HI93’s Local Break Battle of the Bands has a winner: The Mauve! The indie pop-rock band, which draws inspiration from 90s and folk music, won the finale on Nov. 6 at Capitol Modern.
The band takes home the grand prize of $1,500, plus eight hours of studio time and a free mix and master with Le Vanta Records.
“That's a pretty big deal,” said Analiese Esopenko, the singer and songwriter who founded the band. “The cash prize was a big deal, too, because we wanna try to get off the island and play somewhere on the continent. It's so expensive to leave, so that money will definitely help. And then having a song recorded will also help keep people listening. It means a lot for us because it's very costly to go into a studio, usually about $3,000 just to do a song. … That's gonna be a big help for us for sure. And again, so unexpected! I really went in just to have fun, so definitely a big blessing.”
Judges included representatives of Le Vanta records, Capitol Modern, Aloha State Daily, and HI93, as well as local singers and songwriters.
The Mauve band members decided to sign up for the contest after realizing they missed the deadline for one happening at Hard Rock Café Honolulu. That contest, called Hard Rock Rising, was won by Rootz of Kreation, the runner up for the HI93 Local Break Battle of the Bands.
Esopenko had never done a battle of the bands before. Her boyfriend, Boris Garcia, who plays guitar for The Mauve, suggested they sign up. Their expectation was to meet new people and have fun.
“We didn't know that there was any such thing as Battle of the Bands here anymore,” she added.
Originally, Esopenko founded the band with Jasmine Yoshikawa. Together, the duo performed at open mics in Surfers Coffee in Wahiawā. Esopenko wrote the songs and bought an omnichord to accompany them. Yoshikawa sang back-up vocals.
Now, the band consists of Esopenko, its singer and songwriter, who also plays guitar; Garcia on guitar, John Sabugo on drums, Riley Kalā Paʻakaula on bass; Jordan Mamiya on guitar; and Aaron Garcia on guitar and synthesizer.
There are plans to release an album in 2027, Esopenko said.
“One of the songs on the album is going to be called ʻIn the Driveway,’ which we played at Capitol Modern,” she said. “It was our second to last song. … There's another one that's gonna be called ʻFrom your Window.’ And then another one called ʻNewly.’”
The band’s name, The Mauve, was inspired by a song. The Chicago-based band, Muted Color, released a song called “Mauve” in June of 2019. The color got Esopenkoʻs attention.
“It's such a combination of blue and purples and almost brown, and I thought, ʻWow, that's really cool,’ ” she said. “It almost felt melancholy to me. … It’s muted, but it's really pretty. It's just really understated. A lot of my songs, even though some of them sound kind of happy, they all are kind of melancholy in a way, and so I just thought, ʻThe Mauve.’ … Basically, the color mauve really just represents to me beauty in the imperfect world that we are a part of.”
Mauve comes in shades, so the word can have different connotations depending on the viewer.
“It's kind of a spectrum,” the singer and songwriter said.
Paʻakaula, the band’s bass player, likes to describe the band’s songs as shades of mauve with “Mary” capturing more the blue side of color, while “Memory Prelude” leans more to the red end of the spectrum, Esopenko said.
Follow the band on Instagram or its website. There are also opportunities to watch The Mauve perform this weekend.
Saturday, Nov. 14
The Mixtape featuring Summer Street, The Mauve, Kaua and Ocean Effect
Harbor’s Vintage, 3rd Space Honolulu
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
$10 entry; purchase tickets at the door.
Sunday, Nov. 15
Surfers Healing West Oʻahu Charity Event
Hawaiian Brian’s Social Club, Slack Key Lounge
Doors open at 6 p.m.
$15 entry; purchase tickets at the door.
Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
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