Though you may have only recently heard of National Product, these boys have more years on them than studded punk belts. NP went from getting turned away at Open Mic Nights and living off of ramen noodles to headlining their own US tour and being listed as one of Alternative Press’ top 100 bands to watch in 2008. While taking a moment to reflect before jumping on stage in front of a packed house at Honolulu’s Pipeline Café, the band recalls playing backyards in their hometown of Kailua, HI oh so long ago.  

After wrapping up an eight month headlining tour of the US and Japan promoting their new album Luna, National Product made their final stop in Hawaii for a rather large homecoming show. Their new album, produced by James Paul Wisner (Paramore, Underoath, Dashboard Confessional), has been receiving rave reviews around the globe. (I’ve heard the record and its sonic madness!) With singles “Love Me” and “By All Means” in heavy radio play and the crowds growing at an exponential rate, the band of 10 years finally seems to be enjoying the fruits of their labor.

“Once you make the decision to play music [as a job] there is no going back,” says lead singer Danny Casler. The band, who had never toured Japan prior, states that the Japanese leg of the tour was by far the highlight of the entire 8 months. Despite the arena shows in Japan, bassist Nate Elliot admits that there had been a few gigs on the tour where no one but the other bands had shown up. “We have a saying in the group, 5 or 5000… Rock out!” says Elliot. A mature way to look at things compared those high school boys who’d left the island 8 years earlier. Relocating from Kailua, HI to Los Angeles, CA, the band became one in a million. Drummer Rob Cavney recalls having to pay for gigs, “No one would give us shows. When we did finally get one the only people that were there were 60 year old, rich, retired guys at the bar.” Quite a change from the large following the band had built up back home. “In Hawaii we were like big fish in a small pond. In Cali we were nothing. It was like starting all over again, except worse,” says guitarist Stan Moniz.

Somewhere along the way National Product got their water wings. Much like any other hard working band they hustled and took any gig they could get. They spent the next five years doing show, after show, after show; working crappy jobs and doing mini tours up and down the coast. The band now finds themselves on stage in front of a thousand eager fans; not so far from where they got their first beginning.


小さな池の巨大な魚
文　ミリラニ　ライル

オアフ島のカイルアからカリフォルニアのロサンゼルス、さらには日本の東京。 この１０年のあいだにナショナルプロダクトはそのパンクミュージックを国際的ツアーへと展開させた。ベースはネイト・エリオット、ギターはスタン・モニッツ、ドラムスはロブ・キャンヴイ。 無名のころから輝く未来までを彼らが語りきる。