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markwitz
`Olu`olu
USA
841 Posts |
 Posted - 01/05/2010 : 02:30:48 AM
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http://makanamusic.com/blog/?cat=9
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"The music of the Hawaiians, the most fascinating in the world, is still in my ears and
haunts me sleeping and waking."
Mark Twain |
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kihoalukid
Lokahi
USA
289 Posts |
Posted - 01/05/2010 : 10:11:51 AM
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That was cool. Im gonna need to change my username LOL, Im reminded he used to go by the nickname Kihoalukid when he was a youngster. I wasnt aware of that when i registered, in my case it was more akin to the Slack Key neophyte, ala Karate Kid.
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Lee |
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RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2010 : 11:14:24 AM
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great pic of Makana playing in the surf. I'd recognize him anywhere  |
Bob |
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PearlCityBoy
Lokahi
USA
432 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2010 : 3:25:40 PM
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| "Wax on, wax off" . . . "Hammer on, pull off"--same thing. Wait a minute, that can't be Makana, the kid's wearing a shirt! |
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markwitz
`Olu`olu
USA
841 Posts |
Posted - 01/07/2010 : 05:33:21 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by PearlCityBoy
Wait a minute, that can't be Makana, the kid's wearing a shirt!
LOL you're right! |
"The music of the Hawaiians, the most fascinating in the world, is still in my ears and
haunts me sleeping and waking."
Mark Twain |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
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kihoalukid
Lokahi
USA
289 Posts |
Posted - 01/07/2010 : 12:28:56 PM
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| I really enjoyed both those movies |
Lee |
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tafkam1
Lokahi
USA
320 Posts |
Posted - 01/13/2010 : 05:56:16 AM
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an article that came out a little while ago:
Hawaiian musician Makana cuts tradition some slack
Long Beach Press-Telegram (CA) - Thursday, May 1, 2008
Author/Byline: Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
To Hawaiian musician and slack key guitar maestro Makana there are many ways to honor tradition. And one is to turn it inside out, shake it around a bit and see what comes out.
So, while Makana can leave slack key aficionados slack-jawed with his virtuosity, as he did in the first Southern California Slack Key Guitar Festival in Redondo Beach earlier this year, that's not all he's about.
Instead, slack key and Hawaiian music tradition form a kind of life spirit to a diverse and continually evolving body of work for the eclectic musician.
Slack key, or ki ho'alu, refers literally to the loosening of the keys or strings, which are then tuned in a variety of ways to create a uniquely Hawaiian sound. It is noted for having a complex sound, as musicians simultaneously strum bass lines and finger-pick the melody.
As one of the foremost and few young keepers of the slack key traditions, Makana says he's always seeking to expand his artistic expression.
So, while Makana says slack key will always be his passion and the heart of his music, "it's just my launching pad."
Makana will be bringing his slack key traditions and his own innovations, slack rock as he calls it, to the mainland in May. His 11-stop West Coast tour kicks off at 10 tonight at the Temple Bar in Santa Monica.
In his newly released and aptly named album, "Different Game," Makana strays far from the traditional slack key soil.
"This album was not culturally constrained," Makana says of "Different Game," which has a folk-rock feel reminiscent of a young Jackson Browne.
Fans expecting to hear Hawaiian standards may be disappointed, though Makana says those who know his music know always to expect something unexpected.
"It's predictable that my albums will be completely different," Makana says.
Independently produced, "Different Game" is Makana 's fourth album and first since 2003. For all its departure from traditional slack key, the album still maintains an island vibe and Makana says he used about 50 different slack tunings in the recording.
One of the most poignant songs on the record, "Mars Declares," tells the story of a soldier killing an unarmed boy in Iraq. Makana said he wrote the song in 2003 when the Iraq war began. Several years later, as he was preparing to put the song on the album, he read a soldier's blog that mirrored his song.
About his live shows, Makana says he never knows where the music will take him - from "monster ripping guitar" to sweetly sung ballads.
At the Redondo Beach show, his stage personality and energy electrified the crowd and garnered the largest ovations in a show that featured an all-star rotation of slack key masters.
Somewhere in every show, he does a segment that can best be described as deconstructing slack key. In it he breaks down for the audience in a lighthearted way just how the music of slack key and the sound work, usually capping it with an amazing set of riffs.
Another Hawaiian tradition Makana adheres to is the concept of "talking story." With the music's roots on back porches, Hawaiian musicians are known to break up sets with stories about themselves and the islands.
"I let people into my head," Makana says, describing his relationship with audiences.
Makana , who was born Matt Swalinkavich and early in his career was known as the Ki Ho'Alu Kid, has played professionally since 1993. He has opened for such varied performers as Sting, Carlos Santana and Elvis Costello.
In 2000, his first album, " Makana ," was voted "Best CD" by the readers of Honolulu Weekly and won Best World Music Album at the Hawaii Music Awards.
And though his influences run from Pink Floyd to Led Zeppelin to Hawaiian masters, Makana is his own artist with his own vision.
"In the beginning I made big sacrifices," Makana says. "I was told, 'If you want to be happy, build a long path.' "
For Makana , that means constantly reshaping and morphing his skills and musical stylings, while always remaining true to the well from which the music comes.
"Tradition has to be treated like a living art form," Makana says. "The moment it's treated like a relic, it's already dead."
Greg Mellen (562) 499-1291 greg.mellen @ presstelegram.com |
Mitch Chang
http://www.kalakoa.com/
http://www.ukulelewebsite.com/ |
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Makana Video Interview
