Seven Suns landed six Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards in 2025 — including Reggae Album of the Year for their debut Many Feathers — and the Hawaiʻi-born collective has spent the time since doing what you do after that: taking it to the mainland. On Thursday, August 13, that run lands at Photo City Music Hall in Rochester.
About the Show
Seven Suns is a seven-piece collective rooted in Hawaiʻi and signed to Ineffable Records, Billboard’s top-ranked independent reggae label. The band formed from musicians who had each built years as sidemen and musical directors before committing to something of their own. Vocalist and guitarist Justin Kawika Young came in with credits alongside Colbie Caillat, Brett Young, and Trevor Hall. Drummer Shawn Kekoa Pimental brought work with Jake Shimabukuro. Percussionist Jason Tupuola-Aiono had ties to Katchafire. Keyboardist Phil Crown had worked with Rebel Souljahz and Anuhea. Seven separate careers, one new project.
Young described the founding ideal in the band’s own words: “A single feather is unique and special, but it takes many feathers moving together to take flight.”
The members are now scattered across the country (Young is based in Nashville, Jason Tupuola-Aiono in San Diego) and record individually before coming together as a unit. Their debut album Many Feathers arrived November 8, 2024, and won six Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards in 2025, including Reggae Album of the Year. Singles from the record — “Many Feathers,” “Stranger,” “Faded,” “Run It Back,” and “Be Still Here” — extended the band’s reach beyond local radio. Their sound moves through reggae, world pop, R&B, and rock; guitarist Pi’i Miguel has said there’s “no really one genre that we can kind of stick to.” Opening slots with Third World, The Green, Maoli, Allen Stone, Teddy Swims, and Durand Jones & the Indications, plus tour dates with Collie Buddz and Stan Walker, have built out a national touring footprint. A second full-length album is expected in 2026.
Venue & Logistics
Photo City Music Hall is a 400-capacity club on Atlantic Avenue in Rochester, a room small enough that a traveling seven-piece with deep grooves and layered vocals fills it the right way. For anyone in the Finger Lakes region or making the drive from Central New York, this is the kind of show that justifies a Thursday trip. Doors open at 7:00 p.m.; the show is ages 16 and up.
Tickets
Tickets are $14–$20. Get Tickets