The Green

One of the first bands to take the sound of Hawaiian reggae to the world, Honolulu’s the Green are a six-piece outfit whose self-titled debut album was voted Best Reggae Album of 2010 by digital users. After cousins Caleb Keolanui and JP Kennedy put their previous band, Next Generation, to rest, they recruited Ikaika Antone and Zion Thompson to form the Green. Their self-titled debut appeared in 2010, and went on to win Best Reggae Album at Hawaii’s 2011 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards. A year later, both the EP Love & Affection and the album Ways & Means would appear on the Easy Star label. Hawai'i '13 followed in 2013, with production coming from frequent Jack Johnson collaborator Danny Kalb. September 2017 saw the release of the single “Marching Orders,” which featured dancehall superstar Busy Signal. The band’s fourth full-length outing, also called Marching Orders, arrived later that October. In 2019 the group returned with the studio LP Black & White, along with the one-off single “Criaturas,” which featured Harlem Spartans and Jalil. ~ David Jeffries