Above the bridge
Above the bridge
Episode 154 WALT G ( Island Music Vocalist for the band KAWAO )
Journey through two decades of island reggae with Walt G of Kawao as he shares the remarkable path from baseball fields to Hawaiian music stardom. What began as neighbors jamming on ukuleles evolved into one of Hawaii's most beloved musical groups, with hits like "Girl, Let Me Know" becoming local classics.
Walt offers rare insight into the band's creative process, revealing how China's melodic humming sparks the songwriting that has defined their signature sound. From recording with legendary producer Wendo Chin to their current collaboration with rising star Pena bu, Walt chronicles how their music has evolved while staying true to their roots. Music fans will appreciate his thoughtful perspective on the full-circle nature of island reggae, as he describes how today's artists are blending traditional sounds with contemporary styles.
Beyond music, Walt shares his parallel life as a Dean of Students, former baseball player, coach, and devoted family man. His candid discussion about maintaining faith and values in the entertainment industry provides a refreshing look at navigating temptations while staying grounded. When describing the shifting landscape for today's youth, Walt's passionate insights on respect, problem-solving, and the double-edged sword of technology reveal his deep commitment to nurturing the next generation.
The conversation culminates with Walt's golden advice for aspiring musicians: "Do it because you love it, not because you want status." This philosophy has guided his 20-year career and explains why Kawao continues to connect with audiences across generations. Whether you're a longtime fan of Hawaii's music scene or curious about the authentic voices behind island reggae, this episode offers a heartfelt glimpse into the life of an artist who has balanced creative passion with core values.
Discover Kawao latest album on all streaming platforms and follow them @Kawaomusic on social media to keep up with new releases and performances.
okay, welcome to another edition of the above the bridge podcast. I'm your host, thaddeus park. Just wanna say I'm sorry for the last few weeks for not coming out with an episode. I just recently got married so I had to take some weeks off for my wedding and getting everything situated, but we should be good from here on out. Thank you for your patience. If this is your first time listening or tuning into our show, thank you for checking us out. We can be found anywhere you can get your podcast. We can be found anywhere you can get your podcasts Spotify, iheartradio, apple, pandora, wherever you get your podcasts as well as our YouTube channel Above the Ridge Podcast and our website, atbpodcom. Thank you for tuning in and supporting me. I appreciate it. Aloha, okay, this week my guest is somebody you guys seen in the music scene here in Hawaii for a long time, one of the singers from Kaval, walt G. What's up, brother?
Speaker 2:What's up, brother-in-law? Hey, thank you for having me. I appreciate it. We're trying to hook up for a while and I appreciate the opportunity.
Speaker 1:Right on, bro. I definitely been a fan of your guys' music and, like I said just recently is we did your cd release party. Back in the day was my first concert ever promoting a concert and it was with ray jr. We did aloha laulea 18 bands, 18 dollars, and it was your guys cd release party. I think that was 2012 or somewhere around there 2012. Yep, how long have you guys been playing?
Speaker 2:music. We've been playing music with each other professionally so I just say professionally, getting paid since 2003. But China and myself have been with each other prior to that. We used to be neighbors, that's why. So it's kind of like we just kind of hooked up. I was funny how we hooked up, because his wife and my wife were friends and she actually grabbed him by his wrist and dragged him to me when I came home and said Chyna, this is Walt, he plays ukulele too, and that's exactly how we met.
Speaker 1:He got drugged to me and then we just started playing and became friends right, friends right then. And there, oh, that's super cool. So you guys as neighbors, then that's yeah, oh, okay, yeah. What year was that around?
Speaker 2:so we met each other like um, probably a year prior, maybe a year and a half, but I would say like close to a year.
Speaker 1:So like um 2002 oh wow, oh so guys are like two decades deep then huh.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, with each other a long time.
Speaker 1:That's crazy. I appreciate your guys' music and I mean we lost somebody special to us was yesterday and shout out to Fiji Much aloha to him and his family and have you guys got to tour with him and do a lot, any collabs or anything with Fiji?
Speaker 2:you know um never been blessed to do tours with him, but we did um numerous shows with him, especially at the Waikiki Shell um and I got the opportunity to um share my most memorable moment this morning, um, on a one of our radio stations, our local local radio stations, and I got to share that.
Speaker 2:My most memorable memory with him is like 2006,.
Speaker 2:I believe just preparing for one of the concerts in January, and you know we were kind of the new guys in the block and he took the time to express to everybody hey, this is Cabal, they've got the hottest song in Hawaii right now.
Speaker 2:And you know, for somebody and his stature to say something like that, it really kind of eased the tension Not that it was really tension, but you know, when you go in there, kind of just quiet because, hey, that's Fiji and his crew and you know just the whole big meeting and where the young guys is trying to, you know, find our way in, it's just awesome to be in his presence and that experience I'll never forget. So, like I said, we did a lot of shows with him but, um, that's gonna always be in the forefront of of all the memories, because not anybody can take the time to do that and it takes a special person to to do that and acknowledge somebody um coming through any type of industry and say, hey, this is what they're doing and I want you guys to know it, and and and kind of pay some respect to these guys grinding as well. So, uh, that's my, my real um close memory of him oh, that's super cool.
Speaker 1:He always had aloha. We did a few shows with him, with ray and also with uh lele. We collaborated with lele. We actually did him in uh sukiji's one night and, oh, you had that place jumping. But yeah, my first memory of him ever, I seen him at liquid surf. It was a bar by a university, right right, he was on stage and in his hand he had a heineken in between each finger and he was singing and every time he finished one Heineken, he just took one from his other hand. I was just like, oh, that was the first time. I think it was Symphony of Love, it was his first album. I was like, oh, this guy's action and his voice was just memorizing and then watching him just throughout the years. My second memory was we were at a show in the shell.
Speaker 1:It was ray's first show of major raja and fiji was the headliner and or he, he was playing and I was with dj hoppa boy, and there's this blue carpet in front of the drums and taylor said he was gonna skank on the stage and hit at least the blue carpet and fiji was playing and singing. And hoppa boy comes skanking out and right when he touched the blue stage, security came sprinting at him and he had to run away before he got clipped and Fiji was just like like mid set, like what the hell is going on?
Speaker 2:That's funny. That is funny right there. It would be hopper too, but yeah he was going to say hey, tiny's my dad, tiny's my daddy. Okay, we're good. Yeah, but I think, but I think, that would have happened after you got clipped by, security is running full linebacker stunting, yeah, and that wouldn't end up um too good.
Speaker 1:You know how small he is, how petite he is and he going when big guy hitting it wouldn't have been a good thing yeah, speaking of him, he just uh, dropped a couple weeks ago a mash-up with you guys with one of one of my favorite songs from you guys, and he mashed it up with justin bieber, and he's been doing that with these local artists and, oh, your guy's stuff mesh so good. I was like, oh he, he has that magic with these. He does.
