Where have I been?

Its been a real long time since my last blog entry. A lot has been going on since February. I was doing the podcast for a while. It was a lot of fun doing it but life got real busy and I didnt have the kind of time that the podcast required of me. 

I've been working longer hours at my day job and have been gigging and performing more frequently. Things at church have been requiring more time and attention and I've been able to spend a lot of time with my son. 

I've been blessed to be playing frequent gigs at local bars and restaurants. Taps and Apps in Mililani has been having me come share music pretty often and I am super grateful for that. If youre near central oahu and looking for a chill space to grab a bite or a drink, I highly recommend checking them out www.instagram.com/tapsandappsbrewpub I'll be back there playing on August 13 from 8-11 pm and on August 20 for Happy Hour (4-7 pm) 

I've mostly been doing private events like weddings, birthdays and this summer I've done a lot of grad parties. Im always humbled and super grateful that I get to do what I love to do and make a living off of it. I still remember just learning guitar and going to open mic nights and hoping to get the chance to play a gig. 

When people thank me for playing their event or party I always tell them thank you. I dont think people really understand that they are making my dreams come true. Doing music for people that enjoy and appreciate it, thats been the dream. Being able to pay my bills because of it, thats all a crazy bonus. 

I entered The Hawaii Songwriting Festival Songwriting Contest on Oahu and Won. The prize was a dope ukulele and tickets to attend the Songwriting Festival on the Big Island. It was an amazing experience and I got to learn a lot from people in the music industry from around the world. It was all very inspiring and exciting. I am planning to attend next year as well and am really looking forward to it. 

I dont know when the next entry in this blog will be but if youre reading this, thank you. Thank you for having enough interest to stop by the site, and thank you for reading these thoughts. I appreciate it. Stay blessed. Love and Aloha. 

Whats been happening this month?!

It's been just over a month since my last update. I've been keeping pretty busy. I've been playing the hospitals frequently with www.makesmilehawaii.com I recently played a birthday party for a therapy dog at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children. His name is Tucker, and it was his 10th birthday 

Got to hang out with @tuckerhirsch for his birthday at @kapiolanimedicalcenter. The first party I've ever played for a dog. Happy birthday Tucker. Some of the kids got me a dog to adopt and named him Ed Sheeran. Thank you! #happybirthdaydog #kapiolanimedicalcenter #musicwithpurpose #whyijam

A photo posted by Jasson Empleo (@jehlikejam) on Oct 5, 2015 at 8:02pm PDT

Thank you to Jasson Empleo for playing such pawesome music at my birthday pawty!

A photo posted by Tucker Hirsch (@tuckerhirsch) on Oct 5, 2015 at 8:10pm PDT

Besides that I've been playing open mics as much as possible and I've played a few gigs. 

the most recent one was a couple days ago and it was a blast. I'm really stoked that a bunch of my friends got to make it out since this one was much closer than town where I usually play. 

✔✔✔ Aloha Fam. For my friends who've been waiting for me to play closer to home. Catch me at @the__mill Next WEEK for Taco TUESDAY . Deals and jams through the night. Brought to you by @shtmdn__ent #hawaii #music #hawaiimusic #808musicscene #hawaiimusicscene #localjams #supportlocal #supportlocalartists #supportlocalbusiness #supportlocalmusic #livemusic #livemusichawaii #acoustic #guitar #acousticguitar #jam #looppedal #looper #jehlikejam #mililani #themill #shtemdownentertainment

A photo posted by Jasson Empleo (@jehlikejam) on Oct 9, 2015 at 10:20am PDT

Tomorrow night I play a wedding. Thats gonna be a long one. But I'm really grateful to get to what I love to do. 

I've been blessed with some fresh opportunities too. A local radio-jockey does emcee/hosting for parties and weddings and has recently included me as a live-music option for his clients and he has got some bookings lined up already.  The promoter from my gig the other night was stoked with my service and is working with me to get me booked at some of his other venues too. Super blessed to be so fresh into this journey and be given these kinds of opportunities. 

I've been working on more original music and cleaning up some of my other songs to prepare for recording. I still hope to have my EP out in the near future. If all goes well I hope to start tracking in a couple months. 

That's pretty much it for me for now. If you've been reading this, thanks for your interest. maybe leave a comment or something to let me know youre there. I'd like to thank you. Aloha for now. 

Help from Friends.

I have been blessed with friends that are genuinely interested and super supportive of my musical journey and goals. I have gotten a bunch of gigs through friends referring me to people over the last year. Yesterday I played at a very popular specialty food shop here on the west side of Oahu. HIcravings.com ( IG: JessDaBestAcaiBowls) threw a summer kickoff party along with several other super popular vendors. I was referred by a friend to them. I originally offered to play as a regular gig but later decided to do it for free because I knew there would be hundreds of people passing through and that it would be a good opportunity to promote myself and to meet new supporters and to make connections with local businesses. In Hawaii, street fairs are popular and frequent. If I could get myself plugged into that community, future fruits would be a possibility. I don't know if it will play out that way but I follow my heart on stuff like that and it has served me well so far. Here are some instagram posts that people posted yesterday. 

