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Konabob
`Olu`olu
USA
928 Posts |
 Posted - 03/08/2010 : 6:01:38 PM
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Shirley and I were in Honolulu a few months ago, and went to Hale Kalani with the hope of hearing some steel guitar music at sunset. No steel guitar...
Until last month, the Kona Airport hired a trio that included a steel guitar. I just found out that the airport has canceled that gig too.
At least 5 times in the last few months, I have finished playing a gig and have had couples (mostly in their 70's or 80's) come up to me to talk. Invariably, they say to me; "You are the only person playing the steel guitar that we have heard on our whole trip to Hawaii." This is often followed by one of the following:
1) When we were married, years ago, we heard steel guitars everywhere on our honeymoon.
2) We expected to hear steel guitars every night.
3) What happened? Where have all the steel guitar players gone?
I get this mixed feeling. Of course I am glad to be playing the steel guitar, and happy that they enjoy what I am playing. But it's kind of weird to be part of a dying species.
What is it about the steel guitar that prevents more people from taking it up?
-Inquiring minds want to know.
-KB
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Konabob's Walkingbass - http://www.konawalkingbass.com
Taropatch Steel - http://www.konaweb.com/konabob/
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=Konabob2+Walkingbass |
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2010 : 7:39:53 PM
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| Is it the playing of steel guitar that's dying ... or just the gigs these days? |
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Konabob
`Olu`olu
USA
928 Posts |
Posted - 03/09/2010 : 05:33:53 AM
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Well, some of each, Retro. Certainly gigs are scarce - but I have been here in Kona since 1995, and I can remember seeing Sam Keana'aina playing the steel at a fancy restaurent once. He passed away several years ago. I remember Al Green Jr. playing, once. He got married and moved away, I heard. I have seen 'Iokea Bright play steel two or three times. Jamison Wong plays steel occasionally, but mostly he plays guitar. And I saw one guy from Hilo play at the Mauna Kea once. Pomaika'i Brown was playing at the Airport, but that's about it.
I walked into Bounty Music on Maui a couple years ago, and asked the manager if they had any steel guitars. He told me;"No, nobody plays them any more, so we don't carry them." Here in Kona, we have several stores that always have dozens of guitars hanging on the wall. They will occasionally get a steel guitar in, but they don't "carry" a line of steel guitars - for the same reason. People don't ask for them.
-KB
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Konabob's Walkingbass - http://www.konawalkingbass.com
Taropatch Steel - http://www.konaweb.com/konabob/
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=Konabob2+Walkingbass |
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slipry1
Ha`aha`a
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - 03/09/2010 : 09:08:11 AM
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| There are still steel players out there, namely the Byrd's Nest folks. Alan Akaka is doing the best he can to recruit younger peole to the steel through his school. But you are right, Konabob: not many Hawaiian groups use the steel as a matter of cours. I have been extrordinally lucky, but sad, because there were no other steelers around the Northwest when I switched from pedal steel to lap and strted playing Hawaiian. Talking with Bobby Ingano, Alan and Greg Sardihna, they say that their usual gigs come when a trio (bass, uke and guitar) get a request, or enough money, for a steel guitar. They do a lot of recording work. I actively promote folks in the Seattle area to take up the steel guitar. I welcome competition. There are some bright hopes; Timmy Obrigo is learning steel from Uncle Ron Kanahele, for instance, and, every time I come to Oahu, there is interest among the other jammers in what I'm doing. Most of the steel guitar I hear is on Oahu, because there are more gigs in Honolulu. Bobby Ingano plays with Martin Pahinui on Sundays at the Maona Terrace, Alan Akaka plays with the Keawe clan there on Thursdays, Derek Mau plays at Honeys on Friday, and Paul Kim plays with the Sons of Hawaii there on Sunday afternoon. Isaac Akuna plays with a group at the Royal Hawaiian Mall late Friday afternoons, and Jeff AhHoy plays at Kanekapilas on Wednesday night. Kamaka Tom is active in HSGA, and they'll have a small stage at Lei Day. So, maybe, there's hope. |
keaka |
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slipry1
Ha`aha`a
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - 03/09/2010 : 09:14:48 AM
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| One more thing: with the downturn in the economy, the hotels have cut the pay to musicians. At the Hale Kalani, for instnce, they cut Hiram Olsen, with Casey on Steel, to Friday and Saturday instead of 5 days/week, so he just quit and retired from active gigging. When the HSGA is in town, the hotel hires a band with a steel guitar to attract steelers. Also, there are a lot of Hawaiians in their 70's who play steel but can't earn enough to get by. As the musician's first commandment says "Don't give up your day job". |
keaka |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 03/09/2010 : 09:38:45 AM
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All true, and all too sad.
