‘Oiwi Plays the EKK audience

When I asked John Mahi to send me his set list, his reply was, “I so sorry but we don’t have one we usually just go with how the crowd feels. I hope that’s ok.”

It was not only “ok”; it was stellar! ‘Oiwi went with the crowd and had everyone up on their feet dancing hula, dancing kachi-kachi and shaking out those nasty pandemic-infused cobwebs that had stiffened our joints and dulled our brains . . . it’s just what the doctor ordered. It was truly impossible to resist the urge to get up and dance with all the rest of those happy gyrating bodies. Thank you, ‘Oiwi!

‘Oiwi, or Native Sons, was slated for the final night of EKK in 2020 when everything abruptly shut down for an unknown duration. Finally, after nearly two years of everyone lock-down to keep safe, Garden Island Arts Council, with the help of our supporters, brought back a shortened version of EKK to an event-hungry community. Of course, to pick up the threads as best as we could, we invited ‘Oiwi to perform at EKK. Good choice!

John Kepa Mahi begins by acknowledging and thanking all the folks that helped to make this 39-year event possible and expressed his gratitude to be part of this program; he also acknowledged the ‘Oiwi team — the very talented Kawai’ola DJ Yaris, who inherited his musical talents from his parents, Doric and Mori Yaris, and the new kid on the block Bronson Aiwohi. Bronson is an upcoming songwriter who has been nominated for multiple Na Hoku Hanohano awards. Although all three lead separate careers as musicians, they keep the candles burning by playing music at least once a week for their gig at Troy’s. He also acknowledged his wife who is a first responder at KVMH; she and their new daughter are virtually attending on his I-Pad.

Introducing their unique ‘Oiwi sound on the instrumental Pandanus, they moved right into Catching the Wave with the golden-voiced Bronson on the vocals. Continuing with their lively ‘Oiwi sound, they treated us to their version of Koke’e with John as the lead vocal and the other two as harmonizing back-up singers. Great harmony.

If you see John in public, step up and introduce yourself. He likes to tease the kupunas who greet him in Costco, pretending to be someone else, until they walk away apologizing that they thought he was John Mahi. Fun guy.
John’s sprinkled in a lot of amusing anecdotes with his amazing gift of gab with that delightful Portugee flavor on illegal parking Hawaiian-style, Ledward Kaapana’s boots, walking away from a party with “new” slippahs, and the perennial discussion on “aging” and “weight.” A wonderful skill to have on stage; never a dull moment or down time for the audience.

A lively song about the Hawaiian sailing canoe was Na Pea/Hokulea and the Star of Gladness. An early chant by Prince Liholiho, Kamehameha II, Kalena Kai was later turned into a now classic song that John sang in his fabulous leo ki’e ki’e. John acknowledged his team who makes it look easy.

Our volunteers took a moment for a pleasant interruption of lei’ing the musicians. The amazing Polei Palmeira, our resident lei maker, who turns all the blossoms in her garden into a profuse bounty of scented gifts, brought enough lei to deck the artists, the entire team from KVB and our guests Bob Leathers and Cheryl Nickels who spear-headed the many decades of building the fantastic Kamalani playgrounds at Lydgate. Tommy Noyes, the unrelenting champion of the Lydgate parks who oversees that the parks are always kept in tip-top shape by community volunteers for the enjoyment of Kauaians and visitors, was also recognized. Thank you, Polei, for helping us to honor these special folks.

image by Sol Kanoho

Huge applause followed Kawai’ola Yaris’s version of a beautiful Hawaiian classic, Ku’u Hoa, followed by another favorite, Ei Nei, by Bronson in his crooning best.

Earlier in the evening, the group had taught the ‘ukulele circle the hula favorite, Papalina Lahilahi, so John invited the ‘ukulele players to join in the song and invited the hula dancers to come up to the stage. A hula opportunity like this was not to be passed up as ten dancers ran up to the stage to join the action. This song was dedicated to the late legendary kumu hula Johnny Lum Ho. The room came alive with dancers sprouting up all over the room.

Do you remember the days of Gladys Knight and the Pips? Changing his voice into the style of Gladys Knight, John started to sing The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me. With Kawai’ola pumping out the bass, John and Bronson stepping it up with the guitar, and all three harmonizing, they really killed it. Two couples got up to the dance floor and began cutting up the rug with their enthusiastic ballroom dancing.

Lyn McNutt brought the Kamoa ‘ukulele up to show the audience what a great gift was being given away tonight; the group started a traditional chant, No Ke Ano Ahiahi, with rock style instrumentation . . . that was pretty unusual, but unusual seemed to be the order of the night by ‘Oiwi.

After the Intermission, it was time to do the CD give-away to those who had taken the time to fill out their sign-in sheets — Stephanie Jalinda from Germany, Lorraine Acosta from Elkin, Laura Salo from Santa Rosa, Tom Berg from Minnesota, Sharon Gonsalves from Princeville, Vickie Hartley from Kapa’a, Diane Gerard from Lawai. Tonight’s ‘ukulele winner was one very happy lady as she jumped up and down and raced to the stage to pick up her beautiful Kamoa ‘ukulele. Kim from the state of Maine. Lois Kay Cole from Gassaway, WV, was recognized for her very generous support of EKK.

