Maila Gibson's album "More"

I saw Maila perform a duet with Hookena at the 2010 Hawaii Grammy's night at the Hawaii State Art Museum. It was an amazing outdoor concert featuring all of the state's best Grammy winners.

To see these legendary singers, groups and bands perform in a low key venue, free to the public, and without airs--in true Hawaiian spirit and hospitality, was truly refreshing. I don't imagine seeing Grammy winners gather together for an event like this in Hollywood. But here in Hawaii, it was the artists' way of saying mahalo to all of their loyal supporters. What a magnificent evening it was.

For some reason, out of the many many talented and famous Hawaiian artists, Maila's performance stood out to me. I don't know if it's because she was the underdog (newbie) of the evening (her experience mainly as a worship singer at New Hope Church) or if it was her stage presence or voice. But I liked her.

Great news is that she finally finished an album and it's due to come out soon. Ben and Maila's new 2010 album is entitled "More" and can be pre-ordered on mele.com (site to buy hawaiian music CDs) or by clicking here.

[mahalo to ry]

India Arie

i first heard about india arie through friends who know her. while i like some but not all of her songs and style, i mainly appreciate the raw-life issues she speaks of as a woman of color through lyric and composition. most of all, i simply appreciate her song titles.

"therapy" (video below)
"he heals me"
"wings of forgiveness"
"butterfly"

Jake Shimabukuru - Ukulele guru

Wow! No wonder he's is a local favorite. Jake is a contemporary ukulele-ist who infuses old world Hawaii tradition with a contemporary rock and jazz style, expressed with passion from a heart, spirit and soul of a true bluesy artist born with a talented pair of quick stringing fingers. {How's that for a one sentence description?}



I grew up listening to Latin music by way of my dad and whatever CDs he'd play in the car or on the kitchen radio. I appreciate that Jake crosses the Americas for inspiration for this unexpected cultural twist:



And then he comes home again with the national anthem. LOVE this rockin' Hawaiian flavored ode to the U.S.A. Has got to be my favorite rendition:


So I'm convinced that I've got to see this guy live...at least once in my life.

For info on his tours:
www.jakeshimabukuro.com

Far beyond Frail (Music Artist)

Like the songs on this album, "A Girl Almost"--soulful sound, lyrics that speak.

I like the album cover more than the songs on here--themes of butterflies flying freely and uncaged.

Hawaiian Boulevard of Broken Dreams

I was sitting at Sandy Beach stringing my fingers through the grains of hot sand on a warm Hawaii afternoon when someone looked over and said to me: "You know, you're sitting on a boulevard of broken dreams."

I immediately knew it was a clever reference to the popular Green Day song, but I had to think about the connection.

My heart sank when I got it.

As we walk along the beach, we literally walk on top of millions of broken dreams. Dreams of shattered homes and shattered lives.

Each grain of sand is actually a shard of some little sea creature's shell or a dead piece of coral that was once alive underwater.

It was such a depressing thought.
Profound, but still depressing.

{Who throws those kinds of thoughts in your head when you're trying to relax and enjoy the ocean waves?}

Ice, Ice, Baby

Catchy rap song...until you listen to the lyrics promoting drug abuse. I didn't know at the time that's what the song was about, it was just a catchy tune.

Here's a new use for "ice"that applies to your cell phone:

(I)n (C)ase of (E)mergency

There's a national campaign to get people to store into their phone a list of contact persons to call in the event of an emergency. In your cell phone store these contacts as ICE1, ICE 2, ICE 3, etc. in the order of preference. Next to the label ICE include the contact's name and phone number. This is a standardized way of allowing paramedics, police, health officials, and even friends and co-workers to know where to look and who to call if you are unconscious, immobilized, or need of urgent care.

So the next time you pick up your cell phone, think *ice*...and just spend the minute to do this!

Cartoon Network - Hakjoon

My friend Hakjoon is an amazing professional illustrator who works for the Cartoon Network (Batman, Teen Titans, etc). I had never heard of the CN back in the day but made sure to watch my dose of 'toons after meeting him. It was so cool to see his work on TV and have the chance to ask him questions about the design process and how he came up with different ideas.

You can see the variety of Hak's work--from MTV music videos, cartoon illustrations, to church designs at:

http://be4be4.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html

Hak is also entrepreneurial, working on projects with Google and starting up his own company which intersects media, gaming, and social media. His team created Google's Lively--online rooms and avatars. (A whole new world for me). Congrats on this technology and design, Hak--quite impressive!

Asian Americans & Music

I found a children's illustration on the web of an Asian American girl playing the violin. (I had it posted here but the image has been taken down from the artist's website). What came to mind when i saw the image is the stereotype that all Asian American kids know how to play a musical instrument--usually the piano or violin. The more and more people I meet, the more I laugh when I find that in many cases it holds true within my circle of Asian American friends.

