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Back on Maui after touring Europe with Fleetwood Mac, Mick Fleetwood just celebrated the third anniversary of his Lahaina restaurant over the weekend. On Friday night, the legendary drummer sat in with the House Shakers, thrilling a packed rooftop audience that included rock star Rod Stewart.
Living up to their name, the Shakers powered through blues gems and boogie-rock classics including terrific versions of the Rolling Stones’ “Shake Your Hips” and Johnny Kidd & the Pirates’ “Shakin’ All Over.”
Fleetwood then introduced the King, “Burn’n Love’s” Darren Lee, for more shaking to Elvis’ “Little Sister” and “Heartbreak Hotel.” And for a rousing finale, one of the world’s greatest rock drummers launched into some epic double drumming with fellow percussionist Paul Marchetti on Santana’s “Soul Sacrifice,” while the Shakers’ Ken Geiser ably replicated the Latin-rock guitarist’s fiery playing.
On Sunday, Fleetwood and the House Shakers rocked again, augmented by guitarist Rick Vito, and singers Gretchen Rhodes and Eric Gilliom.
For a brief time back in 1966, Fleetwood and Rod Stewart played in the band Shotgun Express, along with future Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green. They were known for performing soul classics like “Knock on Wood” and “In the Midnight Hour.”
On island enjoying “simple pleasures and island vibes on our Stewart family Hawaiian holiday,” he posted on Instagram, Stewart will head to the U.K. after his Maui vacation for an official reunion of the Faces. He will join Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and drummer Kenney Jones for a benefit fundraiser Sept. 5.
On his website, Stewart noted, “This year is the 40th anniversary since the Faces parted ways so it’s about time we got together for a jam. Being in the Faces back in the day was a whirlwind of madness but my God, it was beyond brilliant.”
The 70-year-old legend will release his 30th solo studio album, “Another Country,” in October, featuring “different sounds like reggae, ska and Celtic melodies,” he reported.
As for Fleetwood, he’s “happy to have a break” after the European portion of the Mac’s “On With The Show” tour. One of the highlights, he reports, was headlining the historic Isle of Wight Festival before 50,000 music fans.
“It was brilliant,” he enthuses. “We were completely blown away. We don’t do many festivals and it’s a major thing in England. Our audiences are mixed, but there is an increasing amount of young folk turning up. Part of you is thinking, ‘They’re probably hanging around to see what these old farts can do,’ more of a point of interest versus being vested in the band. But there was hardly anyone in the audience over 35 years old, and they knew all the words to all the songs. It blew our minds. It put us back on the map emotionally as a band. The energy before we got on was like a football crowd gone crazy. We enjoy lovely receptions everywhere we go, but this level of celebration, we hadn’t been around since whenever.”
After playing four countries, the band closed the European arm of the latest tour in Dublin. “We’re pretty beat up after 110 shows, so I’m glad to be home,” he says.
As for the third anniversary of his restaurant, Fleetwood’s on Front St., he adds, “We survived three years of restauranteering. It’s almost more impressive than keeping a band going.”
He will next head out again with Fleetwood Mac in October and November to tour Australia and New Zealand.
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Hawaiian music legend Palani Vaughan will play at the Hula Grill’s First Sunday Music Series on Sept. 6 in Kaanapali. This free event will also include performances by Andrew and Jay Molina and Max Angel.
A founding member with Peter Moon of the pioneering group The Sunday Manoa, Vaughan has served as an authority on the life of King David Kalakaua for more than four decades. Releasing the first volume in the groundbreaking “Ia ‘Oe E Ka La” series in 1973, Vaughan has continued to extol the virtues of Hawaii’s Merrie Monarch.
When the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards were founded in 1978, Vaughan was honored with the first Hawaiian Album of the Year award for Volume III in his “Ia ‘Oe E Ka La” series. His other recordings include “Meet Palani Vaughan and The Sunday Manoa,” “Hawaiian Love Songs” and “Palani Vaughan’s Best with The King’s Own.” And he was a featured singer on Amy Hanaiali’i’s album “Friends & Family of Hawai’i.”
A recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award, he was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame in 2008.
Vaughan will be joined at the Hula Grill by Buddy Maunakea.
* The performance will be from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. For more information, call 667-6636.
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Vaughan is among some leading Hawaiian musicians praising Lahainaluna High School student Max Angel. In the liner notes of Angel’s debut CD, “Touch the Sky,” Vaughan writes that he’s “a respectful and considerate gentleman and those traits of good character bode well for this talented, rising recording artist.”
Brother Noland noted, “Max plays from the heart,” and John Keawe added, “It’s refreshing to have a young man composing his own songs.”
The young vocalist/ukulele player composed and arranged all the songs on “Touch the Sky,” which reflects Hawaiian roots, reggae and rap influences.
On his website, Max reports, ” ‘Touch the Sky’ is a compilation of music that represents my 16-year-old soul. Each song touches a special place in my heart.”
Composing music since the age of 12, this Lahainaluna senior shows great promise with a keen ear for catchy melodies and a talent for crafting lyric themes that resonate with his peers.
“This is a call to action,” he urges on the album’s opening track. “We must come together to unite this land. It’s all our kuleana to make a change in this world. Together we stand, divided we fall.”
Max explains that the song was inspired by watching the 2012 presidential election.
“There was so much debating, I felt that people need to put their money where their mouth is and back up what they say with action. It was a call to action to wake up the younger generation to get more involved.”
Then there’s “Weight on my Shoulders,” which inspires young people to persevere through hardships.
“I was having a rough week and nothing was going right, so I sat down and let it flow, especially on the rap part,” he says. “I knew it was a message that people could relate to.”
It’s not all consciousness raising, as there’s teen romance and a little heartbreak, and the joy of just chilling at “Puamana Beach.”
The album was produced by Ken Martinez Burgmaier, who was impressed hearing Max win the annual Hula Grill Ukulele Youth Contest in 2012 and 2014. He also won the “Best Showmanship” award at the 2014 Duke’s Waikiki Ukulele Contest.
Playing ukulele since the age of 9, Max reports, “I got my first paid gig at 10 for a wedding in Lahaina. I realized I could make money and touch people, and it inspired me to make my own songs.”
Creating what he calls aloha mixed plate music – “a mixture of all different kinds of music that resonates with different ages and people from across the world” – Max was influenced by Hawaiian legends like Gabby Pahinui and Iz, “and Uncle George Kahumoku Jr., who gave me a lot of guidance. I also love agriculture and farming, so I love going to his house and hanging out hearing old stories of back in the day.”
On Wednesday evenings, Max works as a sound engineer at Kahumoku’s weekly Slack Key Show: Masters of Hawaiian Music series at the Napili Kai Beach Resort. In late December, he will make his debut as a musician at the show.
Having had an opportunity to release his own CD, Max is looking forward to helping some friends record their own songs.
“And I’d like to link up with some talented Maui musicians to represent Hawaii so we can help spread the message of aloha,” he says.
* Max Angel plays at the Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursdays and from 4 to 7 p.m. Fridays. For more information, visit www.maxangelmusic.com.
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Maui’s Da Ukulele Boyz have just launched a Kickstarter campaign to record an all-instrumental ukulele album. They’ve been working on composing and arranging over the past year and a half, and report that “Jus Cuz” will feature all-instrumental ukulele duets, played Hawaiian-style.