Music from Hawaii: what are the rest of us missing?

BigJackBrass · Oct 5, 2020

Thanks to the Internet, global shipping and sites like Bandcamp it's much easier than it used to be to get hold of recordings from regional artists and people without major label contracts. Even so, it's not always straightforward, particularly in cases where digital distribution hasn't been adopted or an older catalogue of work has languished as the artists have retired or died.

I occasionally hear about CDs people have picked up at small stores or music festivals in Hawaii but which are seemingly impossible to get elsewhere, of musicians who must surely have made recordings but fail to appear in searches. So, if you're from, in or familiar with the ukulele music scene in Hawaii, what are the rest of us missing? and how can we get hold of these treasures?

peanuts56 · Oct 5, 2020

Many of the artists have their own websites. Try contacting them directly through their website.

badhabits · Oct 5, 2020

Mele dot com

BigJackBrass · Oct 5, 2020

peanuts56 said:
Many of the artists have their own websites. Try contacting them directly through their website.

You seem to be assuming that I know who those artists are. Funnily enough, it had already occurred to me to get in touch with the artists I know about through the Web, but the point of this thread is to learn of musicians who simply aren't well known outside of their local scene.

kkimura · Oct 5, 2020

Here's a rare one:

https://www.ebay.com/c/2177819294

(Full disclosure, no relation to the eBay seller but the artist is my nephew and was actually born in California but has deep family roots in Hawaii.)

That said, here's a sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKCW6QGCj9s

badhabits · Oct 5, 2020

you can also peruse the nominees for Na hoku hanohano awards, often called the Hawaiian grammys
harahawaii dot com

badhabits · Oct 5, 2020

and also the older videos by HIsessions on youtube (the performances before all the podcasts)

Jerome collector · Oct 5, 2020

Although a fair amount of effort is necessary to mine the information you're looking for, I encourage you to visit the Ukulele Friends Hawaii Facebook page. Since the start of the pandemic they have been holding panel sessions twice a week. On Thursdays they focus on musicians who are no longer around or who have stopped performing. Their intent is to keep these musicians alive for future generations. On Mondays they feature either one of their own panel members or an up-and-coming musician. You don't have to catch them live; they post recorded versions for viewing later. The panelists are Bryan Tolentino, Herb Ohta, Jr., Brittni Paiva, Jake Shimabukuro, David Kamakahi, Hoku Zuttermeister, Halehaku Seabury, Kama Hopkins, Asa Young, Craig Chee, and Sarah Maisel. Watching these panel sessions has greatly expanded my knowledge of and appreciation for Hawaiian music.
Mike

BigJackBrass · Oct 5, 2020

Thank you, some fine suggestions so far.

man0a · Oct 5, 2020

BigJackBrass said:
You seem to be assuming that I know who those artists are. Funnily enough, it had already occurred to me to get in touch with the artists I know about through the Web, but the point of this thread is to learn of musicians who simply aren't well known outside of their local scene.

https://www.hawaiianmusiclive.xyz/ is an internet radio station that streams Hawaiian music. They also have information about the Hawaiian music scene, including free streaming live concerts by popular artists.

https://www.hawaiian105.com/ is a popular Honolulu radio station that plays Hawaiian music and also streams it over the internet.

https://www.youtube.com/user/hisessionsshow is a great YouTube channel with live music videos from popular Hawaii-based artists. It is operated by Jon Yamasato, who used to be in a popular band with Jake Shimabukuro. Their live music videos were shut down for most of the pandemic, but they started up again last month.

There are other sources like this, but these are the ones I listen to the most. They do have playlists to tell you who they have been playing if you'd like to look up the artists.

peanuts56 · Oct 5, 2020

BigJackBrass said:
You seem to be assuming that I know who those artists are. Funnily enough, it had already occurred to me to get in touch with the artists I know about through the Web, but the point of this thread is to learn of musicians who simply aren't well known outside of their local scene.

Benny Chong is one I like a lot. Kawika Kahiapo, Halehaku Seabury, Bruce Shimabukuro, (Jake's brother) Mica Kane and Kelly DeLima are a few of my favorite local artists. My wife is born and raised on Oahu and still has a lot of family there so I get to spend a lot of time in the islands every year except this year.