Speaker 2:And I was always, um, curious because, um, being a musician, you just know the keys and the chords that you play and I was like I was wondering how can you actually do this type of thing? Does he have the ear to do it? He does, he does, he really does. And he did it so well that I told him. I said, hey, taylor, I want to put that song on the album. He was like for real. I was like, yes, send me the WAV file.
Speaker 1:So that song, song, that mashup is actually the last song on our new album that was just um released a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 2:No shit, I didn't know does he know that he does? So I asked him he's, like you, serious what I said. I'm dead serious. So we have to go through the mechanical rights because justin, that's justin bieber's music, so just make sure we clear all the rights to get that done. And yeah, it's on the album oh, that's sick.
Speaker 1:I didn't even know that, I just thought it was a cool match. That's pretty dope and that's one of my favorite songs from you guys. Uh, you guys played together for so many years. You guys ever still get stage fright, or what, when you go on stage?
Speaker 2:um, I still talk about it to this day. Like, um, our bass player is, you know, he's three years in with us and he kind of feels that way. Sometimes I said, brad, I don't ever really like look at anybody, to be honest, like, um, I don't really look over anybody, it's like I'm just in my own world. So, um, maybe that's a blessing, I don't know. But when I go on stage it's just about having fun. I really don't see anybody. So, um, whatever I'm doing, and if it resonates with you and you feel that I'm singing to you or whatever, great, because I'm just having a good time and just staring out into space doing my thing. So I don't really get stage fright, but I do get like kind of antsy, not nervousness, but just antsy wanting to do our thing, because I really enjoy performing. But I guess, to answer, you know, stage fright, stage fright, not really. I just go and have a good time oh, that's super.
Speaker 1:What was your? What was like your first ever pain gig like was it at a club or what would you guys do?
Speaker 2:our very first pain gig was um, a private party, and I really can't remember the name of the venue, but I do remember it was in kailua, right around the corner from the um, the bowling alley that had in kailua before the one got knocked or poly lanes, yeah yeah, it was right around the corner and and in my recollection I remember that that structure kind of looked like a burger king. Maybe it was a burger king. Oh, it was like bob's must be. Yeah, it was just a private party in there.
Speaker 2:I remember that was the very first gig. It was, like you know, just excited yeah, let's do this. And we just drove from Waianae to do an hour in there and I don't remember too much about it, but I just remember being really excited driving there and that's my recollection. I can't remember which songs we played, but I just remember that's our first gig down there oh, that's cool.
Speaker 2:What was like your biggest venue you guys ever did um the biggest venue, um I would say waikiki shell here in oahu. Um, anything that ray puts on is, you know, it's yeah, numerous, um big numbers. Um, we just did um aloha laulea with um ray and I don't know it was dark and it was masses of people. So anything that ray throws on has a lot of people like a key show. Those, those birthday bashes remember, oh yeah, when mass appeal was starting them on.
Speaker 1:You know all those it was, it was yeah, mass appeal was big time, yeah, so so the Aloha Laolea, oh sorry, the Aloha Laolea, that was Bishop Museum huh.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I might have said it wrong. So Aloha, laolea, yes, bishop Museum, but we had the one at the stadium. Oh yeah, much prior to that, one who came down, lil Wayne was playing on Saturday. We who came down Lil Wayne was playing on Saturday, we played on Friday and I didn't expect that much people to show up. I figured they want to do the Lil Wayne type of thing. But the people showed up.
Speaker 2:I was like show people. We went on like eight something and it was just all I could see is just masses and sea of people. And in Hawaii those would be the bigger ones. I remember 2006, 2007, doing shows in Idaho, doing and you know, in Hawaii those would be the bigger ones. I remember 2006, 2007, doing shows in Idaho Doing the universities. Those had a lot of people but still Not in the numbers that we pull here In Oahu In those big venues. But so yeah, if you just say the biggest show, it's gotta be Anything that Ray throws on and like those Birthday bashes and Bambucha concerts Back in the day oh, bambucha concerts back in the day, that was good stuff.
Speaker 2:You guys ever uh play vegas, um, we did a couple of times and um, we always have talks about doing it. But um doing shows on the mainland, it's pretty much like you just line up show after show after city after city and um, unfortunately for us in our band, like everybody in our band, we actually have a full time job. So, um, early in our career we could do that kind of stuff still 10, 15, 30, you know, days and do that kind of stuff. Yeah, so we had our time at doing that. But as far as um doing that type of things again, I don't see us staying out too long to doing those type of shows. So for us to do vegas it's got to be an in and out, yeah, kind of type of thing so we're working on something, honestly, right now.
Speaker 2:Our manager did mention that he's working on something in vegas, just trying to get numbers correct because a everything is inflation right now. Just everything goes up. So we try to work on some things because, um, our band consists of seven musicians and I'm one tech guy, so if you're gonna fly us up, you're flying us eight. So we're just trying to work some things out and, fingers crossed, we'll be there.
Speaker 1:We'll be there soon that's cool and you well, you guys got a new single. That's that's topping the charts. You guys got a new album dropped and, yeah, you might as well ride this wave and get choke hawaii people in vegas that would love to see you guys for sure. Yeah, you guys drop multiple records and I know you guys write your own music. I always ask this with artists because I'm jealous and I tell this to Hoppa all the time the way you guys hear music is not the same as us. It's like an artist who draws the way he sees art is not going to be the same as how I do. Right, what is your guys' thought process and how do you guys go about like, just creating one song out of nowhere, because, like, that's hard to do in and of itself, but then create a song that hits, that everybody likes, that, like that. You cannot just like oh okay, here's my song. Like you got to like put some thought into it. How does the creativity work with you guys?
Speaker 2:Right, for years I've been lucky with China. So, like China, he likes to hum a lot of things, and when he hums things it kind of just triggers things in my mind and I'll just kind of sing some things to it and he'll just kind of go off. But a lot of times he'll hum things, just humming it. Hey, do that again, and I'll start just writing in my head and then put things down. Um, so, like I need for me, I just need to hear rhythms. Here's some music, here's some beats, and then I can go from there. Um, I'm not really sure how china does it, but, um, all I know is he hums a lot, and when he hums that's when I start going. So once he's humming and if you're around us, you know something's going to happen, because I don't just let the hums go by. When he's humming, I just kind of listen to that one more time, I just kind of put things in my phone and what do you think about this? And then we just start writing from there.
Speaker 2:We don't always just write in front of each other's presence, maybe like I'll start something. It's usually I'll start something and then he just kind of takes things home and then starts to write a little bit and we just go back and forth and then, um, I usually just go to the studio, drop things in and then I send um scratch vocals and just scratch rhythms to him and said, okay, this is what we have, this is arrangement. Um, tell me what you think, what's your idea, and then he comes in and then he does his part. So, um, early in our career, because we're neighbors, it's easy to just, you know, grab out ukuleles and just kind of play with each other. But now I'm living in Waianae, still he's in town, so it's just rhythms that we hear and we just go by phone back and forth and send MP3s back and forth and we'll meet each other in the studio and then ad libs for that song just kind of come when we're there.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's so.
