John Cruz
Still doing it
Island Style
John Cruz juggles his own career,
By John Berger
his brother's album and
a business
Special to the Star-BulletinTHIS time last year John Cruz was up for seven Hoku Awards for his first local album, "Acoustic Soul." Brother Ernie Jr. was enjoying a successful partnership with Troy Fernandez as the Ka'au Crater Boys. Brother Guy was barely a musical footnote.
Jump forward: John won Hokus, for Contemporary Album of the Year and Most Promising Artist. The Crater Boys amicably parted ways and Ernie has resumed work on a solo album. John is producing Guy's first solo album. He's also performing, running his own record company and preparing for a Hawaii Theatre concert tomorrow.
Question: What's your secret for juggling so many different creative projects -- and running a small business?
Answer: I've been concentrating on Guy's album, and it's taken three times as long, costing three times as much, (but) it's easier for me to look at his album than to look at my album. Sometimes when I'm in the studio I'm thinking, "He's my baby brother," and sometimes I'm thinking, "I'm a record label and he's an act on the label." Sometimes it's, "I'm a guitar player playing a part on this album which happens to be my brother's album which happens to be an album on my label."
And, at the same time, I'm still an artist with a record that I still am trying to promote, and gigs to play. It's been strictly work for me -- no time for surfing -- because it needs to be done. I'll work, work, work, and take on all these things, just about drive myself crazy, and then I'll "rest."
Q: The way you say "rest" sounds like it involves more work.
A: I'm going to New York for a show with Kata (Maduli) for his (annual) "Portraits of Paradise" concert at Carnegie Hall, and I'm staying an extra week to shop Guy's album to record labels there, shop my label for a better distribution deal. I can relax in New York City 'cause I can walk down the street and even though there are so many people there I can be totally by myself.
Q: You spent years doing studio work on the East Coast. How did your experience there shape your approach to music?
A: People come to my shows sometimes because they like "Island Style" and they're really surprised that I don't play Hawaiian music. I'm Hawaiian and I play music, and hopefully the Hawaiianess comes through, but I'm looking at things in a broader sense. ...
When I write music I'm expressing something that is either in me or coming through me and hopefully I can make other people feel something about themselves. They don't care how I feel. They're trying to figure out how they feel. ... When I'm in the studio, I'm trying to make them feel something when (the music) comes through those tiny speakers in someone's car.
John Cruz
In concert: 8 p.m. tomorrow