I suppose what one learns from music is self-discipline (yes, the hours of daily practice doing piano scales and other methodical exercises), the development of the creative left brain, training in public performance (someone, even if it's just one's family member can't help but to hear one's work), mechanical thinking (understanding measures, time fractions, music composition), and emotional expression (playing from one's heart). Perhaps Asian American parents have been keen on seeing this holistic learning process, or maybe not.

After many years of Bach, Beethovan and Mozart, I finally found my true piano expression through the music sheets of Yanni. Yes, go ahead and laugh, but I think playing Yanni on the piano was when I finally felt like piano playing was for me...not just for the weekly lessons with my teacher. Playing Depeche Mode and church music was fun too, but Yanni was the last thing I played (before getting carpol tunnel) that I truly loved.


I dedicate this post to my piano teacher and Cliff who always had his piano lesson before or after me (no matter what days I changed it to) throughout our elementary school days. Cliff is the only childhood friend who I attended elementary, high school and college with > not to mention all the piano recitals and carpools to algebra classes at MK High School when we were in 7th/8th grade. Years later when I finally went to my first Yanni concert, who did I see sitting infront of me? Why Cliff, of course! Who else would have bought tickets to see (shhh)...Yanni live!

Greek Festival

Dan, Ed and I ventured to the Greek Festival a couple weekends ago. Food booths, Greek merchandise, and live music & dance entertainment were some of the highlights of the event. It was larger than I expected, well attended, and I enjoyed eating my gyros on the steps of the pond with contemporary Greek jazz playing in the background on a sunny weekend at Ala Moana Park.

Hawaiian Karaoke

I'm not a big Karaoke fan, but one plus about singing in Hawaii is that one can sing Hawaiian songs. They also have songs in Japanese, Chinese and Tagalog. Another plus is the courtesy they extend allowing you to bring your own food and drinks into the room.

The Karaoke Hut has a number of private rooms starting at $35/hour. The rooms are clean and they have a good selection of recent songs to sing. For the brave, they also have a public microphone to sing in a bar like atmosphere. Karoke Room 2 has ten private rooms starting at $35/hour. The rooms and song selection are comparable. On Wednesdays ladies get 30% off and Sundays families have a 30% discount. They open at 2pm, but discounts begin at 6pm.

Karaoke Hut
909 Kapahulu Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816
808.734.7771

Karaoke Room 2
1680 Kapiolani Blvd, #105 (next to 24 Hour Fitness)
Honolulu HI 96814
808.949.2644

Modernization of Hawaii

[This is one of my favorite Hawaiian songs.
I appreciate the politics of music.]

Song title: "Hawaii 78"
Artist: Isreal (IZ)

Ua mau ke ea o ka `âina i ka pono `o Hawai'i (repeat)
[Being perpetuated (is) the sovereignty of the land to righteousness/to balance, Hawai`i ]

If just for a day our king and queen
Would visit all these islands and saw everything
How would they feel about the changes of our land
Could you just imagine if they were around
And saw highways on their sacred grounds
How would they feel about this modern city life?

Tears would come from each other's eyes
As they would stop to realize
That our people are in great, great danger now
How would they feel?
Would their smiles be content, then cry

Chorus:
Cry for the gods, cry for the people
Cry for the land that was taken away
And then yet you'll find, Hawai'i.

Could you just imagine they came back
And saw traffic lights and railroad tracks
How would they feel about this modern city life
Tears would come from each other's eyes
As they would stop to realize
That our land is in great, great danger now.

All the fighting that the King has done
To conquer all these islands, now these condominiums
How would he feel if he saw Hawai'i nei?
How would he feel? Would his smile be content, then cry?

(E hana hou i ka hui)
Repeat chorus

Ua mau ke ea o ka `âina i ka pono `o Hawai'i
Ua mau ke ea o ka `âina i ka pono `o Hawai'i.

Favorite Wine Bar & Art

A great combination…my favorite wine bar and contemporary art!

Tonight Amuse (wine bar) presents “Bound For Greatness” an Art-Music-Fashion show featuring live photography, live mural collaborations, spoken word, music, art displays and fashion shows from 41 independent artists from around the U.S. I can't wait!

Saturday, September 6^th; 8pm-midnight; Admission: $7

About Amuse Wine Bar:

One of my favorite places in Honolulu, this dim lit contemporary space allows customers to fill their own glasses with wines from around the world. Just put some money on the monetary plastic cards and ask for a red or white wine glass (or both), and self select your wine choice with the push of a button. Wines selections are rotated on a monthly basis. You can even purchase your favorite bottle from the cellar. The food (mainly appetizers and desserts) is excellent as the artfully presented dishes are prepared by the chefs from the delectable Stage restaurant located next door.

Be In the Know:
Sundays and Thursdays: get 50% off your wine card purchase (4:30-7:30pm)
Wednesday and Fridays: Live Music (8-10pm)
Monthly: Various art events and performances

Location
Where: Honolulu Design Center, 1250 Kapiolani Blvd, 2nd Floor (Free Parking)
Hours: Monday-Saturday, opens at 5pm
808.956.1250
www.amusewinebar.com