Red Light Challenge

Siblings who rock seem to be a common thread these days, particularly here at Heels & Picks. National act Echosmith rolled through Honolulu in early August and local all-girl rock band Crimson Apple has an album coming out shortly, and both bands are composed primarily of siblings. I talk about siblings in music because I grew up in a big musical family and spent years touring in a band with my bass-playing younger brother, Liam.

You can add another band to this list — Oahu-based Red Light Challenge has just given you two more siblings to love and a new EP to share.

Brothers Sean and Kyle Luster are Red Light Challenge.


Brothers Sean and Kyle Luster grew up in a family that would talk music regularly. These guys are of the Type A, overachiever ilk — valedictorian, athletes, community activists and multi-instrumentalists — an angle that I also find totally relatable.

I’m no athlete, believe me (ask my boyfriend about my skills when throwing a ball for our pups at the beach), but I am an artistic workaholic with seventeen irons in the fire at all times. So I feel their jam.

Affable and sharp, the curly-haired Luster men are not only a pleasure to talk to, but they can land harmonies in that way that is sometimes almost exclusive to the vocal timber of siblings. There is something about their voices that naturally blends. But we’re not talking about folksy harmonies here. These are driving, polished pop-rock songs that take their cues from Oasis and are angling towards U2 when they approach their biggest moments.

The Lusters are currently off-island, playing shows in support of their new EP, “Lookout Mountain,” while temporarily relocating to attend college. They got in touch via email to discuss their recording process and music, plus share the story of how they connected with accomplished producer Warren Huart (Aerosmith, The Fray) to work on their material.

HONOLULU STAR ADVERTISER: Tell us about the songs on “Lookout Mountain.”

RED LIGHT CHALLENGE: “Lookout Mountain” consists of four original songs: “Gonna Make It,” “Feel the Nightlife,” “Out Tonight,” and “Running Wild.” The first two songs have been part of our live repertoire for a while, but the last two songs are newer additions.

We felt these four songs captured the sound that we’re striving for. It’s only a small taste of who we really are, but we’re happy and proud of the resulting product and the entire recording experience.

These songs are about being young and enjoying life, and we always strive to have that attitude come out in our songs.

SA: You worked with an accomplished producer, Warren Huart, for this EP. How did you come to meet him?

RLC: We love telling this story because even we can’t believe it happened! We were in Los Angeles in June 2014 for the L.A. Music Awards Nomination event and we thought we would take a chance and try to get in touch with big name producers in the area, knowing that chances were very slim.

We came across a producer named Warren Huart in a publication we were looking at, so we looked him up and found that he had worked with Aerosmith on their latest album, as well as The Fray, James Blunt, Augustana and so many other great names. We were able to find out where he did a lot of his recording, so we decided to take a drive out to that studio, knowing that the likelihood of meeting him was highly unlikely.

We arrived at the studio, and there were no entrances to the public; it looked kind of like a guarded fortress we would never get in to. We decided to drive around the block just in case they opened the gate, and when we came back around, the gate was opening as a van for a band was quickly entering.

We immediately jumped out of the car as the gate started closing, and we yelled to one of the assistants that we were trying to meet Warren Huart. She said he wasn’t there at the time, but she said she would give our information to him.

By the end of the night, we received an email from Warren saying he would like to meet with us, and it all started from there.

SA: What is it about your music that connects well with Huart’s production style?

RLC: We personally enjoy a lot of the music that he has worked on before we even knew him, so we thought he would be a great fit. When we finally had a sit-down with him, we discovered how cool and family-oriented of a person he was, and we just clicked.

Through all the time we’ve known him, he has always treated us like equals, and we’ve gained so much wisdom from working with him. All of us, including the engineer Sam Martin and the recording assistants Connor, Paige, and Eric, were constantly making each other laugh throughout the recording experience, but when it came down to making the music, all of us were extremely focused and put in our absolute best work.

SA: How long were you able to be in the studio recording and what was the mixing and mastering timeline like?

RLC: We decided to make our recording session during our spring break, so we had five days to record the instruments and vocals for four songs. We went in completely prepared, and even though this recording session was one of the most fun weeks we’ve ever had, we worked hard to meet our recording goals.

