Benjamin Verdery

July 17, 2014

Celebrated guitarists Benjamin Verdery, John Dearman, Jeff Peterson, and Ian O'Sullivan will appear in a special concert to benefit the Hawaii Nature Conservancy on Tuesday at the Makawao Union Church.The unique program will include solo and ensemble music from Brazil, Tibet, Hawaii and North America."It will be a fun guitar extravaganza," Verdery explains. "It will be a great blend of slack key, classical and some Brazilian jazz things."Returning to Maui to run his 15th annual classical guitar master class which attracts students from around the world, Verdery says, "I was thinking it ...

Maxi Priest gets to his roots at Field of Dreams in Waikapu

July 10, 2014

The king of lovers rock style of reggae, Maxi Priest, returns to Hawaii after a long absence to headline the 2014 Summer Reggae Festival at Maui Tropical Plantation on Friday evening. The festival will also feature Big Mountain, Mitchell Brunings and Ekolu.The British reggae legend Priest amassed an international following with his smooth, soul-flavored romantic ballads like "Close to You." Employing Jamaican rhythms as a foundation, he applies his rich voice to an appealing blend of R&B and pop creating a refined style of contemporary reggae which he has characterized as "bright, ...

Marty Dread goes country

July 3, 2014

Fusing reggae and country music might seem like an unusual combination. But over the decades, many Jamaican recording artists have covered country songs, including Bob Marley, whose second single -"I'll Just Have Another Cup of Coffee" -was a country hit by Claude Gray in 1961.Now, "Maui's Reggae Ambassador," Marty Dread, is exploring his love for country music with his most ambitious album to date, "Upcountry Boy.""I have always been a fan of country music as far back as I can remember," Marty says. "I remember listening to pop radio as a child in Massachusetts in the '70s, and ...

Da Ukulele Boyz

June 26, 2014

Performing as Da Ukulele Boyz, cousins Peter deAquino and Garrett Probst have played together since their childhood, when they competed in Keoki Kahumoku's Maui Ukulele Contest held annually at the Hula Grill.Now regular cohosts at George Kahumoku Jr.'s Masters of Hawaiian Music shows, they've just released an impressive new CD, "On Hawaiian Time," which they will present tonight at a release party at the Napili Kai Beach Resort.Recorded live at the show, the new album showcases their talent and versatility. Covering a spectrum of Hawaiian music, they mix classic favorites like "Noho ...

Ki Ho‘alu slack key guitar festival

June 19, 2014

It was Willie K's dad, Manu Kahaiali'i, who gave Barry Flanagan his first slack key guitar lesson, which eventually led him to forming the acclaimed, multi-Na-Hoku Award winning contemporary Hawaiian music duo Hapa with Keli'i Kaneali'i."In early 1980, I wanted to go to Hawaii, I wanted to write a Hawaiian song and learn how to play slack key," Barry recalls. "In Lahaina, there were these great slack key players, and Jimmy Kaopuiki told me to approach Manu. I called a couple of times, woke him, and he hung the phone up on me. The next day there was a knock on the door, and he came in and ...

Matisyahu Evolution

June 12, 2014

Matisyahu's brilliant new album, "Akeda," marks a significant evolution for the American musician who found fame as a beatbox rapping Hasidic Jewish singer, inspiring fans with spiritual and uplifting songs wrapped in reggae rhythms.While he's been classified as a reggae musician, he's really more an exceptionally talented artist who draws from a wide palette, which includes elements of pop, rock, hip-hop and Jamaica's most famous export.Having shed his traditional Hasidic beard, garments and religion that fueled him a couple of years ago, Matisyahu has attained new creative peaks with ...