John also recognized Kumu Dennis Chun, who had just stepped into the ballroom, taking a moment from his weekly gig in Shutter’s Lounge. Dennis was one of the three leaders responsible for the building of the Kaua’i voyaging canoe Namahoe; John also pointed out that the Hokulea has just embarked on their new journey to Tahiti.

As his intro to one of the really awesome falsetto songs, John talked about his visit to one of the hottest places in the world, Kona on Hawai’i Island. What a chicken-skin version of I Kona by one of Kauai’s most amazing falsetto singers. Honestly, Led Kaapana should have been here to hear John sing this song.

Calling up his good friend and well-known cultural treasure on Kaua’i – Lady Ipo Kahaunaele-Ferreira, John sent out hau’oli la hanau wishes to the Queen of Hula decked out for her birthday with three full strands of puakenikeni leis. She was elegance in motion as she started to hula to the wonderful song, Aloha Kaua’i. She was joined by Sabra Kauka, Madeleine Guyett, Eleni Gillespie, Aunty Bev Muraoka, Lei Kirkpatrick and 10 other hula dancers. Too much fun!

Once again, John Mahi pulled up his country music voice to celebrate the country music by Lady Judds. The song called Country Lady and Grandpa (Tell Me Bout The Good Old Days) got the dancing couples up to dance to the nostalgic music. They really got the music of the good ol’ days down pat.

Lei Ho’ohena was composed by Lady Ipo’s daughter, Kainani Kahaunaele, the award-winning Na Hoku Hanohano “female vocalist of the year”. Kawai’ola took the lead on the vocals and did a fantastic job of capturing the haunting lyrics of this song by a one-time Anahola resident. Ha’a Hula/ Shall We Dance brought up several hula dancers who you could call “wallflower” dancers as they hung out along the wall.

image by Kathleen Ho

With help from “Uncle Google” and “Aunty Siri” to make sure he gets his lyrics right, John adjusted his I-pad to get ready for the next song which he had not sung for awhile; he must have been saving all his “juju” for tonight. It was an absolute chicken-skin moment when his falsetto rose to the ceiling singing Kalama’ula. His falsetto is breathtaking

Aunty Bev Muraoka slowly trudged up to the stage…. “Is she going to dance to this song”, I wondered? But NO! she tossed a handful of green bills onto the stage. Audience started screaming. I had a handful of bills that had been falling out of my notepad all evening, so I walked up to the stage and tossed the green stuff onto the stage. Right after me, the gorgeous Sue Kanoho stepped up and tossed her greenbacks; that opened the floodgates as, one after the other, audience members started running up to the stage as Kepa’s voice rang out higher and higher and longer and longer. It was “a crescendo moment!”

image by Kathleen Ho

Kepa said, “Can you believe, this song was a request and see what happened.” He turned his I-pad around facing the floor of the stage and talked to his wife on the other end, “Honey! We can go to Vegas!” He thanked GIAC once again for inviting them to be part of this program; EKK features many performers that he has admired over the years.

Kawai’ola then called upon his ‘ohana from the westside to come up and dance the halau hula Ke Kau’oha Kumukahi, a song that was composed by his mom back in the day. It’s so wonderful to see the ‘ohana carrying on the tradition of hula and music that Doric and Momi had set in motion.

In the early days folks used to confuse John with Darren Benitez, another outstanding falsetto singer from west Kaua’i. “I will borrow one of his songs since he still owes me money.” He then launched into the rapid-fire Palo Palito. Suddenly, the entire floor was full of kachi-kachi dancers and the audience was a sea of bodies bouncing in their seats. “More! More! More!” Came the shouts from the audience. Quick to oblige with his tongue rolling and grunts in his throat, he continued with another catchy latino-beat song. The audience was just eating it up!

“Mercy! We have to take this down a notch! We will now feature Bronson with his original Kauai On My Mind.” His song named all the well-known favorite places on the island.

“I’m going to borrow a hit song from country music’s Chris Stapleton.” John’s voice took on a whole different ambiance as he sang his own version of Tennessee Whiskey, complete with his falsetto wailing that made this John Mahi version truly memorable. He once again showed his versatility and command of so many styles of music. What a voice! What a guy!

John credits his accomplishments on his upbringing. When you Portuguese, you get the slap between the shoulder blades that puts you in your place growing up. It’s a Portuguese trick. “For all those with country in their blood, I dedicate this Hawaiian Cowboy yodeling song.” Yodeling is something of a mystery to me. How can singers do that with their vocal chords? I have heard yodelers many times but listening to John is quite an experience . . . he goes on and on and on with his waggling tongue going ninety miles an hour. . . and the crowd just loved it. Screaming and yelling and jumping all around, the crowd was just beside themselves with happy vibes.

The audience loves to end each program holding hands and singing their favorite Hawai’i Aloha, but one could hear the difference when they are so pumped up with adrenalin; the room was so rich with voices it was like being in church singing this beloved hymn.

