A scream blurted out from Jonathan during the middle of his vocals. A look from a father in the audience. A kick of the microphone stand prior to belting out a lyric. These are but a few career highlights of
A scream blurted out from Jonathan during the middle of his vocals.
A look from a father in the audience.
A kick of the microphone stand prior to belting out a lyric.
These are but a few career highlights of the band members in the local group Paradox Lockdowns – so far. The four Kauai musicians between the ages of 17 and 19 are banking on a whole lot more. Next week, they will go all in with a kitty of about $20,000 for “starter funds” on their adventure to California. High hopes and one-way tickets are fueling their ambitions to be the next noted indie band.
“We can’t think of anything else,” said the band’s leader Cameron Williamson, singer/songwriter/keyboard player.
The 17-year-old Kapaa High School graduate is considered the group’s “hopeless optimist.”
Zack Silva, a 2013 Kauai High School graduate is “The worrier” and plays the drums.
And Jonathan Obiano, a 2014 Kapaa High School graduate and singer/keyboard player, is thought to be “the emotional one.”
The group’s bass player Kai Olson, a 2013 Kauai High School graduate, is considered the group’s “comic relief.”
And when you put them together on stage, they are in the zone.
“I just like being on the stage,” Williamson said. “It’s all about putting the emotions and energy into the song and giving the best performance I can give.”
They would love to be touring. But for now, they said they would be happy to make money, making music.
“We’re not on the super fast track to fame,” Obiano said. “We just want to be able to live off our music.”
While Obiano’s goal is to be successful and happy, Silva wants to keep having fun, because that is why he loves performing. He’s been into music since he was 5 years old and played piano. Now, he is passionate about the drums.
“I love to rage and go hard,” Silva said.
The drummer used to look up at the age of 8 and see his dad on stage in the group he performed in named Rumbletone.
“I thought my Dad was the bull,” Silva said.
He has switched places with his dad, who watches from the audience.
“Now, he thinks I’m the bull,” Silva said.
Earlier this year the band, which formed in 2010, was nominated for a Na Hoku Hanohano Award for their CD “Dateless in July” in the alternative music category.
Williamson’s song, “Mona Lisa,” took third place this year at the Kauai Music Festival, where he and the band also performed.
The four performers will share a two-bedroom home in Costa Mesa while they pursue their dreams. They say they don’t have a stereotypical band lifestyle.
“We’re all pretty goody two shoes,” Williamson said.
“We’re not what you’d expect from a rock band,” Obiano added.
He summed up what he thinks is the worst thing that could happen to them on the Mainland.
“We all hate each other and the band breaks up,” Obiano said with a laugh and one of those dimpled smiles.
Williamson and Obiano can be seen performing at the Pau Hana Grill and Bar in Kapaa from 6:30 to 8:30 tonight for the last time before they head to California on Sept. 6.
Info: www.paradoxlockdown.com
