[ WEEKEND ]
AYUMI NAKANISHI / STAR-BULLETIN
Makana promises to deliver a lavish show this weekend at Hawaii Theatre.
Makana promises I've been busy," says Makana, letting out a soft chuckle. It's a grand understatement, considering the monumental task ahead of him. Promising just as lavish a show as his previous performance at the Hawaii Theatre in November 2000, the local troubadour knows that with less than a week to go before this weekend's concerts, every minute counts. "There's a list as long as the sky. I'm bringing together a lot of players, dancers and set designs. It's a pretty huge production and an amazing process, but it's really taxing on my person."
new look
The singer-guitarist plans something
By Shawn "Speedy" Lopes
beyond the usual stage performance
slopes@starbulletin.comTwo weeks ago, his trusty guitar, given to him by mentor Sonny Chillingworth 10 years ago, was destroyed in a mishap. "It was pretty traumatic," he states. "Trying to find a new one is like having your wife die and trying to replace her instantly." Thankfully, he says, friends have come through in the clutch with offers to help replace the instrument.
"We're an isolated community, so we work together," notes Makana, speaking of Hawaii's tight-knit society of musicians, who often find difficulty in earning a living strictly through musical endeavors. "What we're doing is not pop music and it's not necessarily radio-friendly music. It's an artistic expression without concern for any of those things, so the only way this show is possible is through the efforts of a lot of people who support, have faith and believe in the music."
With guests Willie K, Peter Rockford- Espiritu, Tau Dance Theater and others Makana
Where: Hawaii Theatre, 1130 Bethel St.
When: 8 p.m. today and 7:30 p.m. tomorrow
Tickets: $25, $35 and $60 VIP (includes admission to post-party at Indigo and an autographed CD)
Call: 528-0506
This sense of community is more than evident than on his latest offering, "Koi Au," an ambitious album which brings together such noted and divergent talents as Cyril Pahinui (open-tuned six-string guitar), Byron Yasui (double bass), Jan Jefferies (percussion), Jason Pell (violin), Lono Kaumeheiwa (electric bass, nose flute) and Pierre Grill (piano and string arrangement), among others.
"It's really a big step in bringing together different musical cultures from around the world, from meeting people, traveling, being turned on to new music," he explains. "Everything that I've experienced is shown in my music. A lot of the lyrics touch on so many subjects of experience that I've had that I'm dying to share it with people. Musically, you'll hear the different influences; Portuguese, Asian, Indonesian, Indian, African, Hawaiian, Celtic."
Makana recently ordered a gu-zheng, or Chinese harp, from London with the encouragement of friend and famed Swiss composer Andreas Vollenweider, whom he'd met by chance several years ago while visiting Bali. "My friends were like, 'Well, what are you going to do with this thing? You don't even know how to play it.' and I said 'I don't know, but I have to use it' and this crazy song came out which opens the album as a marriage of Chinese and traditional slack-key. It's really a new kind of music.
"It's like connecting with the life-blood," he says of meeting musicians he's admired. "It's such an inspiration. When you're a performer, you view the world differently, I think. You are allowed to experience a point of view that very few experience. When people come to see you give your gift, it's not only a great responsibility, but it's a great opportunity to have this relationship with a lot of people. If we can inspire people to feel, then we've succeeded."
This weekend's show will be every bit as enjoyable as his 2000 engagement at the Hawaii Theatre, Makana believes, with several new elements that take the production beyond the usual stage performance. "When people come to the show, it's important that they come open-minded, because they're going to see something that they're not used to seeing."
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