Mixing took a few weeks as we went back-and-forth with Warren so that we were all happy with the finished result, and the mastering process took a few days after mixing was completed.

SA: How important was it for you to win the Hot AC Artist of the Year at the 2014 Los Angeles Music Awards and make the journey to L.A. to record?

RLC: Being part of the L.A. Music Awards really opened our eyes to the entire entertainment industry. We met a lot of people from various fields and we truly gained a wealth of knowledge at our young ages.

The award has pushed us even more to keep improving our abilities in song composition, performing, and in all of the business aspects of Red Light Challenge, which we conduct completely in-house.

SA: What are your plans for the EP and the band while you are living outside Hawaii?

RLC: We’re thinking of this not as moving, but as an extended adventure! Our academics have always been important to us and have helped us a lot as a band, which is a big reason why we began our community-involvement program, Red Light Challenge, Green Light Go, where we go to schools to promote striving for excellence in the arts, academics and athletics.

Now we are both starting at Boise State University this fall (Sean pursuing his MBA as a graduate student and Kyle starting as a freshman after graduating as valedictorian from Pearl City High School this past May). We had so much fun touring the west coast this summer from Fresno, Calif., to Vancouver, Wash., and we have no plans of slowing down.

We’ve already been working on starting to perform in Boise, and we are excited to get our music in front of new audiences. We’ve been writing a lot of new music as well, so we can’t wait to start performing these songs and to keep sharing our music and spreading aloha everywhere we go.

SA: What’s the best story from your 2013 summer tour?

RLC: In 2013, we drove over 7,000 miles, from Colorado to Massachusetts and back, so we got to see many parts of the U.S. that most people don’t ever get the chance to see and we met so many great people, and all of those experiences definitely have helped us grow as musicians and individuals.

One thing from that tour that we’ll always remember is driving through torrential rain and tornado warnings in upstate New York. You couldn’t see other cars on the road, all the radio stations were saying that there was a high chance of a tornado, and it was intense! But thankfully, we were able to drive through all of these conditions and ended up eating some pretty good pizza that night (because it’s New York of course)!

SA: Tell us about growing up together and your musical background. How did you start playing music professionally?

RLC: Our family has always been extremely close and the two of us, even being five years apart, have always been great friends. Sean was in a band in high school that broke up after a few months (as many high school bands do), and then asked Kyle, who was a sixth-grader at the time, if he wanted to play drums. Sean played guitar and Kyle was starting to play guitar at that time, but Kyle picked up the drums in a few weeks and we started performing for high school functions.

We both play all of the instruments in all of our songs, including guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, trumpet, trombone, and more! We grew up in a household that always had music on, and all of it stuck with us; we could talk about music for hours from The Beatles, to Michael Jackson, to the Foo Fighters, Van Halen, Marvin Gaye, Jamiroquai, and so much more from the early 1960s to now.

SA: What’s the writing process for Red Light Challenge?

RLC: The process always varies for every song, whether we start out with a guitar riff, drum beat, melody, or some lyrics. We always feel our best when we collaborate with each other, and we each contribute multiple aspects to every song we write.

We have about five handheld recorders filled with ideas for song demos (literally at least a thousand ideas) and multiple notebooks filled with potential lyrics, but we constantly write and create new things. We are always competing with ourselves to create a better song, and we know that this will be a lifelong process of always working to be better at everything we do.

SA: Who in the band plays which instruments?

RLC: Some of the instruments we play include guitars, bass, drums, some keyboards, trombone, trumpet and a few more. In our live shows, Kyle is predominantly the drummer and Sean the guitarist, but we both are always singing, and every part that you hear in any of our songs were recorded by us.

SA: Who is the eldest? Do you have other siblings?

RLC: Sean is 23 and Kyle is 18, and we don’t have any other siblings. We need another sibling to play the tambourine though, because we honestly love that instrument as much as you do!

SA: What is your favorite song on the new EP?

RLC: It is hard for us to have a favorite song because we enjoyed the recording process so much that each song feels like an entirely different and equally exciting adventure for us. We are extremely happy that our fans and friends have been telling us that they are enjoying the songs, and it’s always interesting for us to hear what each individual’s favorite song is because the answer is always different.