Speaker 2:Studio sessions must be good fun, Uh um, studio sessions is kind of lonely at times because I have to start everything. So when I get ideas, whether it be from him or myself, get ideas, put the arrangements together with who's ever produced in our music, then we start sending him scratch vocals and just a quick mix of arrangements and they say this is where it's at, this is your section right here. Tell me what you think, and he'll just kind of do vocals, send me things back like what do you think about this? Okay, then come into the studio and then just make his adjustments from there oh, that's crazy.
Speaker 1:So that's a.
Speaker 2:It's a long process, huh yeah, um, it seems long, it could be long, but once I get going it's pretty much laid down and then the rest just falls on him when he gets there, type of thing. So we could do a song and then, if he's not ready, I'm jumping on to the next song, so he can just get there and bang out one piece and then go to the next song, bang out the next piece for that too. So it could be long, but I just not. I don't want to let things drag on, I just I just do my pieces and save it for him.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's super cool. I just do my pieces and save it for him. Oh, that's super cool. Where do you guys record?
Speaker 2:So for a long time. We're doing our recordings at Studio One with Wendo Chin. You know, you just have this trust factor and Wendo has been recording us for so long that he knows what to do with our music. He knows how to mix our voices. Um, he, he's just been with us so long, so we've been recording with him the most. Um. So out of the six albums that we did um, five of them has been recorded with Wendell Ching and one has been recorded with um Imor Garza. But currently, at this time, um, I don't want to say how much songs deep, but we're almost finished with the next album. Like we finished. We just been flying through and the person that's actually producing this album and helping us to fly is Penabu. So we've been doing. I just go in there my ideas and then we just go and he's a genius. He's a genius. I give him a little bit of ideas, a little bit of chorus that I'm doing, and he just runs through the music.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, well, he got music in his DNA. Yeah, I've been hearing a lot about him producing my neighbor Aaron Ono recording a single with him or something like that. He's definitely growing. He grew up in front of that. Yeah, he, he's definitely. Yeah, he's definitely growing right, he grew up in front of everybody and he's, yeah, producing. Uh, that's cool because he's younger than you guys, right?
Speaker 2:so it's like kind of learning from somebody younger is kind of kind of interesting yeah, when, um, when we started with him the very first day, I just had to say, like you were talking about, how we all in Hawaii see him grow, and so time flies like this.
Speaker 1:So I just had to tell him I don't guess.
Speaker 2:I said, from when we started you're playing with your dad and I just put in the numbers together, together. Brother, I think I know how old you are. I'm not gonna say, but I right you older than then. When we um, as individuals kind of think, yeah well, I'm up there. I said bruh, because if we've been playing for like 20 something years and you've been playing with your dad already and the age he was, if it's 10 or above, put 20, you know 20 something years, that's true, but a man, yeah, he's 40 or close to 40, yeah well oh, I didn't even know that he's not 40 yet, but he's very, very close.
Speaker 2:Gotta google that but, um, yeah, all that time, um, and experience and practice right, that's why he's so good at what everything he does. And and the the musicianship that that's why he's so good at what everything does. And and the the music musicianship that he's been practicing all these years with different instruments and now he's been doing that type of thing with his engineering going to school and all that years that you just went by like this but it doesn't seem so so long. But his craft is on point. That guy is a magician, right.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, His craft is on point. That guy is a magician, bro. Yeah, that's cool. And I want to take a short break to shout out our sponsor, defend Hawaii. They've been my sponsor from the very beginning. They have a store in Winter Mall called no One. They got some new drops coming out, so go take a look at their website, defendhawaiicom. Figure out what you want to buy, use promo code ATBpodupon, checkout and you'll get 15% off your first order. Go take a look. Go on their website, go check out their store. Now back to the show with me.
Speaker 1:I I get frustrated with the direction the music is. I don't like and it maybe is because I'm older, but I don't like the direction music is, except island music. I feel like rap and pop music, and even I'm a rock fan. So even rock music is not the same as it was when I was young. Like our rappers are like mumble rappers. There's no soul to it. We had Biggie and Tupac back in the day with some depth. They were poets and now it's kind of garbage. But the island music scene these younger bands have been kind of doing the older guys justice with the way things are coming. What do you feel the direction island music's going right now, like how are you happy with it or is it like kind of disappointing?
Speaker 2:um, I don't say I'm disappointed, I don't say I'm happy, but, um, what I do see is like music always comes full circle, especially like island music, island reggae. It comes full circle. What's popular kind of fades away, but it always finds its way back, yeah. So, um, if you listen really closely to uh, up-and-coming artists, or now up-and-coming artists that's making that establishment, you tend to pick up hey, brad, they have this so-and-so niche, this so-and-so sound, um, and you know, some people would call it copying. It's not really copying. Music always makes a full circle, um, and they're going to pick up niches, going to pick up sounds, pick up strategies and from from other bands along the way or other music that they heard through previous generations. And, yeah, it just always comes full circle.
Speaker 2:And I catch myself a lot of times like I heard that jingle before. Hey, I heard that before. I heard that melody before hey, I heard that before. I heard that melody before. Because it comes full circle. Yeah, so disappointed, no, happy, not necessarily happy, but I'm intrigued with the up and coming or new artists, how they can adapt to current music but still be able to infuse previous styles, and that comes with knowing a little bit of the history of island reggae, too, and reggae music. So I would just say I'm more intrigued with what's going on right now.
Speaker 1:That's a good word, Brian. Intrigued, that's kind of skirting the line without the kind getting too into it.
Speaker 2:One thing with me like I always believe, like bro, I want us all to win. So when these young kids, you know, come up and do things like bro I heard it before, but you know what, bro, I like it, you know I just want everybody to win. And if regurgitation is a word, you regurgitate things that came up, right, that's okay, cause a lot of us do that, a lot of artists worldwide do that, um, intentional or unintentional. So, hey, do your thing, bro. If it works, it works, I love it. If it's a cover, original, it doesn't matter to me, I love it, because music is good for the soul. Uh, music heals.
Speaker 2:A lot of people need music life to get through a lot of different things. Um, hey, whatever floats your boat, whatever you feeling and you express yourself, I love it. I want us all to win. You do your thing and, um, I support these, these younger guys. Um, the only thing I don't say, I don't want to say I don't like, but the only thing I'm trying to um, uh kind of embrace, is the unks, unks, like unks, oh my god, now I'm at that the og unks. Now, nice to meet you. Good job, unks.
Speaker 1:Hey, thanks, neff, I appreciate it bro he's gotta diet a beard a little bit maybe I went to that phase of dying.
Speaker 2:But you know what I embrace it, or?
Speaker 1:not everybody can get that charcoal.
Speaker 2:It's difficult to get that nice charcoal, so you know what it is, what it is and I'll just go with it. It's difficult to get that nice charcoal, so you know what it is, what it is.
Speaker 1:And I'll just go with it. Yeah, I got the unks at the gym the other day and I'm just like brah, I'm at that level already.
