Sony Japan, however, only releases Shimabukuro's music in Japan, and to release the music in Hawaii, he created the Hitchhike Records label. Between 2002 and 2005, Shimabukuro released four U.S. albums as a solo performer: "Sunday Morning" (2002), "Crosscurrent" (2003), "Walking Down Rainhill" (2004), and "Dragon" (2005). All of them except "Dragon" won both Na Hoku Awards and Hawaii Music Awards, and "Dragon" won the Hawaii Music Award for Best Rock Album and peaked at #5 on "Billboard"'s Top World Music Albums in 2005. As a solo artist, Shimabukuro experimented with using effect pedals to make new sounds that few would associate with an ukulele.