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May Day 25 The first five years were the hardest, Jon de Mello and the Brothers Cazimero agreed as they looked back at 25 years of May Day concerts. The trio and their Mountain Apple Co. ohana present May Day XXV at the Waikiki Shell on Wednesday.
The Brothers Cazimero make ready
for a silver anniversary celebrationBy John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.com"The first five were just killers," de Mello said. "Two or three days after, we were just wiped out. Through the years people say it must get harder and harder and harder, and for some reason it's not (even though) we still put as much energy into them, and sometimes rehearsals are even longer than they were in the early years.
"A lot of times, while we're doing the concert, we're almost designing next year's. It's very odd, but it happens for me with the visual, the staging and stuff like that. And because they're so prolific with their music, there's never been a lack of material to draw upon."
"What I've learned about that is that you don't try to outdo the others," Robert said. "You just try to make sure you do a good show. People will remember -- and forget -- what they want."
May Day always seemed like something of a night out for the brothers, Robert and Roland, during their years headlining the Monarch Room at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The huge Shell stage allowed them to work with their affiliated halau -- Robert's Gentlemen of Na Kamalei and "third brother" Leina'ala Kalama Heine and the Ladies of Na Pualei O Liko Lehua. Robert could speak his mind without self-censoring ad-libbed comments that might be misunderstood by visitors, and there were always two or three unadvertised surprise guests.
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De Mello knew each year where the show was going. How it got there was up to the Brothers and their guests. The combination of improvisation and surprises for the audience made each May Day concert memorable.The verbal interplay between Robert and Roland was a given, but Robert recalls several shows in which he enjoyed being a spectator as well: "Roland's patter when Israel (Kamakawiwo'ole) was there -- I wouldn't get in the middle of it because I would have been massacred," he said.
"Willie K singing with Auntie Genoa several years ago. Amy practically being discovered (as a falsetto singer) at the Waikiki Shell. The very first time Roland and I performed there 25 years ago, coming off a helicopter ride and walking right on stage after changing clothes," are three of his other favorite memories.
"Rock star action," Roland added regarding the helicopter arrival. De Mello and the helicopter had picked them up at Kapiolani Park in the late afternoon, and they'd flown around Oahu before returning to Waikiki and circling the park.
It was at a Cazimero May Day concert that Hawaii was introduced to the duo of Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom & Willie K as Gilliom shucked the sophisticated pop image of her "Native Child" album and reinvented herself as a Hawaiian falsetto singer.
"Amy was a wonderful surprise for all of us," Robert said as the conversation turned to other special moments. "The Sons of Hawaii, Pandanus Club, the Mana'o Company."
It was also at a May Day concert that Na Leo (then Na Leo Pilimehana) rocked the crowd with their first controversial hit, "Local Boys."
"One concert, Roland and I fought through the whole thing," Robert added. "It ended up being very explicit -- two-, er, four-letter words -- and walking off the stage."
"'Ciao' is a four-letter word," Roland interjects as Robert steps away from the conversation to take a phone call. "We'd worked hard on the script, and then Rob decides "What script?" and just kept changing everything. You work hard on a show, and then in the middle of the stream, someone decides, let's not cross the stream."
"I must add, though, that a May Day would not be complete without a little scrapping between the Brothers," de Mello said. "There's friction, and this is a creative process, and it works for them somehow. The lights go on and everything snaps together -- except for that one year."
De Mello's formidable talents as a producer and set and lighting designer have made the May Day shows larger than life in terms of production values. The brothers have performed on moving platforms that lifted them up off the Shell stage. One show ended with them rising out of sight in a "cherry picker" with de Mello as their onboard pilot and -- unknown to the crowd -- almost smashing into the Shell ceiling.
"We were 80 feet up and going up. We were just going up and didn't see (the roof) until it was there," de Mello said.
"I could touch the roof. To be left there at the end of the concert and watch people going out -- I was fit to be tied," Robert said.
Roland would love to "fly" again -- "at least one more time."
"To make 25 is a milestone, it's very humbling, and it's quite remarkable to make an impact like this one history," de Mello said. "It revived something that Don Blanding in 1928 brought into focus, (and) we would love Don Blanding to be in the audience to watch what he started."