Best selection right now!! Come early #noline @jehlikejam

A video posted by HI CRAVINGS🍇🍉🍓🍌🍍 (@jessdabestacaibowls) on Jun 20, 2015 at 3:58pm PDT

Take a second to check out and follow this awesome guy! Bringing you awesome live music at the shop! Mahalo for donating your time! Check out JEHmusic.com to read about how Jeh gives back to his community through MUSIC! @jehlikejam @jehlikejam

A photo posted by HI CRAVINGS🍇🍉🍓🍌🍍 (@jessdabestacaibowls) on Jun 20, 2015 at 4:25pm PDT

"Take a second to check out and follow this awesome guy! Bringing you awesome live music at the shop! Mahalo for donating your time! Check out JEHmusic.com..."

Yah me and my boi @jehlikejam . Hit him up for all kind mean sounds. Summer kick off at @jessdabestacaibowls . #hicravings #jehlikejam#jessdabest

A video posted by Christian Willis (@christian.willis) on Jun 20, 2015 at 4:19pm PDT

Went to recycle and was craving something cold. And I never have poi Mochi for a while. And surprise to see @jehlikejam performing! Sounding awesome!#hicravings #jessdabest #treatyourself #originalpoimochi #teagirls

A video posted by Tiffany (@estipnee) on Jun 20, 2015 at 5:41pm PDT

I had a lot of fun and made new connections, got a lot of my cards out, got tons of great feedback  and was given some of the best treats this island has to offer. I think I made out pretty good. 

I also was blessed by another friend this week. My good friend Lav has made some cool digital art for me and has also made his designs available as stickers and shirts and sweaters. I think thats so cool. I sent him a message asking about his art, he's been posting a lot of very cool things online that he's been working on. He responded by telling me that he already had concepts for me and that he was thinking about how he could help me out before I even reached out. Check him out on Instagram.com/lavitz6t7. The website for the stickers / apparel is www.redbubble.com/people/lavitz6t7

This is the logo he designed for me. It has a loop pedal and everything haha. 

This is the web banner Lav designed. Thanks Homie.

I have a lot of drive and passion but I know that I am not going to make the progress that I'm shooting for going it alone. I am simply not that talented, able, or capable. Thank God, I have people in my life that are there to support and encourage me. I didn't mention everyone in this post, but know that I am grateful and that your support means so much to me. Thank you all. Love and Aloha to you.

Make em Smile

Got this fwd from the director of #makeemsmilehawaii from the staff at Shriners Honolulu about the party I played on Monday for the kids. Playing at the hospitals is one of the most rewarding things I get to do with music. Www.makeemsmilehawaii.com #musicwithpurpose #blessedtobless

"Got this fwd from the director of #makeemsmilehawaii from the staff at Shriners Honolulu about the party I played on Monday for the kids. Playing at the..."

I play at a lot of places for a lot of reasons. Playing at the hospitals is definitely at the top of the favorites list. I have been doing it for a little over a year now and I cant see myself stopping anytime in the near future. Seeing these kids who are going through some of the craziest and heaviest things can break my heart. I am constantly amazed by how much music can help release that burden, even if for a few moments. Seeing them have the ability to smile and face what they're facing the way they do, inspires me to be grateful for everything in my life and to not take anything for granted. They help me smile in situations and circumstances where i would have complained. 

They said I really connected with the kids... I think the kids over the past year have helped me regain that open hearted child inside of me and the kids feel that. Its crazy how you think youre doing something to help or bless someone else but you get more from it than you ever thought you were giving. 

Remembering the gift.

Played a show for some cool kids and their families at shriners today. One kid knew almost the whole set. About 5 songs in, his friend was singing along so I gave him the mic, he was too shy so this other kid jumped on the mic no hesitation and killed it. He just sang along almost for an hour worth of songs after that. #shriners #makeemsmilehawaii #musicwithpurpose #blessedtobless www.makeemsmilehawaii.com

"Played a show for some cool kids and their families at shriners today. One kid knew almost the whole set. About 5 songs in, his friend was singing along..."

Today I was invited to Shriners Hospital in Honolulu. They were having a party for the kids and their families. I played a 90 min set. I didn't know what to expect cause I haven't been to Shriners in about a year. I have been playing at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children across the street from them. Shriners is different from the other hospitals I play at because for the most part the patients are from other countries or American territories. The kids today were from Samoa, the Marshall Islands, and other South Pacific areas. I was concerned with how well my usual music selection would go over for the kids and their families. It went over really well. I had forgotten the basic truth that music speaks every language. There were grandparents dancing, parents clapping along and children singing and smiling. I was so blessed to see how the music had an affect on the room. My favorite part of today was when these boys were singing along to my reggae rendition of "Say Something". They were singing really well. I set up a loop on my pedal and walked the mic over to the louder of the two boys and he was so shy, through his dark polynesian skin, I'm pretty sure he was blushing. His younger friend was not shy. He took to the mic and sang his little heart out. His family and friends, and patients and staff cheered him on. I recognized the look on his face, its the same look I get every time I perform. The kid was a natural. He stayed close by singing along with me for the rest of the show. After it was all over and I was breaking down, he came and thanked me in broken english, very softly. I told him I needed to thank him for reminding me why and how I fell in love with music to begin with. He's about the same age as I was when I started really enjoying singing and rapping. I love what music has allowed me to experience and the people I have met through it. Man, this is a dope journey. 

If you're a musician or singer in Hawaii and want to know how you can volunteer your gifts to children and families in local hospitals, checkout www.makeemsmilehawaii.com or hit my Contact Me page and we can talk about it. Aloha and Blessings fam.