A dose of truth

November 26, 2015

As their name suggests, Nahko and Medicine for the People are on a mission to inspire positive change, performing what they call "real talk music."Led by Oregon-native Nahko, who was born a mix of Apache, Puerto Rican and Filipino cultures, Medicine for the People has toured with Michael Franti and SOJA, and internationally with Xavier Rudd, and performed at festivals in the U.S., Australia and Bali."Our focus is to make music that tells the truth," Nahko told Australia's Beat Magazine. "I'm a big fan of hip hop, I'm a big fan of pop music, but in pop music and a lot of other music the ...

Blues and harmonica great Charlie Musselwhite @ the MACC

November 18, 2015

Blues music for harmonica great Charlie Musselwhite is a celebration. His approach to playing "comes out of the blues clubs of Chicago, where it was a good time with dancing, a party," he explains. "A lot of people hear the term blues and think it's something sad, but it's really to get rid of that feeling. It's a good time, a celebration of living."Last year, this revered musician finally won his first Grammy for a smoking-hot collaboration with Ben Harper on the album "Get Up!""It was really great," he says about winning. "And it was really great that my friend Cyndi Lauper was the ...

‘Chardonnay’ in a golden era

November 12, 2015

Amy Hanaiali'i is about to release a new CD, "Chardonnay," in conjunction with her own wine label. Best known for her award-winning Hawaiian albums, on her latest recording this versatile artist has chosen to focus on romantic English language songs, that she says, perfectly complement her Chardonnay wine."It's an album I recorded about nine years ago," Hanaiali'i explains. "I was trying new music out, trying to expand and grow. I have these projects in the can until it's the right time, and we felt that this project and the wine was a good match."Besides highlighting Amy's stunning ...

Legendary collaborations and shows at the White House — More on the life of Booker T. Jones

November 5, 2015

* This is Part 2 of a two-part column on soul musician Booker T. Jones.One of the architects of the influential Memphis soul sound, Booker T. Jones first found fame with the band Booker T. & the MGs. Jones and the MGs played on a string of hits by soul and blues legends like Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Bill Withers, Sam & Dave, Rufus Thomas and Albert King.Besides composing for the MGs, Jones co-composed blues great King's signature song, "Born Under a Bad Sign," which was later recorded by Cream and Jimi Hendrix."William Bell and I were given an assignment to come up with a ...

Soul legend will perform at the MACC next week

October 29, 2015

* This is Part 1 of a two-part column on Booker T. Jones. Part 2 will appear in the Nov. 5 Maui Scene.Acclaimed as one of the founders of soul music, Booker T. Jones will make his Maui debut in Castle Theater at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center on Nov. 5.Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and a recipient of Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Jones is revered as one of America's most distinguished musicians.The array of artists he has recorded with ranges from Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and Neil Young to Otis Redding, Roy Orbison and Boz Scaggs. And his songs have been ...

Te Vaka

October 22, 2015

The acclaimed Polynesian band Te Vaka returns to our island to play Lahaina's Maui Theatre on Wednesday. A collective of musicians and dancers from Tokelau, Samoa, Cook Islands and New Zealand, Te Vaka has been praised as one of the greatest South Pacific bands of all time.Their emphasis on cultural awareness led the Disney company to recruit the band's leader, Opetaia Foa'i, to compose new songs for its forthcoming animated feature "Moana."Set in the mythical South Pacific world of Oceania, "Moana" follows a teenage navigator as she sets sail in search of a fabled island that can ...