The Green, a six-piece reggae band from Hawaii, is bringing some island flair to the Rialto Theatre on Wednesday, Sept. 25.
The band is following in the footsteps of The Wailers, an incarnation of the reggae outfit that once backed Bob Marley, who will also perform at the downtown venue on Sunday, Sept. 22.
The Green’s six members, lead vocalist Caleb Keolanui, keyboardist Ikaika Antone guitarists JP Kennedy and Zion Thompson, bassist Brad “BW” Watanabe and drummer Jordan Espinoza, were all born and raised on the island of Oahu.
They have known each other for decades, but didn’t join forces as The Green until 2009. Four studio albums and thousands of miles of touring later, the group has become a well-established name in reggae circles.
The band rose to fame early on. Its eponymous debut was voted best reggae album by iTunes in 2010.
“That was a major accomplishment for the band, especially since we were so new,” Thompson said.
“Our goals have stayed the same since we were a new band ... continue to shoot for the stars and create as much music as we can.”
The Green was one of the first Hawaiian reggae bands to tour extensively on the U.S. mainland, as well as travel internationally to New Zealand and Japan.
They have performed at major festivals across the United States, including Vans Warped Tour, Wakarusa, Sierra Nevada World Music Festival and California Roots Music and arts Festival.
Band members pride themselves on being family men, so being off the island and away from their loved ones has been challenging on this tour, especially for Kennedy, who is expecting the birth of his daughter in December.
Thompson said the band’s main goal for this tour, which ends in Las Vegas in early October, is to continue to be ambassadors of Aloha, by helping to bring Hawaiian culture to the world through their music. Tucson fans can expect to hear songs from all five of The Green’s albums, including tracks from their most recent release, “Black & White,” which takes the group in a more acoustic direction.
“It’s going to be a great show,” Thompson said of Wednesday’s Rialto gig.
