Rashani Réa: Passionate Earth Steward
By Karen Valentine In spring 1988, Rashani Réa rode her motorbike through the vineyards, orchards, and medieval villages of southern France, a frame drum tied onto the back, stopping only to look at her map to find a spiritual community…
Cruisin’ with Kona’s Kenny Tagavilla
By Fern Gavelek Music has weaved in and out of Kenny Tagavilla’s life since small kid time. His paternal grandmother sat him down as a keiki to teach him to play ‘ukulele—but no, he didn’t want to pick it up.…
Hawaiian Hospitality with Hilo’s Songbird Christy Lassiter
By Nancy Kahalewai Since the 1800s, many different types of music have deeply and permanently influenced Hawaiian music. European folk songs and orchestras, Christian hymns, Portuguese ‘ukulele and Spanish steel guitars, Mexican ranchera and Puerto Rican rhythms, American musicals and…
Sonny’s Healing Journey Began with Music
By Carole Gariepy If you’ve stopped at Punalu‘u Bakery in Nā‘ālehu on a Thursday or Saturday, you’ve likely had the pleasure of enjoying the mellow music of Sonny Ramos. His Hawaiian and American melodies fill the air and provide an…
Chris Berry: Mastering Improvisation in the Land of Fire and Water
By Sara Stover For Grammy award winner, singer, songwriter, and drum master Chris Berry, the most important lesson in school wasn’t even part of the curriculum—improvisation. Born and raised in Sebastopol, California, Chris was just 12 years old, learning to…
Savoring the Moment with Kailee Spark
By Sara Stover It was 1997 and Kailee Spark was sitting in a sunny patch on the floor in her California home, listening to her parents’ CD Wacky Favorites over and over. The more that little, sapphire-eyed Kailee played the…
Nick Wong: Hawai‘i’s Rising Talent
By Mālielani Larish In his music video entitled “Flowers,” Hawai‘i-grown musician Nick Wong strolls through cherry blossom trees, holding hands with a mysterious person who hides behind a waterfall of black hair. They laugh, dance, and stargaze together amidst the…
Lopaka Rootz: Uplifting Listeners with Positive Vibes
By Mālielani Larish Transfixed with awe, a four-year-old Lopaka Rootz gazed upward at Ziggy Marley as he poured his soul into a performance on O‘ahu’s North Shore. Dreadlocks swaying to the irie vibes, Ziggy beamed his smiles directly at Lopaka,…
Hāwane Rios Shares Her Soul’s Purpose
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu The first time Hāwane Rios fully comprehended a legend told in the Hawaiian language, it touched her so deeply that she wrote a song to remember it. It is the love story between Poli‘ahu (goddess of the…
Pana Jones: From Ocean Waves to Airwaves
By Sara Stover “I’d say I wanna go back to my little grass shack but I’m already hereAin’t no disappearing, for me it’s clearI’m on a high, livin’ life aquaticSpear into my crystal, my blue simplistic, tropical, unique, diverse, exquisite……
Tūtū Lanakila Manini: A Hula Gem and Hawaiian Music Renaissance Torchbearer
By Lara Hughes Hose Lanakila Manini, known to many affectionately as Tūtū (grandpa) “Kila” Manini, has been singing and playing Hawaiian music for more than 50 years. Kila, who turns 89 in 2020, got his musical start in 1966 in…
Mila Polevia: Music is Home
By Catherine Tarleton Kohala is almost a mystical place,” says musician Mila Polevia, music director for St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church in Kapa‘au. “Not only is it King Kamehameha’s birthplace, it’s just kind of magical. And there’s lots of famous musicians,…
Drew Daniels: Fertility from Fire
By Mālielani Larish Everything is perfect; everything is aligning, Drew Daniels thought to himself. Gazing at soft morning clouds framing a gold-dazzled ocean, he gently rocked his baby girl to the rhythm of cane grass dancing in the wind. Two…
Maka Gallinger: A Performer with a Purpose
By Tiffany DeMasters For singer-songwriter Maka Gallinger, it’s not about the number of shows she books, but the message she spreads through her music. Born and raised in South Kona, Maka has been surrounded by music her entire life. She…
Stan Kaina: The Voice that Connected to the Aloha in Us All
By Sara Stover Hula dancer Pi‘ilani Rodrigues of Hilo passed by the enduring trees of Banyan Drive, their roots descending from thick branches towards the ground below. Heavenly music floated out of Uncle Billy’s Hilo Bay Hotel, carried into the…
Fantuzzi: Global Troubadour at Home on Hawai‘i Island
By Mᾱlielani Larish Awakening to ocean breezes and bird song, Fantuzzi looks forward to a day of wrestling with rocks, planting trees, and honoring Pele on the land in lower Puna that he calls home. After months of performing in…
Tiana Malone Jennings
By Mālielani Larish ”You are supposed to do music,” Aunty Mahealani Kuamo‘o-Henry said as she gazed steadily into Tiana Malone Jenning’s eyes. “Hawai‘i is opening up your path and refining you for your purpose in the world.” Tiana left Aunty…
Leche de Tigre: Celebrating 10 Years of Dancing and Grooving
By Karen Rose The Island of Hawai‘i is no stranger to those who love to wander. One trip to paradise can easily leave visitors yearning for a free and spirited life filled with palm trees and warm breezes. This bohemian…
Hōkū Pa‘a: The North Star of Melodic Harmonies
By Gayle Kaleilehua Greco Sitting in the ancient petroglyph fields at Waikoloa, Tani Waipā looked to the heavens for guidance on what was to be her next step in life. In moments of deep reflection and trust, Tani scanned the…
Grammy Dust: Charles Michael Brotman is Sparkling with it!