My take is that it is one part economics and two parts fashion. The steel just dropped off the map, save for the few you guys mentioned. To which I'll add Geri Valdriz on Maui, who plays regularly with Ola Hou, Kevin & Sheldon Brown's band.
It's funny, cuz non-pedal steel is undergoing a huge burst of popularity outside of the Islands & you can buy brand new instruments just about everywhere and just about every price point.
If a bunch of young Hawaiian hot dogs get excited about steel, you'll hear more of it. Could happen--remember, slack key almost died, too.
And then there's this ukulele thing.... |
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Volcano
Akahai
USA
89 Posts |
Posted - 03/09/2010 : 09:52:41 AM
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I think this is a very complex issue. Just conjecture, but maybe at the forefront is the fact that a performer can accompany himself on guitar, while steel guitar is almost always a "side" instrument adding color to the music. It is also less portable than a guitar as it largely needs to be plugged in. Guitar is a mini orchestra able to play bass, rhythm, and melody at the same time. To do that on steel guitar requires much more skill. I absolutely love steel guitar in all its forms, pedals or no, and have been extremely fortunate enough to play with some of the best "steelers" ever including Jimmy Day, Buddy Emmons, and Neil Flanz among many others. This was something I set out to do while still pretty young so my comments come as a great lover of steel guitar. But I have never seen a steeler playing a gig by himself and rarely have seen one singing. In tough economic times the "extras" are let go first. If you want to see great steel guitar on The Big Island, go to the Emerald Orchid every tuesday from 6 to about 9 to see Dwight Takumoto play with Ben Kaili and friends. Dwight is awesome but makes his living in the coffee business.
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Konabob
`Olu`olu
USA
928 Posts |
Posted - 03/09/2010 : 1:34:35 PM
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"In tough economic times the "extras" are let go first." Yes, this does make sense, In fact, much of what we see here in Kona is "One guy with a guitar and a laptop doing backup." Lovely.
Well, I didn't mean to get all morose about it, and I do thank you all for your lists of "who is playing where". That makes me happy!
Mark, a special thanks to you for including me in Aloha Camp. It really is great to see some of these campers light up when they see how easy and fun the steel guitar can be.
-KB
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Konabob's Walkingbass - http://www.konawalkingbass.com
Taropatch Steel - http://www.konaweb.com/konabob/
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=Konabob2+Walkingbass |
Edited by - Konabob on 03/09/2010 4:19:57 PM |
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
Posted - 03/09/2010 : 2:58:02 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Konabob
... "One guy with a guitar and a laptop doing backup."
Man, I always shudder when I encounter that, no matter how good the player is. And I used to play synth! |
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rendesvous1840
Ha`aha`a
USA
1055 Posts |
Posted - 03/09/2010 : 7:55:43 PM
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A few years ago Wanda & I went to see Auntie Genoa Keawe , and at one point, Alan was going to take a break for some thing or other. He asked severasl times if someone could take over the steel for a couple of songs, but there were no takers. We've seen enough live music in Hawai`i to know that musicians make up at least a part of every audience. There are alwys members of the audience called up to play a couple tunes on guitar or uke, or just to sing. Seems like steel players aren't as numerous. I was a little surprised at the search I had to make here in Cleveland for a tone bar, and I finally found a used flat bar. That was all I have seen, here. Next tip to Hawai`i, I looked for one there. The only store I tried had 2 bars in stock, but it took him a good while to find them. It didn't seem like he had many calls for them I don't think he had a steel guitar in his shop. A good number of guitars & ukes, and even a 5 string banjo, but no steels. I suspect the trend among younger players is away from the steel sound, especially since the Carribbean, Hip Hop & Rock influenced music has taken over more radio air time.
Unko Paul |
"A master banjo player isn't the person who can pick the most notes.It's the person who can touch the most hearts." Patrick Costello |
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hwnmusiclives
`Olu`olu
USA
580 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2010 : 05:07:53 AM
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I feel the need to respond specifically to the Halekulani issue since I am intimately familiar with what is going on there. I nearly "quit my day job" of 20 years in New Jersey to permanently move to Hawai'i to work at the House Without A Key three nights a week after the retirement of Harold Hakuole. I quickly came to my senses when I realized why Harold - and other legends - left.