Speaker 1:It's like okay, got to embrace, got to embrace, but, yeah, these young kids is coming up. I'm super impressed with certain groups and I, like you said, full circle. I remember back in the day when Island Reggae or they called it Jawaian was coming out and I was like such a fan I would go to the Jawaian jams at Castle Park or wherever Aloha Tower, and I would see all these bands that I thought were bigger than life and most of them still playing, like Hawaii, connie Manau, and they inspire the next generation, as probably you guys got inspired, like coming up through the scene. Who inspired you guys to like, oh, I'm going to play this kind of music?
Speaker 2:Right, um, definitely BET. Um, bet was always going to be first. Um, we were um, right, definitely BET. Bet was always going to be first. We were more on the lucky side of BET.
Speaker 2:So China and Papati they were co-workers. Papati lives in my area, so you know, it's kind of we. We got to jam with each other, sing with each other, write with each other, all that type of thing. We got to do things on a different level that other artists don't get to do. Yeah, so you know, early in our career, just doing things like, especially papa t, like he is unreal.
Speaker 2:I remember he had this book, um, it was called isms bro, he can just come up with things off of the dome and I get it. But I remember he had this book of isms and brows like no wonder you get all these cool words that that make sense and rhyme with each other, and, um, to this day he uses it. I'm not sure if he uses that book anymore, but I remember he had that book, isms, and he shared that with us, just to kind of just look at us like I wish I had a book like that, you know, type of thing, but but just things that I'm just learning from him and hearing things. He has to say that he is a big inspiration for us. Fiji is another big inspiration. Would never want to be like Fiji, because you can never be like Fiji. His knowledge of music, melodies, just vocal range is unmatched, but just the things that he does and the fun that he has. So he's the inspiration for me.
Speaker 2:He makes great music, but just the things that he does and the fun that he has. So the inspiration for me he makes great music, but just the fun that he has on stage. So even in the latter years, when he's more in a wheelchair, if you watch him he's still having fun in the wheelchair, you know. So, to the very end, he still is inspirational for me when I see him out there because, just like he does, that's my whole thing. I want to go out there, have fun, and sometimes I think it can't be like my voice or not. I'm going out there to have fun and that's the type of thing that he puts out. That's the type of thing that Tim from BET puts out. Just having fun and not caring who's listening, not caring what anybody thinks. That's going out and doing things Cause it's fun. That's that's, that's inspirational for me.
Speaker 1:I don't want to ask you when you were young, were you always drawn to music and like learn how to play? And when did you know? Like, oh bro, I'm kind of good at this, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:I don't. I don't ever think like I'm ever good at, still to this day, like um, I'm by trade, seriously, I'm a baseball player. That's how I got my education. I'm a baseball player, um, but um, knowing how to play music, I'm just an ukulele player. Um, I've always kind of knew how to play. You know, you take lessons here and there, um, I I took lessons like with um sunny d, uh, war, otosan jr type of thing, um, not to major kind of stuff, but um, so you know, just having the foundation, understanding how to play um chord structures, yeah, I always knew how to do it.
Speaker 2:But um, you know, just getting to actually record music, ever thought that? No, ever getting to hear a voice in the radio, no type of thing. You know, um, luck, I would say luck, hard work, but luck, meeting china and just doing our thing and you know, just making a band playing music and things just kind of went fast. How things went, um went more north is um davey d actually. Um reached out to us and he says, um, I'm gonna get you management and he hooked us up with ken thompson, kt was like the premier guy he had, like andy bumatai, um, who else? He had cnk, but ended up, you know, capono, he had capena, kaala boys, us, you know. So he kind of only was taking on specific bands, so like, really, you're going to hook us up. And then, right, he took us on and it just kind of went from there Like we were just messing around and just, you know, just doing things, and it kind of worked out.
Speaker 2:Davey, I guess he's seen something in us and you know he reached out to Ken Thompson. Ken Thompson reached out to me. We, you know, he reached out to Ken Thompson, ken Thompson reached out to me. We had a meeting and next thing, you know, we were represented by Ken Thompson and gigs just kind of just went through the roof. It was fun and but I don't know if I ever thought we're good enough. I still, to this day, I just do what I do and I kind of don't care if people like us or not, because it's fun. That's really why I do it. And being blessed by having your songs on the radio, that's a bonus. We're just blessed and a lot of luck. We work hard, but you got to get lucky sometimes, for sure.
Speaker 1:What was the first song you guys dropped that got radio play.
Speaker 2:The first song that was on the radio was Girl, let Me Know, and that one was weird. So, if you remember, pu'u Nui was at Island 98.5, and he used to put live stuff. So we did one at Kapono's.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:And he put it live on um island 98.5 and we heard it. What the heck like? Wow, this is cool, but it was. It was a live, a live um performance, like he used to put. You know ole on there, you know specific um hot rain and we're. We were blessed that he put us on and I hope I'm not getting it wrong, but I'm pretty sure it was Pu'u Nui that put it on there. So when the song was done, you know people in Hawaii was familiar with that song already, so when it came out we were blessed that it took off.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's cool. It must have been cool to hear your like oh, our song that we created is on the radio. You're like, oh, our song that we created is on the radio. And I always wonder what that feel like, because, um, yeah, when you're an artist, you're working hard at something, and to have other people appreciate it and then hearing it out live on the radio is like you make your parents proud. Kind. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and exactly you said yeah. There's a lot of different emotions that you feel when it happens and you know I'm a religious person. I remember when the song came out on the radio it was driving to Heineken, hot Hawaiian Nights. That was our first time ever going to be playing on that show. And I remember Shannon Scott texted me. He said, right, your song is going to be on the radio.
Speaker 2:I remember driving over there and it came on and it was the first time I ever heard our song that we really done in the studio professionally on the radio. I was like, oh my God. And you know, thank you, jesus, thank you so much. You know, you're just so appreciative. I'm like, wow, I'm going to be playing on TV for the first time tonight and to be playing on tv for the first time tonight and I'm hearing my voice on the radio for the first time on the same night. I I just remember all these emotions and, uh, so much appreciation because a lot of artists they put so much time, so much money and they do not get the opportunity. So for, yeah, let's get the opportunity.
Speaker 1:man, just so appreciative that's super cool I want to take a short break to shout out our sponsor, I rip detail supply. They're your one-stop shop super store for that's super cool Can help you with any kind of need you have to detail your car. But take a look at their website. It's IREP Detail Supply. If you go on their website and shop, use ATB pod upon checkout and you'll get 15% off your entire purchase order. Aloha, so you're kind of a religious guy. You're pretty close with God, yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's cool. I think it's important to do that. Um, by no means I'm better than anybody else, I just I just think it's important for me to talk to him daily, do my devotions daily because, um, first of all, yeah, I want to go to heaven. I do, um, am, am I gonna go there? I don't know. You know, I'm a sinner. I'm natural like everybody else. I sin all the time.
