The moniker Johnny Hawaii triggers the possibility for a plethora of functions; a pornstar name, a term Republicans use to criticize the slacker youth, a film title starring Kurt Russell slightly reprising his Captain Ron character. So many ideas come to mind. Johnny Hawaii was scooped up though by Olivier Scalia, who composes escapist arrangements that wander the shores and tread with buoyancy in salty seas.
Recorded in Marseille, Johnny Hawaii's Southern Lights LP meanders through lengthy compositions that enter the mind's private lagoons for the purpose of getting lost in the glisten of refracted sunlight off the sloshing of trapped, but choppy cove tides. On the 9-minute “Inner Beach”, Hawaii could be anywhere, among the most jolting of distractions, but he's found that happy place within that's isolated and serene. “Inner Beach” mutates thrice, but refuses to be compromised by the minor shifts. In fact, in the sea changes of “Inner Beach” it's as though Hawaii is discovering a stronger sense of tranquility – one that arches towards enlightenment or just joy from the bucket of iced beers arriving to his cabana.
Johnny Hawaii's Southern Lights LP is out September 30 on La Station Radar/Hands In The Dark.
