Potential of Honolulu Hula Event Not Yet Realized - After 33 Years

Yes, we've written about the annual King Kamehameha Hula Competition before, and we've talked about it for more than 30 years. It gets better and better, but some things never change. More »

Profiling Hawaiian Music Legends Hapa

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Hapa. The definition of this word in the pidgin Hawaiian language, is half; most times, referring to a mixed race, or "half" English. Many of us already know this definition. However, how much do we actually know about one of Hawaii's favorite Hawaiian music groups, "Hapa?" I got the chance to spend some time getting to know this famous duo recently, and realized, the only thing "half" about these guys is their name. More »

California Songwriter In Love With Hawai`i

Doug Baker may not be the first Californian to fall in love with Hawai`i. But we can't think of anyone who expresses that love better than this singer-songwriter who has flown in and out of Honolulu so many times over the past four decades. And no other songwriter has spent as many hours in the night skies over the Islands he loves so well. More »

And the Winner Is... Ki Ho`alu, Again!

The second Grammy Award for recorded Hawaiian music went to "Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitars - Vol. 1," a CD that features 12 cuts of songs most of us know well. And it features artists that most of us know too. More than 170 new CDs were released in Hawai`i last year; 26 of them were entered in the Grammys; five were selected as finalists; and on Feb. 8, the winner was announced in California. More »

A Man of Many Talents - Getting to Know Nathan Aweau

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Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Every man has his own vocation, talent is the call." If that is true, Nathan Aweau, the subject of my column this month, has definitely recognized and honed in on one of the finest skills we can possess-loving what we do for a living! "Music is more than just a job, it's part of my life, it's my favorite hobby. I love picking up my guitar or bass everyday... I look forward to practicing. I love jumping on my keyboard, turning on my computers and just creating," says Aweau. More »

Anthologies and Compilations; Winners Abound

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Up against some very tough competition Legends of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar won the Grammy in the Hawaiian music category. It was the third year that Hawaiian music has been considered in the NARAS annual Grammy Awards, and it was the third consecutive win for a slack-key guitar compilation. More »

The `Ukulele

Although the `ukulele has only been a part of Hawaiian music for a little over a hundred years, it has not only made its mark in Island music but has helped to put Hawai`i on the map - the world over. More »

A Few Unsung Heroines of Hawaiian Music

Here's a look at some very talented and dedicated women who are perhaps not as well known as many of the "stars" of Hawaiian music today, but equally important - all for different reasons. More »

Musicians Are Involved

Watching the 2006 King Kamehameha Day Floral Parade last month reminded us again how Hawai`i musicians, singers and dancers often are involved in many events and other aspects of our community life, and not always singing, playing, or dancing. More »

Hula Numbers in Japan Are Staggering:

Hula numbers in Japan are staggering: 250,000 students; 220 halau hula. We've talked about and written about the popularity of Hawaiian music and hula in Japan, but we had no idea that it has grown so big. More »