By JON WOODHOUSE

For The Maui News

Based in San Diego, Slack Key ‘Ohana’s enthusiasm for Hawaiian music has inspired them to release a couple of popular albums and earn a Hoku nomination for Hawaiian Music Video of the Year for their original song “Nahenahe Ka Leo o Ka Wahine U’i,” from their latest album “Hawaiian Cowboy.”

The musicians are super excited because they were invited to perform at the 2024 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards ceremony on Aug. 3 in Honolulu, where they will be accompanied by Maui’s George Kahumoku Jr., and Hawaii Island’s Brittni Paiva.

“I’m so excited and honored,” says Slack Key ‘Ohana’s Brian Witkin. “I can’t believe it. Brittni Paiva is doing the song ‘One More Day’ with us, and George Kahumoku Jr., is coming on to perform our ‘Hawaiian Cowboy’ song.”

After the ceremony they will head to Maui to perform at the ProArts Playhouse with Arlie Asiu on Aug. 6 and at The Shops at Wailea on Aug. 7.

So how did a band of non-Hawaiians in California come to love and promote Hawaiian music?

First, we have to go back in time to the legendary Woodstock festival, where the rock and roll revival band Sha Na Na performed. The group included Brian’s father, Joe Witkin. “My father played Woodstock right before Jimi Hendrix,” says Brian Witkin.

Then there’s his mother, Carol Witkin, who was a travel agent. Both parents are members of Slack Key ‘Ohana. “We’re an ohana literally,” he says. “My parents were in bands together when I was a kid growing up, and my mom was a travel agent. I would go to the islands several times a year. and the islands were so entrenched in my lifestyle and my taste in music. I decided to learn slack key guitar and during COVID my mom was getting more into playing ukulele. It all happened sort of organically and we turned into a family band.”

Besides the Witkins, the group previously included former member slack key guitarist/vocalist Kamaka Mullen, with Hawaiian roots on Oahu.

On their impressive album “Hawaiian Cowboy,” they mix appealing originals with respectful covers of Hawaiian classics including Ledward Kaapana’s “I Kona,” “Aloha ‘Oe” and “Hawa’i Aloha.” “We play a lot of traditional Hawaiian songs at our concerts,” he notes. “We’ve got a rolodex of over 40 songs. We know the standards and we play for halaus.”

Besides Uncle George Kahumoku on slack key guitar, the country flavored title song features Z Z Top’s Billy Gibbons on a vocal narration.

“The premise was like what would happen if Johnny Cash was born in Hawaii?” says Witkins about the song. “Everything that we’re doing is the element of blending and having a crossover between the traditional Hawaiian, which we always want to make sure we’re respecting the culture and the tradition, but also having crossover where we bring in a little Americana, a little bit of pop.

“We bring in our own spin because we are from California. We have the two cowboys bringing it home for the album with George Kahumoku Jr., from Maui, with an incredible slack key solo and all the vamps. And then we have Billy Gibbons, who’s like the Texas cowboy, doing the voiceover, and it’s kind of like combining those worlds together.”

One of my favorite album tracks, “Slack Key Ohana,” with its harmonies and expressions of affection for Hawaii, could have stood out on a Beach Boys’ album. “I wrote that on Oahu,” he says. “We’ve got that Hawaiian vibe, but that’s a pop song. What we were going for is Beach Boy’s inspired. We’ve got some more of those coming too.”

Slack Key ‘Ohana perform at the 2024 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards ceremony on Aug. 3. They perform at the ProArts Playhouse with Arlie Asiu on Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $15 to $35. They play a free show at The Shops at Wailea on Aug. 7 at 4:30 p.m.