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markwitz
`Olu`olu
USA
841 Posts |
 Posted - 07/13/2011 : 2:00:09 PM
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I just simply love Kupaoa. This will be their third visit to the Santa Cruz area, and I always look forward to their visits with great anticipation. Their voices and harmonies are amazing. Their dedication to keeping Hawaiian Music fresh and alive is evident in their music and song writing and performing. Helping to perpetuate Hawaiian Music and Hula at it's finest is..... Kupaoa.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E81S0sR7r70
This from an email I received from Kupaoa announcing their Northern California tour.
"After years of playing annually for San Francisco's Patrick Makuakane and the esteemed Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu, we've FINALLY put together our own Kupaoa tour of Northern California! Wow, it feels so good just to say that! We're working with one of the Bay Area's premier promoters, Patrick Landeza, and he's put together a bunch of shows that have us circling the Bay Area in July. We're bringing up two of our incredible dancers with us too, Frank Akima and Eleena Helenihi, who are the kumu hula of Kananiokeakua School of Hula in Honolulu. If you are fans of Kupaoa music or just plain love Hawaiian music and hula, come and check us out at the following venues:
Thursday, 7/14/11: 7:30-9:30pm, Don Quixote's International Music Hall in Felton. Call (831)603-2294 for tickets and info.
Friday, 7/15/11: 7:30-9:30pm, LandezaPresents Kupaoa Live at the Cue in Concord. Click HERE for tickets and info.
Saturday, 7/16/11: TBA, 11th Annual Summer Concert Series at Gray Pine Farm in Redding. Featuring Kupaoa, Patrick Landeza, Eric Lee and Faith Ako. Click HERE for tickets and info.
Sunday, 7/17/11: 5-7pm, Club Fox in Redwood City. Click HERE for tickets and info.
Monday, 7/18/11: 7pm, Borders Sacramento.
We can't tell you all how excited we are about finally making it up to the Bay Area on our own! This will be the first Kupaoa tour.....EVER, and hopefully the start of many more! We hope to see you at one (or more!) of our shows."
Kellen Paik and Lihau Hannahs Paik are Kupaoa. The name describes a "strong, lingering fragrance" which reflected their hopes that their music would linger with people like sweet, memorable fragrances. That is an understatement. In 2008, Kellen and Lihau released their debut album, "Pili O Ke Ao" which was nominated for 4 Na Hoku Hanohano awards. In 2009, the members of the Hawai'i Academy of Recording Artists honored the duo with a Na Hoku Hanohano award for Most Promising Artist of the Year and also awarded Kellen and Iokepa Badis the prestigious Haku Mele Award for Hawaiian language song composition of the year for the song, "Uluwehikalunaoka'ala". Bolstered by the success of their first album, Kupaoa began work in late 2009 on a second album released in 2010 which is titled "English Rose". Artist sites and sounds www.kupaoa.com
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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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PearlCityBoy
Lokahi
USA
432 Posts |
Posted - 07/14/2011 : 11:25:44 AM
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I just got my tickets for tomorrow night's show at The Cue in Concord. I am so looking forward to the concert as I have always wanted to see Kupaoa live. I remember hearing about them several years ago because they were part of Patrick Makuakane's shows, which unfortunately were always sold out before I caught wind of them. So of course I YouTubed them and was blown away by their beautiful singing and musicality. Kellen is a terrific guitar player--not slack key, but we won't hold that against him  . Lihau accompanies him wonderfully on upright bass. Incidentally, Lihau's brother is Kale Hannahs of the excellent group Waipuna, who just performed in the Bay Area last month.
Mahalo to Patrick Landeza for bringing "lesser known" but incredibly talented Hawaiian musicians to the Bay Area, all for a very reasonable price. Check out his website where it's so easy to order discounted tickets online with only a $1.00 handling fee: http://www.landezapresents.com/ . A bonus for concerts at The Cue is that we can buy a home-cooked Landeza dinner plate (there's also a cash bar) before the concert and talk story an hour or so before the performance. The intimate atmosphere feels like you're at a family party, but with top notch entertainment after dinner!
