Natural Vibrations pursues global appeal

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Natural Vibrations — from left, Shane Abraham, Kayton Macariola, Jehua Evans, Wayne Enos, Penidean Pua'auli and Stacy Medeiros — has a new CD and aspirations of attracting reggae devotees beyond hometown Hawai'i. A distribution deal with the Mountain Apple Company gave its CD, "The Circle," a Sept. 2 release nationwide, and success of the CD could lead to international tours in 2004. Natural Vibrations At Mana Maoli Welcome Back Concert With Sudden Rush, B.E.T., Oshen, Blah Pahinui, Ernie Cruz Jr., Ooklah The Moc, Guy Cruz, Kupa'aina, Lahaina Grown, John Helm, Kilinahe, Moemoea, John Cruz, Kauha'a 3-10 p.m. Saturday University of Hawai'i-Manoa Quad $5 suggested donation 956-2644, 945-1401

The uninvited's name was Prince. And, yes, he was funky.

"How'd you find out about that?" asked Vibes vocalist/guitarist Wayne Enos, trying to sneak a peek at his inquisitor's notes without luck.

Enos, drummer Stacy Medeiros and bassist/vocalist Jehua Evans were gathered at the offices of the Mountain Apple Company last week to discuss the Vibes' just-released fourth CD, "The Circle." (The band is also in the lineup at a University of Hawai'i-Manoa concert Saturday.) But prodded unmercifully for more information about their meeting with His Royal Badness, all three eventually relented.

It was December 2001. And Natural Vibrations was nearing the end of a gig at Kihei nightclub Bada Bing when one of the diminutive singer's handlers approached the stage and said, 'Prince wants to jam with you guys.' " Only one answer came to mind.

"We were, like, 'Yeah, right!' " Medeiros said.

But before the band could reset its b.s. detectors back to neutral, Prince had already breezed past Enos and was strapping on one of the band's guitars.

"I was, like, 'Who the hell is this guy?' " said Enos, laughing.

Prince went on to shred the lacquer off of the borrowed ax with a funked-up 10-minute solo.

"We were playing one-on-one and then he started soloing," Medeiros said. "Then he looked over, and I got the idea by the way he was dipping his head that he wanted me to change into one of his 'Prince beats.' So we jumped into that and he was, like, 'Yeah! Yeah! Yeah, boy! Yeah, boy!' And I was, like, 'Uh, OK.' "

After finishing, Prince put down the guitar and bolted for the exit. The singer never spoke with the band, and no images of those few minutes exist outside of the band's cerebral cortexes.

"Luckily that was the last song because there was no way we would've wanted to play after that," said Medeiros, laughing.

But back to "The Circle."

An undeniably catchy and mostly body-moving 12-song collection of original material, "The Circle" also finds the Vibes for the first time in its decade together vigorously attempting to court reggae devotees outside its Hawai'i fan base. A distribution deal with Mountain Apple gave "The Circle" a same-day Sept. 2 release nationwide. The CD was also the band's first release on its Natural Vibrations label.

The music "is still for the people in our neighborhood and will always be for them because this is where we're from and this is where our roots are," Medeiros said. "But we wanted to try and find a balance between ... making people here happy and having something that still sounds like us but could be sold on the Mainland (and internationally).

"We didn't want to censor ourselves, but we wanted to make the music pleasing to everybody, and have tastes in there that even my grandma would like."

The "grandma" reference left Enos unable to hold back from cracking wise.

"Yeah, I really like that song, 'Maryjane,' said Enos, mimicking the voice of an elderly woman misinterpreting the band's love song for weed as one about an actual flesh-and-blood paramour. "That one's da bomb!" All three break into laughter.

If "The Circle" corrals the untapped Mainland and international markets Natural Vibrations hopes it will, the band expects to embark on tours of the East Coast, England, Japan and South America in 2004.

"We're willing to travel to the ends of the Earth," Evans said. "We want to. That's always been our goal ... to travel and play as much as we can."

Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8005.