Go Jimmy Go Keeps Going and Going and GOING!

by huimusic

If your living in Hawaii and you don’t know who Go Jimmy Go is, you’ve been UNDER a rock and not living on it. GJG is the premier Ska band in Hawaii and has established themselves nationally as top talent.  

From their inception in 1996, they have played ENDLESSLY and released 3 CD’s of which the latest one is The Girl with the Fishbowl Eyes.  With tons of shows under their belt and great reviews of their CD’s, GJG has blown up and continued to maintain a full-head-of-steam touring around the state and west coast.  

I just pumped the latest CD through my studio while cleaning and man did the time fly by fast!  I even stopped to pick up my guitar and bass to “jam” with the CD.  Go Jimmy Go has got total soul in the vocals and performances.  It their sound and performance got any tighter, it would get stretch marks!  

The musicianship on the whole cd including guest musicians perform unforced coolness in their arrangements.  Lead vocals by Bison are as soulful and as believable it gets.  Percussive and horn sections really give Bison the solid backing that it takes to deliver head-bobb’n, yo hip tracks ala Ska.  

The song writing is the ticket though.  A ton of soul, cool and wisdom permeates the melodies and lyrics that roll right into memorable hooks.  Putting that together with KICK A$$ engineering and production and you have a super solid sounding CD.  

Another cool thing about GJG is the imaging.  Fully laid back and cruise with no worries is what I get from the music and as I check out the artwork on all the CD’s and the GREAT website, it boils over with a vibe that of cool Martin Denny meets……Go Jimmy Go!  

The last CD was recorded at Vibe Asylum in Honolulu and once again proves to be one of the primer studios of choice.  The personality of the band is so Hookah and cool that it should be played in every tropical bar around the world! 

Go Jimmy Goooooooooooooooooo!  That’s all I can say about the tremendous amount of work these guys put into their careers.   I’m real stoked to say that I have their newest video Set Me Free on the LavaLounge this month.  

In October it looks like their on a west region tour in the mainland.  For all my readers on the west coast, you’ve GOT TO catch theses guys live.  If you think that their music jumps of the CD, it’s their live performance that really pops!  

So go check out their site for more information.  www.gojimmygo.com Full touring schedule and music samples to check out.  

Here’s some more on Go Jimmy Go!  

• Who started the band? Where? When?

Way back in ’96, Larry Gordon Jr. (original singer/alto sax)  got the great idea to make Go Jimmy Go in order to showcase an original island ska, rocksteady and reggae sound for the people.  It’s a music of the people and for the people, to make them dance and live the good life for the short time Go Jimmy Go is up there on the stage.  The members came from all parts of the island – North Shore , Leeward and East Sides.

• How many original Members are still in the Band?

There are three of us left out of the six that are original members: Cameron Wright (bass), Ian Ashley (guitar/vocals), Eric White (tenor sax)

• Is there a home venue that you play in Hawaii ?

If anyone has followed GJG for a time they know certainly well that Anna Banana’s is their home turf.  The band has been a cornerstone for that venue for the past seven years and going.  The place has a history that GJG is lucky to add on to in between tours.  

• How is radio current support for GJG in Hawaii ?

Luckily, KTUH is truly Hawaii ’s only music alternative!  The radio station has been in constant support of GJG throughout the years since the very beginning.  They had GJG songs in rotation starting back in 1997 with the band’s first KTUH Monday Night Live session, and it still continues today with the release of ...The Girl With The Fishbowl Eyes (05).  The album has been in the Top Ten at the station for the past 12 weeks!  Even further back, late 1996, Radio Free Hawaii was a huge supporter of a then beginning band with on air live performances and even a song in rotation.

In terms of mainstream radio, the now defunct Lava Rock 105.9 and KPOI 97.5, really helped out at the time when the second album, Soul Arrival debut in 2002.  STAR 101.9 really picked up the slack from there and hasn’t looked back with “Good To You” and “Bang the Skillet” from that album, and currently, “Set Me Free,” from the current release.  Not only do they play the music but they really help out with the promotion of shows big and small for us – from the Blaisdell Arena to Anna Banana’s at times.

• How many times a month does GJG play locally?

Since the band’s change to full-time touring status (April ’04), GJG comes back home to play shows about twice a month….it all just depends upon the opportunities that present themselves.

• How often does GJG tour off island?

So far, there have been five tours in the year since the band went full-time. 

• What the farthest/craziest place GJG has gone?

Maine ?  Jackson Hole , Wyoming ?  Brooklyn , NY ?  Breaking down in the desert between California and Arizona in the middle of a hot, summer day?  Take your pick!

Maine was definitely the farthest, the craziest would have to be New York City just for the sheer nuttiness of that whole town.  We played in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn , well-known by New Yorkers for it’s notorious past, but were just blown away by the fast-paced action of Manhattan proper.  It was like the movies coming to life right before your very eyes – something to be experienced, for sure.

• Is it tough traveling with a big band with today’s economics?

Oh, definitely….especially with gas costing as much as it currently does, it’s going to hurt!  We travel with seven -- six in the band and one tour manager – so it gets pretty crammed in the hotel room and in the van at times.  But for the sound we want to achieve and the band we have become, we’ll just have to suck it up.

• So, are all songs written by GJG.  Who writes the lyrics?

Go Jimmy Go is “The Island Sound Known The World Around” and takes pride in the fact that every song from every album is all original, a compelling mix of the experiences, trials and stories of five island boys and one mainland transplant living in Hawaii.  All the songs were written by band members, both past and present.

• How are the sales for Fishbowl Eyes?

So far so good, but I don’t have any numbers.  But if it is any consolation, there hasn’t been one negative review yet, only really good ones.  

• Who’s the distributor?

The Mountain Apple Company  

• How long did it take to record and complete Fishbowl Eyes?

Like the first two, this album took over a year to record…about a year and a half total from the first recording session to the album being released to the public.  GJG started regularly touring the mainland back in 2000 which in turn slowed down the recording process.  Another factor in the length that it took each album to finish was that the band really wanted to make the best product possible which meant scrutinizing every aspect of the recording from top to bottom.  In the end, I think everyone, both the band and the public, were very happy with the results.

• What’s the best thing about being an artist in Hawaii ?

Definitely having experiences most other people in this world don’t ever have or can ever appreciate.  When we wake up every morning we can make a decision to surf the best waves in the world in the some of the nicest ocean around, bbq on the beach on a lazy afternoon with the best of our friends, or order up a massive plate lunch and wait for the kanak attack to happen.  It’s all those things and all the intangible ones you can’t put into words that make us translate our lives into music the way we do.  It’s a unique experience and it’s that very uniqueness that transcends the boundaries between genres of music, race, ethnicity and everything else as long as your mind is open to it.  In a sense, our music is universal and we’ve seen acceptance for it all over the world.  That’s what being an artist in Hawaii and the world is like.

• What’s the toughest thing about being an artist in Hawaii ?

Having to fly to the mainland every time we tour!  It gets expensive, you know.  But really, some might have an argument that being an artist from Hawaii might constrict some musically to conform to the norms that already exist.  The boundaries that separate us from the rest of the world can at the same time hold us back.   

• Who do you want to give props too?

Huimusic.com, KTUH 90.3, Michael Spengler & MoonRoom Records, Rick Smoot, everyone there at The Mountain Apple Company, Vibe Asylum, STAR 101.9, Kawika & Melanie Morse, Carter Walls, Mark Taylor, and all our fans, friends, and family.