| Author |
 Topic  |
|
Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
 Posted - 10/29/2003 : 10:19:45 PM
|
Somehow I've missed this player. I don't recall seeing him discussed here, but his name showed up a number of times when I did a search. Aunty Maria has his soon to be released CD on her mele.com display of new releases, so I listened to the clips. Then I listened to the clips from his other two CDs. Then I ordered all three CDs. Holey moley, I have flipped for his music. It's not all slack key, but I think it's all wonderful.
He has a site with three full length songs available for download, http://www.makanalive.com/albums/
|
Pauline |
|
|
Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 10/29/2003 : 10:52:36 PM
|
Makana, aka the ki ho`alu kid, aka the artist formerly known as Matt Swalinkawich. I saw him play in Pearl City when he was still in high school, I cannot even remember now, back in 1996? He thrilled the audience with the Poi Song and other Hawaiian standards. Makana studied with Sonny Chillingworth and, I think, with Bobby Moderow of Maunalua.
When his debut album came out in 1999, I think he caught a lot of flack for leaving the Hawaiian music he played so well at Duke's growing up behind. People wondered what happened to the ki ho`alu kid... where was the ki ho`alu? I enjoyed the effort put forth on his debut CD especially with the all too typical local CDs full of too many cover songs. IMHO, lots of good fingerstyle playing, nice arrangements. Most of it was not slack key, though.
I never got his 2nd CD but am glad to see Makana returning to Hawaiian music on this new release. I will forever wish that I had had the opportunity to see Sonny play live. It is therefore a treat whenever I can see one of Sonny's former students perform his signature songs giving us a glimpe of the master. |
Andy |
 |
|
|
Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 01:01:26 AM
|
Hi Andy,
I think a lot of mainland acoustic fingerstyle is not very good music. There is a lot of flash, a lot of noodling, and not much musicality to it. Tone? Forget it. Play fast and no one can hear it anyway. So what if it's harsh?
One of the things I like about slack key is that even steel strings still have good tone, that sweet sound. Beamer, for instance, rolls his chords to avoid the harsh tone that strums often have. Makana may not always play slack key, but he mostly retains that sense of tone, the sweet sounds in his playing. That is what attracted me, plus I liked the arrangements, etc.
One of the three full-length tracks has more full hard harsh strums in it, "Ku'u Lei Awapuhi", and does not sound so sweet. I hope there aren't too many like that. |
Pauline |
|
|
|
RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 02:26:19 AM
|
I didn't like his first album very much -- not because it wasn't slack key -- I listen to and enjoy LOTS of non-slack key. I've got a couple of reasons why I didn't like it, but that's history -- I almost didn't buy his second album, but I heard him play live a about a year ago and was very impressed - bought the album and think it is a very good and very enjoyable work. I have no problem recommending it. Will buy the new one.
Now my main criticsm of the kid is the "schlockey" way he dresses for the stage - "sex toy" approach -- well, I guess if it gets him laid I guess it serves its purpose -- but he's certainly a good enough player to not need the sex stuff (on the other hand, maybe he really enjoys dressing up that way, in which case he is simply guilty of incredibly bad taste) -- And for the record, when women use sex to sell anything I also have a negative reaction -- I tremendously enjoy sex and I love to look at all sorts of women (Look, not lure) but I'm fed up with cheap and unartistic pitches to my wallet via my hormonal system.
Raymond Stovich
San Jose |
|
|
|
Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 10:26:04 AM
|
Hi Raymond,
I'm glad I didn't see him live then! I might have had the same reaction. I'm also wondering if I'll be as fond of his music when the CD's arrive or was it some stray mood yesterday. I have a taste for music, any genre, that fits into the bucket labeled Romantic, and that gets perilously close to going over the top and into schlock.
Your comments help explain why all references to him on this board were in passing, not really about him.
After thought - I can't imagine him singing a comic song, takes himself too seriously, but I can easily envision the other slack key greats doing so.
|
Pauline |
Edited by - Pauline Leland on 10/30/2003 10:56:00 AM |
|
|
|
Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 12:37:16 PM
|
We saw him as "Matt" in a heavy duty lineup at the MACC in kahului. He was very good, all slack key, all the time. He was only 19 then, as I recall, and you could detect Sonny's phrasing and clarity in his playing then. Did some trick stuff, bag over the hand, fret with the arm, etc. but that was just foolin' around.
...Reid |
|
|
|
RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 3:49:24 PM
|
When I saw him live I was very impressed with his playing -- you could "hear" Sonny in the background but he was expressing with his own "voice" -- I try to keep in mind that life is a process of discovery and each of us can have to follow our own paths. I try to keep it in mind. But... oh well, he plays well and is worth seeing live or hearing on (at least his second) CD
Raymond |
|
|
|
Julie H
Ha`aha`a
USA
1206 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 11:58:29 PM
|
Well, he didn't fit into my "mold" of slack key, and he was a little raucus for my taste, but then I heard him sing Ku'u Lei Awapuhi at the Maui Slack Key Festival. It just touched my heart, as I sang that at my younger brother's funeral. I have a new appreciation for Makana's talent, and now I have this song by him on the latest National Geographic CD named "Destination Hawai'i". Great CD.
