Journal Jams With Kahana Kalama

As a surfer, designer, and musician, Kahana Kalama has a lot to keep up with. The father of four has a daily routine that would cause most of us to have panic attacks. Our friends over at Banks Journal were able to steal some of his time, ask a few questions, and get a glimpse into his music rotation.

Read the interview below, and check out Vol 35 of Journal Jams.

BJ: Hey Kahana! Thanks for squeezing in some time for me today. Better yet, it’s Friday man. What’s happening with you these days?  

Kahana: Oh man, just on the constant juggle… been loving hanging with my beautiful wife/4 kids, living in North Park, playing music,and designing, while still trying to surf as much as humanly possible. 

BJ: Doesn’t sound too shabby at all. You were mentioning that you enjoy riding a bit of everything. Something here tells me you’re a bit of a twin fin guy. Haha

Kahana: To be honest, I didn’t think I was a twin fin guy until I looked into my truck bed the other day.  I think I’m getting lazy.  I’m beyond the point of trying to work against a wave and I just want the wave to do the work.  Like most of California, this winter was the best I’ve experienced in the last 10 years, which actually allowed me to get on something other than a log.  I’ve been riding a ton of stuff from a relatively young shaper – Dominic Picone, who’s been cranking out some pretty unreal shapes.  

BJ: I don’t blame you, there’s always room to be lazy these days. Speaking of which, shall we enjoy a Friday afternoon brew?  

Kahana: Let’s do it, there’s a spot in South Park I frequent called the Station… I love it because it feels like Pre- Covid times.  Great beers, burgers and salads, I take my kids here every Thursday after piano practice. 

BJ: Father of four, husband, superior surfer, and creative director at JuneShine? How the hell do you manage? Haha 

Kahana: I appreciate the fact that you think I manage.  To be honest, I’ve been actively trying to figure out how to sleep more than 4 hours per night.  Between family, design, surfing, and music, I have an impossible time turning my brain off.  Some call it anxiety, I call it excitement… I just get too amped up on getting things started that I love crashing early and waking up at 2-4am to get to work while the rest of the world is out.  There’s a peace in knowing you’re working when most aren’t… kinda feels like stolen time. 

But when it comes to family… it’s 100% my wife.  She works so incredibly hard to keep our little posse, happy, fed, educated, and loved.  Without her I’d be nothing. 

BJ: Solid groove you have going. I definitely gotta take notes from you, haha. I would ask you what started your roots in surfing, but you growing up in Hawaii probably would answer most of that, haha. What was that like? It’s beautiful place.  

Kahana: It’s home!  It’s literally the one place in the world that I go to where I feel like I can let my guard down and relax.  I’d try to explain it, but it sounds like all things cliché.  Most important thing is my family and parents still live there in Kaneohe.  Theirpassionate lifestyle is what taught me to appreciate the ocean and the true beauty of Hawaii. 

BJ: Well shit, what brought you to SoCal, beautiful San Diego specifically?

Kahana: I first moved up to San Diego for college, only because I wanted to experience something different outside of Hawaii.  I came up here not knowing anyone and fell in love with the quality of life/opportunity.  It’s comfortable, inspiring, and a great jump off point to literally do anything you might think of doing. 

BJ: I couldn’t agree anymore. Sounds like a healthy way to spend this new year. Well, I got one last one for you! I do know that all of us at Banks Journal love an occasional JuneShine. How did you get started with them?  

Kahana: Prior to their opening, I met the JuneShine Founders in their North Park space and ended up DJing their launch party.  Post party, I started helping out with design, and after a few months, they offered me the position as the Creative Director of the brand.  Working alongside the JuneShine team has been a dream… they completely get it!  They care about the craft of brewing and are passionate about building an amazing team of quality humans committed to creating a sustainable and transparent product.  I’ve always felt as though organizational culture is everything and it’s humbling to feel at home while participating in helping the force that is JuneShine, take shape.