Brad Bordessa · Oct 5, 2020

Seems that a lot of old threads about this got deleted. Here's the only one I could find.

https://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?42618-Favorite-Hawaiian-Music

Must-hear foundational albums:

Hui ʻOhana by Hui ʻOhana
Tropical Storm by Peter Moon Band
Guava Jam by Sunday Manoa
Gabby by Gabby Pahinui

EDIT: There's some tacky stuff on here, but a good jumping off point for some legendary artists: https://kingshawaiian.com/blog/the-all-time-best-hawaiian-music-playlist.

kkimura · Oct 6, 2020

Try listen to the Father and Son team of Keikilani and Leo Lindsey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9MwJIrCzw0

BigJackBrass · Oct 6, 2020

The biggest problem, and it's certainly been mentioned here before, is getting hold of the recordings. If only there was an organised push to get these artists onto a service like Bandcamp I'm sure it would really boost sales and exposure for them. I make a point of picking up some music I've not heard before from Bandcamp quite frequently, which is much easier, quicker and certainly cheaper than trying to get hold of a Benny Chong CD at collectors' prices.

Jerryc41 · Oct 6, 2020

I think I have all of Iz's music, and I also have several CD from Keali'i Reichel - very good. Don't forget Amazon for uke music. They have a lot of the traditional singers and groups.

These were recommended by people here. I haven't bought them yet, but they're on my Wish List.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B004LP2...olid=1K6S0U4KGY5NH&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

https://smile.amazon.com/Guava-Jam-...0A07N84834M&psc=1&refRID=409ZJ8YB20A07N84834M

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00004T...olid=1K6S0U4KGY5NH&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

And -

https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=hawaiian+music&i=popular&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Radio - I have an internet radio, and I can hit a button and get a steady stream of Hawaiian music, straight from Hawaii. Once you buy the radio, there's nothing more to pay. I wish it worked in my car.

https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=internet+radio&dc&qid=1601984613&rnid=2528832011&ref=sr_nr_p_89_2

badhabits · Oct 6, 2020

that xyz site is good, but I can never get it to stream properly. since the pandemic started I know at least one radio station has disabled streaming for anyone off-island. also, a lot of modern Hawaiian pop music still leans towards reggae ("Jawaiian").

another list of artists can be found at mountain apple's site (Jon de mello, Iz's producer); some are old and no longer active/alive (you can add Kaau crater boys, Makaha sons of Niihau to that list of classics), most link to albums, some include links to artist websites
mountainapplecompany dot com

BBQUKER · Oct 6, 2020

Never thought about an internet radio. I presume it is WIFI and you enter a password for whatever private WIFI site you have access to? When looking up internet radio there are a lot of apps out there. You are talking about a physical radio, right?. Would be great to have along when RV'ing when campgrounds only have WIFI, not TV.

Kimosabe · Oct 6, 2020

I live in Honolulu and I’d say NPR Hawaii’s Sunday Kanakapila show in the afternoon is your most comprehensive showing of current Hawaiian music.

Neil_O · Oct 6, 2020

Kimosabe said:
I live in Honolulu and I’d say NPR Hawaii’s Sunday Kanakapila show in the afternoon is your most comprehensive showing of current Hawaiian music.

I second this idea.

Brad Bordessa · Oct 6, 2020

BigJackBrass said:
The biggest problem, and it's certainly been mentioned here before, is getting hold of the recordings. If only there was an organised push to get these artists onto a service like Bandcamp I'm sure it would really boost sales and exposure for them. I make a point of picking up some music I've not heard before from Bandcamp quite frequently, which is much easier, quicker and certainly cheaper than trying to get hold of a Benny Chong CD at collectors' prices.

I'm not really sure what you're hoping to get here? Plenty of the recommended classic artists are on iTunes, Youtube, Amazon, eBay if you look for them. Not full catalogs, but certainly enough to give you a taste.

Album to album, it all depends on the record contracts. Lots of guys got hooked into terrible deals and lost the rights to their music. Others have long since passed. Some folks/families can't be bothered to get their stuff up digitally. The industry here is small enough that the humbug of sorting out logistics often outweighs the potential profit. Music sales aren't what they were.

Some stuff you just won't get unless you run across it at a thrift store (limited run personal project, etc...). But there is enough out there that's easy to source to give you a really good start into appreciating the genre.

Music from Hawaii: what are the rest of us missing?

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