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Sweet Home Kihei

The Vince Esquire Band brings solid rock to Maui

by Kate Bradshaw

September 11, 2008

Photo: Justin Orr

I discovered Vince Esquire out of sheer luck a couple months back, when I needed something to take my mind off my pub quiz team’s second-place ranking.

The bar across the way—Kahale’s—seemed like it was about to shimmy off its foundation. It was absolutely packed. I sensed some serious rock and roll, which is pretty rare on Maui. Promising myself I would leave the second I heard the opening bars of “Sweet Home Alabama,” I decided to check them out.

Before crossing the threshold I could tell this was not just some cover band, more than three young dudes wailing on their instruments between shots.

Initially they reminded me of Blue Cheer, the unsung progenitors of metal, acid rock and stoner rock whose version of “Summertime Blues” blows even the Who’s “Live at Leeds” take on the tune away.

The dance floor was engorged.

To say that Esquire is an awesome guitar player is a pitiful understatement. To say “man, that guy is a fucking machine!” misses

the point. His solos are wildly creative, going well beyond the pentatonic with the occasional flatted fifth thrown in. Yet while they are intricate and betray years spent scaling the scales, unlike many young guitar players he allows his solos a little breathing room.

“It’s about tastefully playing as opposed to playing as fast you can,” Esquire said.

Of course, it takes more than thoughtful, well-paced soloing to draw the kind of crowds these guys bring in. This incredibly tight three-piece band consists of players whose skill and style complement each other uncommonly well.

Bass player Shawn Michael’s skills are apparent yet understated; it’s obvious that he can clear the most strenuous of Claypool-esque feats if a song warrants it but he’s no showoff.

Drummer Josh Greenbaum is truly solid. Forgive the comparison, but his playing reminds me of Cream’s Ginger Baker.

I may have been the only one in the bar that didn’t know that the band is an important element of Maui’s music scene.

“At some point we’ve played at every place on this island,” Esquire said, though his resume extends well beyond the Valley Isle.

Esquire is one of those musicians who can probably shred on any instrument he picks up and was seen as a prodigy when he started gigging on Maui as a teenager. Now 23, his career has taken him to Austin, New Orleans and Los Angeles.

Last year, after opening for Gregg Allman on Maui, Allman asked him to join the Allman Brothers’ summer tour. If that wasn’t enough to make 2007 a kickass year for Esquire, he and Michael’s other band, Kanekoa, were also featured in a Ben Stiller flick.

Esquire lists Stevie Wonder as a major influence, which is evident in his originals as well as the Wonder medley the band often performs. Coltrane is another, he says. Yet much of the band’s inspiration derives from local sources. Tom Conway of Gypsy Pacific, Willie K, Uncle Don, Bob Harrison, and Kanoa of Gomega are among the guys’ list of major influences. It was Kanoa, Michael said, who taught Michael to play live bass.

We’re lucky enough to have a chance to see these guys four to five times a week. But if you’re looking for the same old skull-gnawing Skynyrd covers you may want to stay home. MTW

Source: http://www.mauitime.com/Articles-i-2008-09-11-184541.112113_Sweet_Home_Kihei.html

Copyright © September 2008

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MAUI BEAT: Vince is Back in Town
By JON WOODHOUSE, Contributing Writer

"It's not so much blues with a rock influence, nowadays it's more rock with a blues influence."

- Vince Esquire

In conjunction with the Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center's exhibition, "Wood Skin Ink: The Japanese Aesthetic in Modern Tattooing," Casanova Restaurant, the Hui and Mana'o Radio, will present a unique "Skin Art Show and Tattoo Exhibition" on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. featuring the music of the Vince Esquire Band.

The show marks Esquire's return to Maui after some months in Los Angeles. Signed with a new manager, Jonathan Block of Major Music, who is based in L.A. and Hana, Vince reports several major record companies have expressed interest in his music.

"Jonathan has a lot of connections and has opened doors for us that were hard to open in the beginning," says Vince about his manager, whose artists have included the Fun Loving Criminals and G. Love & Special Sauce.

Currently collaborating on a new CD with multi-instrumentalist David Cochrane, who has worked with a variety of artists including Lionel Ritchie, LL Cool J, and Sheryl Crow, Vince is incorporating contemporary influences into his blues-rock foundation.

"We're trying to add drum samples and sounds people my age can relate to combined with what I was doing previously, a lot of heavy blues and rock influenced guitar," he explains. "It's not so much blues with a rock influence, nowadays it's more rock with a blues influence."

While he's back on Maui, the young guitar prodigy will hook up with Hoku Award winner Raiatea Helm for some live dates. "We're going to start rehearsals in a couple of weeks and I'll play ukulele with her," he reports.

Along with his amazing guitar ability, Vince is also a prodigious ukulele player who earlier in the year played an exciting duet with Jake Shimabukuro on a live Mana'o Radio broadcast.

"Ukulele was my first instrument," he notes. "That was the first time I had ever played with him and it worked well. When I was starting off he was an influence, I listened to him so much. We're starting to pursue another collaboration with Jake, maybe some dates in Japan playing together."
This busy musician will also play some dates with the local band Kanekoa.

"It's a side project I've been in longer than I've been playing guitar," he explains. "Basically it's a unique sound that hasn't been done before. Most of the music is original and it's Hawaiian, roots rock reggae. The two frontmen, Kaulana Kanekoa and myself, both play electrified ukuleles, and we'll do Men at Work covers and Grateful Dead covers, we're really a jam band."

