Brother Noland

Music is the thread that has always run through and held Brother Noland’s life together. It doesn’t matter what else he may be focused on at any particular moment. Music is the means by which he expresses who he is and what his life is about. While he is a man of many passions, music is the consuming passion of his life.

Brother Noland is an impact player in Hawaii’s music scene. He is always out in front, changing and pushing the music to unexpected places. The term innovator fits Noland well. Before his first smash hit, Coconut Girl, the term Jawaiian music didn’t really exist. Now, he is often credited with the birth of Jawaiian music.

But like all true innovators, Noland cannot be pigeon holed. He loves the Jawaiian feel, but he can’t restrict himself to only one kind of music. He also excels in traditional Hawaiian music, slack key, and Hawaiian swing music because music makes him feel good and good music, no matter the genre makes him feel better.

While music is the thread, it is not his only means of communication nor the only reflection of his life and relationship with Hawaii. He authored the book, “Lessons of Aloha, Stories of the Human Spirit”, because he needed to express his personal connection to Hawaiian culture, this magical place he calls home and Hawaii’s place in his spiritual journey. Brother Noland has also used his talent to leave a lasting legacy in his community of Honolulu.

Noland was born and raised in Kalihi-Palama, one of Hawaii’s economically poorest neighborhoods. He found his way out through his art and culture and now helps at risk youth define their choices and make a quality connection to the community. His music always carries a message of positive reflection, even though they are rooted in the reality we live in today. His work with at-risk kids has given him far more than he ever expected or could have imagined. The one on one connection that exists when he is able to teach them guitar, ukulele and composition is overwhelmingly positive. He’s set up arts programs in the public parks where they can discover their individual talents and has shown many that there is a good life; one very different than the one they believed they were destined to live.

His latest album, Mystical Fish, Brother Noland offers up a complete meal of contemporary Island music with the best band he has ever recorded with. Here, you will find new Brother Noland material; mixed together with covers of Bob Dylan’s Forever Young, Stevie Wonder’s Master Blaster as well as new recordings of his own songs, finally recorded at the time and by the band they were always meant to be performed by. In creating this exotic meal, Noland looks to the future while keeping one foot firmly rooted in his own history.

Asked why he would record songs again, Noland said he uncovered the reasons why he wrote these songs and has finally come to understand them.

"Once I realized what these songs were really all about, how could I not record them…especially with this band of brothers who get me, support me and make these songs come alive."

It was simply the right time, definitely the right band and as a composer and musician, the right space to connect with his own work and what it means to him and to those who love his music.

Music is but one facet of what it means to be and connect with being Hawaiian. Noland is able to incorporate many of the tools that his ancestors into his 21st century life.

“We are and have always been hunters, trackers, and fishermen.”

All of these skills command intense patience and understanding of where he fits into this world. These same skills feed his music and allow him to connect with not only his own original music, but with diverse music of various eras and genres. The result is a vocalist who can touch and communicate with more than one generation as well as music lovers of all genres.

Another aspect of Noland’s life is his involvement with The Tracking Project. Founded as a non-profit organization in 1986 by John Stokes, The Tracking Project (TTP), has worked with community educators and Native elders from around the world to design a series of teachings which connect individuals directly to the natural world. Discovering and identifying this part of his life has awakened parts of his spirit that again enhance his musical creativity.

Brother Noland also is a steward of the land. Hawaii is deep within Noland’s soul and so he cares for acreage on Molokai, preserving Hawaiian customs, indigenous plants and animal species. This work allows Noland to maintain his connection with being Hawaiian and this connection feeds his inner being and, in turn, allows him to work on his music with an understanding of its relationship to his soul.

As important as all of his interests are, Brother Noland credits his children for feeding his inspiration. They give me the opportunity and require that I teach the wisdom that I have been blessed to learn from others. At the same time they bring him the innocence that allows for creative growth and self discovery.

As Brother Noland continues on his journey he continues to leave his mark as one of Hawaii’s musical icons and visionary leaders. He proudly carries with him the values of aloha through his music and his life. Whether composing a song, plucking an ukulele, strumming a guitar or sharing the gift of aloha with those who may have lost their way, he does so as a Hawaiian in the Hawaiian way.

Brother Noland lives aloha and you can hear it in every note he plays.