You know, I just can't get enough of Hawaiian music....
Julie |
|
|
|
RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 10/31/2003 : 02:28:18 AM
|
I know it's dangerous to generalize, too easy to fall into stereotypes -- however -- given the incredible amount of anguish and hatred so rampant in most of the world, I keep wondering how much healing could occur if people tuned into some of the "heart values" found in Hawaiian culture, so evident in the music. I know that each time I play in public I hope that the music will touch at least one person who needs some healing.
Raymond
San Jose |
|
|
|
RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 11/03/2003 : 4:56:45 PM
|
I think it's really great that Makana tries new things. I think in the long run the health and longevity of slack key will be enhanced. In fact, I think that if peoplpe just keep "doing the same stuff over and over" the style will be marginalized to where it will have difficulty surviving. It will be hardly more than an artifact in terms of the larger "international" community. (As a part of Hawaiian culture within the context of Hawaiian people's history and future - I don't presume to speak to that.)
Beyond that it's a matter of taste - I liked Makana's second CD. The songs on the first one left me cold - 3 or 4 listens - haven't gone back, again not because they aren't "traditional slack key," - but because those songs didn't speak to me in an interetsing or powerful enough way. Personal taste.
Raymond
San Jose |
|
|
|
Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
|
|
Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 11/06/2003 : 10:31:14 PM
|
The three CD's arrived today. Some very preliminary impressions:
The first album, Makana, has some nice tunes on it. I only listened to 3 or 4 but they started sounding nicely the same. I hope there is some variety in the later tunes.
The second album, Koi Au, seems more interesting. I'm still working my way thru it, but stopped to listen to another artist, more on that later.
The newest album, is easy on the ears, but I had guests show up as it was playing so I only know it as background music from another room. I wasn't able to get it to play on my PC, only the video clip showed as a file using Windows Explorer. It took more than one try to get it to play on the stereo. What's going on?
Scroll down beyond the Makana review Mark mentions and find a review of Mark's new CD, The Water Is Wide, plus three sound clips. Cool! Except my creaky Winamp player can't handle the files for some reason, sob, and I can't find clips elsewhere.* I assume it sounds wonderful.
Well, back to Makana #2.
--------------------------------------------------
*Ah, but Andy posted the review of The Water Is Wide in the reviews section, said sound samples were available elsewhere, and sure enough I found them on the cdstreet.com site, among others. To be fair to Mark, I think other comments about the CD should go on Andy's review page. I just wanted to correct my misinformation here.
|
Pauline |
Edited by - Pauline Leland on 11/07/2003 01:24:05 AM |
|
|
|
RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2003 : 4:57:09 PM
|
I just finished a few listens - and I think this is a great album.(Ki Ho'alu - Journey of Hawaiian Slack Key)
It's really wonderful to hear it all come together -- excellent playing, beautiful arrangements, excellent ornamentation, vocal choices well suited to his voice. I think this is one of those "quantum leap" albums that very rarely come to the very best performers. Definitely Na Hoku caliber! A version of Makee Ailana that is second only to Melveen and Makaha Sons (in live performance.) Great one guitar version of Keola Beamer's Blue Dolphin Song. In fact, I think the covers are the strongest cuts.
Lots of youthful enthusiasm give this CD very much a celebration of life feel. In my opinion, a must have.
Raymond
San Jose |
Edited by - RJS on 11/07/2003 6:04:40 PM |
|
|
|
AuntyD
Aloha
24 Posts |
Posted - 11/14/2003 : 8:14:45 PM
|
Ahh, Makana, the erstwhile Matthew "Matt" "The Kiho`alu Kid" Swalinkavich, student and protege of Sonny Chillingworth. He lives up to his names. Matthew means gift (of God). Makana, his Hawaiian name, means gift. An extraordinary talent, he is a gift and he is gifted.
I first heard Makana when he was still in high school in the spring of 1996, at a private party. The talent was obvious. Palpable. All who heard him then knew it was just a matter of time before his star would rise.
I last heard Makana a month ago at a wedding of at a fellow Hawaiian civic club member and his bride, then immediately after that as a guest performer at the Na~ Leo concert at the Cerritos Performing Arts Center. From the shy, young talent that I met then, to now: What a transformation! He seems comfortable on the stage, confident but not in an arrogant way as he retains his sweet, low-key charm. And his music has matured. He has come into his own.
Makana was a HIT. The audience loved his ki ho`alu performances. He performed a beautiful original with a creative hapa accompaniment of modern dance-hula choreography, as well Uncle Punahoa's Special, played in the eye-popping tradition of Led Ka`apana with arm and leg action.