We have one more Monday with our regular EKK program featuring the Malie Foundation and their selected kumu hula, Maka Herrod, Troy Hinano Lazaro, and Wailana Dasalia to lead the audience in their favorite Community Hula Night. Chanel Flores will be teaching ‘ukulele, and music will be provided by Garrett Santos, Chanel Flores, Anuhea Kaauwai Herrod and Lady Ipo Kahuanaele-Ferreira. All audience members are invited to come early at 5:00 and learn a hula with their favorite kumu hula and perform on stage.

We take a short break and finish the season with a concert on May 30 with Makana as host and many presenters honoring the “Musical Legends” who need to be remembered for the legacy they left with us.

image by Kathleen Ho

A Note from ‘Oiwi: Miss Carol the boys and I would like to send a huge Mahalo to you and everyone at EKK. Our deepest gratitude to you for allowing us to share our music and our humor. Thank you for all that you do and for all the years that you have done it. Thank you very much from the bottom of our hearts.

***Photos courtesy of Kathleen Ho & Mike Teruya***

If you have a disability and need assistance for Monday events, email Garden Island Arts Council at giac05@icloud.com.
Info at www.gardenislandarts.org — “Celebrating 44 years of bringing ARTS to the people and people to the ARTS”

Funding for E Kanikapila Kakou 2022 Hawaiian Music Program is made possible by Hawai’i Tourism Authority, with support from Kauai Visitors Bureau, Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau, National Endowment for the Arts, the Kaua’i Beach Resort, Kamoa ‘Ukulele, Kauai Festivals and the Garden Island Arts Council supporters.

The Best of Kupaoa

Spring is definitely here; the air was fragrant with the overpowering scent of puakenikeni and maile; green jade leis made of every possible stage of the exotic blossoms were worn by audience members. The entire Paik ‘Ohana from the north shore was present to support their musical stars. Happily, visitors from Madrid, Spain and Canada are present, so it looks like traveling is opening up. Walter and Mimi Levison, long-time “snowbird” supporters, were lei’d on their last night of EKK as they bid farewell to their many friends and prepare to live full time on the mainland.

Kupaoa, whose name means “fragrance”, once again came to share their music in tonight’s “The Best of Kupaoa.” What a treat in store for us. Lihau and Kellen were very frank about the impact of Covid on their vocal chords and strumming hands as such a lengthy recess from live concerts, rehearsals and performances made them feel a bit rusty from their usual performing selves. “Let’s dust off the cobwebs and see if we remember how to play and sing. Every song we get through with no mistakes, we bump our knuckles together.” They have not been on stage since the last time they came to EKK when they had their first daughter Jemma. Six months ago they had their second daughter Maizie who is here with them tonight.

Photo Credit: Mike Teruya

They shared their powerful and unique sound of Pili O Ke Ao from their first album in 2008. Their harmonious voices, like the fragrance filling the room, enveloped the audience thirsty for live music. It’s a joy to see Kellen’s exuberant style of singing; it’s still there! This song is from a chant about Goddesses Pele and Hi’iaka and their respective visits to Kaua’i; it’s about the early morning dawning of the new day when one should be deep in slumberland with a beloved and others are just getting off from work. Pele who hails from the Kilauea Caldeira traveled in spirit to Ha’ena where she first set eyes on Lohi’au, the new object of her affections. Hula dancer Pohaikauilani Campbell, Lihau’s God Sister and long-time friend, came out in her attractive dark purple hula dress with aqua floral designs; she moved gracefully through the song Ha’ena, the site of Pele’s legendary encounters. This song is on their Ho’okele album.

Photo Credit: Mike Teruya

They did a few shows in California, ‘Oahu, Hawai’i Island just before the Delta surge, but it soon became apparent that they were not going to be doing any live shows for a while. Although they resisted social media at first, they took to social media to keep in touch with their fans during the pandemic. Facebook Live posed a steep learning curve for them as they had to invest in a lot of new equipment to produce the sounds they needed. They started a program called “Jemma Jam” in the spring followed by a summer series called “KoAloha Live” with support from the KoAloha ‘Ukulele Company. Their new venture into social media turned out amazing as it pushed them to explore new songs requested by their online audience. One of the songs they had always wanted to add to their repertoire was the slack key classic by Jerry Santos of Olomana, Ku’u Home ‘O Kahalu’u; Kellen picking the melody on his guitar certainly has not lost his touch.

