COURTESY OF MOUNTAIN APPLE COMPANY
Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu was known as a rebel in the hula community. The title of his new album "Call It What You Like ..." is his response to those who have attacked his work.
Kumu rebel
Kumu hula Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu uses the term "off-island Hawaiian" to describe expatriates like himself who are increasingly reconnecting with their native culture.
The Hawaiian Bash
Featuring Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu, Maunalua, 'Ale'a, Kahua, Kim, Justin, Na Papapalai and the Kamehameha Schools Children's ChorusWhere: Waikiki Shell
When: 6 p.m. tomorrow
Tickets: $10 to $25
Call: 842-0927
"I really don't think they disconnected themselves, but they've become more vocal and active. It's a matter of situation, and all situations change," Ho'omalu said during a telephone interview that coincided with the release of his latest album, "Call It What You Like ...."
Born and raised in Aiea, Ho'omalu studied hula locally before moving to the Bay Area in the early '80s. Although largely off the radar here until his 1999 debut album, "Po'okela Chants," Ho'omalu was known in hula circles as a rebel whose style and attitude made some uncomfortable or even angry. The title of the new album expresses his response to those who've attacked his work for not being "authentic" enough to be considered hula.
"(The title) was originally going to be " 'Spostu," because every time you do something (someone says) 'You're not supposed to do it like that,' but we finally came up with 'Call It What You Like ... .' But the (criticism) hits me kind of funny, maybe because I'm away from home and I'm not caught up in the moment, and I have time to analyze things."
Ho'omalu hasn't been afraid to take chances over the years and hasn't hesitated to speak out where others might remain silent. For instance, he says it seems at times that off-island Hawaiians are more active in preserving tradition than many of the islanders he sees when he returns home.
"Here (in California) ... we wear everything local, and when you go home to Hawaii, all the kids want to wear the latest hip-hop clothes and sneakers, and we seem to be the oddballs. People say, 'You're trying to be Hawaiian.' Well, yeah!
"And all that island reggae and that type of music, when I come home and I listen to it, it is really foreign to me. Hula people like to dance, and you cannot dance (hula) to a lot of the Hawaiian reggae or island music sound.
"That's part of the formula I was using on 'Call It What You Like ... .' Hawaiian music and hula is married to each other, and if you can't dance to it, it ain't gonna get accepted."
HONOLULU residents will be able to experience Ho'omalu's artistry in concert tomorrow when he appears in Kata Maduli's "Hawaiian Bash" at the Waikiki Shell. It should be a great evening of traditional-style Hawaiian music with Hoku Award-winners Maunalua and 'Ale'a on the bill, along with young traditionalists Kahua and Na Papapalai.
Kim Shimamoto, winner of Maduli's 2001 Battle for the Bash contest, will be there to showcase the music from her recently-released CD EP, and Justin, the single-monickered, multi-talented artist who helped Maduli with Shimamoto's project, will be there as well.
Ho'omalu, a father of three, also will be joined by the Kamehameha Schools Children's Chorus to perform "He Mele No Lilo" and "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride," the two songs he wrote and recorded for the Disney animated feature "Lilo & Stitch."
As for his sometimes-controversial style of chanting, the English word Ho'omalu uses for it is "twisted," explaining it's something that naturally occurs to him, even though he enjoys listening to other older forms.
"My kumu told me to do my best and do my own, and it took me a long to realize what that meant. Do your best at what you do, not basically just to reflect or pass on what he did ... because when that happens, it stagnates."
Living outside Hawaii helped him develop his own voice and style.
"Being here in America, away from home, has really helped me to re-analyze and re-evaluate what I do, and it's kept me away from the center (where), even by osmosis, you kind of pick up what everybody else does. I'm secluded from that ... so it just kind of grows on its own. I think that's really helpful for me to distinguish myself from others."
Click for online
calendars and events.
