2008 Woodie Awards
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The Scene
Indie quartet says 'aloha' to newly textured songs
By Madalyn Wasilczuk on 3/6/08
Aloha, the multi-faceted indie quartet which calls multiple cities across the East Coast home, embarks on a tour this spring in support of their latest album, "Light Works." And, truth be told, it turns out they're every bit as anxious for a taste of warm weather as their name suggests.
The band's name is "more than just a greeting," vocalist and guitarist Tony Cavallario said in an interview with The Eagle. In Hawaii, he said, saying "aloha" is also a sign of friendliness.
Right now, though, Cavallario is looking forward to saying goodbye to cold, upstate New York weather, "getting in a van with the guys and getting down to Texas for [the] "South by Southwest" music festival, he said. It's "kind of like indie rock spring break."
Since the band members live in different cities and meet in various locations to write, record and play, Aloha has multiple hometown shows along their tour.
"All over the country," Cavallario said, "almost every town we play in is so familiar to us, and we have friends there."
Their stop in the District, the last on their tour and one of the many hometown stops for the band, is set for April 6 at the Rock and Roll Hotel, where they'll be playing with Anathallo, a Chicago-based band that is joining them on several tour stops.
Having toured with bands like The Appleseed Cast and Ted Leo in the past, Cavallario said he couldn't think of an example when touring with another band had been bad.
"It's kind of a magical experience to have a couple weeks where the same 20 people are sharing the same space," he said.
For those unfamiliar with Aloha, the band has been slapped with a number of labels, ranging from prog-rock to post-punk to experimental. Cavallario admits the prog-rock label has been with them since their formation more than 10 years ago, but when pressed, he offers a much different designation.
"Alternative rock," he said, laughing. "At this point, I would prefer the broadest possible explanation of our band so that we can continue to be free to just do whatever we want."
The band's name is "more than just a greeting," vocalist and guitarist Tony Cavallario said in an interview with The Eagle. In Hawaii, he said, saying "aloha" is also a sign of friendliness.
Right now, though, Cavallario is looking forward to saying goodbye to cold, upstate New York weather, "getting in a van with the guys and getting down to Texas for [the] "South by Southwest" music festival, he said. It's "kind of like indie rock spring break."
Since the band members live in different cities and meet in various locations to write, record and play, Aloha has multiple hometown shows along their tour.
"All over the country," Cavallario said, "almost every town we play in is so familiar to us, and we have friends there."
Their stop in the District, the last on their tour and one of the many hometown stops for the band, is set for April 6 at the Rock and Roll Hotel, where they'll be playing with Anathallo, a Chicago-based band that is joining them on several tour stops.
Having toured with bands like The Appleseed Cast and Ted Leo in the past, Cavallario said he couldn't think of an example when touring with another band had been bad.
"It's kind of a magical experience to have a couple weeks where the same 20 people are sharing the same space," he said.
For those unfamiliar with Aloha, the band has been slapped with a number of labels, ranging from prog-rock to post-punk to experimental. Cavallario admits the prog-rock label has been with them since their formation more than 10 years ago, but when pressed, he offers a much different designation.
"Alternative rock," he said, laughing. "At this point, I would prefer the broadest possible explanation of our band so that we can continue to be free to just do whatever we want."
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