One of his explorations during the pandemic was to switch to playing the ‘ukulele, something that he had been wanting to do for a long time, but life on the road makes it hard to realize his dream to make an album with his friend Mark Yamanaka. Everyday Local, a creative outlet for Kellen and Mark with songs that did not fit on either a Kupaoa album or a Mark Yamanaka solo album, was released on New Year’s Eve. Of course, the characteristic family banter between Kellen and Lihau revealed some background on the challenges for Kellen to make an album without Lihau in it. Lihau made it clear that she played a part in it . . . a small but important part. The audience loved Kellen’s first-time-in-public performance on the ‘ukulele. Also premiering tonight was the hula to this super fast-paced Oni A Ka Moku that was choreographed a week ago by Frank Ka’anana Akima with the help of Puakea Nogelmeier. The hula was not only a tongue-twister song, it was also a rapid-fire hip-twister hula perfect for aerobics or Zumba practitioners. Screams of appreciation greeted both the ‘ukulele song and the hula. During the first year of EKK back in 1984, hapa-haole singer Sol Bright described the instrument on ships that measured the rolling of the ships; it was the suggestive shape of the oni a ka moku instrument that was most interesting to him.

Photo Credit: Mike Teruya

Requests on their “Jemma Jams” online program asked for classic country which coaxed Kupaoa to explore songs from the 50’s and ‘60’s; this expanded their repertoire in a new direction. “Whatever happened to this awesome music,” asked Lihau. They wanted to share the song Sad Movies (make me cry). This oldie but goodie by Sue Thompson (The Sad Sisters) was definitely a new sound for them which they added to their repertoire. Those who follow Kupaoa know that there is always something new with this group. Kellen’s new ‘ukulele album features the shoyu bottle motif on Everyday Local. This might have been inspired by the Sunday Manoa with their “Guava Jam” and “Crackseed” album covers. He held up his pineapple-shaped ‘ukulele and wished out loud for his next pineapple- shaped ‘ukulele to look like a shoyu bottle. Lihau pointed out that she designed the shoyu bottle cover.

Kellen sings Stars & Moon Slack Key on their CD; it’s a cross between Hawaiian and Country that was written by Harold Kama, Jr., the brother-in-law of the bassist of the Kaua’i composer Jimmy Kaholokula. It’s a very local style love song that speaks of many things treasured by the locals. Kellen’s pa’ani on the ‘ukulele was as great as shoyu.

Of course, no Kaua’i concert is ever complete without Dennis Kamakahi’s Koke’e. What was very fresh about the song tonight was the emotional hula rendition by the gorgeous hula dancer Matt DelRosario, a friend of Lihau since small kid time. He simply emotes on stage with his fluid hula twists and turns; it brought new meaning to the lyrics . . . lot of cheers from the audience.

Matt stepped on stage and modeled the striking Liko Lehua silk screen shirt, designed by cousin Candace Paik. This is a new item for the Puahina line of local-style wearables owned for the past 25 years by Loui and Fumi Cabeba. Just two months ago, Kellen and Lihau Paik took over the ownership of the company that for many years provided them with their concert attire. A huge part of the Puahina market is their annual participation in the Merrie Monarch Crafts Fair which is right around the corner. The couple is hard at work with on-the-job training producing the attractive and popular local attire in time for the MM Crafts Fair. Two new designs modeled by the artists tonight are called the Kaliko Lehua Kea named after Jemma and Lau Koa named after baby Maizie. The new business venture is a family affair.

A perennial discussion that seems to come up every time Lihau and Kellen step on stage is about Lihau’s 2007 birthday gift to Kellen. They had just spent every penny on their first album; Lihau had no money to buy Kellen a birthday gift, so she instead composed a song for Kellen titled Lei Mokihana which likened him to the scented island berry. She reminded Kellen that she is still waiting for his song for her. Kellen’s weak disclaimer: “I dunno how to describe you in Hawaiian! I’m still learning, and I haven’t gotten there yet. So I bought her a present; she wrote me a song.” It’s been only 15 years.

Lihau said they wanted to sing a special song for a longtime friend Susan who was going to be moving back to the California where they first met. On their Bum-Bye album, Pakalana A Ka Pu’uwai is definitely a very special song composed by Lihau for her maternal grandmother about her favorite flower . . . the pakalana. Lihau’s affection for her grandma was evident in the way she sang it. It’s great how Lihau sings one verse followed by Kellen on the second verse; then the beautiful harmony on the third verse. They really know how to deliver.

Photo Credit: Kathleen Ho

The song that Kellen had taught the ‘ukulele circle at the beginning of the evening was Wa’a Hokule’a, a song composed by Larry Kimura celebrating Hawaii’s voyaging canoe that sailed around the world. It’s on their recent Ka Lei Moana album. The canoe was a cornerstone of the Hawaiian Renaissance. This was also taught to the hula circle so both ‘ukulele players and hula dancers stepped up to the stage to share the mele with Frank, Pohai and Matt leading the hula. Audience participation is one of those very special things about EKK that folks really love; everyone can get into the act and express their appreciation for the songs and hula that are a big part of our culture. Amazing that they can dance so proficiently in a 45-minute lesson.

Just before the intermission, Kellen played the Kamoa ‘ukulele to show how great it sounds while a bevy of “Boro Boro” beauties modeled some of the upcycled garments from our “Boro Boro Boutique”. The minute-long runway fashion show was a sweet interlude before everyone got into intermission mode.

The biggest surprise of all was the winner of the ‘ukulele giveaway whose prime reason for purchasing a donation ticket was to support the cause. Good intentions reap its reward for his name was called for the second week in a row to receive the Kamoa ‘ukulele as his prize. “Onio Punzal! Come on up and get your Kamoa ‘ukulele!”

