Thank you Evy Mayer and the Folk Music Society of New York, Inc. for producing and co-sponsoring another evening of traditional Hawaiian music and dance at the People’s Voice Cafe. It was a wonderful night of ukulele, slack key guitar, steel guitar, and hula.
The Masters of Hawaiian Music Tour featuring multiple Grammy award-winning artists George Kahumoku, Jr., Ledward Kaapana, and Jeff Peterson returned to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 200 Main Street, Chatham, NJ on Wednesday, March 2, 2016. Proceeds benefited the church’s programs and outreach.
It was an honor to be a part of the Kuʻu Punahou: Campaign for Punahou School at The Glass Houses in New York. Besides the joy of meeting and jamming with Pal and Waileia Eldredge, it was fun comparing mutual friends and acquaintances. Thanks Punahou for having me at another fabulous event.
It is always my pleasure to bring Hawaiian music to Punahou alumni events in New York City. It’s a great group and a lot of fun seeing friends and meeting new ones too. Thank you for having me, Punahou School!
Yes. You. Can. The odds of finding Hawaiian music in New Jersey are pretty small. But last April, the Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival came to New Jersey (Virginia and New York.) Defying even greater odds, New Jersey came to the 33rd annual Waikiki Style Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival held at the Kapi?olani Park Bandstand in Honolulu. I was lucky to be a part of both events.
“Boston was a great city to grow up in, and it probably still is. We were surrounded by two very important elements: academia and the arts. I was surrounded by theater, music, dance, museums. And I learned how to sail on the Charles River. So I had a great childhood in Boston. It was wonderful.” -Leonard Nimoy
It all started with my friend Thomas Dang Vu asking for recommended vendors in Hawaii that could ship fresh lei to New York. He explained that he was planning a wedding for his dear friends. I sent him a few names of places that friends of mine have used over the years to which he thanked me and joked, “Now I just have to find music… LOL!” My reply was where and when?!?!
It was a tremendous honor to be a part of the street naming celebration of Father Damien Way in New York City. Father Damien, the 19th-century Roman Catholic Priest from Belgium, is recognized for his work with Hansen’s disease patients in Kalaupapa on Molokai. If you do not believe in small miracles, I found a free parking spot on the street just three blocks from the venue! That is divine intervention.