Soul Kitchen Maui is a high-energy, groove-driven dance band rooted in Zydeco, Soul, Funk, Blues, and New Orleans–inspired rhythms. Founded on Maui by singer-songwriter partners Tempa & Naor, the band is one of their signature Music Medicine projects. 

Over its life, Soul Kitchen Maui has evolved through many musical configurations, drawing from a rich and flexible instrumental palette. The band’s sound has featured everything from a horns section (saxophone, trombone, trumpet) to accordion, violin, harmonica, guitar, ukulele, keys and organ, alongside drums, percussion, washboard, and tight vocal harmonies. Not every show includes every instrument—but the spirit of that wide, roots-driven landscape lives in every performance.

Known for powerhouse vocals, deep grooves, and joyful, high-octane live shows, Soul Kitchen Maui has become a beloved staple of Maui’s music scene. The band was honored as Best Band on Maui (Maui Time Weekly) in 2017, and is celebrated for turning concerts into full-on dance-floor celebrations that feel as much like community gatherings as they do shows.

While Soul Kitchen Maui stands confidently on its own as a dynamic dance band, it also lives within the larger creative world of Tempa & Naor’s Music Medicine. Where their duo work leans intimate and reflective, Soul Kitchen Maui represents the celebratory side of the medicine—the pulse, the sweat, and the shared release of a room moving together.

Whether performing as a full ensemble or a curated lineup, Soul Kitchen Maui’s mission remains simple:
bring the groove, feed the soul, and keep the dance floor alive