Photo Credit: Kathleen Ho

To start off the second half of the evening, Kupaoa brought back a Dennis Kamakahi favorite. He was one of the composers that skillfully bridged the folk country and Hawaiian genres with many memorable songs. Lei Kupukupu, on their Ho’okele album, is a gorgeous song, especially when Kupaoa sing it with their special magic on their Ho’okele album.

Their good friend Mark Yamanaka’s wife Leilani is originally from Texas. When she moved to Hawai’i Island, she became a part of the family coffee farms in Laupahoehoe on the Hamakua coast where her grandparents work hard to grow their coffee. Leilani asked Kellen to write a song to describe the present-day farm as it may one day become a historical landmark. Like Dennis, Kellen tried to bridge the country folk and the Hawaiian genre in Waipunalei; it’s on their Everyday Local album. Hopefully, the coffee farms will remain as they are today. If it changes hands and changes in its use, this song will become a landmark song.

The title track on their latest CD, Ka Lei Moana, is a song composed by their mentor Puakea Nogelmeier. Written originally as a chant, the lyrics of this song has a timeless message about the importance of water and of the connectedness of all things using the water cycle as the metaphor. Frank skillfully managed to translate all those words into beautiful hula motions.

Photo Credit: Mike Teruya

Song composers are born storytellers. Their songs have to the ability to share so much in their lyrics. Lihau admires the amazing Dolly Parton for her ability to tell her story in a way that holds you spellbound. One of 12 children in Tennessee, she has risen from rags to riches and really turned it around during her illustrious 70-year career with a reputation that is impeccable. One of her current projects titled “Imagination Library” provides a book every month to children under age 5 living on West Kauai and the North Shore with the help of local businesses such as KIUC, the County, and the State of Hawai’i. As a request from Uncle Donald, they wanted to share Dolly Parton’s story in her song titled Coat of Many Colors; it clearly tells the story of her unmatched rise to stardom. Lihau confessed that she had to fire all cylinders to get all those words into the song. Thank you! It’s a gift! (I was so moved by this song that I came home and sewed a new mu’umu’u of many colors, using up my batik scrap fabric.)

Hula dancer Matt returned to the stage for a premiere hula performance of the charming song Lio Kiwi about the horned horse or unicorn that was based on the poem by Shel Silverstein. The poem was put to music and performed by the Irish Rovers and translated into Hawaiian by Kaua’i composer James Kaholokula. This adorable tongue-twister song explains why we don’t see any unicorns today. Matt was the perfect dancer for this song as he is a storyteller and a comic all in one; the audience loves him. This was also one of Jemma’s favorite songs; having kids is definitely impacting the couple’s choice of songs . . . all good!

Lihau said we’re going to share a song with “no more plenny words” by Kellen and Mark who are not only musicians but big fans of ocean sports. At any time, you can find them fishing, diving, and surfing in the ocean. Kellen wrote We’re Gonna Surf while sitting on Mark’s couch; it’s a song written in the style of Ka’au Crater Boys; it’s definitely a favorite of water babies of every calling. You can hear many of the Kupaoa songs on the television Fishing Channels.

Definitely a love song for the the multi-colored hau blossoms lining Kalihiwai River, Lihau shared one of her favorite stories about her river excursion with Kellen many years ago. It’s all about the destination for Kellen, the three waterfalls at the end of Kalihiwai river. With Lihau, it’s all about the journey paddling leisurely up the river and enjoying the profusion of hau blossoms that she collected onto her paddle board. Hula dancer Pohai, dressed in a beautiful two-piece turquoise outfit with silkscreened floral designs, brings to life the lyrics of the song Pua Hau ‘Ula.

One of their favorite country western singer is Alison Krauss. To share this connection they sang one of her sad songs titled Ghost In This House; Kellen loves the emotional sad songs. Lihau’s voice rings out so pure and clear in this slow ballad and Kellen’s harmony is always spot-on. His expressiveness while singing is one of the highlights of their singing. I’m now a fan of sad songs.

Lihau acknowledged Kilauea Social Club for teaching them Beautiful Sunday, a single recorded by Daniel Boone. It became very famous in Kwajlein Islands where the uncles used to work. While in Japan Kupaoa did not have a hula song which they needed to not lose the crowd, so they had to find a song with a good beat. When they started signing Beautiful Sunday, their entire audience of mostly age 65+ stood up and started to wave their hands around and burst out in song. The song turned out to be a one-hit wonder for a group in Japan who recorded Subarashi Sunday; the song became an instant hit. It’s still a super popular song in Japan so they added it to their Japan repertoire.

“In a ‘Best of Kupaoa’ show, we would be remiss to not include the song Bumbye. Pohai and Frank joined Kupaoa and their daughter Jemma, dancing their hula to this catchy song composed by Puakea Nogelmeier for Ku’uipo Kumukahi’s mother. The message is to not take things for granted and do what you need today because tomorrow may be too late. This song pops up everywhere . . . even on a spear-fishing show where everyone is running around weighing their fish to find the winner.