It is not merely the issue of the pay scale diminishing wildly over the last ten years. (I can earn in one night performing at an Atlantic City casino/hotel what legends of Hawaiian music must work eight nights at the Halekulani to earn. I will not embarrass the establishment by giving you the exact dollar amount. Suffice it to say it is paltry.) No, Hawaiian musicians have a long history of working for less than scale - or even for free - for the privilege of sharing their art. So that is not at the heart of the issue. The real heart of the issue is that the musician in Hawai'i - and especially the steel guitarist - is grossly underappreciated. And that is because traditional Hawaiian music is equally underappreciated.
I worked five professional engagements at the Halekulani in September 2007 as a rotating member of the Jeff Au Hoy Trio. (The gig - for me - was a happy accident. I was vacationing in a month when regular band members would frequently be on the outer islands for hula festivals and other exhibitions with hula halau. On any given night I could be playing either upright bass or rhythm guitar.) Through these gigs, however, I realized that what I thought was the dream gig - the place where everyone from Linda Dela Cruz to Kahauanu Lake performed - was anything but. The issue at the Halekulani is that through numerous changes in management since the 1980s, the musicians have gone from being treated as legends to being treated as hired help. Their breaks are carefully timed and paychecks are docked if the band is not back on stage in 15 minutes. This is in conflict with the Hawaiian tradition in which the musicians wala'au with the patrons on these breaks. (Does not Alan Akaka appropriately "hold court" at the Marriott on Thursdays? And that's as it should be. These days a talkative patron can cost the musician money and their reputation.) A patron stopped me to chat about Hawai'i and Hawaiian music, and during the exchange, Halekulani management admonished me in front of the patron and instructed me not to have conversation in a "thoroughfare." The musicians at the Halekulani may not use the public restrooms in the lobby but, rather, must use service restrooms. They may not drink from the bar or order from the menu. There is a service restaurant for Halekulani employees where they can partake of hot dogs, sloppy joes, and mashed potatoes. It is a hefty walk from the bandstand, and so the musicians must be ever mindful of getting to the commissary, eating, and getting back within 15 minutes. And if you enjoy a Halekulani Iced Tea while you're performing, forget about it.
The Halekulani does not permit any interaction between musicians and audience during the set. Their desire is continuous music. So musicians stopping to explain or translate a song is expressly forbidden. The irony in this is that over the last ten years, the volume level of the band has been lowered about 80%. Patrons sitting more than two tables from the bandstand complain that they cannot hear music over conversation and ask the musicians to turn it up a notch, but the musicians have no control over the sound system. Too bad, says the Halekulani, since they insist that they have been forced to lower volume due to complaints from hotel guests on lower floors that they can hear the music all too clearly in their rooms even with the windows closed. (To be fair, the music at the House Without A Key has always stopped promptly by 8:30pm - or before an hour when anyone, anywhere should be complaining about noise levels. The PA system at Duke's cranks out more thumping bass, but I have not heard similar complaints from Outrigger guests, and Duke's is ever hopping!) This lowering of volume has discouraged the musicians since they know they are playing for naught if nobody can hear them, and their performances have suffered since they can't even hear themselves or each other (as no monitors are provided). Harmonies were not tight, and older musicians had difficulty keeping time. This should not surprise other musicians.
Finally, the long-standing tradition of calling up other musical celebrities from the audience is also forbidden. The Halekulani questions the judgment of the bandleaders to call up only quality musicians and not turn the House Without A Key into a karaoke night. So if Marlene Sai is sitting front row center for your performance, forget having her up to sing.
Legends of Hawaiian music didn't quit Halekulani because it wasn't worth the money. They quit because it wasn't worth the indignity and humiliation. There was a time when patrons came expressly to see and hear these musicians and see the sunset in this place where the sunset is like no other. That time is quickly becoming a distant memory.
Collectively, the members of this forum - myself included - often think themselves some sort of quorum that can affect change in this, that, or the other. But despite Andy's efforts to bring us together, we remain a vocal minority. The few hundred of us who go to Hawai'i almost expressly to hear Hawaiian music are a rare breed. We are outnumbered by the hundreds of thousands who have no desire to hear Hawaiian music at all. Sad, but true. I have no doubt that the Halekulani has received complaints about the type of music played at the House Without A Key and the volume. Letter writing campaigns by organizations like the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association (HSGA) to the Hawai'i Chamber of Commerce and local Waikiki hotels urging more traditional Hawaiian music - and steel guitar in particular - have fallen largely on deaf ears. So, what is left for us to do?
