Reggae’s Tarrus Riley brings swag as MayJah RayJah

July 23, 2015

On his most recent album, "Love Situation," Jamaican reggae star Tarrus Riley paid tribute to a less familiar style of his nation's music, known as rocksteady.A successor of ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was built around the "one drop" drum beat and performed in the late 1960s by Jamaican artists such as Alton Ellis, the Maytals, the Heptones and the Paragons.Riley heard rocksteady records as a child and felt it was time to pay homage to the influential style."I'm trying to do different things," he told Island Sound. "Whether it be rocksteady, ska, dance-hall, roots, hip-hop, ...

All you need is… the Lonely Heart Shakers Band

July 16, 2015

Beatles' fans on Maui have been lately enjoying the Lonely Heart Shakers Band, which returns to Mulligans On the Blue on Saturday.Fronted by Steve Craig, who played John Lennon in the Fab Four Beatles tribute show in Las Vegas, the Shakers also feature Lenny Castellanos on bass and vocals, guitarist Kenny Geiser and drummer Pat Wellington.The Lonely Heart Shakers Band was formed around a year ago, inspired by Craig's passion for Beatles' music."I'm a huge Beatle fan," he explains. "I had older brothers and was raised on classic rock, and especially the Beatles. They were a huge ...

HAPA in the Mill House

July 9, 2015

Back on Maui for an extended engagement through August, HAPA's Barry Flanagan is feeling excited about both playing here again and collaborating with new member Kapono Na'ili'ili.This latest version of the acclaimed, multi-Na Hoku winning group is performing Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at the Maui Tropical Plantation's Shell Theater in Waikapu, in conjunction with an optional a la carte tapas menu created by Mill House Executive Chef Jeff Scheer.The plantation provides a lush setting to experience the group, like a taste of Hana in Waikapu, with the added bonus of a newly upgraded ...

Strumming with the masters

July 2, 2015

Classical guitar virtuoso Benjamin Verdery will return to Maui for a series of concerts with guest artists and student guitarists from his master class. Joining Verdery this year will be Grammy Awardwinning guitarist Andrew York and Hawaiian guitarist and ukulele player Ian O'Sullivan.Events will be held at the Makawao Union Church, University of Hawaii Maui College, St. John's Episcopal Church in Keokea, the Lahaina Jodo Mission and the Keawala'i Congregational Church in Makena.A "Maui Guitar Extravaganza" opening concert will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Makawao Union Church ...

Michelle Branch

June 25, 2015

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Michelle Branch was only 18 years old when she dominated the music charts during the summer of 2001 with her supercatchy, guitar-strumming anthem "Everywhere." Subsequent hits from her albums, "The Spirit Room" and "Hotel Paper," helped cement her popularity.Branch's impressive major label debut, "The Spirit Room," ended up selling more than 2 million copies. A Rolling Stone review noted, "Merging a genuine song-writing talent and a strong conviction, the Arizona native draws inspiration from mid-90s artists like Alanis and Jewel to churn out songs that ...

Hot Tuna

June 18, 2015

For more than four decades, Hot Tuna has successfully mixed Americana roots music with eclectic variations on blues and rock. Founded by two former Jefferson Airplane members, legendary lead guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bass virtuoso Jack Casady, Hot Tuna returns to Maui on Sunday for an acoustic show."It's always fun and it's always fresh and we can't wait to get to the islands," says Casady about playing in Hot Tuna. "It's been my vehicle for so long. Jorma and I started playing together in 1958. I was 14 and he was 17. We have a mutual love of music. I'm proud of the fact that we ...