Photo credit:Kathleen Ho

The audience joined hands to sing along with Kellen and Lihau Paik to bring another memorable concert to a close. Kupaoa, from their first EKK performance to the present, has secured their spot as one of the EKK favorites. Their shows are just what music-starved audiences need right now. Even the sad songs are uplifting.

*** Photos Courtesy of Mike Teruya & Kathleen Ho***

If you have a disability and need assistance for Monday events, email Garden Island Arts Council at giac05@icloud.com

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Info at www.gardenislandarts.org — “Celebrating 44 years of bringing ARTS to the people and people to the ARTS”

Funding for E Kanikapila Kakou 2022 Hawaiian Music Program is made possible by Hawai’i Tourism Authority, with support from Kauai Visitors Bureau, Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau, National Endowment for the Arts, the Kaua’i Beach Resort, Kamoa ‘Ukulele, Kauai Festivals and the Garden Island Arts Council supporters.

How Ledward Keeps It Fresh

If you see Led in concert 25 times, you see 25 different concerts. How does he do it? Each concert is a fresh new show for Ledward because he plays for each audience and each audience helps to create the show by how they respond to his music. Same thing on Monday night as Led stepped up on stage with his trusty young bass player Jesse Gregorio.

Ledward Kaapana needs no introduction to the music fans of the world but it’s good to share that among his many honors, this very special artist received a Grammy for the Best Hawaiian Album of the Year in 2010; the following year in 2011 the National Endowment for the Arts bestowed on him the National Heritage Award, the highest honor in folk and traditional arts in America.

Before the main program began, a small circle of ‘ukulele players were gifted with an ‘ukulele sing-along with Led – a private mini-concert just for them. What a gift!

From the first sound of the pu by Onio Punzal until the last refrains of Hawaii Aloha, the full house EKK audience, many of them kama’aina, sat spellbound by the irrepressible music of Led Kaapana.

Since his last visit to EKK three years ago when bass player Jesse Gregorio made his first trip to Kaua’i, Led’s been on an extended vacation … like the rest of the world. Until his recent mainland tour, He has been playing on Facebook, but it’s just not the same as playing for a live audience. So he’s very happy to be at EKK.

Led considers himself lucky to have grown up in Kalapana on Hawai’i island with its no-electricity primitive lifestyle where the 2:00 alarm clock was his uncle playing Pu?uanahulu . . . it’s time to get up and light the lanterns and listen to uncle play. Led takes us back to Kalapana with this song. Their home had two bedrooms, a porch and a kitchen for his large family of six boys and five girls…some of them, including Led, slept out in the yard. Another Led favorite is Radio Hula / My Yellow Ginger Lei; he was just hoping that no one falls asleep … but then, he considers someone falling asleep is actually a compliment.

Solomon Aikau used to play Kolomona Slack Key, a fast-paced instrumental with his always unexpected surprise ending; every time the audience thrills to his new surprise ending, he sends out his signature “giggle”. If you listen very carefully, he has many different “giggles”, each one a response to different audience applause. Someone suggested that he needed to record all his “giggles” one day.

His lilting and effortless falsetto, so pure and beautiful, to the hula mele Nani composed by the late Auntie Alice Namakelua brought Auntie Ihi’ihi Kaneali’i to the stage with her trusty walker; although he saw only Auntie’s backside, he certainly could read her enticing come-on gestures sent out to the audience. “Awesome! Mahalo! I am thankful to learn from my parents to play from the inside so I can really feel the ‘chicken-skin blessing’ when the aunties come up to the stage to dance.”

Leonard Kwan’s slack key number ?Opihi Moemoe is always a crowd pleaser as Led acknowledged artists like Ray Kane, Sonny Chillingworth, Palani Vaughan and others who paved the way for the younger artists.

He recently recorded Hele Wawae which he composed while walking the 3-mile stroll with his friend at 4:30 every morning. He pointed out that everybody was passing them, but his friend reassured him that they were just walking for comfort, not speed. He takes his walks really seriously as some of his online videos show the paths that they walk along. He also takes the viewer around his yard of precious plants that survive his being away on tour because of his helpful neighbor.

When he was in California playing a Graziano ‘ukulele, a man walked up and invited him to breakfast the next day. He offered Led his ‘ukulele “no strings attached.” He calls it the Moore Better ‘Ukulele because his name is Chuck Moore. With Led’s flying fingers, the ‘ukulele was elevated to “Moore Moore Better” and we are the witness to that.

A song that Led really loves is Stevie Wonder’s Lately; it was just plain beautiful. He confessed, “We laugh and smile because every time I play the song…it’s the same song but sounds different every time. Because I play with feeling, the song comes out different every time.” Yes! That is a typical Ledward strategy that keeps it fresh for him. And Jesse seems to be able to keep right up with the changes. Although a man of few words, he did say to Ledward, “You step my toes all the time.” Led shared his appreciation for his bass player. He took Jesse to Las Vegas where Jesse took an unfortunate miss-step and fell to the ground and sprained his ankle. Although he bounced right back up, his ankle got really swollen so he was stuck in the hotel room. Jesse’s come-back, “Really saved money!”

