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John Neff
Aloha
USA
3 Posts |
 Posted - 06/12/2011 : 08:03:23 AM
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Aloha, Aikane! Just recently learned about this site and am so happy to have found it! My name is John Neff, and I lived in Maui from 1979 to 1993. 'Uncle' Les Kuloloio called me 'Keone'. Almost all of my life has been spent in the music business, as a performer, composer and recording engineer/producer. In 1979 I 'retired' to Maui at the ripe old age of 28. Had a new marriage and was going to get out of the music business and try to lead a 'normal' life. Wife's family lived in Olinda and we moved onto Crater Road. Well, it was less than a year before I was back in the business, but in radio. Did weekend nights at KVIB-Makawao for a few months, then took over the morning show and started mixing Hawaiian music in with the Country format. It went over well. Started playing The Part Time Paniolos 'My Island Maui' and got a call from a fellow who wanted to re-record it. So I rented The Winery studio in Kaupakalua and recorded two songs for Billy Gomes. That got me going again. Put in my first little studio (I lived in it as well!) at the Thompson Ranch, then put a studio in next to Bounty Music on Dairy Road, then built a large commercial-grade studio in Ulupalakua with Walter Becker of Steely Dan. Recorded a lot of local artists at the studio next to Bounty and got most of them on the radio, when Maui atrists could not get played on the air. At the last studio, I recorded Buddy Fo's 'Signature' CD and The Pahinui Brothers CD. It took 9 years to get that record made. Bla had come to Maui in early 1982 for a long gig at The Maui Lu. He also had a new LP (remember those?) coming out and came onto my KVIB morning show to introduce it. I asked him why he had not made a record with his brothers and he said they didn't get along so well since Pops passed. I told him, "You got your Dad's low, growly voice, his emotional ballad voice, Martin had his angelic high voice and Cyril got the guitar chops. It took three of you to equal your Dad!" He laughed and said it was so. I bugged him for years, but everyone was busy with their own career and family. Then, in the summer of 1991, Steve Siegfried (Panini Record) called to say that the brothers were ready to make the record, and that there would be some guest artists on it. Man, were there! Jim Keltner on drums, Ry Cooder (who had lived briefly with the family in O'ahu) on guitars and David Lindley, also on guitar. Gabby's 12-string Martin had been recovered (it was stolen from his apartment the day he died) from the Lahaina Hard Rock Cafe, restored at the Martin factory courtesy of Steve Siegfried, and was presented to Cyril the first day of the sessions. He used it on the entire record.
Great times, fabulous music. Hawaiian music is in my blood and takes me places no other kine can.
But, family demands made a move back to the mainland necessary in '93. I took to making rock records again, and got into mixing films, including the Oscar-nominated "Mulhollad Drive" for David Lynch. After a dozen years in Hollywood and 7 in Marin County, CA (where I recorded the Journey CD 'Revelation' with Filipino singer Arnel Pineda), I am now moving on to Portland, OR, where there is an exploding music and independent film scene. I will concentrate on film mixing, but will have the capabilities for music recording and would welcome any Hawaiian artists (or players of such...) into the studio. Thank you for reading this long winded talk-story, and mahalo to all for having the site and being on the site. Feels like home. Now, where's the poi!?
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2011 : 08:55:18 AM
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Hey, John - welcome to the 'patch. As soon as I saw your posts, I thought "this can't be the same John Neff who..." I've long been an avid reader of liner notes, y'see.
Glad to hear you're landing up here in the PacNW; hope we'll cross paths at some event (there's a bunch of us playing Hawaiian music in Seattle). |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2011 : 09:08:06 AM
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| Thanks for sharing your story. Welcome to the 'patch. |
Andy |
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markwitz
`Olu`olu
USA
841 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2011 : 10:08:35 AM
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Great stories. Great to have you here. I look forward to seeing more posts from you.
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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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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2011 : 2:11:49 PM
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Aloha, John. Welcome to TaroPatch. I love to hear your stories about Bla, who is one of the many men I love. (in a brotherly way of course). I love to hear him and Martin talk story about recording that album. And it was indeed one of the all time best recordings I have ever heard.
Stick around and come talk story with us every now and then.
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Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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Lawrence
Ha`aha`a
USA
1597 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2011 : 4:29:05 PM
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Jeez, what an interesting bio Mister Neff, to me you seem to belong in the same league as Tom Dowd or Roy Halee. In my most hopeful imagination, I might have had a similar career-arc if I had stayed in music back in '78, but instead I got into designing these things called personal computers.
Welcome to the Patch!!
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Mahope Kākou...
...El Lorenzo de Ondas Sonoras |
Edited by - Lawrence on 06/12/2011 4:37:43 PM |
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From Maui to Portland
