Get to know The Wide Eyed Kids, O’ahu’s own Pop-Indie band

Although O’ahu’s indie music selection is limited, there is still a scene filled with variety when it comes to original artists.

The Wide Eyed Kids are an indie band based in both O’ahu and San Diego. The band currently has three members – Erik Ekman on vocals and guitar, Chandler Norton on guitar, production, and vocals, and Landon Chung on drums, bass, and vocals.

Their songs generally consist of dreamy guitar riffs and airy vocals that create a coastal vibe perfect for a open-window car ride.

“The intersection of certain key ones [artists] – the Jack Johnsons and Sticky Fingers – is the kind of stuff that, for sure, all three of us really love,” Chung said. “Then Chandler will like venture a little more out into like the rock stuff and the Led Zeppelinns and Erik will venture more into hip-hop rap things and I’ll dabble more into the dance music side or pop music stuff.”

“Road” Island

The Wide Eyed Kids shared the amount of labor that goes into a band that the public never perceives.

As their band is still in the phase of transitioning from local to national popularity, there is much more take than give when it comes to touring on the mainland. Along with releasing music, the Wide Eyed Kids are also running the business side of breaking into the industry. They head their marketing, merchandise sales, travel, and additional costs.

Norton explained that typically the compensation for shows does not amount to the cost of gas, hotels, and other expenses that come with being on the road.

However, the main thing the mainland provides is the opportunity for a wider audience – something O’ahu was missing.

“I think that like, in Hawai’i I’ve realized – and in the music industry – it’s like – I mean everybody loves, you know, just island reggae music,” Ekman said. “It’s amazing, and I love island reggae music, but I think as an indie artist – especially trying to make it there [Hawai’i] at a big level – you can only really get so far before you hit, like, ‘Where do we go now? What do we do?'”

Those questions were what motivated the Wide Eyed Kids to stray from the comfortability of O’ahu and venture into the discomfort of San Diego. While the band did emphasize the difficulty of leaving everything they knew and loved about Hawai’i behind, they did express the rewarding nature of pushing themselves beyond what was previously imaginable.

San Diego offered a larger community of indie musicians, so it helped the Wide Eyed Kids find their niche and spread their music to fellow indie enthusiasts.

Support The Wide Eyed Kids!

The Wide Eyed Kids are now planning to perform alongside Landon McNamara in his West Coast tour, at the Dry Diggings festival next month, and in October, at Reggae Riseup in Las Vegas.

They’re also currently working on some new music, hopefully releasing in the near future.

Support a local artist and follow their Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1qZSaI9A0oTpfcotFHZfO2?si=zz9-gKw_Qr2VuRizG7Ux9A

Stay updated with band activity via their Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/thewideeyedkids/?hl=en

by Vanessa Hathaway

As a writing intern for Honolulu Vibes, Vanessa Hathaway is passionate about creating quality content that allows audiences across oceans to collectively share her zest for adventure. Raised in Washington D.C and Las Vegas, Vanessa moved to O’ahu to pursue a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in English at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. She spends her free time playing gigs with her band, Blue Tuesday, and surfing at the local longboard spots in Honolulu.

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