 This week, Pakele Live! with Tony Solis celebrates the release of Waipunaʻs critically-acclaimed second album, E Hoʻi Mai.
Waipuna began as a collaboration between two talented musicians - Matt Sproat and Kale Hannahs. After many years on the Hawaiian music circuit, Matt and Kale first performed together as a duo on a tour to Japan in October 2007 with Kumu Hula Noelani Chang. Their eclectic musical background and similar taste in music led to the development of a unique sound that draws comparisons to their name, Waipuna, or spring water. Just like a mountain spring, this talented duo provides a new, refreshing sound that fills the senses and captures the mind.
A graduate of the Kamehameha Schools and the University of Hawai'i, Kale is considered a veteran of the music scene, earning a reputation as a steady bass player and vocalist. He has played and/or recorded with many of Hawai'i’s talented musicians including Napua Makua, Robi Kahakalau, Kaumakaiwa Kanaka'ole, Weldon Kekauoha, Sean Na'auao, Cody Pueo Pata, Aaron Sala, Hoku Zuttermeister, Holunape, Maunalua, and Nā Palapalai, and is a founding member of the award-winning group 'Ale'a.
Although born and raised in Hau'ula, Oʻahu, Matt is from the famous Sproat family of North Kohala on Hawaiʻi island. Also a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools, he began his music career playing Hawaiian music in Waikiki and on the cruise ship S.S. Independence. In 2003 Matt won the Big Island falsetto competition and was featured in the Aloha Festivals Falsetto Winners volume 5 CD. He too has performed with some of the best musicians Hawaiʻi has to offer and has dedicated himself to mastering his craft as a Hawaiian musician specializing in the art of falsetto singing, continuing his familyʻs tradition of perpetuating the Hawaiian culture through music.
A recent addition to Waipuna is Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award winner David Kamakahi. A master ʻukulele player, both his ʻukulele and his vocals add a richness to Waipunaʻs music, creating a fullness that adds even more depth to what was already a unique, exciting sound. Like Kale and Matt, David is a Kamehameha Schools graduate, where he won the Pono Beamer Award for Excellence in the field of Hawaiian music. He studied with ʻukulele grand master Eddie Kamae, and was a featured artist and vocalist on a number of albums from the age of 15. He, too, has performed and recorded with many of Hawaiʻiʻs greats, including his father Dennis, Mike Kaawa, Herb Ohta, Jr., Jon Yamasato, and many more.
Born and raised on Kauai, Shar Carillo is the daughter of two talented musicians: Loke Sasil (a solo artist as well as one half of the duo Leahi), and Sean Carillo, who played alongside John Cruz for many years. Shar is also the great granddaughter of the late George Kaleiohi Sr. who composed the beautiful, traditional Hawaiian song, "Waiulu." A graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Shar now resides on Oʻahu and is pursuing a career in music. She performed the duet “You Are My Song” with Waipunaʻs Matt Sproat on E Hoʻi Mai.
The 2003 winner of falsetto legend Richard Hoʻopiʻiʻs Falsetto contest, Kamakakehau Fernandez is a graduate of the Hawaiian Language Immersion Program on Maui and is a fluent speaker of the Hawaiian language. He has performed on numerous prestigious stages all over Hawaiʻi, the continental United States and Japan. He also had the honor of performing both with and for the legendary Aunty Genoa Keawe. Kamaka was one of the featured performers on 2004ʻs “Aloha Festivals Falsetto Contest Winners – Vol. 5” CD, and is currently working with multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-winning producer Dave Tucciarone on his debut solo album.
Please join host Tony Solis as he welcomes Waipuna back to the Pakele Live! stage on Thursday, November 17 from 6:30-8:30p.m. HST at the Willows Restaurant (901 Hausten St., Honolulu). Those who are unable to attend can watch the live stream at www.pakelelive.com. (The show will also be edited for television and shown at a later date on OC16 TV and www.oc16.tv)
Admission is free and all ages are welcome. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. (Doors open at 5:30.) Guests may choose from the full nightly buffet ($34.95) or an a la carte menu created especially for Pakele Live! (and available only during the show), with prices ranging from $5 to $16. Drink specials are also available. Validated valet parking is only $3.
Note: If you watch online, don’t forget to email the show at pakele @ lava.net and let us know you’re watching! Mention your name and where you’re located - city, state – or country, if outside the U.S.!
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Waipuna CD Rel. w/Shar Carillo & Kamaka Fernandez
Posted - 11/16/2011 : 7:46:33 PM
