Kalai's official website (www.kalai.cc) includes the following Bio.
1979 to 1998
(Kaniela Ka lei ali’i O’kalani Kala’i December 18, 1979)
Kalai was born in Hawaii and raised in the A.K. Son of a Ke ho alu cowboy and mothered by a good woman with heavy burdens. Ten years of life, most of them spent as an Alaskan, yielded him a wisdom of wilderness and a man’s knowledge of hard times. He later left high school tooling a guitar at sixteen and building a recordable repertoir by age seventeen. The latter half of his adolescence becoming then devoted to the ironic expression of that which was passing him by.
1998 to 2000
Several explorative tangents dictated Kalai’s pace of life for the next few years although music remained a surviving therapy for him. At eighteen he relocated south with the intention of attaining a college degree in entomology. He completed one year of school working as a commercial fly tyer for international fly-fishing outfitters such as L.L. Bean and Cabela’s. He also wrote story-based and “How to” articles for several outdoor life publications such as Rod & Reel and Fly Fisherman.
2000 to 2002
Discovering that the exploitation of his wooded childhood nostalgia brought him no closer to returning to it, Kalai made a conscious decision to pave a career path in music. At twenty-one aided by friend, Sam Cardon, he began production on his professional debut “Acoustacism” on the Treble V Music label (Innovators, Digability, Soulmate, Innovators II). Acoustacism featured drummer Rick Sinese who would later become a regular member of Kalai’s band. Then at twenty-two Kalai returned home to Anchorage, Alaska to construct an in-house studio where he would produce his second album “Six Strings And The Rainy Day Man”, an album on which he would perform all of the instrumentation as well as engineering, mixing, and cover-art.
2002 to 2003
Since Kalai’s first two albums were recorded almost back to back he was unable to perform extensively until his second album was released. He then began to establish his live shows, sometimes playing acoustic but also joining forces with premiere bassist Eric Wallengren (Karizma, Louise Goffin, Poor Arnold). The two performed dozens of vocal/guitar/bass shows together. The duo was then joined by veteran drummer Rick “Sneez” Sinese (Sam Cardon, The Given, Dixie Chicks) adding a third dimension and a sense of foundation for larger shows. While still performing a twenty-three yr. old Kalai began work on his third record “Rebel Hands”.
2003 to 2004
His third Treble V Music release, Rebel Hands, was an undertaking from writing to printing. It became an eight-month, fifteen piece process that used music to bury bad memories and mourn family tragedies. The cover sports a tailored work from accomplished Painter, Graff Artist and Illustrator Ben McPherson. The material explores Kalai’s most intentional lyrics, original compositions, and savvy productions yet.
See www.kalai.cc
September
Kalai Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A single breeze blew me a warning
The absence of the sun is grave
These dying leaves may bury me
Rain told me snow was coming
So I ran away
Into another autumn day...
Oh September I've fallen for you,
Darlin don't you freeze until I'm frozen too,
I'm sure winter will come
And then eventually I will spring myself
Back to my summertime romance
Cause I likes me a seasonal thing So let summer flings be winter free
Let missing you keep kissing me
You, you'll be mine again
Oh September, I've fallen for you,
I'm just leaving for now
Mama, stay cool, I won't get over you
I know winter will come soon
And then eventually I will spring myself on
back to my summertime
Cause I likes me some summertime.
In Kalai's song September, the singer reflects on the changing of seasons and the impact it has on relationships. He describes the arrival of autumn with a sense of foreboding, as the absence of the sun brings frost and dying leaves. He personifies the rain, which warns him of the coming snow, causing him to run away to another autumn day. Despite his love for September and the seasonal changes, he has to leave for now and assures his partner that he will return in the spring, when his heart will blossom again.
The lyrics portray the fleeting nature of relationships and the importance of cherishing the present moment. The singer likes a seasonal thing, meaning that he enjoys the excitement and passion of a summer romance, but acknowledges that it cannot last forever. He urges his partner to stay cool and not freeze until he returns, while he waits for the inevitable arrival of winter, which will bring him back to her in the spring. Overall, September is a metaphor for the ups and downs of love and the beauty of seasonal change.
Line by Line Meaning
The twilight brought the frost this morning
This morning, as the sun was rising and the sky was turning from dark to light, there was frost on the ground.
A single breeze blew me a warning
A light gust of wind warned me of the coming cold.
The absence of the sun is grave
The fact that the sun is not shining is serious and worrying.
These dying leaves may bury me
The fallen and decaying leaves could overwhelm me and make me feel buried.
Rain told me snow was coming
It started raining and that made me realize that it was going to snow soon.
So I ran away
I left that place and went somewhere else to escape the cold.
Into another autumn day...
I moved on to another day in the fall season.
Oh September I've fallen for you,
I have fallen in love with the month of September.
But I'm just leaving for now
But I have to leave for now, temporarily.
Darlin don't you freeze until I'm frozen too,
My love, please don't freeze in the cold until I am also affected by it.
I'm sure winter will come
I am certain that the winter season will come.
And then eventually I will spring myself
Eventually, I will emerge from the cold winter and become refreshed and renewed.
Back to my summertime romance
I will return to my love and passion for summer romance.
Cause I likes me a seasonal thing
Because I enjoy having different experiences and relationships depending on the season.
So let summer flings be winter free
Let's enjoy summer romances without worrying about the cold winter affecting them.
Let missing you keep kissing me
Let the longing I feel for you continue to inspire and motivate me.
You, you'll be mine again
You will be mine again, even if we have to go through the cold winter season first.
Mama, stay cool, I won't get over you
My love, don't worry, I will not forget about you and move on.
I know winter will come soon
I am aware that winter will arrive shortly.
And then eventually I will spring myself on
But in time, I will recover, and I will continue to enjoy my life to the fullest.
back to my summertime
I will return to my summertime lifestyle and relationships.
Contributed by Alexis F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.