We can’t wait for Red Light Challenge’s sound to continue to grow, and we hope that fans old and new will come along for the ride with us! - Honolulu Star Advertiser

Sean and Kyle Luster from the award winning Red Light Challenge Band, represent a true bond of brotherly love along with the dedication and guidance from their parent's that has led them towards a life of giving back to the community through their inspirational compositions and performances that have reached out to thousands here in the islands and to audiences around the world.

(Excerpt taken from the Red Light Challenge Band website,http://www.redlightchallengeband.com)

In addition to their performing and recording efforts, Sean and Kyle have always held the importance of giving back to the community. The brothers constantly volunteer in Hawaii, working with public schools, the Special Olympics, and more. The band has been working with the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii, producing a song to spread awareness and putting on a community event that was featured in a documentary produced by the foundation, which aired on KGMB and KHNL in June of 2015. In the beginning of 2014, Red Light Challenge started its own non-profit community-involvement program called “Red Light Challenge, Green Light Go”. This program was created to have events where the band goes to schools around the world to play music for students and promote striving for excellence in the arts, academics, and athletics. Events have already taken place on Oahu and in California.

The Luster brothers are graduates of Pearl City High School, Sean (PCHS 2010) and Kyle (PCHS 2015). The duo will soon head off to the mainland to attend college with Sean pursuing post graduate studies and Kyle entering his first year of college after graduating from PCHS a few months ago.

The brothers are coming off several packed house performances this past summer which includes their recent LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN EP release concert on July 14, 2015 at Ala Moana Shopping Center's Center Stage. This Saturday, August 1, Sean and Kyle will once again take the spotlight on center stage at the Waikiki Shell as an opening act for the "Under the Stars" concert with Augie T.

Here's a look at their upcoming west coast mainland tour:

August 8th - Tower District Records - Fresno, CA

August 8th- Armadillo Music - Davis, CA

August 9th- Rasputin Music Campbell - Campbell, CA

August 10th- Queen Bean Coffee - Modesto, CA

August 12th- Skips Records - Eugene, OR

August 12th- Music Millennium - Portland, OR

August 14th- Brickhouse Bar & Grill – Vancouver, WA

Sean and Kyle have a huge future ahead of them. Their fans and all of those that they touch with their music will be embraced while becoming the direct beneficiaries of their success as they reach out with their HEART & SOUL to make the world a better place to live. ROCK ON! - myPearlCity.com

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -
Brothers Sean and Kyle Luster of the Hawaii-based alternative rock band Red Light Challenge didn’t spend their Spring Break relaxing on a beach but working on their first official EP in a Los Angeles recording studio.

Lookout Mountain was produced by Warren Huart, an esteemed producer/engineer who has recorded artists such as Aerosmith, The Fray, and Daniel Powter, and mastered by Adam Ayan (Def Leppard, Kelly Clarkson, Foo Fighters). Together they created a radio-ready EP highlighting the band’s songwriting, high-energy performances, and unique sound.

Coming off their Los Angeles Music Awards win (Hot Adult Contemporary Artist of the Year- 2014), the band was eager to head into the studio to finally record some new songs. By chance, they came in contact with Warren Huart in the summer of 2014, and started making plans to record. After an intense five-day recording session this past March, the brothers and Warren had completed four songs highlighting the band’s unique style that incorporates British Invasion songwriting, multi-part harmonies, R&B danceability, guitar-driven electricity, and modern sounds of today.

Sean and Kyle both play all of the instruments on these songs and couldn’t be happier with how the album turned out. “This is the first time we feel like the songs we’ve recorded sound exactly how we imagined. We learned so much from working with Warren and everyone else at Spitfire Studio,” stated Kyle, a recent high school valedictorian. Sean, a Summa Cum Laude Honors graduate and high school valedictorian, added, “Recording this EP was honestly one of the most fun experiences we’ve ever had. We really hope that listeners can feel the energy when they finally hear our songs!”

