By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
Marja Apisaloma, left, and
Shivon Ines, form the duo Reality.
This local pop
group is for real
Damsel duo goes for original,
By John Berger
not mainstream
Special to the Star-BulletinUST when it seems there are no fresh ideas in contemporary local pop music along comes Reality. Where most local pop acts these days perform to synthesized karaoke tracks Reality -- Marja (pronounced Mar-zha) Apisaloma and Shivon Ines -- prefers, no, insists, on working with live musicians.
While most local pop acts knock themselves out doing pop-chart remakes
or simply come on as karaoke club flavor-of-the-month attractions, this new "girl group" prefers original music. The duo wrote or co-wrote seven of the 10 songs on their debut album, "Movin' On" (An eighth was written for them by their producer, Bob St. John, and their Neos Productions label mate, Norm "Just the Norm" Thompson).
Ines had been writing poetry "for years" when she began setting her verses to music at the age of 14. Apisaloma made her songwriting debut with the three songs she co-wrote for Reality while the sessions were in progress. She found herself on the spot when St. John heard that she liked to rap.
"I used to joke around doing Jamaican rap impressions, but Shivon's mom told Bob, 'She does excellent Jamaican rap,' for real. I couldn't believe she told him! When we went into the studio the pressure was on, but Bob got his socks knocked off."
Talking with Reality is as refreshing as their music. Ines and Apisaloma easily hold their own with subjects as diverse as "Pulp Fiction," the Clinton sex scandal, Rastafarianism, oldies, Robin Williams, reggae, astrology, David and Bathsheba, women's fashions, and the local record business. These two "local girls" from Ewa aren't inarticulate pop-tart "eye-candy."
St. John discovered Ines through the 1998 I-94 "Brownbags to Stardom" competition in April (Ines represented Campbell). He wasn't thinking of a signing a "girl group," but Ines brought Apisaloma in as a back up vocalist. St. John heard them sing and quickly changed his mind and Reality was born.
Apisaloma and Ines say that they listen to "everything" -- Gloria Estefan, Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, the Makaha Sons and Robi Kahakalau. Ines usually writes soft ballads; Apisaloma adds the reggae and R&B attitudes. They both express polite surprise at the notion that many local pop acts prefer singing to karaoke-style "minus one" music tracks.
Yes, they've heard that they'd fit in better on the local pop scene if they'd work as a "tracks act," but Apisaloma says they're not interested in discounting themselves that way.
"There's an energy, a synergy, that you don't get singing to a tape. Singing with a band makes a greater impact, people feel the music more, and we feel it more. I can't say that the time won't come when we'll have to do something somewhere that way (with tracks), but given a choice we'll always go with live musicians."
The duo's debut album was an ohana project. Neos Productions artists Jamin Wong and Justin Young joined the duo, Thompson and St. John in the studio. Released last month, it is getting play statewide.Te. Neighbor island radio generally prefers the original reggae songs "Guava Jam" and "Feel Irie." Oahu's contemporary pop stations have favored Ines' soft pop ballad, "Like The Rain."
Apisaloma and Ines share a keen interest in all aspects of the music business -- arranging, choreography, costume design, promotion -- and less glamorous things such as performance rights and royalties.
"We love to sing, but we're not going to sing for free just because someone tells us it's 'good expo-sure,' " Ines says.
The duo made an impressive "live" debut before an overflow crowd at the Pier Bar two weeks ago. They were backed by THC, also known as The Hearticle Crew, one of the most reputable reggae bands in Hawaii. The visual contrast between white-clad dreadlocked Rastafarian THC and the beautiful-in-black look of Reality was unusual, but everything meshed smoothly.
Apisaloma says the Reality/THC partnership breaks local pop stereotypes: "People think that just because we're girls from the islands and we dress a certain way that we're not supposed to perform (reggae) but here we are with THC. I think we're here to break boundaries and make new ones."
They're off to a good start, but Apisaloma and Ines aren't planning to quit their day jobs. Ines, 17, is now a senior at Campbell; Apisaloma, 20, is taking a semester off from nursing school and working as a pharmacy technician at Queen's.
Whatever the future holds, Ines says that the last six months have been a dream come true: "Every time we hear our music on the radio we have to stop and think 'Oh my God, that's us!' It's still hard to believe, but it's a wonderful feeling."
Reality check in fun
Movin' On: Reality (Neos Productions)
Two unaffected and appealing vocalists. Original songs. Catchy and commercial arrangements in both local reggae-lite and local pop grooves. Neos Productions principal Rob St. John takes the local pop "girl group" format to a higher level with Reality.
The duo -- Marja Apisaloma and Shivon Ines -- is easily the most promising local "girl group" since Westside Harmony evolved into Tenderoni in 1996.
Apisaloma and Ines sing with a warmth and emotion often lacking in local pop. They also wrote or co-wrote most of the songs for their debut. Many of their compositions are languid local pop "slow jams" of the type long popular on local pop stations like I-94. Others recast the duo as seductive dancehall divas employing catchy danceable reggae-lite arrangements. Reality is appealing in both contexts.
"Like the Rain" is one of Ines' best compositions -- honest, introspective, and built around a memorable lyric hook. Yes, there are times when tears do fall "like the rain."
"Guava Jam" and "Feel Irie" capture Reality in a confident and playful "dancehall" mood. Few local artists over the years have done reggae-style music well. Reality is one of the exceptions.
A reggae-lite/local pop abridgement of "Bohemian Rhapsody" is the one problematic entry. It omits the operatic exuberance of Queen's original but provides nothing to replace it. On the other hand, at least producer St. John didn't just copy the original music tracks!
By John Berger
