2009 Slack Key Festival Highlights Part 2

One of the best parts of the Southern California Slack Key Festival is the reception held the night before the show that I have come to call the Concert Preview Reception. Duke's Restaurant in Malibu has been the perfect setting for this event and Josh and Brittany in catering have been wonderful supporters as well. Yes, it can be a bit of a drive depending on where you're coming from but every attendee would attest to the fact that it is so worth it! I mean, you get great food, drink and the chance to see the festival's artists up close and personal.

The artists are always so warm and full of aloha and they were greeted with the same from all the fans and that's what really makes this kind of event a success. I asked John Keawe's beautiful wife Hope to do the lei greeting as guests arrived and received, to their surprise, a goodie bag provided by Trilogy Spa.

And oh, the food. To keep costs low for the guests (and also for me) and still present a classy event, I worked on the menu with Duke's who also donated some appetizers including some of the most incredible shrimp and poke you'll ever eat. Even my friend who works in Hollywood and is exposed to vast amounts of the best food on a daily basis (her dog gets filet mignon and prime rib!) said dinner and pupus that night was amazing. Her mom was actually wondering if maybe she should have had more shrimp and poke since that was likely going to be dinner because how could it possibly get any better than that? But no, there was huli huli chicken, mahi mahi, Duke's famous hula pie and so much more. Even Primo Beer pitched in drinks, even before they were officially distributing on the mainland, just happy to be a part of the night's festivities!

Last year, Kimo West said it'd be no problem to bring his PA system in case any jammin' were to take place. I left it totally optional for the artists and to do whatever they feel. Well, George Kahumoku Jr got up and took the initiative, and so did Dennis Kamakahi, Owana Salazar, Cyril Pahinui, and they all had such wonderful stories to share. And speaking of wonderful stories, a couple days prior, Jeff Peterson and I had dropped in, unannounced, on Bill Tapia at his house in Orange County (just like how we do it in Hawaii!) and invited him to the reception where he also got up with his ukulele to jam on a few tunes with George, Jeff Peterson, and Kimo, as well as share his as-usual amusing anecdotes from his 90-year musical career (he is now 101!). He'd claimed he'd known Gabby Pahinui so I mainly invited him so he could come meet Gabby's son Cyril.

It's so magical how everything is just go with the flow....to see Makana jammin' with Peter Moon Jr and Lehua (Ledward Kaapana's sister) and Sonny Lim and Bruce Spencer from Maunalua - these artists never get together like this even in Hawaii but that's exactly what happened at this year's reception. Ever seen Cyril get up to do an impromptu hula followed by Bobby Moderow hamming it up? You probably never will again, either!

The photos under the heading Reception at Duke's capture just a fraction of the aloha that filled the room that night but that picture of Makana and Bobby Moderow sharing the mic is itself worth a thousand words.

Stay tuned for info about the Concert Preview Reception for the upcoming Aloha Falsetto Festival in July!

2009 Grammy Awards Hawaiian Night

For the first time since the Hawaiian music category was introduced in 2005, slack key guitar wasn't on the winning ballot for the Grammy award. That's OK, the genre has received plenty of attention through the years and there are so many other facets to Hawaiian music that deserve a listen as well.

What was most fun - for me, anyway - were the events leading up to the awards show: Friday night there was an intimate gathering of the nominees from the islands over at the Grammy museum in the brand spankin' new downtown L.A. Live area in one of the theatres. Daniel Ho and Tia Carrere started things off then came Paul Togioka on solo slack key and Bobby Moderow (of Maunalua) singing for his beautiful hula dancing wife Pua, then LT Smooth and Don Kaulia jammin' with Milton and Chris Lau on bass and percussion, respectively. I think the evening was Milton's idea, it seems he coordinated the whole thing. Milton has been producing the Slack Key Festivals in the Hawaiian Islands for the past 26 years, an incredible run.

I can't remember if Ledward Kaapana with Mike Kaawa tearing it up came next or if it was Rev Dennis Kamakahi performing 3 of his classic songs "Koke'e", "Wahine Ilikea" and "Pua Hone". These songs have stood the test of time for sure, so much so that one might think they were public domain songs by now! It was sure an honor having Dennis at the first ever Southern California Slack Key Festival and I'm hoping Led & Mike will be available to come onboard for the 3rd Festival in 2010.

Amy Hanaiali'i wrapped up the evening with her incredible vocals which was so refreshing to hear. Very polished performance since she does record and perform with a regular band, all awesome musicians I kind of consider the "Hawaiian Wrecking Crew": Steve Jones on bass, Chino Montero on guitar and the ubiquitous Jeff Peterson also on guitar. Steve is highly proficient at both upright and electric bass, Hawaiian and jazz. Chino was a member of one of my favorite groups, Palolo - I can listen to their first CD, especially, over and over. Can't say enough about Jeff's classical, jazz and Hawaiian slack key guitar chops, music-arranging savvy and overall musical know-how. Amy is very lucky to have him on her side.

However, I have to admit that by far, the best part was attending the rehearsals for the Grammy show! Got to hear Coldplay run through Viva La Vida - which won Song of the Year - 3 times! Also Paul McCartney and an incredible band, which included Dave Grohl on drums, played through "I Saw Her Standing There" 3 times as well.....Jeff Peterson and I were THIS close!!! When we first arrived, the blues quarter was running through their stuff and this was just an awesome thing to witness - B.B. King, Buddy Guy, John Mayer and Keith Urban - WOW!!!

Like the beer commercial said, it doesn't get any better than this.