Speaker 2:But I like to have a relationship with God and giving thanks for the things that I have, because the little that I have is so, so a lot. I have so much to be thankful for my family, my kids, my grandkids, my job, the career that I have, being able to get a free education through baseball, being able to play baseball. Everybody has so little in their life. When you realize that so little is so much that you have, I want to make sure that I talk with him daily and thank him for the things that I do have, because a lot of people again, don't get to have the little things that I have, which is major things to them, the little that I have, which is major things to them. So, the little things I have, I realize it's really big things I've blessed so many people.
Speaker 1:I'm the same and I definitely have a great relationship with God and also trying to teach my daughter the same. I've been around the music industry and been in them green rooms when God is not there, been in them green rooms when god is not there and, uh, how do you navigate that? Because it gets crazy, like on tour or with behind shows and, like I said, in the green rooms I've seen some crazy shit go down and how do you navigate doing the right thing in those situations?
Speaker 2:it's. It really is a tough thing. I'm, you know, I'm like kind of glad that you brought that up, because this is the type of things that I got to reassure my wife to. Oh yeah, it's a business when we do music and you're putting on this persona. So when you see Walt G, is Walt G really who? I am To some point, but it's not really me. That's something that we created and people see. So that's something we still walk in life.
Speaker 2:And so now you take this persona, you put it on stage, you go in the green room, you got to hold this persona, but at the same time, holding this persona and pushing Caval forward for as much opportunity as possible. There's a fine line. You're doing the business part and doing what's needed of you to promote Caval, but at the same time, do not cross the line of putting your family in jeopardy or putting your reputation in jeopardy or putting your career in jeopardy. So you know, you just when things that become uncomfortable, you have to have several ways of escaping, like using the restroom.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna get something to drink. You know, got a phone call, got to take this text. You know, just got to find other ways to navigate through things that could possibly take you in the wrong direction. For the most part, you know I navigate pretty well and be respectful for everybody around. But I want everybody to know that when I do this cabal thing and this Walt G thing, it's respectfully to push cabal forward, but I'm still a man of God, I'm still a family man, I'm still somebody that a family depends on. So I'm going to try to appease all parties but at the same time respectfully try your best not to cross boundaries, because I'm gonna navigate to get around you if I I feel uncomfortable that's awesome.
Speaker 1:I never got to ask that question to somebody that in the music industry.
Speaker 1:I never really thought about it much until you brought it up and, yeah, I, I could see that would be some kind of information and stuff you guys could pass down to the new up-and-coming artists because, like you said, it can happen fast, it can happen quick and it can happen kind of information and stuff you guys could pass down to the new up and coming artists Because, like you said, it can happen fast, it can happen quick and it can happen for a long time, depending on how you navigate certain situations. I seen a lot of artists that were have like two good hits and then you never hear, hear about them again, and they, it's just, it is what it is. So, respectfully being thankful for what you got and be able to build on top of it, that that's probably the way to go. Um, yeah, you probably seen a lot of crazy stuff behind the scenes with music and, um, what would be like one of the stories that you could share that you without getting anybody in trouble?
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah, yeah, like you said, I see a lot of things, but I try not to observe it for too long. Yeah, I remember one of these things and this is a funny story, and it's a cool story because everybody knows what I'm about to share. So we did a show in Kau and we did a show. We were two bands before Brada Walta, and our previous keyboarder is Uncle Joey Spender, uncle Joe, you know Uncle Bobbo, you know Bobbo Joe. He was also the keyboardist for Butch Helamano back in the day.
Speaker 2:So he brought a Walter, real good. So I remember getting off stage, brought a Walter back in the green room walking on the stage and I just remember him and Uncle Joe going I will go burn. Like, oh bro, I'm out of here. Just see you guys, I'm out of here. I do not want to be around this. I have nothing against it. It's of the earth. You do your guys' thing, but for me I'm out of here. And those are the type of artists or the artists that people know that you know they burn and that's all cool. But yeah, I remember things like that. It's cool and all Like good to see you guys Navig this cool and all like good to see you guys, I'm out of here bro, I left and go by right here.
Speaker 1:Bro, we had a tour one time. We're in um big island and we're going from either hilo to kona, kona to hilo, and we had a new zealand band probably could figure out who it is and the new zealand band, the drummer, knew that he could stash some shit in his bass drum or drum kit or whatever it was. And he had, uh, some kind it was. We're in the tour bus and he grabbed this stuff and he had like a torch and on the torch he had rubber band like a butter knife and he heated up the butter knife and he had another butter knife and smashed his butt together. And then he got a toilet paper roll and started hitting it and it was like it didn't make too much of a smell. So I was like, oh, these guys is professional, braddy, they get they for one, they brought it from oahu. Two, they know how to burn them without it smelling. I was like, oh, these guys is professional. It's like normally you smoke weed. A whole freaking bus would know. You know, I mean right, right.
Speaker 2:Imagine if back then um, I'm probably gonna say it wrong like um those vapes you know, yeah, oh yeah, right, you can just go all over the place and do it. We kind of smell nothing, just go. But yeah, now you're doing my stage. Yeah, now then it'd be secretive, you just do them because nobody knows exactly what it is.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's super funny. Um, you did mention that you got to play baseball to get an education, so you was a baseball player from little kid time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, baseball player from oh, I don't know, I can't even remember what age I was, just baseball family Just knew the real way I was going to get an education is focus on baseball. Because, living in Waianae and my parents didn't have any money, I love playing baseball. That's all I did 12 months out of the year. It doesn't matter Baseball season or not. You just found a way to play with your cousins or your friends and just work on fundamentals and things like that. I did it well enough to get into school and not have to pay for anything. You know my skills got me to get an education. So you know that was the route I was going to go. But I also know that getting to the major leagues is difficult.
Speaker 2:I ain't the tallest guy in the world, you know I'm okay, but you know everybody that's playing professional baseball, standard six feet, 6'2", 6'3", 6'4". I'm a 5'11 type of person trying to scratch my way. I'm a six feet. I ain't six feet, but I'm right there. I knew the chances is difficult and it just didn't pan out the way it wanted to pan out. So I had an education. I'm in the education and you know, playing music was just fun and kind of it just worked out playing music. You know, having my steady education job but having a professional um side gig is is a cool thing too. Getting to do two things that I love to do. It's work, life worked out fine, that's super cool.
Speaker 1:Where did you go to college to play?
Speaker 2:um, I played at hawaii pacific university, okay, um, was it right school for me? I'm not sure, but it was fun. You know, um, I was um a young dad too, so sometimes you gotta you gotta choose wisely and it was the best fit at that time for me. And my college career was fun. It was fun um, choke memories, choke good times, good games, just a lot of fun. Um could have been better maybe, just never know. But I would never know because I had to make a choice yeah, gonna be home with to raise my child, or is dad gonna go away and try to make it big and come back with hopes and dreams? I just decided let's try to have these hopes and dreams here when I'm physically here and see what happens, you know oh, that's super cool.
Speaker 1:You ever um missed the sport or you still play softball and stuff like that no, I don't anymore.
