Kunia-based Band To Hit L.A. Music Scene
Kyle (left) and Sean Luster are Red Light Challenge. The band is nominated for the Hot Adult Contemporary Award at the L.A. Music Awards. Photo from Red Light Challenge.
A pair of Kunia musicians are making waves across the country with their passion for rock, and just last month, brothers Sean and Kyle Luster, who make up the band Red Light Challenge, discovered they were nominated for the 2014 Los Angeles Music Awards.
They will play June 19 as part of the nominee awards night and press event at Whisky A Go-Go in West Hollywood, as well as at the voting party Sept. 25 and the actual awards night in November.
The duo’s initial reaction? “No way, man!” “We found out that we were the only band from Hawaii to be nominated for this,” said Sean, 21. “We’re excited about it.”
As they prepare for it, they’re busy working on new songs together at their home studio, as Sean graduated summa cum laude from Colorado State University in December and is now home. “He’s finally back!” said an elated Kyle, 16, a junior at Pearl City High. “We’re focusing on new music and lots of exciting stuff.”
Sean and Kyle have been a band for nearly five years, and last January renamed themselves Red Light Challenge, after the TV show Cash Cab, where the host yells “Red Light Challenge!” when the taxicab is stuck at a red light.
The two are close and agree that they are able to work well together and bounce ideas off each other.
They went on a 42-show tour last summer across 16 states in a little less than two months, traveling from Colorado to Massachusetts and back.
During their latest escapade, they performed at a big event in Topeka, Kan., at the West Ridge Mall to help collect school supplies for needy children.
“Their nomination from the L.A. Music Awards has opened interesting venues,” said dad and manager Rich Luster. (Their mom teaches at Manana Elementary.) “As of right now they are slated to perform for the Hollywood Walk of Fame.”
Their break into the L.A. music scene has led to amazing opportunities, including a cover feature in Act Like a Child Magazine this month, with a follow-up from Rolling Stone magazine slated for the future.
The L.A. Music Awards currently is in the process of obtaining votes, and you can vote for Red Light Challenge online at lamusicawards.net/nominees. Each vote costs $1. Check them out in the Hot AC (Adult Contemporary) Artist category.
In the meantime, Sean and Kyle are hoping to work with aspiring musicians in after-school performance programs here before the school year is over.
“We want to tell kids about following their ambitions and working hard to achieve their goals,” the brothers said. “We’re really about education.”
They’re also about to launch a Kickstarter fundraising campaign for the L.A. trip. Keep up with them on Facebook at facebook.com/redlightchallengeband.