In the early days of learning to play, the elders referred to the chords with made-up names such as “second G” or “second F”, etc. When he was playing with Hui ‘Ohana, his fellow artist asked him to play a C7, and Led said he didn’t know what a C7 was. When Led showed him the chord on the ‘ukulele, the other artist said, “That’s a C7!” Led told him that the elders called it a “second F”. After that incident he made it a point to learn the correct names of each chord so he could be on the same page with everyone else. Led acknowledged his loyal “Led-Head fans” who are currently attending Keola Beamer’s week-long workshop at the Courtyard in Waipouli. He played Lady of Spain with his special flair for his loyal fans.

Back in the day, when he was playing music in the high school band, he kept hearing a note in his head so he played it. “Stop!” the band teacher silenced the rehearsal and asked Led to show him where the note is on the paper? Led confessed that the note was in his head, not on the sheet. Band teacher told him to just play the notes on the sheet. He asked Led to stay in after class and asked him about the notes in his head. “You know what that means if you see all these notes in your head? It’s called a gift!” And thereafter, he let Led play all the notes that were floating around in his head even if it did not show up on the song sheets. Wise Teacher.

When they were living in the boonies of Kalapana, they had a small transistor radio that played nothing but humming static. His brother had the bright idea to tweak the transistor with some copper wire tied up to the top of the coconut tree. To their delight they were able to catch the radio station on ‘Oahu; one of the songs he heard and loved was Love Is Blue. The way he played it was definitely not what they heard on the static-filled transistor radio, but that was the Ledward magic at work…input one way and output totally “da bomb.” His fingering is impeccable as he cradles his ‘ukulele and make it sound like a whole orchestra playing the song. He topped off the song with, “I gotta make sure I don’t hit the wrong note, huh?”

Mizu steps up to the stage with the Kamoa electric ‘ukulele that was being given away tonight. Led plugged it in and with just a few loving strokes on the instrument he put it into action as only he can. I had earlier asked him to provide the music on the Kamoa ‘ukulele for our mini runway fashion show. He was happy to oblige.

During lockdown, our ladies have been busy creating upcycled garments for the “BoroBoro Boutique”; sewing mu’umu’u for themselves was one of the projects. Showing off their stylish mu’umu’u were master seamstress Bev Montel, former fashion designer Jodi Ascuena, glamourous Dona Cunningham, mu’umu’u princess Shannon Hiramoto, neophyte seamstress Rieko Miyata, stylish Eve Neibel, our westside queen Mizu Sumida, and in-sync Cheryl Shintani wearing a Sonny Ching original topped off with a colorful lei po’o made by Firipi Salas.

It was short and sweet, especially with the instrumental E Ku?u Morning Dew on the electric Kamoa ‘ukulele. When the ladies exited the runway, he continued the favorite Eddie Kamae song with his awesome singing. Ihi’ihi’ Kaneali’i, of course, did not miss the opportunity to accompany the awesome lyrics to a loved one with her expressive hand motions.

Intermission is a short but lively time for the audience to get CD’s and signature from the artist, try their luck to win the Kamoa ‘Ukulele, frequent the many concessions and talk story with old and new friends.

A young lady all the way from Turkey, Peggy Kemp of Kapa’a, Wendy Brian from Vancouver BC, Stacy Gills from Canada, William Swanson and Larry Nager from Kalaheo were the happy winners of the CD Giveaway. Carol gave kudos to Peggy Kemp for her important role in helping to format and send out the bi-monthly GIAC E-calendar which everyone follows to know what’s going on on Kaua’i. For a year-and-a-half the calendar was really empty but suddenly it was full of great events including EKK.

Now was the time to draw one name for the winner of the ‘ukulele. Because all the volunteers had entered, the name had to be pulled out by Ledward. A huge cheer went up when Onio Punzal was announced as the lucky winner; Kamoa ‘Ukulele Owner Sam Bonanno presented the electric ‘ukulele to ecstatic Onio.

Awwwrai-i-i-i-i-i-i-i….Led went right into action with his slack key guitar with one of his favorite songs — Koke?e by his dear friend, the late Dennis Kamakahi. Dancers immediately raced up to the stage to show off their choreography. Never fails! Koke’e is definitely a Kaua’i favorite hula mele.

Kumukahi Lighthouse written by his aunt, the late Grace McBride, tells the story of the now legendary lava flow in Kapoho which flowed all the way down to the lighthouse and then split in two and went around the lighthouse. At an earlier EKK, one of the artists gave the full story about how the faithful lighthouse keeper would not leave this treasured beacon even as the lava came snaking toward the lighthouse. Fortunately, the miracle took place and the lighthouse was saved.