Red Light Challenge has been busy scheduling performances to promote their new EP, to be released online on July 14th, before they embark on a West Coast tour in August. In Hawaii, they will be performing for the KSSK Saturday Morning Show on June 27th, at the 50th State Fair on June 28th, at OnStage Drinks and Grinds on July 2nd, at Schofield Barracks for July 4th, at The Safehouse at The Republik on July 8th, at Ala Moana Centerstage on July 14th at Station Bar and Lounge on July 24th as well as an in-store performance at Jelly’s Honolulu on July 25th. Additionally to these public performances, they will also have an acoustic performance at the Oceanic VIP Music Hall for the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii to celebrate the release of the organization’s new documentary. - Hawaii News Now

Los Angeles, CA (November 13th, 2014)–Hailing from Hawaii, the young, ultra-talented and inspirational alternative rock band Red Light Challenge (www.redlightchallengeband.com) took home the Hot AC Artist of the Year award at the prestigious 24th Annual Los Angeles Music Awards, which was held last night at the Avalon Hollywood. This is the first time in the history of the LA Music Awards that a performer from Hawaii has been nominated for any award and won.

In 2000, the Los Angeles Music Awards was officially recognized as the opening awards ceremony for awards show season in Hollywood with a Certificate of Tribute from Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan. The 24th Annual Los Angeles Music Awards featured the presentation of 40 awards to independent artists and bands that were voted on by fans and industry panelists on September 25th at the Whisky A Go-Go in Hollywood as part of the Los Angeles Music Awards annual voting event.

“We are thrilled to have made history for Hawaii at the LA Music Awards this year.” said Kyle Luster, the multi-instrumentalist and live drummer. “We are so thankful to our family, friends, fans and sponsors who supported us with votes. We can’t wait to keep moving forward and lighting up stages around the world with our music.

Sean Luster, who is the lead vocalist and guitarist, added “We have been performing our latest original music in Hawaii and in L.A., and audiences have really liked the new songs. It’s an honor to be the first band from Hawaii to ever be nominated and win at the LA Music Awards. We are excited to take the next leap forward with our music. Thanks again to everyone for their amazing support.”

This year’s event featured a fantastic line up of celebrities and Hollywood luminaries for a variety of achievements in the entertainment industry. The 2014 recipients who collected an award included: Danny Trejo (The Book of Life),John Savage (The Deer Hunter), Linda Blair (The Exorcist), Charlene Tilton (Dallas), Katherine Castro (The Social Contract), David Longoria (Record Producer), Bill Ward (Black Sabbath), Murray SawChuck (Magician), Christina DeRosa (Taxi Brooklyn), Frazer Smith (LA Rock Radio Host) and Marc Canter (Reckless Road: Guns N' Roses and The Making Of Appetite For Destruction). Other celebrities in attendance included: Brady Bluhm (Dumb & Dumber To) and Victor Orlando (The Gap Band).

The young alternative rock band Red Light Challenge is made up of brothers Sean (22) and Kyle (17) Luster. The duo is the first band from Hawaii to be nominated and win a Los Angeles Music Award in its 24-year history. Upcoming performances include: California State University-Channel Islands on November 14th, Pearl City High School on December 4th and Pearl City Elementary "Red Light Challenge, Green Light Go" Performance on December 12th 2014. - myPearlCity.com

A pair of Kunia musicians are making waves across the country with their passion for rock, and just last month, brothers Sean and Kyle Luster, who make up the band Red Light Challenge, discovered they were nominated for the 2014 Los Angeles Music Awards.

They will play June 19 as part of the nominee awards night and press event at Whisky A Go-Go in West Hollywood, as well as at the voting party Sept. 25 and the actual awards night in November.

The duo’s initial reaction? “No way, man!” “We found out that we were the only band from Hawaii to be nominated for this,” said Sean, 21. “We’re excited about it.”

As they prepare for it, they’re busy working on new songs together at their home studio, as Sean graduated summa cum laude from Colorado State University in December and is now home. “He’s finally back!” said an elated Kyle, 16, a junior at Pearl City High. “We’re focusing on new music and lots of exciting stuff.”

Sean and Kyle have been a band for nearly five years, and last January renamed themselves Red Light Challenge, after the TV show Cash Cab, where the host yells “Red Light Challenge!” when the taxicab is stuck at a red light.

The two are close and agree that they are able to work well together and bounce ideas off each other.

They went on a 42-show tour last summer across 16 states in a little less than two months, traveling from Colorado to Massachusetts and back.

During their latest escapade, they performed at a big event in Topeka, Kan., at the West Ridge Mall to help collect school supplies for needy children.

