by Caroline Wright
Honolulu Hit By Rhythm Klub:
It's Saturday night, and you're bored with the same old same old, so you and your gang put on dancing shoes and take a drive over to the Esprit at the Sheraton. You wait in line for what seems like hours, and then you find yourself in a sea of bodies near the stage, clutching a sweating vodka martini in one hand and your little club kid purse in the other. You begin to wonder if you shouldn't have stayed home, just another dull, cozy evening with you and Letterman and the cat.
Suddenly, you hear the sultry invitation of a saxophone, followed by a trumpet's bright retort. And then the low throb of a bass: you can feel it before you hear it. Your senses awaken...
What's this? Seven good-looking guys materialize, all dressed in identical black Guess? Jackets. When they finish playing the intro to the tune, they all, each and every one of them, step up to the microphone... and when they open their mouths to sing, you are dumbfounded, because you haven't heard harmonies like THAT since... well, maybe since The Krush?
Electrified by the sound you're hearing, you forget the damn cat... and you begin to dance.
First of all, it would be impossible to write an article about Tino and the Rhythm Klub without mentioning The Krush. For a quarter of a century, The Krush has had a special place in the kama`aina heart, like manapua from the Royal Kitchen and sample sales at Liberty House.
But the winds of change blow through everything in this life, sometimes leaving imperceptible differences, and, occasionally, major alterations. As those winds blew toward The Krush, they swept several members of the band in new directions. "When the Society of Seven LV group formed, they wanted the three of us: the guitarist (Richard Natto), the drummer (Lucky Salvador), and me," recalls Tino Ibach, lead singer. "The guitarist made the decision and went, and the drummer and I were gonna go, too."
At the last minute, Ibach and Salvador had a change of heart. "I wanted to record, and you really can't start a CD project when you're with a band like that because it's almost as if you're traveling with a Broadway company. And Lucky felt we could put together a band that could perform at the level of a national recording band. We were really honored by Tony Ruivivar to have been given the opportunity, and it was a tough decision... but we decided 'Let's try it!'"
The domino effect had began. After luring guitarist Richard Natto from The Krush, Ruivivar's Las Vegas act attracted two lead singers from Honolulu The Band, and a drummer from another group. Ibach, Salvador and the other remaining Krush members gathered to talk about what might be around the corner.
"One by one, we went down the line," recalls Ibach. "Some of the guys have full-time jobs and commitments. It was a difficult and emotional meeting: people were realizing that we needed to pick the next step."
Happily, the bandmembers who were unable to take that next step didn't begrudge those who could. "With The Krush's blessing, we put together another group," says Ibach. Bassist Elmo Custodia and guitarist Les Fernandez decided to join Ibach and Salvador in the big adventure. They have now ended up in the hottest new band since...
Well, since the debut of The Krush.
The debut performance of Tino and the Rhythm Klub must surely have been stunning to those who attended "It was electric!" exclaimed Ibachs on the morning after. "It was just non-stop music. Normally, with The Krush, we had a lot of dialogue with the audience. With this group, we just played. We did almost two-hour sets, and kept going and going. It was almost like going to a nightclub with a DJ, except there was no DJ -- it was a live band." He pauses and chuckles. "A moving, no-nonsense band."
A pair of back-to-back, high-energy, two-hour sets would have wilted most other performers, but the Rhythm Klub prevailed, even though they'd been working all night on rehearsal, set-up, and sound check. "We just wanted to keep the crowd there! I knew if we extended the set, and didn't have too much dialog, we'd be able to maintain the crowd. Normally, about 12:30 people start to fizzle out and go. The people stayed!"
Who could've resisted that extraordinary wall of complex harmony and mesmerizing rhythm? With confident authority, like a pride of young lions, the Rhythm Klub has adopted stray tunes from bands such as Earth Wind and Fire, Tower of Power, Average White Band, Santana, and Matchbox 20. Its brass section, led by saxophonist Ricky Ricardo and trumpeter Adney Atabay, is nothing less than outstanding. "These two collaborate on the horn sections of all of our songs. The band has that professional concert feel that I don't hear a lot of," remarks Ibach.
Professional is the operative word here, indeed. One can glean immediately that these guys have plans that are billions of kilowatts brighter than all the lights of Waikiki. "When we put the band together, we agreed, 'Look, we're doing this so that we can have all these options. And if you join, this is the understanding,'" says Ibach. "So I'm hoping we can keep everybody together!'"
Rhythm Klub manager Yemun Chung is instrumental in that regard, adds Ibach. "His commitment to the band really gives the guys the motivation they need to stay together and rehearse. He's able to go out there and get our name in the public. He's the best promoter in Hawai`i. This band truly would not survive without him."
And what of The Krush? Ibach says that Edwin Ramones and the other remaining members are taking a break at the moment. "They're gonna do some things with their families, and focus on their careers. But The Krush is not finished! The band is resilient." Ibach, Custodia, Fernandez and Salvador will continue to play gigs with the band on a part-time basis, including the Fourth of July spectacular at Schofield Barracks.
The interview is over. Ibach decides to catch another badly-needed hour or two of sleep. After all, the Rhythm Klub has another gig tonight at the Sheraton, and there are still a few kinks to work out here and there... a lot of hard, thrilling work ahead in the days and weeks to come.
For the moment, however, all that can wait. With an exhilarated sigh of anticipation, Ibach closes his eyes and rises to meet his dreams.
Tino and the Rhythm Klub will be at the Sheraton Waikiki each night Saturday through Monday and every other Tuesday. For bookings and schedule, call Yemun Chung at Impact Events at 753-1997.
THE RHYTHM KLUB IS:
Adney Atabay, trumpet & vocals
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