The news tip came around 8pm. Ten or so of Hawaii’s greatest guitarists were eating dinner at a nearby restaurant, having just wrapped up the second annual Seattle Slack Key Festival. “In a couple of hours, they’ll be finished and ready to play again. We’ll call you when they get back,” my source promised. We killed some time on Aurora Ave., consuming an exotic beer or two (at Uber, highly recommended) and then, at 10:45pm, as promised, the follow-up call came. The musicians were back. We headed south to a youth hostel in Seattle’s International District and found the room where they were jamming. For over two hours, there was no talk of scalloped bracing or nut widths or cocobolo versus Indian rosewood. There were no arguments over the merits of ToneRites or fancy picks or other guitar geek-dom. There was just music … amazing singing and guitar playing, the back and forth of ten musicians letting loose and having fun, smiling all the while. A true kanikapila session in a very unlikely place. At around 1am, the banging started: the young woman trying to sleep in the room next door couldn’t take it any more. Our private concert was over.
Kalehua Krug, Blake Leoiki-Haili and George Kuo.
After a while, Jeff Peterson and Muriel Anderson showed up to play, as well. Peterson was born on Maui and carries on the playing tradition he heard from his Hawaiian cowboy father.
George Kuo won the award for most interesting instrument with his older, K Yairi doubleneck guitar.
Kamuela Kimokeo is one of the younger guns of the bunch. Great vocals and playing.
Kunia Pahinui-Galdeira on uke and vocals, Sonny Lim on bass.
Kalehua Krug performed the rhythm guitar duties… he has world-class musical chops (and tattoos).
Kunia Pahinui-Galdeira can play a ukulele like a uke, or a lap steel. Either way, it sounds brilliant.
Greg Sardinha told me he leaves his good lap steels at home. No big deal: he still sounded fantastic. Sardinha plays in C6th tuning.
The entire crew crams into a lounge at the youth hostel.
Cyril Pahinui, one of the most accomplished slack key players in the world. He’s the son of musical legend, Gabby Pahinui, and he’s contributed to two Grammy Award-winning albums. He’s playing a Tacoma EKK-19C koa guitar, which was built about 45 minutes away from where this session took place.
