August 18, 2009

Aloha kakou!
In today’s newsletter:

• This week on Pakele Live! with Tony Solis - Side Order Band and Mailani
• Steven Espaniola – Chicago area
• Made In Hawai’i Festival – O’ahu
• Makaha Sons Mahalo Concert – O’ahu
• Holunape – O’ahu
• George Kahumoku, Jr. – Watsonville, CA
• Herb Ohta, Jr. – Texas
• Darci Baker, Keoki Kahumoku, Walt Keale, and Herb Ohta, Jr. – Washington, D.C. area
• Pakele Live on OC16 TV – compilation show and Steven Espaniola
• Hit and Run hula – San Francisco
• Raiatea Helm - Honolulu

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This week’s guests on Pakele Live! with Tony Solis are the Side Order Band (6 pm) and Mailani (7pm).


The Side Order Band (Asa Young, Bryan Tolentino, Chris Kamaka, and Del Beazley) was formed back in 1979, when the four friends (who were newly graduated from high school) decided to join forces. The years since then have seen a number of changes for each member: Asa and his wife moved to North Carolina due to job transfers (although he continues to play Hawaiian music there, having formed a group in 2004 called the Hawaiian Kine Band), Bryan performs regularly with Weldon Kekauoha, Raiatea Helm, Del, and many others (and can be found playing on almost every Hawaiian album known to man), Chris is active in his family’s company (Kamaka ‘Ukulele) and continues to perform with various people - including Bryan, and Del is a multiple Na Hoku Hanohano award-winning composer/musician/singer with credits far too numerous to cite here!

Members of the group continue to perform together occasionally – Bryan, Chris and Del performed at Pali’s CD release party earlier this year, Asa flew to California to do a short concert tour with Bryan in April, etc. - and all four reunited in 2005 to perform on Bryan’s debut solo album. However, with Asa now living so far away, we rarely see him here in Hawai’i nei, let alone performing with his old friends - so don’t miss this very special evening! There will be good music, laughs, Bryan’s beautiful wife will dance hula, and I hear Sam Kamaka Jr. may be in the audience. Side Order Band will be on in the 6 o’clock hour.


In the 7 o’clock hour we will have singer-songwriter Mailani Makainai, who will perform songs from her recently released and long-awaited CD “Mailani.” Regular Pakele viewers may remember Mailani from past appearances with MighTy J band mate Jenn “JRoq” Wright (who appeared last week with Zaysha Labrador – Simple Souls).

Mailani is perhaps best known as a member of one of Hawai’i’s most popular female duos, Keahiwai (with Lei Melket). Their first album, “Local Girls,” was released in 2001 to popular and critical acclaim, and earned them several Na Hoku Hanohano Award nominations. Four additional, award-winning albums followed – including “Satisfied,” which contained the hit song “Falling.” In 2006, Mailani was invited to do a podcast that focused on the Hawaiian music industry, and that ultimately led to the formation of the group MighTy J, with Jenn JRoq Wright (Kanalo and Simple Souls), and Tiki Suan (Milo Shade). Their album “Calling Out” was released in 2007 and was nominated for both Na Hoku Hanohano and Hawai’i Music Awards.

Mailani, who also performed at the Merrie Monarch Festival in 2003 and 2004, has dreamed of releasing a Hawaiian album for some time, and that dream was realized in June. Of the 12 songs on her new album, five are original compositions written in both Hawaiian and English. Also included are songs by Kawaikapu Hewett, Edith Kanaka`ole, Mary Puku`i and Kahauanu Lake, and more.

Join host Tony Solis for Pakele Live! this Thursday, August 20, from 6-8 p.m. HST in the Pakele Lounge at the Ala Moana Hotel (410 Atkinson Dr., Honolulu). It’s free, all ages are welcome, and free parking is available next door at Ala Moana Shopping Center. Drinks are available for purchase, although the hotel no longer serves food.

You may also watch live online at: http://www.pakelelive.com/
Those in Japan can watch at: http://www.j-wave.co.jp/

You may email the show at pakele@lava.net – mention your name and where you’re located - city, state – or country, if outside the U.S.!
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Chicago area – Hawai’i Music Award winner Steven Espaniola is heading your way next week! A talented musician, composer, and leo ki’eki’e (falsetto) singer, on August 26 he’ll be doing an 'ukulele workshop focusing on the different Hawaiian strums (for medium to advanced level students) at 5:30 pm and there will be a kani ka pila starting at 7:30 pm. On August 27 Steven will be in concert from 7:30-9:00 pm, followed by a meet and greet. This all takes place at the Tiki Terrace, 1591 Lee St., Des Plaines, IL. For information and tickets, call (847) 795-8454 or visit the Tiki Terrace website.

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There are a number of events happening on O’ahu this weekend:


Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (Aug. 21-23) is the annual Made in Hawai’i Festival at the Neal Blaisdell Center. Each year the festival attracts thousands of visitors (including many store buyers from around the world) and over 400 vendors selling food, clothing, jewelry, arts and crafts, plants, and more! The food vendors (and cooking demonstrations) are usually in the arena (most food vendors have samples - yum!), and the other vendors are in Blaisdell Hall. The musical entertainment takes place in the Pikake Room (which is also in the Hall). Admission is $3 (discount tickets are available at First Hawaiian Bank). Parking can be horrendous at times, so consider taking the bus (according to the website, from Waikiki take route B, #2, or #13)!