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Join me for the history of Hawaiian music and its musicians at Ho`olohe Hou at www.hoolohehou.org. |
Edited by - hwnmusiclives on 03/10/2010 05:13:50 AM |
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Konabob
`Olu`olu
USA
928 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2010 : 07:08:50 AM
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Thanks Bill,
We had to walk out of th Hale Kulani. The trio (without steel) was barely acceptable. They could not hear themselves or each other, so the harmonies were not tight. You are right, we could hear Dukes playing rock, and so we just got up and left. We found Jeff Au Hoy backing up a free hula performance at Kuhio Beach, about 4 blocks down the street.
"traditional Hawaiian music is equally underappreciated"
This is part of the issue here too, I am sorry to say. At least by my generation and younger. Donald Kaulia told me one time that when he was growing up, none of his friends wanted to play Hawaiian music after rock and roll hit the radio. So all the guys his age learned to play the guitar.
My parents generation grew up with music that was strong on melody, and not so much about rhythym. The steel guitar fit perfectly with that kind of music. (Beyond the Reef, for example).
Perhaps the very small kids whose parents love music that is extremely rhythym based will want to really bug their parents by inventing a new melody based music.
Playing with the local guys, I have had to find ways to use it to work with Jawaiian, Jimmy Buffett, Santana, and there is a lot of music on the Big Island, that is fairly close to Country Western, so I have to play that style too. Fortunately I have found an 'ukulele player that enjoys singing the older melody based numbers, and those are the numbers that always draw the most applause and comments from the audience.
I am also fortunate to be part of the Merrie Monarchs, a group that performs to raise money to support the Hulihee Palace and other Hawaiian cultural projects and events. They have given me a chance to be heard by the community here in Kona, and since their performances draws a lot of Hawaiians, I have had the opportunity to get a few guys interested in the steel guitar.
Again, thanks for all your input. Paul, bring Wanda to the Big Island the next time you are out this way...
Aloha,
-Konabob |
Konabob's Walkingbass - http://www.konawalkingbass.com
Taropatch Steel - http://www.konaweb.com/konabob/
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=Konabob2+Walkingbass |
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2010 : 08:04:00 AM
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And yet, there is hope. Many traditional forms of music the world over have suffered dramatic declines in interest in the wake of the international tsunami of rock & pop - yet they do not die, and sometimes see an increase a generation later. Celtic music is a prime example. Traditional acoustic folk and country music are seeing a big resurgence amongst young players throughout mainland America. Canadian musicians in the Eastern provinces are finding hungry audiences.
It can be disheartening to feel that fewer people follow what you love or what you do. But if it stops or slows you from doing it, the art suffers further. These things go in waves. As Mark noted, slack key almost died, too. Those of us who (as Bill accurately noted) are a vocal minority must continue our efforts to play the musics we love as best we can, because you never know who is listening, who you will "turn on" to your favorite style or instrument, whose heart you will touch. You carry the torch, even when it nearly flickers out. |
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Konabob
`Olu`olu
USA
928 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2010 : 10:28:53 AM
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They can have my steel bar when they pry it out of my cold dead hand!
Until then, I am greatful to be one of the few steel players left here in Hawaii!
-KB |
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slipry1
Ha`aha`a
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2010 : 10:34:35 AM
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Right on, guys!
On the brighter side, look at my announcement for the steel guitar festival on Maui, April 23-25 in TP. If any of you can get to it, please come! The more that show up, the more steel guitar gets recognized as valuable. There will be jamming! I'm bringing my double 8 Stringmaster (C13 & B11) and my 6 string Dobro (in F Maj7 tuning!). I'll be coming back to Kailua, Oahu until 5/13, and I'd like to meet all of you. |
keaka |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2010 : 7:07:06 PM
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I'll be there, Slip. Though without a steel...
Guess I'll have to borrow one of yers. Boy, do I love sitting down at a session playing in a tuning I've never seen before....
Bill-- thanks for the story. It is sad...
Though Keola Beamer relates a tale from the other side. Apparently in the pre Dancing Cat days he had a gig at the Ritz or somewhere in Kapalua. He played what he plays-- the Beamer family repertoire, with lots of traditional and old time Hawaiian songs accompanied with his stellar slack key.
After a couple sets, a patron came up to him and asked: "Can't you play any Hawaiian music? You know, like 'Beyond the Reef' with steel guitar?"
Fashion is such a fickle thing..
(Though, to be sure, club owners are generally slime....and that is universal. We've all had to enter through the kitchen, haven't we???) |
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