With the blessing of Novus and Brouhaha publisher Burt Lum and the generosity of Lesa Griffith, who passed on her personal cache of original issues to me, I’m delighted to present three downloads of Novus, the esteemed Hawaii-based music mag of the 1980s, for your reading enjoyment. More issues to come in the near future.
Novus March/April 1985
The March/April 1985 issue, which came on the heels of a landmark rap festival at Waikiki Shell, features an interview with Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five (who had recently split with Grandmaster Flash); a fantastic but all-too-brief photo gallery of the show; a look at Freddie Hubbard’s multi-night stand in the Islands featuring local musicians; fan pieces on Sade and Salem 66; Windham Hill guitarist Alex DeGrassi and loads of music revews. Download the full issue here.
Novus August 1984
Black Uhuru graced the cover of the August ’84 issue, having just performed at the University of Hawaii’s Andrews Amphitheatre. Also featured here is an Icicle Works interview and concert review; live reviews of Michael Franks and John Kaizan Neptune; and record reviews of then-newly released albums from The Cure, Prince, Violent Femmes, The Smiths, Miles Davis and more. Download the full issue here.
Novus September 1983
For the September 1983 issue, a very gracious Charles Lloyd sat with Novus, as did Agent Orange, following their nine-night engagement at legendary Waikiki haunt 3D; plus reviews on just-released platters by Bauhaus, Peter Tosh, Eurhythmics, Robert Plant and more. Download the full issue here.
B-Side HNL 