Blanding popularized the idea that "May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii" and its corollary -- "Make a lei, give a lei, wear a lei" -- that the brothers' May Day concerts are intended to help perpetuate.
"The thought of this one man -- he wasn't even Hawaiian -- is a credit to people who love Hawaii and love the culture and love the feeling of it," Robert said. "During this time now, when economies are going really bad, the first thing that gets hit is the arts -- but without them there really is no beauty in life. We may have thought we chose (to do May Day concerts), but it's chosen us. May Day is part of this culture that is Hawaii. It's not so much Roland and I -- this is a 75-year haul."
"It's all connected with people," de Mello said. "There have been so many people over 25 years that have been connected to this event, and 90 percent of them are always there, but in our minds we know of all the people that are watching it from other planes. It's definitely people. People are the memories of our concerts, and this concert is for all of them. It's for everyone that's ever touched May Day."
Robert says the ohana is looking forward to May Day 2003 and that they'll be approaching it from a new direction. "We feel very lucky to have come this far, but the whole idea of 25 years is that we're looking at next year not as No. 26, but as No. 1. For us, 25 is memories and reflection, but it's also looking toward the future as a new beginning. With that in mind we can start and do anything. We can go anywhere we want, knowing that next year will be the first year all over again."
"One," Roland said. "Not 26. One. Something to look forward to again."
Here are a few of the May Day events taking place around town: LEI DAY FESTIVITIES
Wednesday
Macy's: Volunteers from the Lyon Arboretum will be demonstrating the art of lei making, and selling them as well, from noon to 2 p.m. in the Island Attitudes department at Ala Moana and Pearlridge. There will be entertainment from 1 to 2 p.m. by the Elaine Spencer Trio at Ala Moana and Pua Melia at Pearlridge. Free. Call 945-5894.Outrigger Reef on the Beach: Festivities begin at 8 a.m. Wednesday with the arrival of the May Day Queen and court. Lei vendors will demonstrate their craft and offer the garlands for sale throughout the day. A highlight is the hotel's lei contest, with entries accepted between 7 and 9 a.m. in the categories of single, color, mixed color, haku and wili lei. Prizes will be awarded in several categories, with a grand prize of a two-night stay at the Outrigger Reef. The hotel is at 2169 Kalia Road. Call 924-6004.
Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach: Activities run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday with entertainment by Jimmy Kaina, the Outrigger Choir and Na Ho'okele, as well as an appearance by the Aloha Festivals Royal Court. There will also be a display of Kamaka ukulele, Hawaiian quilts and Hawaiian collectibles. There will also be a nose flute and gourd demonstration from 7 to 8 p.m. Free. The hotel is at 2335 Kalakaua Ave. Call 921-9711.
Polynesian Cultural Center: 4th annual May Day Lei Competition will offer prizes in five categories: Most Hawaiian, Beautiful, Multi-Cultural, Creative and Popular. Lei will be accepted through 12:30 p.m., with judging at 1:30 p.m. and awards presentation at 5:30 p.m. To register, call Nau Lavaka at 293-3121.
Saturday
Ward Warehouse Amphitheatre: All are invited to enter the "Lei Aloha" contest, an annual tribute to the lei-making tradition. Reserve a place by Wednesday. Entry forms are available at public libraries, Borders bookstores and TEMARI Center for Asian & Pacific Arts' Web site, temaricenter.com. All lei must be made on the premises and only one entry is allowed per person.The event begins at 9 a.m., with hula and lei demonstrations from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the contest award ceremony at noon. Demonstrations will continue from 1 to 5 p.m. at Ward Center and Ward Warehouse.
All lei must have a 2-inch loop at one end, with a minimum length of 22 inches. Hat lei must be shown on a hat and the lei must be worn when completed.
Entries may be made of foliage and flowers, as well as fabric, ceramics, glass, artificial flowers or other materials.
Entries will be judged on craftsmanship, wearability, creativity, design, and for floral lei: freshness and fragrance.
There will be cash prizes for keiki ages 5 to 12, keiki 13 to 18, and adults. The grand prizes are $100, $200 and $500, respectively, with five additional prizes in each category of $50, $75 and $100 respectively.
Call TEMARI, 735-1860.
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