THE BIG CITY
Upon leaving home at seventeen, Inoke pursued further education in London, England. Unfortunately (or not), that's where music first took center stage in his life, much to his parents' dismay. Finally, the music that never had much of a forum for release in his native Fiji, was now unabashedly in display - and as with many young startups in the business, the process was often not pretty... leading to close brushes with the law. Whether as a consequence, or in spite of his new found freedom for musical expression, his attempts to heed his parents' strong advice to return to his studies, did not take. There simply was no way of putting that 'genie' back. In 2003, he would take a sabbatical from music to acquire an Associate degree in Computer Networking... if for no other reason than to bring closure to what started it all - getting an education.
He left London in 1970, and with various musicians and different venues, toured southern Europe for the next five years. Then from Spain, he came to the US in 1975 through his good friend, the late Bob Grant, an Australian entertainer whom he met in Beirut in the early seventies. Bob married an American girl in Beirut and had moved to the US in 1973.
The musical influences that have shaped and developed Inoke's heart for music are as varied as the Musical genre as well as Cultures he's been exposed to. From the 50s and early 60s Rock, Taditional Rhythm & Blues mixed with some old fashioned Country music - that a little transistor radio would provide on a weekly hit-parade in Fiji, the Soul music, Rock and Reggae of London in the late 60s, the Cultural rhythms of Cyprus, Lebanon and Spain in the early to mid 70s, to the Funk, Jazz, Blues, R&B - of various US cities from the late 70s to the present.
Beneath it all is a foundation that is his own... A blend of all of the above - but especially and primarily the melodic rhythms of the music of Fiji, where Inoke was born and raised.
Even though his vocals and guitar rhythms are what propels his music - for Inoke, it is always about the 'feel' or the groove that is infused into any piece of music that determines the success or failure of its delivery.
Celebrate every successful battle as if you're going to lose the war. Fight as if changing that outcome depends on the momentCelebrate every battle won, with constraint... as if losing the war is a foregone conclusion. (That would usually keep premature over-the-top celebratory chest thumping—otherwise known as arrogance, to a minimum) Yet fight for each moment as if pulling out a victory depends on it. Always remember that 'fight' doesn't necessarily mean, 'get busy, get up in arms... etc'. 'Fight' could simply be keeping the faith; working hard at being still; in essence 'fighting to remain calm'. Whatever the present circumstance looks like, don't panic. Victory is often preceded by a devastating storm. Revel in battles won along the way without arrogance or conceit. Embracing the fact that 'losing the war is a possibility' - helps stay humility, energize self-preservation and clears the way for God's will to unfold.. 
OnTheBall Music - 2024