Ron Artis Family

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  Take a little time to visit this very talented and friendly family in Hale Iwa.  It is certainly worth the trip.  My family and I have spent hours listening to their music and viewing their art work.  A number of the family's CDs are a permanent part of my personal collection.  I love to relax at their place.

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  Posted on 05.16.13 Carl B.

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  My son and I met the Artis family on our recent trip to the North Shore.  What a great bunch of talented people.  We spent an hour or so listening to them play, moving from one instrument to another seemlessly.  They then brought out a Uke to show my son how to play it, he picked it up very fast and made friends fast with two of the Artis boys and the young girl with the disk earings.  On our way home in the Surfbus, we broke down just outside of town.  The Artis family came to the resue and we sat on the side of the road while being entertained by the young lady who made up a song about our ordeal right there on the spot.  These people embody what "nice" means.  They are great and I look forward to seeing them again on our next trip.  MY son is already facebooking them, haha.  PS.  Special "shout out" to Harry the Surf bus driver for taking us to the Artis familys home.  Harry is also someone you should meet when in Hawaii.

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  Posted on 10.01.12 Dan L.

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  A trip to Hawaii is miserably incomplete without a visit with the Artis family! These are the most humble, talented, genuine folks you will EVER meet! We are great friends with them and they NEVER cease to amaze me! Great music, awe inspiring, God given talent, awesome fellowship...I will miss them when we move :( :(
  I go to their place when I need "woosa" time, I take my journal and just hang out...and listen...and write. No matter what situation I am facing, they always have a message that speaks straight to the heart. LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!!

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  Posted on 08.14.12 Christine D.

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  LOVE THIS FAMILY. Best vibes ever.

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  Posted on 12.04.11 Honest T.

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  Ron Artis sadly passed away from a heart attack just a little over 6 months after I met him and his great family. Rest In Peace, Ron. You have touched the lives of many, and will continue to do so through your wife and children.

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  Posted on 05.08.11 Wanugee N.

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  As others have posted, the colorful building with hand painted surf boards will get your attention.  For me, it was the license plate frame on the black Mercedes 560SEL parked in front that caught my eye.  It is the same license plate frame from my Mercedes mechanic.  Found out that one of the sons of the Artis family owns the car.  Small world.  I digress.  Walking into the building, you will be greeted by many of the children of Ron Artis and their fully stocked sound studio.  He and his wife had 11 children currently ranging in age from preschool to early/mid twenties.  Speaking with Ron Jr. and Victor, two of his sons, it was amazing to learn that everyone in their family plays many instruments, can sing and dance.  Once you enter the building, you will see immediately the many CDs and genres they can play for you.  Yes, they will basically give you a free concert from 11-5.  But be prepared to be asked to purchase one of their CDs for $20.  
  
  As an audiophile, I inquired if their recordings were compressed files and the answer is no.  In fact, their recordings are made live at the moment they play.  They asked me what type of music I listen to and they immediately performed for me and my family the jazz music I requested.  I ended up purchasing two of their CDs.  One that is conventional Jazz and the other Texas Blues.  Both were live, acoustic recordings that sounded superb.  If your system is highly resolving, both CDs sounded like the Artis family was playing in my living room.  I would equate their level of recording capabilities at the same level as MapleShade Records.  Another highly regarded label that produces audiophile CDs that will impress even the most discriminating audiophile.  The Artis Family CDs that I have are at the same level.  I am surprised that people on the mainland have not heard of this very talented young group.  They are all very humble, religious and very caring young people.  Both Ron Jr and Victor were very professional and caring to my family.  If you are vacationing on Oahu, you owe yourself and your family a listen to the Ron Artis Family.  They will literally blow you away.  In fact, they inspired my oldest son to play more jazz piano.

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  Posted on 05.06.11 Benjamin Y.

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  If you are on the isle of Oahu, you must go to the North Shore and see this family.  Not are they quintessential artists and performers, but they are wonderful people.  My sisters and I were blessed (not a term I use frequently) to have met Ron's wife and 11 children and witness their performance.  Ron passed away December 18th, but the legacy he left behind is palpable.   We had such a great time with them, we had to be dragged away by the tour guide, Harry.  I hope to get back to see them again some day.

