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Lahaina Grown, a band started by friends at Lahainaluna High School, recently reformed and will be performing on Sunday in Kula. From left to right (front row) are BJ Alvarez, Deason Baybayan III, Kapali Keahi, Desmond (not part of the band), Jean St. Onge and (back row) Kaholo Rickard, Kawika Arcangel, Russel Bailey and Jayson Cabanilla. Photo courtesy Lahaina Grown

A hit when it was first released in 2005, “Lahaina Grown” has found new meaning these days as a cherished anthem, a moving tribute to the town that was razed by fire. Highlighting cultural pride and the importance of ohana, it was recorded by the band Lahaina Grown, and composed by founding member Albert Napahi Dizon III, who passed away in 2009.

Recently reformed, Lahaina Grown will headline an afternoon of free music at the Ocean Organic Vodka Farm on Sunday. Billed as a “Day of Jazz and Blues” with Lahaina Grown, the concert will also feature Gretchen Rhodes performing with the Maui Jazz & Blues Festival Band, plus Levi Huffman and the Zenshin Daiko Drummers.

“That song has become popular again,” said Lahaina Grown co-founder Deason Ka’ohelo Baybayan III. “It’s iconic again. A lot of people want Lahaina Grown because obviously the fire and what’s happening on Maui.”

The video for “Lahaina Grown” on YouTube has been impacting many, drawing comments like, “this song just gained a whole new meaning,” “this song never got me so choked up till now” and “this song already had so much mana but even more so right now.”

“When the song first came out, it was a hit,” said Baybayan. “Now it’s like a deeper meaning, what we sing about, the places in Lahaina and having pride for the west side. The issues that we were singing about back then is now coming to surface, like setting the waters free. So now we see why we were singing those songs, because we need water in Lahaina.”

Hearing their song played on the radio now is “kind of bittersweet, because of the reason why it’s playing. But it’s great that it’s helping the community, the morale as far hearing that anthem.”

Living above the Lahaina Bypass, Baybayan witnessed his town burning up.

“I watched, from the beginning of the fire, six o’clock that morning, all the way. I never left. I stayed. I watched the whole town burn,” Baybayan said. “And we fought fire over here too. Me and my family, we stayed. We were one of the few that didn’t evacuate. It was a good thing that we stayed because one of the houses caught on fire, and we were able to chill it, whatever water pressure we had left. Just so happy we caught it early. If that house caught on fire, this whole neighborhood would have caught on fire. So we’re one of the few neighborhoods in Lahaina that’s still standing.”

Every day he looks down on his town from above the bypass.

“The first week was the hardest because you’re in shock,” he recalled. “It’s still smoking and you’re like, what the hell just happened? You get angry and sad. But thank God, by his grace, that I can put things into perspective and I can process it the right way. That way, I can stay healthy and continue to live my life with hope.”

Lahaina Grown was founded by a group of friends at Lahainaluna High School — Baybayan, Jayson Cabanilla, Paul Kapali Keahi and Dizon.

“The original members all grew up in Lahaina,” he recalled.

“We went to school, paddled canoe, played football and baseball.”

The musicians created a fresh, infectious mix of reggae and contemporary Hawaiian on their Na Hoku Hanohano-nominated debut album “Lahaina Grown,” that brought them popularity around the state.

Bookended with powerful chants, the songs ranged in style from the upbeat island reggae of the title song and the breezy jazzy pop of “Honokohau” to tender sweet love songs like “Destiny.”

Some songs addressed political and social issues with the rootsy reggae of “Plantation,” exploring the loss of land and deprivations suffered during the plantation days. The soulful “He Iwi” emphasized cultural pride, while the rallying anthem “2000” urged collective activism.

The current Lahaina Grown lineup features Baybayan, Cabanilla, Keahi and sax player Kawika Arcangel, with three additional musicians. They are currently working towards releasing new material.

“We’ve got some new stuff,” Baybayan said. “We might be recording soon. I was already talking to Kapali about collaborating back in June, because I think it was time for us to come back again. And then now this happened and our songs are being played everywhere again.”

Hopeful about the future and the rebirth of Lahaina, he affirmed: “Lahaina is not dead. It’s not gone. It’s going to rebuild. It’s going to come back. It’s just going to be a long process. And I want to stay and be part of that. Hopefully, our music helps people, gives them hope with rebuilding and staying strong here on the west side. Hopefully our new material will kind of lift the morale even more. Lahaina is not done. In fact, there’s new music coming out. Lahaina strong.”

A “Day of Jazz & Blues” is presented free from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the Ocean Organic Vodka Farm. For reservations, call (808) 877-0009. A $20 food and beverage deposit can be paid when booking a table.

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