It’s not easy to attach a genre to the music of Kona band The Darkroom.
They like to call their original compositions “Next Wave.”
The band is ready to rehearse at Soundwave Music in the Old Kona Industrial Area, and with the amount of equipment being set up, one would think they were ready to perform in an arena.
“We are like rock fused with electronic. Like the Cars with an edge,” said frontman Dylan Kai.
The eclectic group of musicians came together in 2009.
Kai, a Kona native on guitar and vocals, has been playing throughout town with various bands for 20 years. He has played everything from modern alternative and classic rock to blues, metal, grunge and electronic.
“As long as it feels good, I like it,” Kai responded when asked about his favorite style.
Matt Panzarino, bass and backup vocals, came from New Jersey 10 years ago after playing in the punk rock band Graveyard School throughout the northeast.
Lee Bennett on drums has been playing “everything, everywhere” in Kona for 20 years. Prior to moving to Kona, Bennett was based out of Florida working as a sound man for a band touring the southeast.
Chris Arnold, guitar and keyboards, is the newest member of the band, joining in 2010 after moving here from Memphis, Tennessee. He comes from a family of musicians and has played “a little bit of everything.”
Coming from a studio engineering background, The Darkroom is the first real band Arnold has played in.
“It’s very different because of the performance aspect, but I bring a slightly different ear for production and performance,” he said.
“We got together to just play some music and get to know some people and it turned out to be fun,” said Panzarino. “And we still have a lot of fun.”
When The Darkroom first debuted on the Kona music scene they were mostly a cover band playing music from bands such as Pixies, U2, Fear, The Clash, Pink Floyd and A Flock of Seagulls.
In 2010, Arnold started writing original music and built a small number of songs to record.
The songwriting became “a collaborative effort, but Dylan drives the boat” says Panzarino.
The result was a self-titled EP released in October 2010. The band is working on new songs and plans on burning a new CD and producing a music video this year.
Even though The Darkroom has been playing in Kona for eight years, including opening for Pepper last year, finding venues to share their music has been challenging.
“We need a place to play,” said Panzarino. “And there’s not a lot of places in Kona. Most want single musicians, a DJ or Hawaiian music.”
“Original rock is hard to present to a small town,” he added with the rest of the band members heartily agreeing. “Getting people to come out is a challenge, but when they come they’re like, wow!”
The Darkroom currently plays the first Friday of each month at the Mad Marlin Sports Bar at the corner of Luhia and Kaiwi streets in Kailua-Kona.
“Come see us because it’s fun, it’s different, it’s interesting,” said Bennett.
Band members complete their setup and perform sound checks. They are ready to play their music.
“We are working on a live show,” said Panzarino. “We’re trying to make the show a real experience, but we need the venues. There’s original music in Kona, we just need to get people out to hear it. There’s a familiarity to our music, and there’s nothing like it around here.”
As the four musicians start their high energy set Panzarino adds “We’re the best band you never heard.”
Info: www.reverbnation.com/thedarkroomkona or on www.facebook.com/darkroomhawaii ■