Please check out Kupaoa's concerts, spread the word, and support Hawaiian music in the Bay Area. You won't be disappointed.
Aloha,
Doug |
Edited by - PearlCityBoy on 07/14/2011 11:31:24 AM |
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GUke
Lokahi
188 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2011 : 09:04:52 AM
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Due to work schedule could only catch this act trekking down to Felton from SF. The venue there is small and intimate so not a bad seat in the house. What a terrific show.
Itʻs always nice when the artist talk story about the mele they perform. Their original compositions in the Hawaiian language give evidence that this art is alive and well and IMO stand with todayʻs established mele artist. Lihau and Kellen brought with them two hula kumu whose hula made the show moʻ bettah. Donʻt miss this performance if you can. You are treated to beautiful harmonies, beautiful dance and artists who enjoy sharing with their audience. Mahalo Kupaoa for a wonderful night. |
Genaro
Should I? Itʻs only $, and where Iʻm going itʻll burn or melt. |
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markwitz
`Olu`olu
USA
841 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2011 : 09:19:54 AM
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I couldn't agree more with what GUKe says above.
What a true delight it was last night. to see Kupaoa at Don Quixote's. So fresh and so new in their approach to Hawaiian Music, while at the same time being so traditional and "Old School". It's so nice to see the the next generation of true Hawaiian Musicians carrying on the tradition at it's finest. HANA HOU! HANA HOU!
I also want to say what a beautiful performance by the two extraordinary Kumu Hula Frank Akima and Eleena Helenihi. They were a huge part of the shows enjoyment. Hope to see you both come to our area again. What a true honor it was to have you both here with us. |
"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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PearlCityBoy
Lokahi
USA
432 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2011 : 07:07:27 AM
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Just a short note to say I saw Kupaoa last night at The Cue in Concord. Ditto to Genaro's and Markwitz's comments, and then some. The show was outstanding--very intimate, personal, poignant, educational, and entertaining. They actually changed up their set to accomodate requests, to dedicate songs, and just because they were "feeling it," even though they didn't rehearse for those. As Kellen mentioned, this is a show they don't even do in Hawaii. For example, it was Aunty Frances' (Patrick's Mom) birthday, and since she's originally from Molokai, Kellen sang "Kalamaula" in her honor. After sweating out those long notes, he joked afterwards that he learns something from every show, and the takeway from this one is to "learn more Molokai songs" because surely there are easier Molokai songs to wing (FYI, his falsetto was wonderful).
Lihau also pushed herself out of her comfort zone by treating us to a chant she was privileged to learn from one of Aunty Edith Kanakaole's daughters, played ukulele on an original song she composed, and dedicated to her cousin a very moving song she wrote about their Popo (grandmother in Chinese), to whom she was very close.
Interestingly, I spoke with Frankie, one of the two terrific hula dancers, and he mentioned that the spontaneous changes to the set made them very nervous, and between numbers he and Eleena had to work on the choreography backstage--which is really outside in the Cue's parking lot! These two dancers were such pros that I'm sure nobody even noticed that they had to adapt on the spot.
They have several shows left, including Redding tonight, Redwood City tomorrow, and Sacramento on Monday. This is a rare opportunity to catch this very talented duo and their wonderful hula dancers here in N. Cal. Mahalo Patrick Landeza for bringing these incredibly talented and genuinely nice artists to our neck of the woods. We are very fortunate.
Aloha,
Doug |
Edited by - PearlCityBoy on 07/16/2011 07:12:30 AM |
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Auntie Maria
Ha`aha`a
USA
1918 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2011 : 07:40:25 AM
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So glad you Bay Area folks are enjoying Kupaoa! If you haven't gotten your ticket yet, hurry!!
Today - Grey Pine Farm in Oak Run - 4pm
lu`au & concert (plus Eric Lee & Patrick Landeza)
Call 530-472-1029
Tomorrow - Club Fox in Redwood City - 5pm
$20 at door or $17 advance
Call 650-369-7770
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Auntie Maria
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My "Aloha Kaua`i" radio show streams FREE online every Thu & Fri 7-9am (HST)
www.kkcr.org - Kaua`i Community Radio
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Kupaoa In Northern California