“Their nomination from the L.A. Music Awards has opened interesting venues,” said dad and manager Rich Luster. (Their mom teaches at Manana Elementary.) “As of right now they are slated to perform for the Hollywood Walk of Fame.”

Their break into the L.A. music scene has led to amazing opportunities, including a cover feature in Act Like a Child Magazine this month, with a follow-up from Rolling Stone magazine slated for the future.

The L.A. Music Awards currently is in the process of obtaining votes, and you can vote for Red Light Challenge online at lamusicawards.net/nominees. Each vote costs $1. Check them out in the Hot AC (Adult Contemporary) Artist category.

In the meantime, Sean and Kyle are hoping to work with aspiring musicians in after-school performance programs here before the school year is over.

“We want to tell kids about following their ambitions and working hard to achieve their goals,” the brothers said. “We’re really about education.”

They’re also about to launch a Kickstarter fundraising campaign for the L.A. trip. Keep up with them on Facebook at facebook.com/redlightchallengeband. - MidWeek

RED LIGHT CHALLENGE BAND UPDATE: I finally got a chance to attend a live performance by Sean and Kyle Luster from the Red Light Challenge Band on Friday inside the Pearl City High School library. I am proud to report that they ROCKED! The guys performed for 30 minutes to PCHS students who gathered to hear the band during their lunch period.

Wow, these guys have the potential to big really big stars. The duo performed a few classic songs from the past as well as fresh new tunes with music and lyrics written by the brothers. They have an original style and on stage chemistry that truly blends their talents as musicians and singer/songwriters. It's MAGIC!

Sean and Kyle also took to the stage Friday night at Anna O’Brien’s in McCully and will perform today at the Motorcycle Rally & Bike Show at Aloha Stadium.

MyPearlCity.com will be following the band and report on their progress as they make their way to Novembers' Los Angeles Music Awards which they have been nominated for and are working hard to win. - myPearlCity.com

Musical brothers bring isle flavor to mainland
Red Light Challenge wowed crowds on a 16-state summer tour
By Nancy Arcayna

Brothers Sean and Kyle Luster spent much of their summer traveling across the mainland sharing the spirit of aloha with a dose of rock 'n' roll. The duo, known as the Red Light Challenge Band, performed 41 shows in 16 states from Colorado to Massachusetts, distributing "Live Aloha" buttons and artificial lei along the way.

"It's fun. Some people had never been given a lei," said Sean, 21.

Most of the concerts were held at shopping malls from June 15 to July 24 and featured reworked cover songs and tunes from their 2010 debut album, "Marina Girl."

"We did a big fundraiser in Topeka, Kan., for a school supply drive," Sean said. "We were asked to play an impromptu outdoor event at the Buckeye Lake Festival in Ohio."

Sean, who plays guitar, graduated as valedictorian of his class at Pearl City High School and now attends Colorado State University. Kyle, 16, an honor student at Pearl City, plays the drums. Both brothers sing and play other instruments as well.

Red Light Challenge, formerly known as Just Us 2, sold singles while on the road and the duo said they are working on a second album.

In Hawaii, the pair won an award for best song composition at the 2010 "Brown Bags to Stardom." The Lusters play rock tunes from different eras.

"We try to incorporate all of the different genres of rock," Sean said.

They plan to continue touring, collaborating on songwriting and recording their own music. "We're hoping to get to the next level," Sean said.

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Sep 01, 2013 - Honolulu Star Advertiser

(HawaiiNewsNow) - Sean creating his first band "TEOS" in 2009, noticing that his younger brother Kyle had a flair for the drums in addition to his guitar playing, the brothers began to jam. This then lead to their young unique Rock-n-Roll sound they began to create. Showing high enthusiasm between them about the music they were playing, realizing they had similar interests formed the band "Red Light Challenge"!

Sean: Born and raised in Hawaii graduating valedictorian at PCHS, now an Honor student at CSU. Plays Lead Guitar/Bass Guitar/Trombone/Lead Singer/Song Writer.

Kyle: Born and raised in Hawaii, this year a tenth grader in Honors at Pearl City High School Pearl City, HI, plays Drums/ Lead Guitar /Bass Guitar /Trumpet/Singer/Song Writer.

