Disheveled in appearance, but disciplined musically, band members are mostly in their early twenties, with the exception of Aguinaldo, who is about to enter real adulthood (i.e. his thirties). A bit reminiscent of contemporary British indie rock (think Arctic Monkeys), with influences of bands such as The Strokes, The Hives and The White Stripes, The Jump Offs make you want to move. Hell, they make themselves want to move. “As long as you can dance to your own music, you’re in a good place,” said Aguinaldo. Not quite veering into pop punk and brushing the edges of early 2000s emo, many of the band’s songs are a combination of pre-written melody or riff chunks and improvisation, resulting in a Gestalt-like product where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Considering the “contemporary” sound of the band as described by Jackson, most band members will tell you that they don’t really listen to the radio. Their music preferences stray from their band’s sound. “He only listens to Iron Maiden. He wears a different Iron Maiden shirt every day,” said Tom of Gima, as the Iron Maiden T-shirt-sporting Gima smirked and looked down. “I like classic rock,” said Deeter. “I listen to music in other languages,” said Boe. Aguinaldo shared that “ska taught me music,” speaking of his band membership in Skanabada back in the day. And the band’s name derives from a hip-hop term.

Back in the studio, practice was interspersed with jokes of a drum beat sounding like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Gold Lion.” Tom proclaimed he could sing like Karen O and belted out in screechy falsetto before breaking up into laughter. Boe attempted to sing like Tom for a whole song, only succeeding in producing vocals with a pubescent-like crack. Gima impishly checked his phone with one hand while playing a chord with another while others sang about him checking his phone. It’s this kind of band banter that only apt musicians with an instrumental synergy fueled by good personal rapport can achieve. Before they are a band, The Jump Offs are friends, excited that shows and rehearsals are chances for them to hang out, something that the five of them rarely get the chance to do.



While their climb to popularity is rapid, The Jump Offs honestly and without a trace of hubris said that perhaps “People are bored,” as a way of explaining the high demand for their shows. “It feels surreal, like I’m not even there,” said Boe of the band’s accomplishments thus far. But the focus will stay on the members wanting “To keep making good music and keep getting better.”

For those who have been to the numerous shows but still want more, and for those who are curious as to who The Jump Offs are, look forward to a full-length album due this fall. The band is also working on a T-shirt collaboration with In4mation and has sweet stickers to share with fans.

Bigger things are almost certainly on the horizon for the five, but even though seeing Asian faces in media, business and politics is the norm in Hawai‘i, “People think we’re F.O.B.s!” exclaimed Tom. It’s hard not to laugh at this. And they have been inaccurately referenced to as being underage more than once in print (uh, sorry guys). But they don’t let these misperceptions really get to them. Maybe it hurts good. And that’s their official statement.


ザ・ジャンプオフス
彼らはホノルルのインディーズロックバンド。その印象的な音楽と刺激的なライブですぐに名を上げた。今は、今年10月に発売されるファーストフルアルバムの 制作に取り組んでいる。彼らは結成１年目にして、すでにMenomena、Of Montreal、そしてMGMTのライブでのオープニングを勤めた。彼らは、自由でゆるい雰囲気のステージの上で、クリーンでしっかりとした音を聴かせ てくれる。