans who supported us and are still on this journey with us.

Website: oneislandtheband.com
Instagram: /oneislandtheband
Twitter: twitter.com/oneislandtheba1
Facebook: facebook.com/oneislandtheband
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVfuQOBP3yNR8LWSL87yTQw?view_as=subscriber