In today’s newsletter:
- Pakele Live! with Tony Solis - Kaiaulu and Hapa Folk
- Merrie Monarch - Hilo
- Makana – Honolulu
- Bryan Tolentino – Honolulu
- HAPA and Jeff Peterson – Whittier
- Mehana - Whittier
This week on Pakele Live! with Tony Solis we have Kaiaulu in the 6 o’clock hour and Hapa Folk in the 7 o’clock hour.
Kaiaulu is a group of students, all of Hawaiian ancestry, from Ka Waihona o Ka Na’auao Public Charter School’s Gifted and Talented ‘Ukulele Class (after school program) in Wai’anae (on O’ahu’s leeward coast). They perform traditional Hawaiian music and hula for the domestic and foreign community by sharing, honoring and perpetuating the Hawaiian culture and values. The group’s aim is to strengthen the relationship between visitors and the islands in a culturally respectful way, by connecting more deeply with the group’s own ancestral roots and changing the inaccurate and negative perception sometimes connected to the community in which they live. The project showcases the Hawaiian community’s youth through music, and also provides an avenue of growth for at-risk youth.
Their teacher, Franny Victorino, is a long-time Hawaiian musician as well as a teacher at the charter school. Students audition for the group, and once accepted, they learn tradition, history, background, and the composers of the mele they perform. They write essays about what they’ve learned during cultural activities, and about the pieces they have performed in public. They also share with their audiences what they’ve learned about each song. They create their own kala’au (dancing sticks) and ‘ili’ili (dancing rocks), and pick floral and fauna (when available) to adorn themselves for performance. By the time they have completed the program, the students have become skilled musicians. They expect to have a positive impact on the world’s view of Hawaiians, and to deepen people’s understanding of traditionally accurate Hawaiian culture through music.
Hapa Folk is a trio consisting of Kimo Stone, Poki'i Vaughan and Douglas Kilpatrick. Nominated in 2009 for a Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for their album “Good Fun,” they play a variety of genres, but primarily traditional Hawaiian and American folk. (They’ve been likened to the Kingston Trio with aloha shirts...) They play a variety of Hawaiian favorites such as Noho Paipai, Hawai’i 78, and Ka Loke, but also songs like Can't Help Falling in Love, Come Go With Me, If I Had a Hammer, Mama Don’t Dance and Daddy Don’t Rock and Roll, and more. Like the title of their album – good fun!
Join Tony Solis for Pakele Live! on Thursday, April 8 from 6-8 p.m. HST in the Pakele Lounge at the Ala Moana Hotel (410 Atkinson Dr., Honolulu). There is no cover or minimum, although your purchase of two drinks or soft drinks helps ensure the continuation of the Pakele Live! concert series. (Note: Pakele Lounge has once again stopped serving food.) All ages are welcome, and free parking is available next door at Ala Moana Shopping Center.
You may also watch the show live online at: http://www.pakelelive.com/
(Please email the show at pakele@lava.net and let us know you’re watching! Mention your name and where you’re located - city, state – or country, if outside the U.S.!)
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It’s Merrie Monarch week on the Big Island, and the festivities have already begun! Tickets to the competition itself were sold out long ago, but you can watch live on KFVE TV in Hawai’i, or online. The Miss Aloha Hula competition takes place on Thursday, followed by Hula Kahiko (ancient style) on Friday and Hula Auana (modern style) on Saturday, immediately followed by the awards ceremony.
The official Merrie Monarch website has the program listing for each day, so you can see where in the order your favorite halau will dance, who the kumu hula is, and what mele (song) they will be dancing to. (However it does not say who is playing the music for each halau on Saturday – something I’ve long wished they’d announce or put in a crawl at the bottom of the screen during the TV broadcast!)
For me? I love Kahiko night the best, and I always look forward to the performances by the kāne (men) from Sonny Ching’s Hālau Nā Mamo O Puʻuanahulu (#25 this year) and O’Brian Eselu’s Ke Kai O Kahiki (last, at #28). (I also love watching the dancers from Kumu Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu’s Academy of Hawaiian Arts, but they don’t participate every year...)
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Makana has announced two special shows in Honolulu! The first takes place Friday (April 9), and the second is on Thursday April 15. Both shows are FREE, and take place at “The Edge of Waikiki” (in the Sheraton Waikiki) from 5:30-8:30pm (all ages).This will NOT be a regular weekly event, rather it’s a special appearance to honor O’ahu fans and supporters, and also to celebrate the return to Honolulu of Makana’s original percussionist Ms. Rhythm Speaker Jan Jeffries (she played on Makana’s first and second albums, on tracks like “Only You” and “Ku’ulei ‘Awapuhi“).
This is Makana’s gift back to the community of Honolulu for all of their support. He has been traveling and touring most of this year and wanted to reconnect with everyone here on his home island.
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Bryan Tolentino will play the ever-popular lunchtime slot at Nico’s this Friday from 11-2pm. Bryan is an exceptionally talented ‘ukulele player who is in great demand by everyone (and I do mean EVERYONE) to perform on their albums, and he also plays live regularly with Weldon Kekauoha and Raiatea Helm - but we don’t often get to see him play on his own! If you’re on O’ahu, I urge you to head to Nico’s at Pier 38 for some great music and a delicious lunch. Get there early – the food is both reasonable and tasty, and with the added attraction of live music on Fridays the tables – all outdoors, but under cover - fill up fast.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are still a few tickets available for Saturday’s Aloha Series performance by Hapa (Barry Flanagan, Nathan Aweau, and Charles Ka’upu) at Whittier College. Also appearing (for the first time at Whittier!) will be Grammy winning slack key artist Jeff Peterson. Hapa has a new CD ("Mahina") that is ONLY available at their concerts, so don’t miss your chance to see them live and pick up the new CD!The concert is Saturday, April 10, with two shows: 3 pm & 8 pm. Tickets are $40
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Also at Whittier College (on Sunday, April 11) – Mehana. Local favorites for the last five years, they brought their love of island music with them when they moved to California from Hawai'i. They have opened for the Makaha Sons, and have played with artists such as Cyril Pahinui, Jeff Peterson and Kimo West.
The concert begins at 2pm. Tickets are $20.
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Pau for now – e malama pono a hui hou!
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