FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Three of the five members of Reign are, from left, Kale Chang, Kuhio Yim and Tinifuloa Grey.

Reign mixes faith
and culture

The group aims to take
its music to Polynesia

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By John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.com

In a time of popular "island rhythm" music, the men of Reign are already far beyond that mediocre, formulaic sound.

It's been almost a full year since the quintet of Kale Chang, Loa Faimealelei, Tinifuloa Grey, Afatia Thompson and Kuhio Yim released its self-titled debut album and introduced a fresh blend of urban R&B-influenced rap and vocal harmonies with undercurrents of Polynesian musical traditions.

And it's been an eventful one. Grey and his girlfriend, the former Miss Hawaii/Miss America Angela Baraquio, got married; Yim and his wife are expecting a child; and the group has been cutting back on their nightclub and bar gigs and doing more concert appearances.

Two more concert events involving Reign are coming up this month. They'll be part of a Christian music bill at the Hawaii Theatre today and tomorrow and play their second engagement with the Honolulu Symphony -- this time as featured performers in their own right -- in a double bill with Lou Rawls at the Blaisdell Concert Hall later this month.

The guys visited Christian radio station KAIM on Monday to promote this weekend's shows and, although they're not the type of Christians who practice their piety before others so that they may be praised for it, much of their repertoire comes out of their Christian faith. "Pono," one of Chang's compositions on the album, asks why it often seems that people pray only when they're in trouble or want God to give them something. Other selections express their faith more obliquely.

"We're not considered a 'Christian group,' but through secular music, we can deliver a positive message," Chang said Tuesday night as the group was preparing for an evening rehearsal at Mamiya Theatre.

"It's an opportunity for us to do songs that we already sing on the album," Grey said. "Some of them we only sing in church, and to sing them at another event would be awesome also."

Where the group sings nowadays is definitely an issue with them. Chang, the group's leader and arranger, became interested in five-part vocal arrangements and a cappella singing in high school, and the others enjoy the challenge of executing complicated a cappella arrangements.

"To sing in a nightclub was fun, but artistically it's so draining," Grey said. "You want to perform where people appreciate the art, instead of singing songs we don't want to sing and sacrificing (our integrity)."

Chang, Grey and Yim agree that they've pretty much put club work behind them -- getting "very low pay" to breathe cigarette smoke for three hours while singing to inattentive drunks. Reign now wants to take its unique cross-cultural sound to the mainland and Polynesia. Toward that goal, they've been cautiously incorporating a stronger Polynesian presence in their choice of material and stage attire.

For instance, they've recently performed wearing Samoan iefaikaga wraps. They also plan to add more Hawaiian- and Samoan-language songs to their repertoire.

"Our idea from the beginning was being Polynesian men that are crossing over into the urban-style music, but (for a while) we got too caught up in 'the industry,'" Chang said. "We just started (wearing the wraps) recently, and to do it the second time was a lot easier. People are starting to see it more, and it's going to be a natural thing pretty soon."

Yim said, "It's hard to incorporate (traditional things) because we don't want to offend any culture, so we gotta kind of watch what we use."

Despite Reign's polished sound and impeccable musical roots, Chang said they're still not getting play on Oahu's island music-formatted radio stations. Neighbor island stations seem to be more open to new music, he said, and the group would like to do some shows for them. The good news is that their fan base is growing, and they've been working steadily without much radio support.

"We're learning that, as artists, (radio play on Oahu) doesn't really have to be a governing factor in our career," Chang said. "All these concerts we've been doing have nothing to do with the radio, and we're opening ourselves up to a whole other audience. I believe that's where we belong. We've been doing the club scene because that's what you're supposed to do to sell CDs. If you do well in the clubs, maybe they'll play you on the radio. But it's such an uphill climb in that direction.

"We've spent time trying to play the game," Chang said of the group's experiences over the past year. "I think we're over that now. We know we can do harmonies. Now we have to run with it."

Reign Special guests with mainland Christian rock artists FFH and ApologetiX, along with Tiffany and Halau of New Hope Where: Hawaii Theatre When: 7:30 p.m. today and tomorrow Tickets: $15 to $35 Call: 528-0506

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