He’s edgy, quirky, friendly, wears circular glasses, and writes all over his clothes in Sharpie. If you still don’t know, it’s Kalani senior Theran Galisa. If there is one thing that people associate him with, it’s his passion for music. When he isn’t in school, he spends most of his time around music: listening, playing, and even creating.

Music has been a huge part of his life for as long as he can remember.

“I’ve always been around music for my entire life. Even when I was in my mom’s belly, she would play music for me,” Galisa said.

He plays multiple instruments, including the bass, ukulele, drums, drum kit, and a variety of different Tahitian drums, all taught to him by his family.

“Theran can pick up whatever you teach him pretty fast,” his father Pono Galisa said.

He does not put all that musical knowledge to waste and shares his talent with the world.

For the past 18 years, he has been part of a halau called Tuamotu Api. They’ve traveled to Disneyland, Disney World, and Japan multiple times to do shows and workshops.

“The thing I enjoy most about traveling is experiencing new places with the same friends I perform with,” Galisa said.

Back home, he teaches classes for drumming and plays music for his halau at private functions and parties.

“I enjoy performing the most because it’s one of the best feelings you could ever get,” the senior says.

Theran got to showcase a taste of his musical ability for the school at the Falcons on Fire Talent Show last month. His band, “Jugs of Milk” performed a cover of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Metallica, Theran on the drums, Wayne (Indi) McClellan on the bass, and Conor Kennedy on the guitar.

“We may not have even placed, but the best part was that we had the biggest audience response and that means more to me than winning,” he adds.

When he isn’t doing shows for his halau or practicing with his band, he produces his own music.

“I like to create beats and produce songs for friends. I do everything from scratch. I don’t borrow sounds,” Galisa shares.

He finds inspiration in “a lot of underground rap, from artists like $uicideboy$ and Eminem/Slim Shady circa late 1990s.”

“I also like to create jazz and hip-hop songs AKA lo-fi, and I get that inspiration from anything pretty much, it could be a person, an event, or a feeling I have,” he adds.

Graduating this year, Theran is planning on attending Kapiolani Community College. He does not think that he will pursue a career in music, but he knows it will always be a part of his life.

“Music is something that you can never take away from me,” he said. “It’s something I can never live without.”