Honolulu Weekly

John Cruz / John Cruz, one of Hawaii’s most cherished musical talents, has been building his mainland fan base for years now. The “Island Style” singer-songwriter is off on tour again this week, with a few dates in California followed by a trip to SXSW (South by Southwest), one of the country’s biggest venues for up-and-coming acts. He spoke with Honolulu Weekly by phone on Monday evening.

The tour starts tomorrow. Where are you headed?

We’re starting out in California, with a few shows in the Bay Area, then we head to Austin for the South by Southwest shows.

Is that where you get your biggest mainland turnout, in the Bay Area?

Actually it’s in New England, just because I used to live there, at Martha’s Vineyard, in Northampton (Mass.) and at Living Room New York City.

How does this tour compare to past ones?

I’m spending money taking a band this time. Usually I go by myself. This trip I’m taking a band. For South by Southwest I’ll have a full band for all the Austin shows. In the Bay Area, I’ll just have a bass player.

This is your first time to South by Southwest, right?

I’ve always heard about it, always wanted to go, but this is the year it’s happening. Last February, we were up in Memphis at the Folk Alliance concert and we hooked up with the Austin contingent, and we happened to be on the same connecting flight. So we jammed with them, and they were like, “You gotta come to South by Southwest!”

You played at one of President Obama’s inaugural balls. What was that like?

It was incredible, man. While I was there, people would ask me on the phone what it was like, and I kept saying, “I don’t even know.” It was sort of surreal. I knew at some point I’d be able to absorb all of it. Just being a part of something that historic…I mean, we’re all a part of it. Everyone at home told me they had chickenskin—that was the same feeling we had over there. We all are a part of that history, we’re living it right now. Years from now, we’ll all look back and say, “Wow, that was when it all turned around.” Or he might fuck up big time and we’ll all be like, “Damn, false alarm!” [laughter]

But it was just fantastic. Ninety-year-old black ladies standing out in the cold and everything.

You played with Jack Johnson.

It went great, Jack is really easygoing, he’s very gracious with his stage. He’s very humble, he loves music and he’s a fan. You know, it’s always great just to see how well he’s handling the stuff that he’s been weathering with people asking for favors and all that. Because for the last five years, he’s been putting up with some stuff. When you see him on the road and at his house, he seems like different people in a way. But I love the way he does his tours. They have their whole family on the road. I grew up with my dad playing music and digging out all the time, and now I do that myself. But they’re all on the road together. It’s a really wholesome environment, which is much different than what I’m used to. My sisters, [who are in the band] One Right Turn, they’ve got that vibe going now, the family thing. My dad’s with them, they got the baby with them. It’s great.

What do you make of this whole Grammy thing with Tia Carrere?

[laughter] Hey, I just give props to Tia, because she gets up there and says “I’m not worthy.” She wasn’t joking. She wasn’t, man.

But what is she supposed to do? You know she’s gonna get all the criticism, but it’s not her that’s controlling the votes. [The problem is] the stipulations put on the Grammy people by the Hawaiian music industry. They wanted to control the process, just like they have controlled the [Na Hoku Hanohano awards] for years, they wanted to control who gets a Grammy.

How so?

If a song has any lyrics, they have to be 75 percent in Hawaiian for the album to qualify, that’s why. Why do you think there’s four slack key albums [nominated] every year? And then what does it do, it backfires on them. Amy [Hanaialii Gilliom] or The Brothers Cazimero or Kealii [Reichel]…Grammy voters don’t know who these people are. So they go, “OK let me choose between Kelly Kamamalamamama….wait, here’s Hawaiian Slack Key! I’ve heard of that!”

Now the Hawaiian music industry is huhu because the Grammy [winner] has been all slack key, slack key, slack key and then what happens? All of a sudden, there’s something more famous than slack key! “Tia Carrere! I’ve heard of her! OK, I’ll vote for that.”

And with Tia, it’s not like she just started writing songs. She’s been writing songs since high school. I’m sure she’s serious about her music. All these people are dissing her for winning, but she was singing with all her heart. It’s not her fault.

There’s been a lot of talk about all of this lately.

This award, the whole controversy about the Hawaiian Grammy—a lot of people are upset because slack key doesn’t recognize Hawaiian people, doesn’t recognize Hawaiian culture. Hey, it’s not a cultural award. This whole idea that so-and-so deserves to win because they’ve been playing the longest or playing at hula festivals or parties or whatever. I’m sorry, this isn’t the Who’s Been Playing The Longest Award. It’s an art.

It’s so funny to watch this unfold. The Hawaiian Grammy was supposed to be celebrated by people in Hawaii. But with the stipulations about the lyrics, most of the time, the best album that comes out in that year in Hawaii, it’s not even nominated.

Have you talked to anyone about getting the language requirement changed?

I let people know how I feel, for sure. Look, the way it is now, people on the mainland are never going to vote for somebody if they can’t pronounce their name. If they hear Hawaiian music, they’re not gonna listen. They don’t know how good it is, because they don’t know what the fuck we’re talking about! [laughs] The vocal is the most important track, and if they can’t understand what you’re saying, it’s not going to translate. And so unfortunately, if I want a Grammy, I’m gonna have to win the main one.