Concert at Moana Bakery and Cafe in Pa'ia | Thursday, August 5, 7:30-9:30PM

As part of Kimo's other life as a singer/songwriter, he'll be performing a 2-hour set on Thursday, August 5th, at Moana Cafe in Pa'ia.

Kimo's songs range from eclectic covers on guitar and 'ukulele to his own compositions, many of them rooted in Hawaiian myth and history. For a preview of his songs, visit http://listn.to/jameskimonevius.

Moana Cafe is located at 71 Baldwin Avenue in Pa'ia, just mauka of the public parking lot. They have a great menu, a full bar, and a relaxed atmosphere. You can check them out at http://www.moanacafe.com/.

Hope to see you there!

Gig at Moana Cafe in Pa'ia | Thursday, June 3, from 6:30-8:30PM

In addition to all the other things we do (writing history, researching, leading walking tours, etc.), Kimo is a singer/songwriter and this Thursday, June 3, he'll be showcasing his material at Moana Cafe in Pa'ia.

Many of Kimo's recent songs are steeped in Hawaiian history and myth, telling the stories of everything from sugar cane workers to famous Hawaiian legends. He also writes songs that don't have anything to do with Hawaii (or history) and will include an eclectic array of covers on guitar and ukulele.

More info about Kimo's music can be found at http://www.walkmaui.com/music.htm.

Moana Cafe is located at 71 Baldwin Avenue in Pa'ia (just mauka of the Mana parking lot). You can read more about them at http://www.moanacafe.com/

Hope to see you there!

Celebrate Queen Ka'ahumanu's Birthday

This weekend the Queen Ka'ahumanu Center in Kahului is celebrating the birth of one of Hawaii's most revered queens -- and their namesake -- Ka'ahumanu. The queen was born on March 17, 1768, in Hana, Maui. Through her mother's lineage she was descended from the great chiefs of Maui, including Kekaulike, and on her father's side she was related (distantly) to Kamehameha I, to whom she was betrothed in 1781. She went on to be the king's favorite wife and, after Kamehameha's death, to be co-regent of the Kingdom of Hawaii with both Kamehameha II and Kamehameha III.

On Friday (March 12), opening ceremonies will be led at the mall by the 'Ahahui Ka'ahumanu Society beginning at 6:00 p.m. On Saturday (March 13) there will be musical entertainment in the queen's honor:

• 11:00am: Hulu Lindsey
• 12:00pm Derick Sebastian and Joshua Kahula
• 1:00pm George Kahumoku
• 2:00pm Jason Sedang and the men and women of Kealaokala, .

  The events are sponsored by radio station, KPOA.

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"Facing Future": Exploring Iz's Landmark Album

Somehow we missed this when it came out in December, but Continuum Books has selected Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's Facing Future as the first world music album to be profiled in their highly successful "33-1/3" series.

Continuum launched the "33-1/3" series in 2003 to allow freelance authors and music journalists to explore their favorite albums in depth. (Albums profiled range from Dusty Springfield's Dusty in Memphis to Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited to James Brown Live at the Apollo.) For their foray into Hawai'ian music, journalist Dan Kois (a former O'ahu resident) not surprisingly picked Iz's Facing Future, the best-selling Hawai'ian CD of all time.

The book contains a basic biography of Kamakawiwo'ole, tracing his career from the founding of the Mākaha Sons of Ni'ihau* in 1976 to his untimely death in 1997. But the bulk of the writing focuses on the recording of Facing Future in 1993 for the Mountain Apple Company and the subsequent popularity of the "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"/"Wonderful World" medley, which -- as of this writing -- has been licensed for over 100 films, television shows, and commercials. Kois takes a critical look at Mountain Apple's president, Jon de Mello, and wonders if his relentless licensing of Iz's image and sound has devalued his music. (De Mello discredits this, noting in a recent Honolulu Advertiser story that he had promised Kamakawiwo'ole that his daughter and wife would be taken care of financially after the singer's death.)

Here on Maui, the book is available both from Borders in Kahului and Barnes & Noble in Lahaina. It also available online at Amazon.com. For more on Kois and the book -- including his perhaps farfetched idea that Barack Obama was at Iz's brother Skippy's funeral in 1982 -- see Kois's own blog at http://www.facing-future.com/.

* Is it us, or is it weird that the Mākaha Sons website doesn't mention Iz except in one buried page?

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