Hawaiian Band; The Show’s Not Over
The Hawaiian Band shows their dynamic lineup during the song “Leave It All To Me” from iCarly. Vivian Landa (11) sings, Jeremy Yu (11) plays his guitar, Ethan Chambers (11) shakes hands with security guard Sebastian Miletich as the band nears the finale of their performance.
February 18, 2020
The Hawaiian Band proved their matchless artistry as they claimed the winning title from the 2020 Battle of the Bands Competition.
With a total of seven members, the band includes, senior Drew Cox (drums), senior Ben Chung (bass), junior Max Katz (violin), junior Gianni Sirgy (piano), junior Jeremy Mitaux (lead guitarist), junior Jeremy Yu (guitarist), and junior Grant Halliburton (lead singer). Although The Hawaiian Band remains consistent with these seven, it’s their friends as well as the rest of the crowd who really make them a whole.
“Honestly everyone is part of the band, from the body guards, from Sam playing the tambourine, everyone is an integral part,” said Mitaux.
The band got its start in spring of last year, following The Tan Band’s win, where The Hawaiian Band then began practice over the summer.
While they officially started in the spring, the original concept of the band was inspired when Taco Truck won Battle of the Bands in 2017.
Taco Truck’s legacy continued the following year where the majority of the members formed Crusty Crew, where Crusty Crew member Drew Cox joined The Tan Band and finally The Hawaiian Band, who became widely known to adorn Hawaiian shirts while covering 2000s hits.
“I always wore Hawaiian shirts, so we were like hey we should do The Hawaiian Band or something and we laughed about it but then it actually became a thing,” said Sirgy.
It’s kind of like you pass the torch to the new band every year. This year was the Hawaiian Band, and next year I don’t know what it’s going to be
They also incorporated other talents such as junior Presley Nicholson, junior Vivian Landa and sophomore Matty G for their celebratory and final performance for Battle of the Bands 2020 following their announced victory.
Taco Truck, the original band, has since found success following their win in 2017. They have been the only Battle of the Bands winner to triumph with original songs and have since come out with two albums, occasionally performing in venues around Orange County.
“It’s kind of like you pass the torch to the new band every year. This year was the Hawaiian Band, and next year I don’t know what it’s going to be…” said Mitaux
Although the members have proven to display obvious talent and creativity in their performances, The Hawaiian Band’s concepts are truly lighthearted, with the main goal to bring out a fun performance that everyone can jam out to.
“The Hawaiian Band is a bunch of mediocre musicians coming together to make music”, said Yu.
Due to them already winning this year, The Hawaiian Band isn’t going to be involved in Battle of the Bands 2021, but the legacy will continue as a new band is once again in the works, with a majority of the same members following Hawaiian Band are involved with the same passion to make music.
