Local News

Father-son duo to kick of new season of Live @ the MACC

Virtual series returns Saturday, will feature Molinas and other artists with Maui ties

A "Generations" concert featuring the father and son duo of Andrew and Jay Molina will open the Maui Arts & Cultural Center's new season of Live @ the MACC virtual events on Saturday evening.

A veteran of the Maui music scene, vocalist/bass guitarist Jay Molina has performed with local bands such as Asian Blend, the jazz fusion group Music Magic, and The Ali'i's, as well as with Henry Kapono and Loyal Garner.

A Na Hoku-nominated ukulele player, Andrew Molina has released three albums blending Hawaiian, pop, rock, Latin and jazz. Ukulele Magazine has praised his "sheer virtuosity," declaring him a "Maui uke phenom" and "one of the next Jakes," comparing him with Jake Shimabukuro.

Reviewing his latest album "Evolv3," the magazine noted he is "unquestionably a force to be reckoned with -- a triple threat as a player, writer and arranger."

Reflecting a wide range of influences from pop to classical, "Evolv3" mixes impressive originals with a few covers, including a grand interpretation of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing," Erik Satie's piano work "Gymnopedie No. 1" and Sting's "Englishman in New York."

"I love variety and I wanted to pick pieces that were way tougher and hit a new creative level," Andrew Molina said. "I'm always thinking what can I do that I haven't done before. I'm always trying to push the envelope."

Creative highlights include his intricate solo composition "Showdown With a Scorpion."

"That's one of the tracks I'm most proud of because of its technical difficulty," he said.

And, he artfully arranges Satie's famous piano piece for ukulele.

"It's tricky because there are two piano parts and I created that on ukulele," he said. "It's very haunting."

His father plays bass on most of the album and often accompanies his son in concert.

"After high school that's when we started playing together, me on ukulele and him on bass and guitar," he said.

Inspired by Shimabukuro's virtuosity, Andrew Molina's passion for the ukulele began in his middle school years. His debut album, "The Beginning," was nominated for a Na Hoku Award. By the time of his second recording, "A New Journey," he had impressed Shimabukuro enough that they recorded an ukulele duet together.

"It was pretty incredible," he recalled. "It was like a dream I had when I was 15 years old, maybe Jake can play on one of my tunes one day. For the dream to come true was pretty amazing."

For the MACC show he will focus on songs from "Evolv3" and "A New Journey."

"Me and my dad are real close," he said. "He's a great musician and it's awesome to play with him at such a high level."

• The Live @ the MACC series continues on Feb. 27 with a virtual tour of the AbstractionX3 exhibit in the Schaefer International Gallery, featuring Don Bernshouse, Debra Drexler and Tom Lieber.

• On March 6, multi-Hoku-Award-winning slack key guitarist Jeff Peterson will team with acclaimed steel guitarist Greg Sardinha and Taiwan-born erhu player Tsun-Hui Hung, as the innovative trio Across the Sea. Three virtuosos on their respective instruments will combine talents to present a unique cross-cultural collaboration.

• Known for her soulful singing with the Mick Fleetwood Band and Willie K, Gretchen Rhodes will perform on March 13. Rhodes has toured the Mainland with Dave Mason and with legendary Booker T & the M.G.'s guitarist Steve Cropper. In 2015 she was featured in a music video filmed on Maui for country star Kenny Chesney's song "Wild Child."

• Lily Meola will team with Lukas Nelson on March 20 for a special show. The duo last performed together at the MACC for the Maui Songwriters Festival in 2019, headlined by Miranda Lambert. Currently working on a new album, Meola has previously recorded with country legends Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. Lukas Nelson collaborated with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper on the Oscar-winning movie "A Star is Born," co-writing much of the film's soundtrack. His band's most recent recording, "Naked Garden," was released in 2020.

• Multi-instrumentalist Tavana returns to the MACC for a virtual show on March 27. Tavana has performed and/or recorded alongside Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and John Cruz. His 2017 album "Aloha Spirit," was nominated for a Hoku for Best Contemporary Album of the Year. He recently released a music video for the song "Plastic Island," illustrating plastic pollution around Hawaii's beaches.

• Na Hoku-nominated musician Kaleo Phillips will perform with guitarist Wailau Ryder in a show featuring his wife, hula dancer Pakalana Phillips, on April 3. His latest album, "First Dance," includes collaborations with the late Willie K, Ron Kuala'au and Shane Kahalehau.

• The Maui-born Peterson returns to the MACC on April 17 for a solo show. He won Awards in 2020 for Hawaiian Slack Key Album of the Year for "Ka Nani O Ki Ho'alu, The Beauty of Slack Key," and Instrumental Composition of the Year.

• The season closes with Anthony Pfluke on April 24. An accomplished musician and songwriter on piano and ukulele, Pfluke's latest recording, "We Will Rise," was released in January.

All concerts will air on Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m., streamed on the MACC website as well as its Facebook and YouTube pages. The Live @ the MACC series is made possible by the support of the County of Maui and the Office of Economic Development.