Speaker 2:So I had enough of my life. So I was a baseball coach at Wyandotte High School for 20 years oh wow. And then I coached at Campbell for three years and played baseball to my high 30s and played softball. You know the whole thing. So do I miss it? No, no, to this day. Like well, do you want to play alumni? Nope. Do you want to play travel ball? Nope, like I'm done, I had enough, I don't miss it. You want to come back coach? Nope, I'm good, like I'm where I'm at. I have too much things on my plate, which being my family, my grandkids, my kids. Baseball is just a thing of the past and that's something that's blessed me and is a tool to navigate, to get things and get to places I needed to get. That would benefit my family. So, like I said, blessed in so much little ways, that is actually big ways.
Speaker 1:That's cool. It's weird nowadays because of how sports are. I just experienced today my daughter. They had a 5-0 volleyball tournament and basically is all the older people like adults who can play are in this tournament and it's like reliving their past glory. But they're playing with like trying to win. And my daughter was fortunate enough to be asked to to play on one of these teams and she's only 15 and I'm watching these older people play and the fun that they're having, being passionate about what they love and a sport they love to do when they're young. It was cool to see.
Speaker 1:But like you said at some point you gotta be like okay, this is, this, is it like? And kids, nowadays they have a lot of different clubs and leagues, especially with baseball, volleyball, football too. It's year-round like, like you said, like when the season was done, like even for me, I played little league. Like when the season was done. Like even for me, I played little league. Like when the season was done, then you can play soccer, football and then basketball. It's like now you got to pick one and you're going to run that thing all the way. All year round is different, huh.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is, it is. Yeah, back in the day you exactly you said cause I had friends that good, like in everything. You know one family in particular. Um, the last name is pongofe, so pogofe. Um, they all were good at everything, but the oldest brother we grew up with each other like, he plays baseball, then he goes and plays football, he's a quarterback and he plays volleyball like, then basketball, like what do you mean? We grew up with each other. You don't play any sport, but you watch him like just naturally. My god, how are you good at everything, my gosh. But that's how it was. You play each sport as it comes along. Um, I just focus on one because I knew what I wanted to do.
Speaker 2:Some people just love doing a lot of different things. I just love playing baseball. Maybe that's why I don't like it so much now, because, oh yeah, so focused on it that I'm content with life as it is. Like I had enough of baseball. What position you in play? So I played shortstop pretty much my whole life. Then I went into college Guys are older than me as freshmen, so I played third base and then my junior year, I'm back to shortstop and then I ended my career back at third base oh nice I can play wherever I play, whatever.
Speaker 2:But then you know when. You just know how to adapt and play whatever.
Speaker 1:Yeah so um just infield is is fun period for me okay, I want to take this time to shout out our sponsor, medicinal mushrooms Hawaii, and there are locally based medicinal mushroom company. They grow their mushrooms locally here in Hawaii. They got five different types of mushrooms right now in different tinctures, and they got lion's mane, chaga, red reishi, turkey tail and the newest one they have is cordyceps and each one of these mushrooms have a different medicinal property. I take all five religiously. The cordyceps is brand new. I take it before I work out and it gives me a boost of energy.
Speaker 1:Red reishi I take before bed. It helps me sleep like a champ. And then the rest of these mushrooms I take in the morning and it gets my day going perfect. But go take a look at their website, medmushroomhigh, and if you use promo code ATB pod upon check out all capital letters, you will get 45% off your first tincture of extracted mushrooms, med mushroom highcom. Now back to the show and you said you, like you, have a full-time job, you're in education. What do you do for education?
Speaker 2:I'm a Dean of students at my school, at kamala academy. So, oh wow, I get to work with um pre-k to 12 and I'm pretty much their dean of students and um make sure that um, they're safe making good um choices. Um, if they're not making good choices, I'll get their family involved. And um, if we're still not making good choices, sometimes we get the authority involved. You know how it goes. We just try to get them to make positive choices, because you can make more positive choices now. You learn that I'm breaking rules now because when I get older, if I don't, I can break laws. Yeah, it's just. It's a supportive type of thing that I'm doing right now, just trying to help them to navigate through life. And, yes, make mistakes, but try to minimize the mistakes and not make it so major.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was always in the dean's office. So when you said dean of students, I was like, oh shit, you're one of those guys. Yeah, I went with Damien and our dean was this big Hawaiian. His name was Coach Aina. He was my football coach and she would walk around smoking cigars and when he'd get mad at you that was like death. That was like people come in your office, they're not happy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah yeah, that must have been Punahou Aina's dad.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, punahou was one year younger than me.
Speaker 2:He was my teammate.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, he's good people, good people, awesome. Right on the Dina students. Do your students ever watch your music or watch you guys perform, or like, hey, I saw you the other night performing.
Speaker 2:They do, um, but it it takes years, like I separate it so well, like I don't ever promote music in school whatsoever, like I separate um, but they figure it out because these kids are bright. But, um, how they usually find out is from the parents same age as me or just a little bit under me. Or they were into music when, like girl, let me know, came out one heart, one song, that age, like hey, you're a dean of students, that's walt g. And like no, that's mr grillo. Yeah, well, gee, mr grillo, that's him like.
Speaker 2:And then you know, they'd ask mr Mr Grill, do you sing music? Yeah, I'm not going to lie, but I say you still sing. Yeah, I sing, but I just kind of just leave it as just a yes and no kind of things. But some of these kids, they're bright. Hey, I seen your music video, I seen your album, or I heard you on the radio, so something they know. And I say ready to so something? No, and I said oh, thank you so much. I just keep it as that, because I don't want to cross the line, the friend, friend type of thing, because it's never gonna be that way until you become an adult, because I'm just here to support you um and help you to make good decisions yeah, these young kids too.
Speaker 1:Now is it's getting out of control, in my opinion. The aloha gotta be brought back to the island. Honestly, these kids need lickings. Bruh, like I'm with you, I'm with you. I think these kids they're not learning respect because they don't. They don't get lickings. Well, how do you respect something like? There's? Some of these kids say and do stuff and I hear them, especially like when I'm out or like at sports stuff, and what a way they talk to their parents. I trip bruh, I wouldn't, I wouldn't. If I even thought of talking to my parents like that, I would get slam, dance up and down wherever I'm at yeah, or even my friend's parents would lick me before you know.
Speaker 1:I mean like yeah, oh it's. It's so different now, and how do you see the youth now compared to how it was when we was growing up like aloha or without aloha, or discipline?
Speaker 2:yeah, um, you know, a lot of people say we didn't no hope in this generation. You know, sometimes you feel that way, but there is hope. Um, yeah, do I believe in lickings? Yeah, I don't believe in abuse, I believe in lickings.
Speaker 2:But at the same time, I think the parents need to take a step back and teach the kids Educate. When I say educate, it doesn't mean academic educate. You need to educate them why it's important to respect the elders, not just because they know more than you, not just because they have more experience than you. It's how you guys can work together. It's how you can assist them. It's how the elderly can assist you in ways that you don't even comprehend at this time. I think it's more. You got to understand how we can get around in our community and how we actually do need each other.