He fondly recalled the days when the neighborhood parties at their home in Kalapana went on for months … not weeks … but for months. It was potluck heaven and his mother always sang the song Wai Olu. In his relaxed nahenahe style so reminiscent of backyard kanikapila, he shared his Mother’s favorite song in both Hawaiian and English with his lilting falsetto and amazing pa’ani. It was like a hymn and a love song all rolled into one. So much feeling pours out when he sings these old-time family songs. Silver Strings Among the Gold is slack key virtuosity at its finest as Led picks and strums effortlessly through the song with many other melodies intricately woven into the basic song.

Led changes the pace with a Kaua’i favorite Hula O Makee; the beautiful Mehana Blaich Vaughan, gracious Sabra Kauka, and the irrepressible Ihi’ihi Kaneali’i doing the noho hula from her trusty walker lead the hula charge on the song about Captain Makee’s macho adventures. Led medleys into Ka Uluwehi O Ke Kai while hula dancers pop up all over the ballroom. Seeing the audience response got Led so turned on . . . you can just hear the kolohe oozing out of his singing as he grunts, growls, and laughs the feisty lyrics of the famous seaweed hula.

Hana Hou! Hana Hou! Audience shouts for more of the same. You can see by now that Ledward had really got into the Kaua’i hula groove. Jesse kids him, “Working hard, eh?” All of a sudden, he starts favoring his leg which had unexpectedly cramped. “I going dedicate this song to me because the cramp in my back is killing me slowly. What’s good for cramps? Mustard!” he answers his own question. He twists and turns to adjust his back with obvious discomfort on his face, but like the trooper that he is, he starts the sensitive picking and strumming for the classic Killing Me Softly. That did the trick!

No concert would ever be complete without Ledward’s signature playfulness with his unmatched Chicken In A Straw. “It’s a small chicken; you know how small a straw is, eh?” Yes, but it’s a huge song with a great beat and awesome pa’ani all the way through with those recognizable ditties woven into the song. “I love to play ‘ukulele … easy because only four strings.” Yes! He makes it all look so easy.

He announced his next song as Spanish Eyes and somehow started playing Dr. Zhivago’s theme song Somewhere My Love instead. After the song ended, he turned to Jesse and apologized that he put Jesse on the spot because somehow he started with the wrong chord and ended up playing a song that he had not played for quite awhile. Jesse followed Led’s lead with no strain, no stress. When we asked Jesse later how he was able to follow along, he said that he remembered they had played Dr. Zhivago several years ago so he remembered the song and was able to switch gears with no problem. Back to the intended song, he launched into Spanish Eyes effortlessly and Jesse followed right along. Without stopping, he played the easily recognizable Never On a Sunday with a Latin beat moving up octave after octave with a lot of modulation. He loves to tease the audience with his trick endings; you can really tell when he is having fun because he gives a huge laugh instead of a giggle.

“I love this song!” Yes, Sanoe is one of those unforgettable Hawaiian melodies that sticks with you once you hear it, and so it is with Ledward. Nahenahe is really where it’s at for him; it’s his comfort zone; it’s his bedrock. Led shared that it was so sad that this was such a short visit “but it’s really worth the trip to see all you EKK guys”. He thanked everyone who made it possible for him to return to Kaua’i. He acknowledged Jesse once again and revealed that Jesse had asked him to teach him how to sing. I guess that calls for another concert in the future.

One day a man came to Led’s house because he wanted to learn to play Radio Hula/My Yellow Ginger Lei. The man wanted to write down the tabs so he could play it later; he diligently took notes as Led played the song. Because Led plays with feeling, the lesson did not go as the man wanted. Every time he wrote down a note, the next time around the note was different. Led apologized, “Sorry but if you play with me and I play a song ten times, I going play it different ten times.” So frustrated was the gentleman that he said, “Okay, let’s go to the movies instead.”

Shifting gears, Ledward turned on his Ray Kane voice and sang Wai o Ke Aniani to honor the late great Ray Kane. Shifting gears again, he launched into John Cruz’s popular storytelling song about the way we do things in the islands, Island Style, and ended with his characteristic ‘Weehaw” but the audience screams hana hou! hana hou!

“Okay, all the hula dancers come up and dance,” he invited as he started his awesome falsetto, I Kona. Sure enough, dancers whose dream it was to dance a hula to Led’s singing came up to the stage. Like hitting the magic hula button, he started singing Hanalei Moon and hula dancers sprouted up all over the ballroom like flowers in a pasture. What an awesome sight! What a moment to treasure!

Ledward started with gusto Hawai’i Aloha but as the audience joined the song, he moved to singing the echo and let the audience carry the ball to their favorite closing song. What an unforgettable evening!

***Photos courtesy of Kathleen Ho***

If you have a disability and need assistance for Monday events, email Garden Island Arts Council at giac05@icloud.com.
Info at www.gardenislandarts.org — “Celebrating 44 years of bringing ARTS to the people and people to the ARTS”

Funding for E Kanikapila Kakou 2022 Hawaiian Music Program is made possible by Hawai’i Tourism Authority, with support from Kauai Visitors Bureau, Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau, National Endowment for the Arts, the Kaua’i Beach Resort, Kamoa ‘Ukulele, Kauai Festivals and the Garden Island Arts Council supporters.