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E Kanikapila Kakou blasted off its 23rd season with an awesome concert headlining The Barefoot Natives - Willie K and Eric Gilliom.

	Barefoot Natives Willie K and Eric Gilliom

The children of Ke Kula Ni'ihau 'O Kekaha opened the concert. Hula sister Leilani Kaleiohi greeted Kumu Lopaka Bukoski with a welcome oli and lei. Chattering with nervousness, the students shared their oli and kahiko hula numbers with the appreciative audience and their supportive Ohana who had turned out in full force.

Needless to say, Willie and Eric began their program with high energy and swept the audience off their feet with their fast-paced upward-escalating program of Hawaiian, contemporary, comedy, improvisation, and playing off the audience. I can recall a heady swirl of Hawaiian favorites, karaoke with Patsy Cline, Japanese, tear-jerking Irish "Oh Danny Boy", love song from Eric to his wife, funny stories, and guitar strumming that had everyone on their feet. It's hard to believe it was just two musicians with their acoustic guitars because it felt like we took a journey around the world and back in time.

Willie lauded Eric's exceptional musical talent and his extensive theatrical background and prodded "the drama queen" to show off his Shakespearean repertoire. Not one to turn his back on a challenge, however unexpected, Eric launched into an emotion-charged passage from "Romeo and Juliet"...Willie's response to that was "All that talking just to ask for a date" and contrasted it to the local style approach of "Eh, Tita...like go out?"

Not knowing that they were geared to one long set in a performance, I called for an intermission when it was time for "hana hou" and they gracefully agreed to come back to a second short set so we ended up with a concert plus bonus. Willie talked about his plans for future recordings and sang examples of gospel, opera, blues as the audience hung on to each note.

	Island School will never be the same again with nearly 300 folks doing the Makawao chachacha hana hou by Willie and Eric.

The audience was persistent to not leave without a "hana hou" and stood clapping long and hard until Eric and Willie finally came out and launched into a crowd-pleasing "Kachi-kachi Makawao" ... I could see the entire line of Ni'ihau kids dancing away in the top row. What a nite!

Monday night E Kanikapila Kakou at Island School, supposedly a quiet little sing-along, turned into yet another standing room only concert with Willie and Eric. Folks were there two hours early to save their seats with their sweaters and the crowd kept growing and growing all evening long.

For the first hour, Eric shared his expertise sitting out on the grass with the guitarists while Willie took on the lion's share of ukulele aficionados inside the main hall. In less than an hour, Willie had the entire ukulele gang playing in "parts" and even included the early birds with no instruments to do their part with clapping...and like a maestro with a baton, he had everyone come in together and it was like a little instant orchestra...Oh, how thrilling!

Once all the visitors -- a whole contingent from BC, people from snow country, and our loyal "snowbirds" -- were properly "lei'd" by Aunty Fran and our volunteer greeters, the music began.

Willie said his Aunty requested opera, so he launched into an aria ... what "shock and awe" on everyone's faces. It was yet another evening of fast-paced kaleidoscope of amazing guitar playing, singing every kind of song while the audience bounced, swayed, and sang along.

One audience request for a Marley song in honor of Bob Marley's birthday elicited some unrepeatable remarks from Wiilie and Eric, but surprisingly, Willie launched into a Marley favorite in its entirety.

After intermission, they invited composer/singer Madeleine Brandli, who they met at the Kaua'i' Music Festival last year, to come up and share her song. She thrilled the audience with her wonderful "Anahola Koa" while accompanying herself on her baritone ukulele for which the song was named.

	Bigger than life but down to earth, Eric (l) and Willie (r) take a moment to shaka their wonderful and appreciative Kauai audiences.

More surprises...Willie invited his beloved caretaker Aunty Arde Yamashita, who he had last sung with about 35 years ago when he was a youthful 11 year old, to come up and sing a song. Although she had not sung for years and years, her full rich voice singing "Sanoe" brought back wonderful small-kid memories to Willie...he was very definitely moved by her sharing. It was a chicken skin experience for all.

Willie shared the kind of music fare at the lua'u for visitors and then launched into the kind of music his family sang when they brought new friends home to their backyard; when he sang "Hula Makee", Karuna Thal had to jump on the stage, sweep away the wires and launch into a crowd-pleasing hula.

Too soon the "up close and personal" evening ended with everyone on their feet singing, clapping and boogieing to "Kachi-kachi Makawao".

Awesome!

Next Monday, we have a rare treat with the Kinimaka Ohana. Kapu Kinimaka-Alquiza and some members of her double-family of 13 siblings will be on hand to share their music and their mana'o. 6:00 pm for the instrumentals and 7:00- 9:00 for everyone else. Island School.

Mahalo to the Hawaii Tourism Authority and the County of Kaua'I for helping Garden Island Arts Council to "bring Arts to the People and People to the ARTS" and to Island School for providing the space.

Carol Yotsuda

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