Speaker 2:Whether you're 16 and whether uncle is 70, you know, the age doesn't matter as long as someone's older than you. The parents should teach them that it's need to be respectful, because you guys are going to need each other at some point in time. Whether it's this individual or whether it's another uncle in a community at that age, or just a little bit older or younger, we're going to need each other at some time. You know there's so much scenarios that could happen that these uncles or aunties can help you. But you know, at this at this point in time, like the parents are so occupied with other things, I don't want to knock the parents. I get it Sometimes. You got to hustle. You got to work two, three, four jobs, generation coming up and these kids are the ones going to have to take care of you. If they kind of respect anybody at your age a little bit older, how are they going to respect you when you get older and take care of you? You got to teach them why it's important to respect elders, because again, it's going to go back, you guys are going to need each other at some time in one way or another, and I think that's that's how the parents got to communicate this. So, yeah, maybe if you need licking sometimes, I get it. But beyond or aside from licking, you still got to educate them why you need to be respectful and you kind of just go on the foundation of because he's older than you, because he knows more. That's not the only reason. It's got to be a unity type of thing. How are you going to need uncle, how are you going to need auntie? Because one day we're going to need them individually or somebody in their generation. There's going to be situations that you're going to need each other. I think once these younger kids in this generation understand that, then maybe we can start to mend and rebuild that respect and strengthen the aloha.
Speaker 2:People say one, it's going to takes, and people say one, it's going to take more than one, it's going to take a bunch of people to believe that and preach that and and use those different strategies to help the kids to be respectful. Um, I don't know the answer, but it can be done, but it has to be. Yes, we're licking sometimes, but along with something else, and it's really the education part and taking the time to invest into that, your child and teaching them and and put aside the I'm so busy we are all busy, I get but if you don't teach your child, your child is going to learn from somebody else something that you don't want them to learn, and you lost opportunity when they hit a certain age. You lost the opportunity because after that they're going to shut you out because mom, dad, you don't know any better.
Speaker 2:You know, I've learned this already. This is how things are. That's just what they learned. That's what they were taught. So if we teach the right thing over and over and over, it's going to be the same answer from them. This is answer from them. This is what I learned. This is what I taught. So if we neglect that, somebody's going to teach them something that they shouldn't be learning and that's going to become something that's an everyday behavior and everyday, acceptable type of behavior for them. So, as parents, we got to do something. One is not going to make a difference.
Speaker 1:We're going to have to do it in groups brah, I'm so glad I asked that question because it seemed like it's been on your mind and you had a great answer and I 100 percent agree with you and that was kind of eye opening. I think that's the approach we got to be in man. I'm going to rewatch this episode just to listen to that again because that was kind of. I know you thought about that before.
Speaker 2:Well, I think about that every day. It's just the life that I live being a dad, being a grandparent, being a dean of student and a teacher all these years, and a coach all these years. Everybody that I work with that's younger than me. Those are my kids. That's really how I see them, my kids, and I know the demographics that I'm surrounded with in my community and I know the factors there's so many other factors that don't allow their parents to be great parents. So I try to be the best individual I can to teach them the right thing Because, like I said, if I don't teach them and instill and pound it over and over the right things, somebody is going to teach them something that they shouldn't be doing, but they're going to take that as that's how we do things and I just try to take it upon myself to do the repetitious things over and over, and hopefully it sticks with most of the kids and that's what I do.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, and hopefully it sticks with most of the kids and that's what I do. So, yeah, do I think about it often? I think about it every day, all the time, all day.
Speaker 1:Nice. I do personally focus on engaging in the moment with my daughter and I have been since she was born and this is a huge distraction. Oh yeah, this right here could hours. You could be stuck on this thing. So I learned to put this thing down and engage with my daughter in the moment because I don't want her growing up thinking the time spent with dad dad was looking on their his phone the whole time and they pick up on that and, like you said, they can learn a lot from their phone too. Good and bad, but yeah, the way social media is, that's something we never had to deal with growing up. I never had to deal with any kind of stuff like that and I think kids nowadays they are have access to so much.
Speaker 1:I was watching sandlot the other day and you probably watched that movie before and I was listening to these kids bullshit each other and the stories and the, the tales they would tell would be so intriguing and I used to do that and my friends used to do that and it'd be so cool. Like they're talking about the dog, how he killed, like how many people, and now, like these kids, they can fact check all that. So it's kind of sad, like it takes away the, the lore of childhood, and the, the bullshit everybody would. It would make your childhood cool. It'd be like, ah, that's, that's not true, like you know. I mean it's because of these phones. It's changing the dynamic of of childhood. Even brah, even e-bikes I swear all these kids gonna be fat because they're not paddling bikes.
Speaker 2:You know, I mean yeah yeah, you're right, and and, um, as you're saying, all these type of things, these are type of things that I, I think about and and I agree with everything that you said like we cannot leave things to the imagination, because they're going to fact check things. They're just always beyond their devices and following what these devices are saying, what's on social media, and I, even, as you're saying, I'm thinking, even as adults, we do that. My gosh, I'm doing that all the time. You know you're saying this. I'm thinking of so much things like man, that is a huge. That is the not one of. That is the distraction of life itself right now.
Speaker 2:And then going on to the e-bikes, I agree, I never bought my kids any of those e-bikes. My wife just yesterday went to Costco's. She sat on one of those e-bikes. My wife just yesterday went to costco's. She sat on one of those bikes that you can paddle, but you know it's still, it still take you quickly. Yeah, I was like we never get in on those things. If you need to do those type of things, then jump in a car and go do it, because if it's going to be a bike, it's for exercise.
Speaker 2:No, yeah something that you can jump in your car and do if it's too far for sure.
Speaker 1:I mean, some of those stuff is cool, but yeah, these kids is spoiled and yeah, just like if we had to go to the mall, you had to paddle your bike to the mall. You cannot just charge something up and you'd rip and true in there in five minutes. That's not fair, bro, yeah.
Speaker 2:And the bikes back in the day, that our best friends, oh yeah, where we needed to go, and but that also gave us, like, our greatest experiences too. I need to get to the mall, but on the way to the mall, I'm jumping this ramp, climbing this, I'm or I even forget those, those turns, but I'm I'm, you know, burning rubber, you know doing all these things on my way over there. Now it's like I'm gonna ride this e-bike, I'm gonna soup them up and I'm gonna do wheelies, like, but you're not having fun, you're putting yourself in a possible debt situation. Oh yeah, before riding bike, it just was adventure. Um, it was always exciting, but now this is electrical type of things. Right, it's just I need to get somewhere and I'm gonna do something crazy that could take my life or make me cripple for the rest of my life.
