For Holunape, Life Is One Big Luau
Forget that Jawaiian stuff - Holunape plays real ‘da kine’ Hawaiian music with a backyard party feel, a style that attracts fans of all ages
By .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
E-mail this story | Print this page | Archive | RSS | Share
Del.icio.us
Holunape emphasizes Hawaiian
culture in their music
all agree that it’s their fans and family that guide them through their musical journey.
“My daughter Megan, who is going to be 8, is the pride and joy of my life and who keeps me going in my professional career - so I can hopefully give her something to be proud of later on,” says Nakamura.
Hopkins, a Hawaiian language teacher at Chaminade University, is the family man of the group with wife, Germaine, and three children, 9-year-old daughter Kamalani, 8-year-old son Keahonui, and 2-year-old daughter Kamalia.
“My inspirations for music is my family,” he says.
On stage and off, Hopkins is known to be the talkative one of the bunch. Whether it’s in English or Hawaiian, Hopkins is the king of wala’au (talking).
Along with his gift of gab, Hopkins is also teased as being the trendsetter of the group.
“Kanai’a and I choose what we wear when we buy it, but it really all comes down to Kama,” says Kaluhiwa, a ‘94 Kamehameha Schools graduate.
“Yeah, it’s basically whatever he has that’s clean, so we always got to bring like three or four shirts just in case it’s in the wash,” adds Nakamura.
All jokes aside, the men of Holunape are always immaculate when it comes to how they look when performing on stage. They make it a point to always look professional and as much as possible (pending Kama’s laundry situation) they always try to have the same look.
The music of Holunape is described as an extraordinary mix of Hawaiian songs performed in the styles of Hawaii of the 1940s and 1950s, as well as the more contemporary Hawaiian music scene.
“Hopefully we can inspire the younger generations to speak the language or to be a Hawaiian musician and keep this tradition going,” says Nakamura.
In addition to composing some of their own material with the help of their friend Julian Ako (Kamehameha Schools principal), Holunape’s CD also incorporates the works of Hawaiian musical greats such as Lena Machado, Johnny Almeida and
John Pi’ilani Watkins.
Like the music of these legends whom the guys of Holunape devote themselves to perpetuating, hula is equally a part of what makes the group what it is.
“Hula is what built Holunape,” says Nakamura. “Our main audience tends to be a lot of hula dancers, and our music kind of co-exists with hula for now. But with groups like Na Palapalai and Ho’okena and Makaha Sons, Hawaiian music is really coming alive again.”
Holunape has played for many halau including Kumu Hula Mapuana DeSilva’s Halau Mohala ‘Ilima, Kumu Hula Paleka Mattos’ Hula Halau O Kamuela, Kumu Hula Maelia Lobenstein Carter’s Ka Pa Hula ‘O Kauanoe ‘O Wa’ahila, Karl Veto Baker and Michael Casupang’s Halau I Ka Wekiu and many more.
In fact, one of the songs on their album, Kapua O Ku’u ‘I’ini ,was inspired by a good friend, Miss Aloha Hula 2002, Malia Ann Kawailanamalie Petersen.
“We wrote the song as the ka’i (chant when dancers appear) and the ho’i (a parting chant as the dancers leave) for her performance in 2002 and a few years later we finished it up,” says Hopkins, a ‘91 Kamehameha Schools graduate. “It was really her and her hula auana (modern hula), Pua ‘A’ali’i, and we turned it into a song.”
Just as hula is one of the core identities of Holunape - Holunape has also become a prominent identity in hula. Holunape’s love for the Hawaiian culture and deep respect for its tradition is filtered through their music and reflected in the graceful motions of every dancer who sways to their songs.
Holunape holds true to the music of old Hawaii, while always staying true to themselves - in turn creating genuine music that echoes through generations.
Join Holunape as they perform every Monday night, 7:30 to 9:30, at Aku Bone Lounge,
Page 2 of 2 pages for this story < 1 2
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
