“I’m doing things that I usually don’t do on stage because they’re a little more complex,” says Makana, who will perform Saturday at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center after taking a break from live performances for about a year. Courtesy photo

Performing Saturday at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center as part of his island “Lei Kukui Tour,” Makana described the show on Facebook as “a night of music to kindle the flames of culture, resilience and a path forward, rooted in all things Hawaiian yet ripe with cultural diversity.”

In terms of the variety of music offered, he is doing Latin, Hawaiian and original folk bluegrass.

“It’s across the board, but with special focus this time on some of my favorite tunings that I’ve been creating for decades,” he said. “I’m doing things that I usually don’t do on stage because they’re a little more complex, but I can’t hold them in anymore. It’s all solo guitar, but it’s always expanding what can be done with one guitar and one voice, and I’m bringing multiple guitars.”

Makana had taken a break from performing live for about a year.

“I did what is rare for artists to be able to do. I took a year and paused a lot of things,” he explained. “I’ve been very reclusive, so there’s a lot to share. And I’m prolific. There’s so much music coming through me. I could do an eight-hour show with unreleased material right now.”

Taught at an early age by Hawaiian slack key guitar legend Sonny Chillingworth, Makana developed an original voice, transcending boundaries and embracing culturally diverse music.

Among the innovative guitarist’s accomplishments, he was featured on three Grammy-nominated albums, including the soundtrack of the Academy Award-winning film “The Descendants.” In 2012, he was awarded the Ki Ho’alu Foundation Legacy Award.

With his third album, “Kī Hō’alu: Journey of Hawaiian Slack Key,” he focused on his roots, paying homage to some of the masters and interpreting songs by Gabby Pahinui, Raymond Kane and Chillingworth. Then with “Different Game,” he explored more rock-and-pop territory with songs like the Celtic-raga flavored “Necksnap Blues,” echoing Led Zeppelin’s folk-rock classics.

In recent years, he traveled to Russia, visiting St. Petersburg and Moscow, where he was given the opportunity to descend into a once-secret nuclear bomb shelter, which inspired him to improvise the powerful new song, “Mourning Armageddon.”

Most recently, he released “Pūlama: Legacies of Hawai’i” honoring his roots. In 2023, he composed “Lahainalalo,” which paid tribute to Lahaina. Sung in English and ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, it covered 600 years of history.

“I really want to share some of the things that I haven’t released that I’m going to put out soon that are very relevant for our time,” he said. “Very artistic, very inspired by films like ‘Black Orpheus,’ and things that aren’t in the normal spectrum of what we consider Hawaiian, but through the lens of Hawaii.”

On Facebook, he talked about “building something new, accessible, inviting and removed from the ravenous appetite of the algorithm, a bit further out of the reach of raiding artificial intelligence pirates.”

Makana explained further, “streaming is entirely infiltrated by thievery and there is so much illegality and immorality in it. I’m going to be sharing tidbits from the musical world I’m building. I was a big fan of Broadway for a long time. I’m going to create something that is an ongoing musical that’s not just a two act book ended thing. It’s a world that evolves, and the delivery system is the new mechanism that I’m talking about that’s beyond streaming.”

He suggested, “I’m going to recycle existing infrastructure and use it in a way that serves the art instead of serving the tech companies. But from a musical standpoint, I don’t want to just write one-off songs. I’m creating narratives. I’m creating stories that are relevant to our time that are engaging and timely.”

Makana will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the MACC’s McCoy Studio Theater. Tickets are $47 to $77. MACC members receive a 10% discount, and children under 12 receive a 50% discount. Prices increase the day of the show.