HE MAU PUA, HOʻOKAHI LEI

He mau pua. Hoʻokahi lei.

The prolific use of metaphors in Hawaiian – especially in naming and poetry – is characteristic of the language. Words, phrases and names may have literal, figurative and hidden meanings. “He mau pua; hoʻokahi lei” literally means “many blossoms; one flower lei.” But what is the significance of the lei – or the flowers from which it is made?

In Hawaiian, “pua” (flower) is a metaphor for something beloved – usually children. And a “lei” is not simply a garland of flowers. Traditional lei-making is an art form. Flowers and foliage are carefully selected and as the lei is crafted it is imbued with the aloha and mana (spiritual power) of the maker. A lei is intended to bless and add beauty to the one who receives it.

Indie Union is itself a lovingly woven “lei” made up of many “pua” (artists). The diverse talents of these individual artists (he mau pua) are joined together in harmony to create a single work of beauty (hoʻokahi lei).

Written by: Kalama + Pua Akamine

Inspired by Tait's native Hawalian roots we knew that we wanted to embody the heart of Indie Union in 'Olelo Hawaii. Huge mahalo to Uncle Kalama and Aunty Pua for putting into words the core of who we are and who we will always strive to be. We are so grateful for this community.

Photography: 'likea Ferge

A Year in Review, A Track in Rotation

This past year has almost seemed like a resurgence for O'ahu’s music scene.
Countless new music drops from local artists, noteworthy shows and opening slots for national acts—at some point, I almost felt overwhelmed at the amount of concerts I had to buy tickets for. For many people, 2023 was a musical sprint to the finish line.
For Complex Colors, however, it was a year of reflection, of deep breaths, and of stretching for the sprint to come. In the final quarter of 2023, that sprint has started. “Before Your Eyes”, the latest drop from Complex Colors, is an energetic triumph to finish out 2023.

Complex Colors took a break from live performances to focus on studio work with Indie Union Records this year. He took stock of what his musical life was, what he wanted it to be, and carefully considered each step to get himself there. When asked about his improvements in 2023, Micah Gamalog—the mastermind behind the project Complex Colors—said, “I feel like I improved a lot in 2023. I learned how to work collaboratively and efficiently with the team at Indie Union and understanding how I fit in the mix.” He continued on, “With the roll out of BYE I learned what it takes to make a powerful meaningful song and market it to my audience.”

Before Your Eyes is the culmination track, celebrating Micah’s growing experience as a songwriter. Micah collaborated with Caeru, a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist from San Antonio, Texas. Caeru was a perfect choice in delivering the somber, introspective tone carried by the lyrics. Their quality is perfectly exemplified in their work with Dumb Belles and Little Valentine, two of Caeru’s independent projects based out of Texas.

Before Your Eyes touts the massive drops and soaring instrumentals you’ve come to know from Complex Colors, but still manages to be wholly unique. The tracks keeps one foot in the familiar, and one foot stepping into new territory.

Micah comments on songwriting, “Writing lyrics for this song was a challenge not only because of the subject matter but also because I’m still very much a novice when it comes to songwriting. Luckily, it was a collaborative effort between Sophie (Caeru) and I.” He continues, “Words carry a different type of energy and feel as opposed to synth leads and sound design, I had to find a perfect balance between the two.”

When asked about the somber tone and subject matter, Micah had this to say: “The song touches on the subject of feeling a sense of loss and longing over a relationship that could’ve been.” He continues, “I want people to take away how important it is to to love yourself first and to continue to learn how to love yourself before getting into any sort of relationship, that’s a lesson I had to learn and I’m still learning how to do and I can say that doing that has improved how I show my love for others.”

Complex Colors, in the wake of celebrating his latest release, has already turned to thankfulness and gratitude. “I was really overwhelmed with the amount of support BYE has gotten so far, people who I haven’t talked to since high school have reached out in support since it’s release which is really cool, I feel like this release has set the bar even higher for the next few songs I’m planning on releasing.”

