So I have to share this....

Obviously, I'm 1,000 miles away in my own little coccoon in Kansas City, but I got home from work and (I'm not even sure how I found this) was messing around on youtube and found this video



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0y3LEOTHi0&feature=related



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0y3LEOTHi0&feature=related" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



which led me to



http://www.islandbeats.com/view_album.php?album=703" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Let me say, I was floored and have scoured the net for info on these guys. That drummer killed soooo hard in the absolute worst conditions to get good sound and it really came off like production quality percussion.



THEN (just so you dont' think this isn't football related) I found out that they live in Provo right now.



These guys aren't just good, they have the chops to go mainstream and they certainly could sell out a small venue in Provo, which led me to think why not have them play during the big recruiting weekend that the Y has every year? BYU could sponsor a concert for all students and then of course the recruits could be there too (do it after a Y hoops game played in the afternoon). The reason I say this is that there's a feeling you get when you're in the presence of talent and talented LDS kids. It feels cool to be LDS and it feels cool to represent BYU. This is something that maybe kids that grow up around the church feel, but for many people like me, I always attached myself as a kid to great LDS athletes ( Vai Sikahema served his mission in South Dakota when my pops was on the stake presidency and I never left him alone during church, BYU athletics, Danny White, Steve Young, Danny Ainge, Michael Smith, because for the most part that's all I had, in fact aside from my short time in Utah, I'll bet I've never lived in a place where the LDS population was even 3% of the total).



Think about the polynesian kids we recruit and put two and two together... it just sells itself.



These guys are cool (Na Drua) and I hope that BYU athletics can seize the opportunity to use their cool to hype their athletics programs.



If you think this is crazy, just ask any of us that have gone to BYU volleyball matches the last 15 years. BYU volleyball has managed to put more butts in seats that anyone else in the country because it's a cool event (party atmosphere).



When I see something that conforms to BYU standards yet has the ability to be equally good mainstream, it's like chocolate and peanut butter...(or whatever cliche combo just feels right).



Na Drua feels Mraz-like (a little Marley, a little Beach Boys, maybe even a little outkast)... they're cool, they're insanely talented, they're in Provo and they could be used to help BYU look cool while in the process helping this band get more exposure.



(I'm wracking my brain thinking if I've ever been excited about an LDS band before...)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFTB-1LTI1Y&feature=related

Weren't you excited about David Archuleta? ;)



sorry any DA fans out there.

declocoug wrote:
Weren't you excited about David Archuleta? ;)



sorry any DA fans out there.

With all due respect to Archuleta, he couldn't hang with these guys... Anyone that lives in Utah County know a thing about this band? Na Drua



Apparently 2 brothers (twins) recently returned home from their missions and the drummer in the above video put them together and everything else is in its infancy. They have a very mainstream sound and their talent is unquestionable... I hope they're managed correctly. I would love to see an LDS band selling out concerts.



I would really like to know more... and I would seriously reach out to some connections here in Kansas City to get them a gig for our summer concert series in downtown KC... they would absolutely kill.

Pretty good. They could play the main st. show at the Pendleton Roundup. Anybody know them?

The more talented and original you are, the less likely you become famous. That's how it is nowadays. The entertainment industry is not interested in bands that:



- Write their own music

- Are skilled with their instruments (meaning they are virtuosos at their instruments, as opposed to just being to play it decently)

- Sound different

- Won't appeal to teenagers (since they are the ones buying the music and merch and who make them $$$)



that's just how it goes. 99% of the music on my ipod is unheard of. Music seems to be one of the few industries where those who know the least about it seem to be the ones driving it.



Will these guys become famous? If they're good enough - probably not.

Italics wrote:
The more talented and original you are, the less likely you become famous. That's how it is nowadays. The entertainment industry is not interested in bands that:



- Write their own music

- Are skilled with their instruments (meaning they are virtuosos at their instruments, as opposed to just being to play it decently)

- Sound different

- Won't appeal to teenagers (since they are the ones buying the music and merch and who make them $$$)



that's just how it goes. 99% of the music on my ipod is unheard of. Music seems to be one of the few industries where those who know the least about it seem to be the ones driving it.



Will these guys become famous? If they're good enough - probably not.

never heard of phish? jack johnson? jason mraz? etc. etc. etc. there are plenty of artists where their musical talent was so immense that they couldn't be ignored and many of these guys started out playing coffee houses, street corners, etc. anywhere that would listen. Now with social networking, you never know how fast something can go from obscurity to the big time.



These guys haven't been off their mission more than a year, and yet in the afternoon that i've scraped the internet, I can tell you I'm sold and can't wait to see how they're managed, what they write and what's next for them. And again, they're LDS, which gives us all a emotional incentive to see them succeed.



