Entertainment

Elele Tiana teams with George Kahumoku, Jr. and Lahaina Grown’s Deason Ka’ohelo

Hawaii island musician Elele Tiana is teaming with Grammy winning slack key guitar master George Kahumoku, Jr. and Deason Ka'ohelo from the band Lahaina Grown for a concert in Haiku on April 5.

"It's a house concert at Haiku Mill Billy's," Tiana explains. "It's an amazing venue decorated by people who are artists. They've created a beautiful space."

This gifted musician says she first got the idea of a show spotlighting different talents and styles after meeting Ka'ohelo, who co-formed Lahaina Grown with his Lahainaluna High School classmates and released the epic Nā Hōkū Hanohano nominated debut album, "Lahaina Grown," that brought them popularity around the state.

"I met Deason when I was working after the Lahaina fires," she recalls. "There were several of us that were doing fundraisers and doing music and I met him at the Ocean Organic Farm. He heard my song about the media. I have a couple of different sets that I do. One of them is what I call a rebelicious set of roots reggae and island reggae. We talked about things like my song about the media and he approached me because of his experiences with the media after the fires."

With Ka'ohelo on board, she added multi-Grammy and Nā Hōku Hanohano-award-winning musician Uncle George to the bill. This energetic dynamo is a respected songwriter, teacher, artist, author, filmmaker, chef and farmer who has dedicated his life to perpetuating traditional Hawaiian ways. He received the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.

"A friend who is producing the show met Uncle George and said, ‘You’ve got to have Uncle George on the show'," she says. "It turns out that I know Uncle George through his son Keoki, who lives in Hilo. I played with him a few times. We're musicians in the Big Island community, so I cover his shift sometimes and I ask him to cover my shift sometimes at the Naniloa (Hotel)."

Along with the Haiku show, Tiana will play the Aumakua Kava Lounge in Paia on April 6. She will be joined by one of her students, Eleni Vournas, singing harmony on a few songs.

Besides performing, Tiana is a vocal coach and chorus director. "I took conducting in college," she recalls. "I did major in music and vocal performance, so I took a year of conducting in college. I've been chorus directing for 18 years."

Tiana has released a number of inspiring singles including the soulful grooving "Connected Reflections," the catchy island reggae of "Pozitive Flow," the powerful anthem "I Am Worthy," and the terrific rocking reggae funk of "Freedom" with Chief Ragga and Jaz Kaiwiko'o.

"I want to be singing affirmations and mantras that are powerful and positive," she says. "Whatever you're singing, especially the chorus, becomes almost like a mantra or an affirmation. My most potent song people have said is 'I Am Worthy.' It's a journey of self-love. I think that's so hard for a lot of people today, especially women, to love themselves. I've got a lot of mantras like my song 'Freedom.' The chorus is, follow my heart to freedom. And my song 'Stand Up Together,' the chorus is if we all stand up together, we can make a change forever."

Tiana will perform with Kahumoku, Jr. and Ka'ohelo at Haiku Mill Billy's at 5:30 p.m. April 5 General admission is $33. Tiana performs at the Aumakua Kava Lounge at 7 p.m. April 6. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door.