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  Posted on 01.10.11 Tamara S.

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  I'm sorry to hear that the family patriarch has passed away.  They are an amazingly talented family.  I've played guitar for 20 years and I get blown away at how good their son is at the guitar and piano.  They make fantastic music and they are the most diverse musicians I have ever seen.  They can play it all.  I've never seen any musical group do all the styles of jazz to rock to hip hop to pop.  In that sense they are profoundly more complex and deep than other musical families more well known than the Artis.  And within each style of music, they are masters.  It's amazing that they are not more well known.  
  
  I wish the rest of the family the best in life now that their father is no longer here.

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  Posted on 12.09.10 Dumbass D.

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  I guess I hesitate to put 5 stars, simply because I am confused as to whether or not I should support this establishment. Basically, the music is amazing, the family seems almost surreal.  Someone earlier commented on the sign denoting "Ron" as the father and the only person to communicate with, which indeed, struck me as quite eerie. However, I spoke with a daughter and his wife and they seemed fairly with-it for having what seems to be a most atypical lifestyle.  Perhaps this received 5 stars because I had never heard of him or the town before and therefore stumbled onto quite the surprise, but if you head that way with expectations based on these particular reviews, you may be disappointed.

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  Posted on 07.23.10 Kim L.

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  You're in Hawaii... you're on the north shore...you go to Haleiwa because its a cool little town...and you MUST go see Ron and his family.  First off, I am amazed at the parenting.  They are great kids.  They have been blessed with a great path and Ron is leading the way.  Will they be famous?  They already are.  Do they need to be discovered?  They already have been.  I have since forgotten their names (except for Thunderstorm who blows a mean harmonica) but I will never forget their music.
  
  So put an hour away at their house and be prepared for a private concert by one of the best musical families you will ever see.  Do not miss them.

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  Posted on 04.27.10 Buzzy M.

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  Be forewarned that as you walk up the colorful, surfboard art-lined passageway you are in for a potentially intense experience, which is kind of weird because the Artis family is essentially a bunch of hippies.  And I don't mean that in any kind of derogatory way - they seem to embody true hippie ideology without the stereotypical trappings of the hippie lifestyle.
  
  Family patriarch Ron Artis, along with his wife Victoria and 11 children have created Resurrection City, which at first glance is a massive gallery of custom painted surfboards.  On closer inspection, you realize the surfboards are just one artifact of the arts collective that is the Artis family.  Surfers from around the world donate their damaged boards to Ron, who uses them as canvases for unique murals that adorn the front lawn.  He also does custom pieces on commission.
  
  A massive in-progress mural of Haleiwa dominates one side of the lawn, which has served as a uniting force for the community, prompting neighbors to meet and interact as never before, discussing how they have been portrayed in "The Mural."
  
  Inside the building is a spacious music studio, where the entire family gets together to jam on original tunes several times a day, demonstrating solid chops for a wide variety of musical styles, ranging from ska to blues to funk to jazz.  They have a large number of CDs for sale, and if you want to hear anything, just ask - one of the kids will fire it up on the studio speakers for you.
  
  To cap it off, after we left made our way down the road to get something to drink, Ron himself came riding up on his bicycle to give us a CD, after they had realized that the CD we had purchased had the wrong disc in the case.  He had apparently ridden the entire length of town, looking into shops and restaurants to find us, and we were just few doors down from Resurrection City.  Any other shop owner would have given up long before that, let alone even try to find some random tourists.
  
  We only dropped by to check out the surfboard art and wound up staying for the better part of an hour, listening to the family band, chatting with mother Victoria, and meeting probably half of the kids.  There were no egos at play, no sibling bickering, no sales expectations, and no ulterior motives - the Artis family just enjoys being a family, making art, and being part of their community.

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  Posted on 04.04.10 Erik M.

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  Get by this spot in Haleiwa town and get ready to be blown away.  The family performs several times a day.  Lots of music video on <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fyoutube.com&s=3326ee23e94bec795f793644acf8579e19dead80f6025dd92e638edbb4b58f4c" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://youtube.com</a>.  I love their jazz, blues and funk.  This is the best place in Haleiwa to relax and enjoy music with family values.

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  Posted on 12.26.07 Frank H.

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