If what Oscar Wilde said was true, that “Life imitates art far more than art imitates life,” then the perfect place to find such an example, arguably, is in music. That apparently holds true for North Shore singer, songwriter and
If what Oscar Wilde said was true, that “Life imitates art far more than art imitates life,” then the perfect place to find such an example, arguably, is in music.
That apparently holds true for North Shore singer, songwriter and guitarist Dave Rullo, especially if the act of imitating art relies on the self-conscious aim of life to find expression.
A seemingly typical appreciative North Shore surfer grateful for the blessings life has afforded him, Rullo appears a bit of a hippie at heart. His lyrics wax poetic about the ocean and the wisdom he’s gained in relationships. Some might call his style a little more upbeat than folk music. Rullo calls it “rockcoustic.”
“It’s an acoustic-style music with an upbeat, jazzy flair,” Rullo said. “With a little influence of bossa nova rhythm.”
Rullo, who is a real-estate agent in Hanalei by day but can be found Friday nights at the Kilauea Lighthouse Bistro alongside saxophone player Chuck Reed, said he’s grateful that he’s “found a wonderful environment to play original songs.”
Rullo’s influences include jazz, blues and rock, he said, with a list of favorite musicians that boasts American jazz singer Michael Frank, American singer, songwriter and guitarist Boz Scaggs, and, as is said of many from his generation, lyricist great Bob Dylan.
“(Dylan’s) lyrical content and storytelling ability just make him a poet,” Rullo said. “His songs always have a poetry to them and a musical trailer to them with a simplicity that’s beautiful. I just love the content of the songs and the verse that he puts into them.”
Rullo, a transplant who left Hawai‘i in decades past but returned to Hawai‘i five years ago, used to play on the North Shore back in the ‘70s at Hanalei Dolphin restaurant. On the Mainland he traveled around the Pacific Northwest with his band, Hana, he said.
Since returning to the island his music has changed, he said, noting his current repertoire is more “upbeat.”
One such example is found in the original song, “I’ve Found Something Beautiful,” he said.
“It’s a song about meeting somebody and serendipity,” he said. “How we find these treasures in our life when we’re least looking for them.”
Part of the lyrics to that song, he added, are, “I hold her up in my hands/she seems to understand me…”
Though it could seem based on those lyrics that Rullo is a romantic, don’t call him a romantic just yet. Rullo doesn’t identify with being a romantic, but rather considers himself a “dreamer in life,” he said.
“I dream of all good things and possibility,” he said. “I like to put a good message out in my songs. When I recorded with my group it reflected a different change in your life. My songs now are more upbeat — they’re happier. I don’t go to the past with music. I’m looking the new songs I’m writing today, tomorrow and the future. It’s being an artist or painter. You do a painting and move on to the next inspiration, wherever that might be.”
Respecting simplicity is perhaps most aptly captured in Rullo’s song, “It Ain’t About the Money,” a pretty literal ballad about priorities with lyrics that state, “It’s not about the house you live in/or your Siamese cats/it’s about the love we have/and that’s that.”
Rullo said the song “talks about the wonderful things there are in life outside of money.
“We’re going to have ups and downs, but if the love is strong enough we’ll watch that grow,” Rullo said. “Love is what’s important — it’s not so much about the material things we gather in our lives. People get that and it all seems to fall apart. The foundation has to be built upon the love and respect you have for each other.”
But Rullo’s music isn’t all about relationships. Some are simply instrumental or relate to surfing experiences, which Rullo dubs as his “ocean-rhythm-inspired music.”
It’s with his love for the ocean and music in mind that Rullo will further merge the two in an upcoming event he’s helping put together to benefit the Kaua‘i Lifeguard Association and all Kaua‘i ocean-safety programs: the Hanalei Bay Music Festival.
Though ticket costs haven’t yet been firmed up, Rullo said the date has been set: 6:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at the St. Regis Princeville Resort. E-mail him at aloha@hanaleimusic.org to learn more.
