American Samoa’s homegrown rock group Banned From The Sun will present a free concert this Saturday, July 23rd, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Su’igaula/ Utulei Beach Park. Besides Banned From The Sun, the other performers in the concert lineup are Angie Afo, A-Town, Big Joe and Big Uce, Ice Cream Man, Ten6, The Cuerdas, and The Migrants. JSmooth will MC the event.
“This event is centered on youth and music,” explained Banned From The Sun lead guitarist David Pouesi. “We want to inspire our youth to pick up an instrument and make music. We also want to give some exposure to American Samoa’s younger musicians with their different genres and unique talents.” The performers will showcase a range of styles, from rap to old school as well as rock and mainstream.
“There will be a little something for everyone,” said Pouesi.
In addition to David on guitar, Banned From The Sun includes his siblings Rexona Pouesi on vocals, Isu Pouesi on vocals and keyboards, Siuleo Pouesi on drums, and their friends Shane Alvarez on bass and Rata Afalava on guitar (currently off-island). The group has steadily gained in popularity over the last few years in both American Samoa and Samoa with their unique mixture of classic and modern rock.
To promote the younger generation of music artists in our community, Banned From The Sun will present a FREE concert this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Su'igaula/ Utulei Beach, which will also feature a number of guest performers. Seen here are Banned members (front l-r) Isu Pouesi and Rexona Pouesi, and (back l-r) (l-r) David Pouesi, Siuleo Pouesi and Shane Alvarez. [courtesy photo]
For this Saturday’s show, each of the acts will have their own set, and there will also be collaborations between the headliners and various guests.
The event is open to the public and all ages are welcome.
“We’re just hoping for a good turn out to share our music styles with,” said David. “This is the first time I know of that a free concert has been put together by and for local youth. It's our way of giving back to the community as well as promoting our love for music.”