I'm dying to learn more about them and the mission vid(s) that I've seen from these brothers was enough to sell me on the rest. I'd buy their 1st album and maybe I'd be the only one, maybe not...

I liked the first video better. The drums took me back a little to nights in Samoa listening to guys pounding it out with sticks on empty biscuit tins...

Florwood wrote:
I liked the first video better. The drums took me back a little to nights in Samoa listening to guys pounding it out with sticks on empty biscuit tins...

Yeah the drums really made the 1st vid.



I served in Bulgaria right after the wall had fallen... there was no time that we welcomed "hearing guys pounding it out with sticks" that usually meant they were coming after us.

Just liked their facebook page. Good Find Craig.

I've been looking all over for a better recording of that first song. The drum part completely overwhelms the music because of where they put the camera. I wish they would have switched places so I could hear the words to the song.

I think this needs to be moved to the lounge. Not exactly a football topic

frdbtr wrote:
I've been looking all over for a better recording of that first song. The drum part completely overwhelms the music because of where they put the camera. I wish they would have switched places so I could hear the words to the song.

for a mission vid, it still kills.. their other stuff I found still lacks a little quality production too but obviously when a couple poor kids from fiji start a band, it'll be rough to start out; I think it's the actual talent that's overwhelming and makes me dying to hear more.

craigoscarson wrote:

I've been looking all over for a better recording of that first song. The drum part completely overwhelms the music because of where they put the camera. I wish they would have switched places so I could hear the words to the song.

for a mission vid, it still kills.. their other stuff I found still lacks a little quality production too but obviously when a couple poor kids from fiji start a band, it'll be rough to start out; I think it's the actual talent that's overwhelming and makes me dying to hear more.

Exactly, I loved the small amount of words I picked up from the song. I was just hoping to be able to find that song produced better so I could hear all the words.

craigoscarson wrote:

Weren't you excited about David Archuleta? ;)



sorry any DA fans out there.

With all due respect to Archuleta, he couldn't hang with these guys... Anyone that lives in Utah County know a thing about this band? Na Drua



Apparently 2 brothers (twins) recently returned home from their missions and the drummer in the above video put them together and everything else is in its infancy. They have a very mainstream sound and their talent is unquestionable... I hope they're managed correctly. I would love to see an LDS band selling out concerts.

How about the Jets?

craigoscarson wrote:



never heard of phish? jack johnson? jason mraz? etc. etc. etc. ...

Jason on...





...Sesame Street

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrqF7yD10Bo&feature=channel

Good find. I don't care what Cougarclaw says. I think what gives them a cool factor is not just their talent but their seemingly innate ability to crossover without looking like they are trying. In all of my promo work I have never done bands but this is tempting. If they are open to a little coaching and market adaptation, I think they could do well. However, a stricly island theme will gain them little. But if they are willing to crossover, which they are clearly capable of pulling off, they have serious potential.

tww wrote:
Good find. I don't care what Cougarclaw says. I think what gives them a cool factor is not just their talent but their seemingly innate ability to crossover without looking like they are trying. In all of my promo work I have never done bands but this is tempting. If they are open to a little coaching and market adaptation, I think they could do well. However, a stricly island theme will gain them little. But if they are willing to crossover, which they are clearly capable of pulling off, they have serious potential.

COMPLETELY AGREE.. they can't be just a "polynesian reggae band", they just need to be a "Band" (Dave Mathews style). They're too talented to get stuck in a niche that leaves them only playing polynesian parties and receptions. (which is why the very 1st vid with the drummer was soo cool, it was incredibly mainstream.. in spite of the fact that it was done in a virtual closet with a drummer playing on a board and a bed)



I've been around a lot of local musicians and these guys, in particular, just exude talent and obviously LOVE music. They have mainstream talent and I hope they get mainstream advice. Guys like these sell out concerts because their talent and love for music is irrepressable. I wish I lived in Provo to see them and help find people that could manage them to the mainstream.



I'm also going to start planning my trips to Utah, not just for sports, but for a chance to see them in concert.



While a band is on a much smaller level, the last time I was so excited about something random I saw on the internet was myspace and then facebook. I immediately called my stock broker and asked what it would take to buy shares because I just had a feeling that they would be global. If it's possible, I think I underestimated how big it would become. (I've been wrong before too, I never thought Google investors would prosper based on their IPO price).



This band has the vocal chops, a unique feel and sound and a passion that could get them very far with the right counsel and eventually a label that gets it. And again, I think BYU should use their polynesian roots to mutually benefit.



Some of their jam sessions are very cool and quite impressive considering how raw the acoustics are where they're playing. (Not a single palagi in the crowd :~( ... I want access)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAchTTsH28o



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0fGLJhFiSM&feature=related