Speaker 1:I definitely understand. Maybe we're just old, but I don't know. I kind of think it makes more sense and I feel like the kids nowadays don't get to experience certain things because of how modern technology is, and it's kind of sad, and I'm sure they'll probably feel the same when they get older and new stuff comes out is how it always is. But I feel like there is, there's a turn at this point and I do want my daughter to experience a lot of the things that I got to experience as a kid and feel those moments and have those moments be precious to her, without the phone, without certain things. And yeah, I try to make those things happen. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2:You provide the opportunity for problem solving skills. You provide the opportunity for problem-solving skills. That's the thing that this society, with these kids, they lack. They don't have the opportunities for problem-solving. These gadgets just give you destination, just gives you answer, just gives you solution. And that's what they lack the imaginary part, the imagination part. And the imagination is the skill that you do over and over for problem solving, and that's where it lacks. So that's why even it rolls over to education. I can't give you a number because I'll be lying. It just depends on the demographic of where you live.
Speaker 2:But if you just look educationally, a lot of our kids struggle. They struggle Even their private school students. A lot of them struggle because devices just gives you the outcome. It doesn't give you the opportunity to problem solve. When you get frustrated, what are you going to do? Here's the answer. That's why we just laugh when we're just looking for answers. The problem solving just diminishes. I feel kind of bad at times for some of these kids because we preach certain things and we contradict. Oh yeah, it's okay, I'm going to teach you functional skills because these devices, when you go to the store, it's going to help you, it's going to tell you exactly your price. You know great, that's what you teach. You know functional skills, and then we tell them later on it doesn't teach you. You do this, you. You lose the problem solving skills. Like I just contradict myself and that's kind of like the the tug and push of what we're doing. Um, it's good to have it, but we use it too much.
Speaker 1:We just lose the foundation of developing problem solving skills yeah, and that's what they're gonna need, like in life, especially nowadays. But, yeah, yeah, I could probably talk to you on that topic for hours and hours, but we've been going for an hour. I wanted to ask you what would be your advice for any up-and-coming artists now, after you being in the game so long? What would you tell a up-and-coming artists now, after you being in the game so long? What would you tell up-and-coming artists if they had questions for you and and what would? What kind of like path would you try and put them on?
Speaker 2:um.
Speaker 2:I've answered this several times to younger artists and and it's going to always say the same if you're going to do music, do it because you love it. Don't do it because of you want certain status or you want to be heard, um, or you want, want, want. Take away the want. Do it because it makes you feel good, do it because it's exciting to do, do it because you notice it makes people happy. And my whole thing I always say is don't change. And anything, anything you do like, don't change. If you're on the right path of doing things, don't change. So, if you love playing music, play it. Play it because it makes you happy, don't change. Once you start putting a goal on I want to be and there's a status, at the end it comes crumbling down because there's going to be a lot of things in your way. We crumbling down because there's going to be a lot of things in your way. We kind of talked about it that we have to navigate and if you don't navigate well, your world can come crumbling down. So my answer is always if you do it because it feels good, because you love it, don't change, do that and whatever comes upon it, great. You know if you. If you're blessed to be a recording artist, that's because it was meant to be. If you're blessed to be a recording artist, that's because it was meant to be. If you're blessed to be on the radio, that's because it was meant to be. But, at the same time of not changing, don't ever put aside your grind. You got to grind and do what you do because you love doing that.
Speaker 2:So now we live in the world of technology again. Social media. Love what you're doing. Now we live in the world of technology again. Social media. Love what you're doing. But at the same time, you love it so much that you still have to put on your social media. We'll be playing. It's free, whatever. You still got to do those type of things. But don't put it as be over there because we need this from you or we need your vote. Uh, show that away, do it, but let your friends know. Your friends know I'm gonna be doing this. You'd be like you'd be that great if not, nowhere, we're gonna have fun anyway.
Speaker 2:That's the junk part. Before your, your friends were your word of mouth. You know that's, that's your, your support. Now it's like oh my gosh, it's unfortunate that a lot of people don't support what you, what you do. Um, everybody wants you to succeed, but not more than them, type of thing. Yeah, so you got to do this social media type of thing. Um, so I understand that. Yeah, keep that grind to the social media, but not do the social media because I need something from somebody. You did a social media. Let them know I'll be here, hope to see you there. You know that type of thing. But never change. Stay and do it because, again, you love it, it makes you feel good and it makes you feel good because you see someone's having fun doing it. And I'll just say that never change.
Speaker 1:Do it for those reasons why you actually play music that's super awesome and you can take that for anything in life like doesn't have to be music, and that that's a great answer. That's kind of cool. I'll probably use that never change man.
Speaker 2:Just do it. Why you do it from the beginning, and you know what I'm not. I don't have the answers for everything. I'm just seasoned enough to know I made a lot of mistakes and in order to learn, you got to make mistakes. So, oh yeah, I made a lot of mistakes to to get where, where we are, and we're still like is it at the, the pinnacle, is at the peak of where we should be, or we want to be? Probably not, but we just do it because we love doing it. Um, and that's the answer we're going to stay with, because that's what we started with, um, and we just don't want to again have to navigate too much because we're going in the wrong direction or and putting ourselves in situations that we shouldn't be. Just do what you love and learn from all of the mistakes we've made because you love it.
Speaker 1:That's a great answer. Speaking of social media, where can people find you on social media?
Speaker 2:Ours is super simple. Our group page is K-A-W-A-O. On any platform that you go to which is Instagram, facebook, you punch in Kaval, it'll go to our page. If you're looking for us individually, mine would be Walt G, underscore Kaval Music. China's would be Chinaman, underscore Kaval Music. So as long as you punch in K-A-W-A-O, all of our profiles comes up on Instagram and Facebook. Easy to find us.
Speaker 2:And hey, if you want to follow us, that's great. We love meeting new people. We're not asking anything of anybody. We want to surround ourselves with people who love to have fun and want to win. We want everybody to win. We don't care what walk of life you come from, just we want everybody to succeed.
Speaker 2:So we encourage you to follow us, but be prepared that we're never going to ask you for anything. You know we're just going to be here to communicate back and forth. And, yes, we do communicate. We communicate back and forth and it's going to always be positive. You know we don't want no drama, just positive. At the end, especially now, I just hey, throw positive things our way, we'll throw right back at you and maybe we might even intentionally or unintentionally, send you a golden nugget that might, that might be gold. You know, it might be something that that's powerful in your life. Just never know. But what you're going to get from us is answers back and forth, and we will communicate frequently if you do, and it'll just be positive notes back and forth that's awesome, brah.
Speaker 1:And for me. My social media you can find me at above the bridge podcast on instagram, our youtube above the bridge podcast. Our website is atbpodcom and my personal Instagram is thaddydaddyhi. Well, I appreciate you taking time for coming on my show. I've been wanting to have you on for a while and you definitely caught me by surprise with some of the answers you had. You remind me of one of my closest friends. I't know if you know ronnie, you're wrong. He was, uh, in bbc the boy band. He owned, hobo house on the hill records.
Speaker 2:Um no, I now. I was just thinking about why this sounds yes, yes, yeah, I don't know personally, but I know what you're talking about yeah, he, your vibe and the way you talk and your, your thought process reminds me of him a lot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it kind of kind of was cool, but um, anyways, shakas for the cameras, we're out. Shout out to the artist group network. Aloha you.
