2009 Aloha Falsetto Festival part 2

Probably the thing I like to do most in my shows is getting people to work together that don't normally get the opportunity to do so even when in Hawaii. This is not done in a random let's-throw-something-together-and-see-if-it-sticks kind of method. No, it is definitely thought out. Like when I gathered together Barry Flanagan, Jeff Peterson and Jim "Kimo" West to play as a trio for the 2009 SoCal Slack Key Festival, it was definitely a first for them and while they were unsure of how it would work out, I was confident that as top notch musicians, they'd pull it off and they did and it was a big hit! When I spoke to John Cruz last night he echoed those sentiments as we talked about how he gets to play with Hapa and Ledward on the current tour and how that would probably never happen in Hawaii due to schedule conflicts.

It was no problem putting together the "house band" for the 2009 Aloha Falsetto Festival (Jeff Peterson, Bryan Tolentino, Alika-Boy Kalauli IV) to back up Pomaika'i and Uncle Richard. Jeff hadn't played with Bryan or Alika prior to this but all three had a familiarity with Pomai's and Uncle's music already or had already played for them on separate occasions. But for backing Leokane Pryor, I had an idea that he and CJ would sound really good when matched with Aunty Geri and Carole's harmonies and that suspicion proved correct when we gathered for the 1st rehearsal with the four of them at Delzano's last Thursday. I appreciated Leokane's trust in me that I knew what I was doing and I'm glad he was happy with the result as was the audience! Here's an amusing interview with him prior to coming to California and meeting his backing musicians.

Speaking of unique musician ensembles, you will definitely see this at the upcoming 3rd Annual Southern California Slack Key Festival! Tickets on sale now at www.socalslackkeyfest.com

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