The Elevations Hawai‘i are an 8-piece vintage soul explosion out of Honolulu, Hawaii.
The Band
Lead vocals – Kehaulani White
Backup Vocals – Cheyenne Leong
Backup Vocals – Aiddy Weisbecker
Tenor Sax – Eric White
Trumpet – Bernie Soriano
Guitar – John LeBlanc
Drums – Keli’i Wong
Bass – Wil Tafolo
Vintage
noun vin·tage \ ˈvin-tij \
of high quality and lasting value, or showing the best and most typical characteristics of a particular type of thing, especially from the past. — Cambridge Dictionary
We are an 8 piece vintage soul band, doing it in the original style before Motown. It was at the cusp of original r&b from the 40’s and 50’s mixed with the Blues that Soul was born! That’s the era that we are focusing on — the origin, the source 😉
To me, it’s a more driving sound, more raw, more gritty. I hear more rock n’ roll than I do Motown. I guarantee that most people have never heard of Bettye Lavette, Jean Wells, Ricky Allen, Freddie Scott, et al. But, we are also looking to modern bands that play in that style (vintage soul) as well like Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Lee Fields and The Expressions, Saunn & Starr, et al. These bands provide the bridge from the original artists to the modern day world. It is from here that we hope to make a difference and make our own original music to share with the rest of the world.