Kyle & Sean enjoy collaborating with the writing of the melodies and lyrics they create. Being that they are brothers and close friends they find it easy to work together having the opportunity to write at any time.

The two young men have performed for the 2010 NFL Pro-Bowl Experience, HI; Sunset on the Beach, HI; several times at McDonalds (Mcnight for PCHS) - Burger King, HI helping to raise funds for PCHS Senior Project. They have gone on to write many songs and working on more.

The band has participated heavily with the Brown Bags to Stardom winning best Rock song 2010 & Burger King's - Band Champ contest and competitions. The band performed for the taping of "Entertain Me" show to air sometime in 2012 nationally. Starting tour dates for Six Flags Live & Local show's Six Flags over Texas; May 31, 2010; Six Flags St. Louis, MO, June 4 - 5 & 11, 2010; Six Flags Magic Mt. L.A. CA June 18, 2010, and other Six Flags Locations & dates. Chick-Fill-A sponsored the band to perform at several malls throughout the US starting with the Foot Hills Mall Fort Collins, CO. While on tour throughout the US Sean & Kyle enjoyed autographing thousands of CD's & T-shirts for all their new fans. Being honorary ambassadors to the state of Hawaii handed out thousands of lays and buttons promoting the "Live Aloha" way of life.

Visit their website for more information!

Copyright 2012 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved. - Hawaii News Now

Wednesday - March 31, 2010
By Sarah Pacheco

Remember the names Sean and Kyle Luster, because in a few short months their debut album, Marina Girl, will be climbing up the rock charts both locally and nationally.

With vocals reminiscent of Jim Morrison’s and The Who-like instrumental riffs, the JUST US Band is a return to a classic rock sound invented way before these two teens were even a twinkle in their parents’ eyes.

But don’t expect any rock-star behavior from the Pearl City brothers - they’re already using their celebrity for good. Over the past month the boys have been donating half of the proceeds they received in 2009 for performing at events such as the Pro Bowl and Sunset on the Beach to the Pearl City High School art and music departments.

“I’ve always been about getting people involved with music and the arts, because we know how much it’s meant to us,” says Sean, 17, a senior at PCHS.

“We’re giving back to the arts so that more people can get interested in it,” adds 12-year-old Kyle, a seventh-grader at Highlands Intermediate.

“We feel it’s really important to have (art and music programs) in the schools because it’s fading away slowly, so we want to do whatever we can, especially for Hawaii,” Sean continues.

Because of both boys’ heavy involvement in both school and extracurriculars, they are hoping to create a scholarship at the school for students who also excel in academics, athletics, arts and community service. They’ve also lent their talents to several PCHS Project Grad fundraisers and have written a special song for elementary students to encourage them to do well in school and on the High School Assessment test.

“No matter what we do, we’re going to give back to Hawaii because it was where we were born and raised,” says Sean.

“We both grew up in a house that loves good music,” Kyle says, “and we just wanted to be able to share that feeling and inspire others through great music.” - MidWeek Printing

Pearl City's Sean and Kyle Luster from the alternative rock band Red Light Challenge are on their way to becoming international stars. Sean (PCHS '10) and Kyle (PCHS '15) are proud of their Pearl City roots and are grateful for having the opportunity to attend Pearl City High School and for their experiences that have molded them into becoming successful in both their music as performing artists and their work with Hawaii's public school students through the non-profit community-involvement program that they created called the “Red Light Challenge, Green Light Go”.

The brothers have recently been nominated for November's 2014 Los Angeles Music Awards. It's the first time in the awards history that a band from Hawaii has been nominated. It’s a pretty big honor as well as international recognition for a couple of very talented musicians, singer/songwriters representing our Pearl City community.

After a successful Hollywood tour in June, the Red Light Challenge Band returns to Hawaii and will perform at Pearl City High School this Friday, August 22, from 12:50pm to 1:30pm inside the school library as a part of the band’s community outreach program. They will also perform August 22nd at Anna O'Briens in Honolulu, and August 23rd at the Motorcycle Rally & Bike Show.

