Family Dinner
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Family Dinner

Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | INDIE

Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | INDIE
Band Hip Hop Funk

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"Family Dinner Now Serving"

This group of indeterminate size there are 12 people on the cover, seven are named inside defies easy categorization. Some songs are firmly committed to the “sporkful of FUN!!!” promised on the cover. Others are whimsical commentaries on the impact of the Internet or tales of “talking canines” and dope-smoking concentration camp survivors. Think funk. Think ska. Think “garage band.” Think various genres of “underground” music and modern poetry.

The musical buffet opens with the group blending “the roots and the rock” in “Step Inside The Outside.” The arrangement shows their appreciation of funky James Brown riffs and appreciation of the soul horn bands of the ’60s and ’70s.

A hypnotic groove and memorable phrases are the keys to “Soul Surfer Shakedown” as the group describes ocean water as “holier than the Pope’s” and speaks for surfers everywhere when they admit to being “addicted to the surf like I am to a shower.” Lest they seem too spiritual, Family Dinner also slips in the familiar double entendre “pu’ inside.” Yes, surfing can be a sensuous activity, no doubt.

“Ulu,” the group’s ode to a dog who lives somewhere “overlooking Honolulu,” sounds like something Adam Sandler might have written. “Even when she’s muddy, she still looks clean,” the group sings, while the song’s rhythms conjure up visions of a zany music video of dogs dancing the tango.

“Rosh Pina,” the group’s description of a trip to Israel, includes rhyming the words “fog,” “synagogue” and “dog,” and an encounter with a “shoe-making drummer” who wears a flapping yarmulke. “Google It” takes the project off on another musical tangent with a story about someone named Mr. Whisper Tips and the modern solution to research:”Gigabyte it!”

Family Dinner also dabbles in original hapa-haole music. Hawaiian speakers will cringe at the pronunciation of what sounds like “wa-a-i-la,” but the group makes amends for any ruffled feathers with “No Ack,” a song about sharing the Aloha Spirit that includes the self-effacing lyric hook, “I’m not Hawaiian, but at least I’m tryin.” - Honolulu Advertiser


"Trombones and an ‘Ohana Buffet"

amily Dinner / Think if you hear Katy Perry’s “Firework” or Bruno Mars’ “Grenade” one more time, you’ll do like both those songs and explode?

Then satisfy your audio hunger for new music with local group Family Dinner and the release of their debut album at the Old Spaghetti Factory. You can rock out on their one-of-a-kind brand of hip-hop mixed with funk over a plate of Italian food. But don’t lose your meatballs just yet. The evening also includes special performances by the Waves, godfather of beat box Jason Tom and the Bentos.

Dine in with Family Dinner’s unique sound that was 10 years in the making, described as a secret Hawaiian homegrown recipe that’s a pinch of New Orleans jazz and blues with a sprinkle of Israeli-Cuban flavor simmered in a funk-driven bass line and a brassy horn section. Trombone, apetite. - Honolulu weekly


"the sprinbreak party of the year"

“The album is a classic clean sound, of hip-hop dinner music,” says Joel Spiral, front man for Family Dinner. “Basically, these songs pay homage to the lifestyle I have lived on the island of Oahu for over 10 years. Be prepared to redefine your expectations of what hip-hop is and is capable of becoming with a whole lot of funk, time traveling and a touch of cheese.” - midweek


"Funky fun promised when music and pasta merge in a blast of “purple titanium spork”"

The hip-hop/funk band Family Dinner plans to serve up a tasty meal of eclectic sounds to celebrate the release of its new album — and is including a spaghetti buffet.

Frontman Joel Spiral pushes the meal metaphor when describing the band. “Our mission is to travel the world on a flying TV dinner tray. Family Dinner tables wobble, but they don’t fall down,” he says. “Family Dinner is also a funk service establishment specializing in hip-hop dinner music, sporking out the funk with a purple titanium spork.”
Added to the mix is Latin, ska, Dixieland, “with a touch of country and a dash of heavy metal to create a delicious musical gumbo.” - honolulu advertiser


"Family Dinner's new album"

Chew on this: equal parts hip-hop, Latin, and ska, with crunchy bits of ukulele and country twang, stewed to perfection in a broth of straight funk. You’re now listening to Family Dinner.