Kanekoa will play on Aug. 6 at Life's A Beach in Kihei. And the band will appear on a forthcoming Hawaiian music compilation CD distributed by Mountain Apple.

Besides the Casanova show, the Vince Esquire Band, featuring Don Lopez on bass and Frank Leitner on drums, will perform a number of dates on Maui in August and September.

"A Skin Art Show and Tattoo Exhibition" with the Vince Esquire Band takes place at Casanova on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door. All proceeds benefit the Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center and Mana'o Radio

News, Opinion, Entertainment, and Culture

Vince Sings The Blues
BY RITA SAKAJIAN

To say that Vince Esquire is a "prodigy" is the understatement of the year - musical genius would be more like it. "When I was just a little kid," commented Vince, "I used to bang on my mom's pots and pans."

Rehearsing on his mom's kitchen utensils subsequently got him a gig playing drums in his dad's band. Guess what? Vince was only six years old at the time! He said he made about $20 or $30 for his performance - not bad for a six-year-old. Credit has to be given to Rudy (Vince's dad) who passed on the musical gene to his son. He is an accomplished saxophone player in his own right.

Born an only child in Oakland, CA, in 1985, Vince moved to Maui at the age of four with his parents. While still in diapers, Vince would hang around while his dad rehearsed in bands. At the age of 11 he started taking some lessons on the ukulele. He practiced playing with different CD's and eventually learned to play along with them note for note. Vince then got together with two other teens and started playing coffeehouses and private parties.

Vince's interest in the guitar came about when he turned 15. He was watching the biography of blues legend, the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, and was totally infatuated with his style and performance. After that he participated in every jam session and musical opportunity his school schedule would allow.

In the summer of 2000, Vince attended the Jazz School in Berkeley, California, where he studied different forms of music but was really attracted to "the Blues". He feverishly studied the older blues guitarists like B.B. King and T-Bone Walker and also the newer guitar players, such as Jimi Hendrix and Coco Montoya.

The following year Vince returned to the Bay Area and played any local blues club that would hire him. While playing a gig at Chris's Club in Vallejo, Calif. he caught the attention of Ronnie Stewart, President of the Bay Area Blues Society. Because Stewart was so awed by Vince's talent, he invited him to sit in his Bay Area Caravan of All Stars band. In May of 2002, Vince was invited back by the Bay Area Blues Society to play at the prestigious Oakland/Russell City and Siskiyou Blues Festivals. His performances received standing ovations.

Last year Vince formed his own band that bears his name. The band features Willie K's bassist, Don Lopez, Frank Lightner on drums, occasionally his dad Rudy on sax, and of course, Vince on lead guitar and vocals.

While playing in a club in Wailuku called Molina's, in June of 2002, Vince was approached by a gentleman named Miles Busby, who after putting a $100 in the tip jar, said those magic words that would make a dream come true. He was so taken aback by Vince's talent, he offered to completely finance Vince's first CD. "A lot of people approach me and ask if I need a manager or something," said Vince, "but I felt something genuine about him. He kept his promise and with no strings attached." Mr. Busby is the President of Source Technologies, a computer software manufacturing company in North Carolina. Vince continued to say that when Mr. Busby was just starting out in his business, someone helped him get to where he is today and he wanted to give back by helping someone else succeed.

Vince's CD, First Offense, came out a few months ago and is doing great partly because of the playtime it is getting on Mana'o radio. Mark Epstein, who toured and recorded with blues legend Johnny Winter, produced and played on Vince's CD. "Mark not only helped me with the musical side of my career," said Vince, "but also showed me the business side and how to take care of myself on the road." The CD also features Vito Liuzzi on drums and Jeff Levine on the Hammond Organ.

In early March, Vince went to Austin, Texas, where he attended the influential South by Southwest Music Festival. This event is one of the most highly regarded blues festivals in the country, and allowed Vince to be seen on a national scale.

Recently I had the opportunity to see this young musical genius in his element at Mulligan's On the Blue in Wailea. The place was packed to the hilt and the joint was jumping! Vince had the audience in the palm of his hand. When I looked at him, I saw a 17-year-old teenager, but yet I felt like I was listening to an older, more seasoned musician. It's as if an old blues legend was reincarnated into Vince's body.

In the audience I noticed two young kids who didn't take their eyes off of Vince for a minute. It's very rare that kids so young would be the least bit interested in blues music. After talking to them, I discovered that they were avid followers of Vince. Rohan Arora, 14 years old, has been playing the guitar for four years. He told me that Vince sounds older than he is and also has an amazing voice. Kiran, Rohan's brother, who plays the harmonica, was equally blow away by Vince. "He plays with such passion and emotion," he said.

You can pick up Vince's CD at Borders, Request Music in Wailuku, and Maui Music at the Queen Ka'ahumanu Mall. You can also order CDs and get more information on Vince's future gigs on his website, vinceesquire.com. I asked Vince what his present goal is. "I would love to tour for the next six months and push my CD," he concluded.

That little boy who use to beat on pots and pans has come a long way in such a short time. When Vince someday earns that coveted title "blues legend", we can all say we knew him when! Join Vince on Sat., April 12th, from 9:30pm-midnight for his CD release party at the Hard Rock Café.

Copyright © March 2003

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