The festival always offers the best in musical entertainment (included in the cost of admission). For some reason, they’ve taken the entertainment schedule off their website, but I happened to have made a copy last month. Please note that the list of performers and times is subject to change (perhaps that’s why they removed the schedule? Too many changes?) Here is the schedule as of July 24 – please note that some of the cooking events are included, and those take place in the arena, not the Pikake room:

The festival runs from 10 am to 9 pm Friday and Saturday, and 10 am to 5 pm Sunday.
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On Saturday (Aug. 22), the Makaha Sons are holding a free “Mahalo” concert from 11 am to 5 pm on the grounds of Honolulu Hale (530 S. King Street). In addition to the Sons, performers include Del Beazley, Makana, Sean Na'auao, Kaukahi, Pacific Street - Repaved, the Abrigo Ohana, Halau Hula 'O Hokulani, and Kapena. There will be craft and food vendors, and a keiki area with games and rides. Rev. Dennis Kamakahi will start the day with a pule and mele, and Billy V and Nicole Fox (Miss Hawaii 2008) will MC.

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Also on Saturday, the Summer Concert Series in Waianae continues with Holunape. The concert will be held at the Pilila’au Army Rec. Center from 7-10 p.m.

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George Kahumoku, Jr. celebrates the release of his new album Kani Wai - the Sound of Water with some workshops and a concert on Saturday, August 29 at the Henry Mello Center in Watsonville, CA. From 3-4 pm there will be workshops in slack key ukulele (by George) and hula (by Kumu Hula Leolani Lowry). From 7:30 -9:30 pm George will perform in concert. Click here for tickets.



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‘Ukulele master Herb Ohta, Jr. will be traveling to Texas in September to teach workshops and perform in concert. He’ll be in Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston:

Dallas
Concert Wednesday, September 16 at Midway Point, 12801 Midway Road at I-635. There is limited seating, so advance ticket purchase is highly recommended! Workshops will be held Sept. 16 & 17. For tickets and information, call (214) 924-0408 or click here.

San Antonio
Concert Saturday, Sept. 19 at Aloha Roses and Flowers, 1242 Austin Hwy, #109. Workshops will be held Sept. 18 & 19. Making reservations online for the concert and workshops is a bit convoluted and may take several days (plus seating is limited), so reserve EARLY. Call Joyce Flaugher at (210) 521-9459 for info.

Houston
Concert Sunday, Sept. 20 in the Listening Room at Nia Moves, 508 Pecore. Workshops will be held Sept. 20. For the concert, click here and scroll down the right side of the page until you find Herb’s info. For the workshops, click here, then click on “Events & Workshops” and scroll down for information. (It’s quite a ways down.)

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Awhile back I mentioned a concert and workshops to be held in the Washington, D.C. area October 9-11. Tickets are now on sale, and space is very limited! The weekend will include beginning and intermediate classes in ‘ukulele and slack key guitar, Hawaiian language and voice lessons, 1-on-1 or small group lessons with Grammy winning slack key and ‘ukulele artists, cultural lessons about lineage, land, and lyrics through music, and a concert by the instructors: Darci Baker, Keoki Kahumoku, Walt Keale, and Herb Ohta, Jr.

For detailed information, go to the Hawai’i State Society of Washington, D.C. website.
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Beginning Wednesday (Aug. 19) on OC16 TV and online, Pakele Live! with Tony Solis is airing a compilation show featuring O’Brien Eselu; Ryan Tang & The Waikiki Sons; Walt Keale & Kawika Kahiapo; Jennifer Perri featuring Herb Ohta, Jr. Casey Olsen, David Kamakahi, Jon Yamasato and Darin Leong; the Abrigo Ohana; and Kenneth Makuakane and Brickwood Galuteria.

The show will begin airing August 19 at 7 pm, and will continue to air daily (at different times – check the schedule online) for one week.


(A heads up for those who have been patiently waiting: beginning August 26th we will feature
Steven Espaniola! Due to technical problems beyond our control, the livestream feed of his (live) performance in February was seen by only a handful of people. Although the TV version of the show is only a half hour, at least you’ll now be able to see some of his performance!

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Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakane and his halau Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu held at series of “Hit and Run Hulas” in numerous San Francisco locations this past weekend. Videos of many of the performances are on YouTube, and links to one or more have been posted all over Facebook and Twitter. Here are a few – just search “hit and run hula” in YouTube to find more!

at the Apple store

at the cable car turnaround

at the Ferry Building
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A note about next week’s Moonlight Mele On the Lawn show at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu:

Although the schedule lists Raiatea Helm as the only performer, I’ve just received word that Weldon Kekauoha will also perform – from 6:30 - 7:15pm. This is the final concert of the series. It takes place August 27 on the great lawn. Advance tickets are $15, ($10 for Bank of Hawai’i customers & employees, Bishop Museum members, and military). Keiki 3 and under are free. Tickets purchased at the door are $20.
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And finally, I’d like to thank Don Bradway of KFOK FM, who was Sunday’s in-studio guest on Hawaiian Concert Guide, as well as hosts Puni and Piko, for the very kind things they said about me throughout the show. Mahalo nui loa!
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Pau for now – e malama pono a hui hou!