MyPearlCity.com will catch up with the band on Friday during their performance at PCHS and will post an in depth cover story feature during week of August 25 - August 30. - myPearlCity.com

Sitting on the upper deck of the modern, high-polish coffee shop Form & Function on a smoky August morning, brothers Sean and Kyle Luster somehow managed to be counterpoints to both the gloom outside and the self-conscious hipness inside. All this despite the fact neither of them drinks coffee.

"Everyone we bump into, they ask, 'How much coffee did you have?' but we don't drink coffee. We have so much energy from performing and everything, and people are surprised by it. It's just the taste," said Sean, the oldest of the two.

"Our mom drinks coffee, and we grew up with that every morning. She's had me try it three times and each time I've almost thrown up," Kyle said.

Together, Sean and Kyle are the core members of Red Light Challenge, one of the hardest-working popular music groups in Boise. Like they said, they have a lot of energy. Since moving to Boise in 2015—they originally hail from Hawaii—they've performed more than 250 times. They'll play anywhere, from conventional venues like The Olympic to grocery stores, the Capital City Public Market and private events.

"We had to play loud, to be energetic, just to get attention," Sean said.

The Lusters could just as easily be the Gemini Twins, the Mario Brothers or adjacent puzzle pieces. Kyle and Sean live together and finish each other's sentences. At Form & Function, they were dressed as usual: Sean in a blue v-neck t-shirt and Kyle in a red v-neck t-shirt and red shoes. The brothers have become so associated with their color schemes that once, when Sean dared to wear red, it upset one of their mutual friends.

"We have a load of laundry between the two of us that's always red, that's always blue," Kyle said.

"I have two blue drawers besides the stuff that's already hung up. And also, besides that, it makes it so easy to pick what we're wearing," Sean added.

Their hard work has literally taken them places. When the brothers sat down with BW, they had just returned to Boise from a multi-city tour that took them to McCall, Moscow, Coeur d'Alene and Seattle. Before that, they'd played the Broadway Albertsons grand opening, Eagle Fun Days and in the Salt Lake City area. They even played at Boise Pride Fest and at Guru Donuts on National Donut Day. After the interview, they went back on tour, this time to southern California for gigs at Bell Cottage in Burbank, House of Blues in Anaheim and Canter's Deli & Bar in Los Angeles.

The set at House of Blues will have a special weight. In late August, Red Light Challenge played at the Next2Rock competition at The Buffalo Club in Boise, where it won the statewide competition that took them to the national finals at House of Blues. Whichever band goes home in glory after that competition will get a record deal from Big Machine Label Group. The winner will be announced in October.

Even in light of the chance to win a record deal, the Lusters aren't in a rush to record an album. Instead, they said they've established momentum cutting singles and making music videos, though that could change. In 2015, they released their only recorded material to date, the Lookout Mountain EP. Since then, they've released nine videos, all available on their website, and plenty of singles—they said they plan to drop another in the coming weeks. In addition, they've assembled a five-piece band for live shows and recordings that includes Justin Tam on guitar, Noah Rudin on keys and Joe Warnecke on bass.

"With regards to recording, we really just want to keep the momentum going of releasing a single, releasing a music video, releasing a single, releasing another music video," said Kyle. "That's the pace we want to create, especially while I'm still here at Boise State University."

Kyle was speaking just before the first day of his fourth year at Boise State, where Sean finished his MBA in 2017 after graduating with a bachelor's in business from Colorado State University. The brothers will continue to perform, record and film while Kyle finishes his degree, but the stress of being a student and a professional musician never wears him down.

"One of the phrases we live by is that everything gets done, so even with school and everything, if we're performing, if we're writing or whatever, schoolwork always gets done," Sean said.

"It always gets done, it always works out and it's never that bad," Kyle said. - Boise Weekly

It's well-known around Boise that Red Light Challenge is one of the hardest-working bands out there, playing shows anywhere and everywhere it can. Less well-known is that it rarely cuts new music, and that its members—brothers Sean and Kyle Luster—sometimes labor for months in the studio before releasing a new song.

On Jan. 4, RLC dropped a new track like a 100-year storm: "Why Won't You." It's the first track the band has cut since 2015.

"We literally spent a year listening to our favorite music and learning about songwriting and recording," the brothers wrote in an email. "After that year span of doing our homework, we feel more confident in our songwriting and recording abilities, and we're looking forward to coming out with a lot of music in 2019!" - Boise Weekly