If his latest song is any indication of future quality, it’s safe to say that all of Hawaiʻi is impatient for Complex Colors’ upcoming offerings.

“Before Your Eyes” by Complex Colors was written by Micah Gamalog and Sophia Kurihara. Produced by Complex Colors, with additional production by Tait Lōkahi Naukana Ferge. Exclusive license to Indie Union Records. Art Director & Photography by Michelle Chan, and cover modeling by Jade Lun (Miss Hawaiʻi International 2023).

“Before Your Eyes” by Complex Colors is available to stream everywhere you get your music.

WRITTEN BY: PACO COULSON
PHOTOS BY: MICHELLE CHAN

“Good times behind us, better days before us.”

BY ASHTON BENEDETTI

“It’s not just the music we make but it’s the music that makes us,” - Wndwrd 
on stage during their opening set at HB Social Club for Ivory City’s Reunion show. 

Saturday night on May 6th, WNDWRD took to the stage at the HB Social Club, WND WRD brought the house down with well known covers that ranged from  “Circles” by Post Malone to “Footloose” Kenny Loggins. They also showcased their current and new music. Nerves were nowhere to be found for the members of WNDWRD. They performed with confidence and ease for the captivated audience.

WND WRD is composed of Paco Coulson as the lead singer and keys, Onipa’a Gaudia as the lead guitar, and Trevor Ahern as the drummer. Also on stage with them that night was producer and bassist, Tait Ferge, as well as Micah Gamalog on live playback. This group is a melting pot of 80’s synth beats, electric guitar, juicy bass moments and heart-racing drum solos.

Paco said, “Playing together is always a treat. We’ve spent a lot of times behind the scenes solely focusing on the music, which is important, but there’s something so vibrant and encouraging about seeing others sing songs you were convinced no one knew.”  The crowd had the time of their lives singing the words to the very songs WNDWRD had poured their hearts into.

There was an unspoken consensus on how WNDWRD’s friendship was the main centerpoint of why they began pursue this dream in the first place. I asked Onipa'a how it felt to be on stage and he said, “… the confidence from Paco, Tait and Trevor made playing our first big show so much more welcoming, especially after almost 4 years of not playing a show. …The crowd was so engaging. It gave me a huge confidence boost! I was super nervous going up.”

Throughout the show, the excited glances and encouraging nods each band member gave each other were clearly seen.  There was not one person in the audience or on stage that did not feel the love, support, and passion of WNDWRD.  The after show glow was evident on Trevor’s face. We asked what his favorite part of working with his band mates was, and he replied, “I love how everybody brings something unique to our band that makes it work all together. Paco is our confidence— bringing our voice into the world with every word and dance moves that comes with our music. Oni is our energy, always bringing the hype and polish to everything we do. And Tait is our soul— keeping us grounded and always flowing with new ideas and great humor. Our band is a Supreme Pizza— on paper we have a lot of cool ideas that would traditionally not pair together. When you experience it all together, it all comes together as one of the greatest combos you could imagine.”

One of our favorite parts of the night was when WND WRD humbly verbalized their love, gratitude, and support for each other, their team, and for everyone in attendance. 
We asked Paco what’s next for WNDWRD and he responded with,

“we’re actually at an interesting point in the band's history. Believe it or not, almost every song we’ve written and released was written 4 years ago. And some songs like ‘Years' was written as far back as 2015. So it feels like for the first time in WNDWRD’s history that we’re able to write about things we are currently going through. I particularly want to write about my heritage and the experiences that make up the ‘hapa experience.’ It's a unique lens to view something through, and we’ve seen it explored by so many other wonderful artists already. It’s a very personal experience that I’d like to set a song to.”

Saturday’s show was a night filled with shouting songs, jumping around, dancing with friends, and remembering our youth. To think that this is just the beginning for WND WRD — with good times behind them, and better days before them.



“The best is yet to come.”

Instagram: @wndwrd
Photos by: Matthew Park, Daniel Keating, Alyssa Triffonovitch and Ryan Miyashiro
Written by: Ashton Benedetti
Editor: Sarah Coulson