Music • Members
of Natusol, here with manager Ana Grey (second
from left) perform in Orlando. Courtesy of
Ana Grey
Natusol
provides local entertainment
By Dylana Foy
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
Natusol, an up-and-coming band, has opened for the Beach Boys and were recently
featured on the KTLA/WB morning show. They also play at Mai Tai bar in Long Beach.
Natusol means “native soul.” They also take a spin on “Sol,” meaning
sun in Latin, as they are people of the sun—people of the Pacific Islands.
They say all the music they produce comes from the soul. Above all, they are
a band that exists because of their love and passion for music.
On a first listen, one might want to classify the band as reggae. However,
the band says they incorporate all different types of music, and it is hard
to classify
them. While listening, you can hear hip-hop, R&B, funk and jazz influences.
The band’s manager, Ana Grey, describes them as sounding like an array
of artists such as: Earth Wind and Fire, Spinner, Maroon5 and Bob Marley.
Natusol had their start in 2002 with Grey’s help. She was trying to raise
money for the Pacific Islanders Student Organization (PISO), and thought an informal
concert would be a good way to do so. Grey called on her brother Taumata Grey—they
call him Mata—for help with a band. He assembled Natusol.
With informal jam sessions and a performance at a San Diego State luau, the band
found their groove.
Mata, 22, is the lead guitarist and one of the lead vocalists. He knew the
guys in the band individually first, then brought them together to form Natusol.
Mata
grew up in a very musical home—his father was a musician. With the help
of his father, he learned to play the guitar at the age of 13. Since then, he
has continued to love and play music. He is currently developing his talents
as a guitarist and singer/songwriter at UC Irvine’s Trevor School of
Arts.
The lead vocalist is 20-year-old JR Maliga. He is the face of the band. Mata
met Maliga through the Polynesian dance group, Lokelanis, in which they both
performed. Maliga grew up around music. Being of Hawaiian and Samoan decent,
he grew up in a musical culture.
With the help of his two older sisters, he learned to sing at a very young
age. Once he discovered his talent for singing, there was no stopping him.
He knew
he had to do something with his talent. Maliga has an R&B influence, but
has a Hawaiian falsetto voice that carries the band to a whole new level.
The bass player, Ivan Kirimaua, 28, also grew up in a musical family. He learned
to play the guitar first, but decided to play the bass instead. Kirimaua grew
up listening to many different types of music like classical, flamenco, jazz
and church music. These influences come through in his music, which has a heavy
Latin-salsa spin with a little bit of funk mixed in.
The keyboardist for Natusol is Erik Przytulski, 32. Przytulski’s nickname
is 409, because he has so many talents and does so many things, he is all-purpose.
Przytulski studied music at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Where he not
only produced, but also performed in numerous concerts. He also went on to win
several songwriting contests and was the president of Berklee’s Songwriters’ Forum.
He also created the music service company, Pretzyl Music.
He is the only band member whose day job involves music.
The final member in the band is drummer Jerome Taito, 22. Taito is very dedicated
to drumming, he loves it. He taught himself to drum at the age of 11, when his
passion for music began. He went on to join the drum corps while attending Etiwanda
High School and his drum line went on to be No. 1 in the nation from 1997 to
2001.
The band has come a long way from their informal jam sessions. On Oct. 2, Natusol
opened for The Beach Boys at the Newport Beach Centennial Celebration in Newport
Beach. The band also had their television debut on Oct. 13 on the KTLA/WB Morning
Show. The program featured Long Beach and its many sights and points of interest.
Natusol considers the band their “love job.” Many of them do
different things for a living, but they want to see where the music takes
them.
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