By Catherine Tarleton It’s difficult to describe Charles Michael Brotman in words. He’s a lifelong musician, songwriter, producer, mentor, and Grammy Award winner. Yet, sitting barefoot in his studio, picking the bass line for a new track—sharing it, listening, tweaking…
Kūkahi and the Love Machine
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu Kūkahi Allan Nu‘uanu Lee was only seven years old when he wrote his first song. Very interested in music at a young age, he was drawn to the piano and taught himself to play by ear at…
Beautiful Mele: Mark Saito Shares Aloha Through Song
By Karen Rose There are many ways to aloha with others. Feeling the spirit of aloha is a shared experience, and one of the most meaningful ways to feel this spirit is through song. Local Hawai‘i Island musician Mark Saito…
Brother Noland: Award-Winning Singer/Songwriter Shares his ‘Less Talk, More Do’ Philosophy
By Karen Rose Ancient wisdom declares it is best for one to pass their days through song, therefore letting their whole life be a song. Hawaiian recording artist Brother Noland, also known as the “Father of Jawaiian Music,” follows this…
Kuha‘o Makana Kawaauhau Case: Downloading from Heaven
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu When Kuha‘o Makana Kawaauhau Case plays music on the piano or organ, he can feel how his melodies affect the people listening. Kuha‘o is a self-taught musician who found his talent at the age of nine when…
Dreams Do Come True: The Musical Journey of Kris Fuchigami
By Denise Laitinen Kris Fuchigami is a study in perseverance. After picking up the ‘ukulele at age 13, the Hawai‘i Island native readily admits he dropped out of band class in school because he struggled with reading music at the…
The Alonzo Spirit Band: Music for the Soul
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu It was in 2007 when Alan “Alonzo” Rosen began hearing voices in his head; not crazy voices, but rather, he was hearing notes, lyrics, melodies, and completed songs. After meditation or sometimes in dreams, Alan would hear…
Kainani Kahaunaele: Revitalizing Hawaiian Music
By Mālielani Larish In 1999, after four months of sailing from Hawai‘i to Micronesia as a crewmember of the E Mau—Sailing the Master Home voyage, the day had arrived for Kainani Kahaunaele to give her gift to Mau Piailug. Papa…
Strike up the Band! Hawai‘i County Band Entertains Hawai‘i Island for Over 130 Years
By Karen Rose A great band makes music sound effortless—a cacophony of notes drifting through air like oxygen. Elements of music such as pitch, tempo, texture, and volume, when analyzed individually hold great importance, yet when married together, create an…
Darlene Ahuna: Celebrating Traditional Hawaiian Music
By Gayle Kaleilehua Greco The sound of her voice is unmistakable, a resounding ha‘i (falsetto) spun with the grace of serenity. You are in the presence of Darlene Ahuna, a Hawaiian traditionalist singer and musician who has been playing music…
Kalani Pe’a: Hawai‘i Island Born and Bred Artist Brings Home a Grammy
By T. Ilihia Gionson He’s come a long way from the entertainment tent at the Hawai‘i County Fair! As Kalani Pe‘a stood on the stage at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to accept the Grammy for Regional Roots Album…