On his most recent CD, he honors his mentor with a "Song for Sonny" and two kupuna (elders) by including them on it. Makana recognized treasures in Tau Moe and Bill Tapia. Who is Bill Tapia? He's a 94 year old rediscovered `ukulele talent; here's a recollection of our meeting of Bill in 2002 about the time that he was being rediscovered: http://www.geocities.com/sptmbrmrn/051902.htm
Back to Makana, if you would like to learn more about him, I have linked past articles on him here: http://www.geocities.com/~olelo/hmd/ma.html Keep your eye and ear on this one. He is destined...
Me ke Aloha,
Aunty D http://hawaiianlanguage.com
|
Edited by - AuntyD on 11/14/2003 8:21:00 PM |
|
|
|
Steven Espaniola
Lokahi
225 Posts |
Posted - 04/22/2004 : 02:12:15 AM
|
quote:
Originally posted by RJS
I didn't like his first album very much -- not because it wasn't slack key -- I listen to and enjoy LOTS of non-slack key. I've got a couple of reasons why I didn't like it, but that's history -- I almost didn't buy his second album, but I heard him play live a about a year ago and was very impressed - bought the album and think it is a very good and very enjoyable work. I have no problem recommending it. Will buy the new one.
Now my main criticsm of the kid is the "schlockey" way he dresses for the stage - "sex toy" approach -- well, I guess if it gets him laid I guess it serves its purpose -- but he's certainly a good enough player to not need the sex stuff (on the other hand, maybe he really enjoys dressing up that way, in which case he is simply guilty of incredibly bad taste) -- And for the record, when women use sex to sell anything I also have a negative reaction -- I tremendously enjoy sex and I love to look at all sorts of women (Look, not lure) but I'm fed up with cheap and unartistic pitches to my wallet via my hormonal system.
Raymond Stovich
San Jose
Last year I had the opportunity to meet and open for Makana in concert. He is a very genuine person who plays Hawaiian music directly from the heart. Not to mention an incredibly gifted songwriter. I don’t think his (or anyone’s) style of dress should ever be an issue when the topic is music. In his defense, I find it hard to believe that he was using "sex" to sell his music as the demographic at this particular show was not a bunch of screaming teenagers. They were fans of Hawaiian music. Artists should never feel like they have to fit into any certain type of mold or genre musically or aesthetically. On the flipside, some of the greatest entertainers and musicians throughout history have fell victim to styles and trends of that era. I have seen many Hawaiian music album covers with the classic "Aloha shirt with big collar, white polyester slacks, and matching white patent leather shoes". |
Steven |
|
|
|
huiohana
Lokahi
115 Posts |
Posted - 04/22/2004 : 04:56:09 AM
|
Aloha Brada Steven,
I concur on your thoughts and feelings of Brada Matt(I still cannot get myself to call him Makana). He is one of the nicest guys you can ever know. He has been a family friend for 10 years, although I've only known him for about 7 or 8 years.
I first met brada one night when my younger brother called me to ask if he could bring over a friend to play music. All I heard was he is a high school student from Pearl City...blah, blah, blah. Knowing my brother's thinking of Hawaiian music is C&K and Kalapana, I thought I would be turning in early when they got the ukuleles and guitars going on their "Reggae Beats". I remember this skinny kid walking up our driveway holding a guitar probably weighing heavier than he was. Box cut hair, nice polo shirt and even nice slacks. He quietly asked if it was okay to hook up his amp to play his kika. I asked "what type of music" does he play...he responded "Kiho'alu". We have been friends and fans ever since. He politely asked me to give my humble opinion on this piece that he was working on. I thought it was the greatest thing I ever heard. It turned out to be the song he wrote for one of his mentor's, Sonny Chillingsworth, appropriatly titled "Song for Sonny".
Since that night at my house, we have been following brada Matt's growth in life. I think it is funny when people negatively critique other's when we all, at that age, tried to find our niche in this world. And if we look back, and we do, wonder why we even thought of the things we wore or did. And to think he is possibly doing it to be "sexy" is hilarious. Matt is such a quiet guy, almost shy. And really, I don't think he needs help in the area of needing to impress woman. He is doing fine, thank you.
I pray that he continues to grow musically(Kiho'alu Style, of course), and is strong enough to fend off the dangers of the music scene. If he does, he could be one of the future legends in the same breath as Uncle Led, Uncle Dennis Kamakahi and yes, Uncle Sonny.
Love you Brada Matt...A hui hou, Keali'i Kahumoku.[:)P.S. Brada Steve, maybe you can teach me some bass runs like Hui Ohana(uncle Ned). I saw your website. Pretty heavy, brada. Leo Ki'eki'e is the bomb!!! A hui hou, K. |
Edited by - huiohana on 04/22/2004 05:13:27 AM |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
Topic Locked