Original core members Joel Spiral (lead vocals and ukulele), Reggie Padilla (piano and saxophone), and Alfredo Rivera (tenor saxophone) actually met at a family dinner. They almost immediately recognized each other’s passion for music and had started a band by the time the dessert plates were being scraped clean. The current lineup includes Spiral and Padilla along with Aaron Friedman (bass), Eric Folk (drums), Gilbert Batangan (guitar), Johann Montero (trumpet), Bart Howk (trumpet), and Brian Capobianchi (vocals). Since Family Dinner’s independent release of an EP in 2008, the band has seen its share of hardship and membership turnover. But new and old members alike have reason to celebrate how far their original flavor of music has come with the March 19th release of Now Serving, Family Dinner’s first full-length album.
Though Family Dinner remains loyal to its roots, it definitely doesn’t sound like other local bands. Presented with raw lyrics, mostly stories from front man Spiral’s life, Padilla—a classically trained musician and current director of University of Hawaii at Manoa’s jazz ensemble—comes up with an overall concept for the song. Other band members then season it accordingly, applying their own musical expertise, and the result is a fresh new composition. Rather than trying to fit songs into molds for established genres, Family Dinner picks essences from various musical styles to fuse with its own sound, creating new genres altogether. The band takes listeners on a world tour with tracks like “Rosh Pina” and “Gangster Hippie,” which feature sounds from Israel and Latin America, respectively. Spiral explains, “I want people to say, ‘I don’t like country, but I like that song. Oh, I don’t like hip-hop, but I like that.’”
Family Dinner’s uniqueness also extends to the bright purple vests worn by band members. Dressing in matching (usually purple) evening attire for all their shows, they are proving that showmanship is not dead. They appeal to kids and their parents, demographics that are generally ignored by contemporary bands. Also contrary to the norm, there is no cursing in any of their songs, and Spiral promises only one song about a girl. Nothing’s off the table except cliché. “I definitely feel like we’re unique enough to fill a gap. It’s just a matter of whether people notice that there is a gap,” says Spiral.
The guys of Family Dinner focus on creating a positive experience for their listeners instead of fixating on life’s problems. In other words, Family Dinner is good for you. - Honolulu Magizine


Discography

Soul Surfer Shakedown (single)
Come and get it (EP)
Now Serving(lp)

Photos

Bio

Original core members Joel Spiral (lead vocals and ukulele), Reggie Padilla (piano and saxophone), and Alfredo Rivera (tenor saxophone) actually met at a family dinner. They almost immediately recognized each other’s passion for music and had started a band by the time the dessert plates were being scraped clean. The current lineup includes Spiral and Padilla along with Aaron Friedman (bass), Eric Folk (drums), Gilbert Batangan (guitar), Johann Montero (trumpet), Bart Howk (trumpet), and Brian Capobianchi (vocals). Since Family Dinner’s independent release of an EP in 2008, the band has seen its share of hardship and membership turnover. But new and old members alike have reason to celebrate how far their original flavor of music has come with the March 19th release of Now Serving, Family Dinner’s first full-length album.
Though Family Dinner remains loyal to its roots, it definitely doesn’t sound like other local bands. Presented with raw lyrics, mostly stories from front man Spiral’s life, Padilla—a classically trained musician and current director of University of Hawaii at Manoa’s jazz ensemble—comes up with an overall concept for the song. Other band members then season it accordingly, applying their own musical expertise, and the result is a fresh new composition. Rather than trying to fit songs into molds for established genres, Family Dinner picks essences from various musical styles to fuse with its own sound, creating new genres altogether. The band takes listeners on a world tour with tracks like “Rosh Pina” and “Gangster Hippie,” which feature sounds from Israel and Latin America, respectively. Spiral explains, “I want people to say, ‘I don’t like country, but I like that song. Oh, I don’t like hip-hop, but I like that.’”’”

Family Dinner’s uniqueness also extends to the bright purple vests worn by band members. Dressing in matching (usually purple) evening attire for all their shows, they are proving that showmanship is not dead. They appeal to kids and their parents, demographics that are generally ignored by contemporary bands. Also contrary to the norm, there is no cursing in any of their songs, and Spiral promises only one song about a girl. Nothing’s off the table except cliché. “I definitely feel like we’re unique enough to fill a gap. It’s just a matter of whether people notice that there is a gap,” says Spiral.
The guys of Family Dinner focus on creating a positive experience for their listeners instead of fixating on life’s problems. In other words, Family Dinner is good for you