Ianuali (January) 2008

Aloha kākou!  Happy New Year and welcome to my website!  We are very excited to have our newly constructed website back up and running!  Mahalo to my listeners, supporters and friends for your patience and continued support while I have been rejuvenating and settling into my new home and life in beautiful Hāna, Maui!

The exciting news of the New Year is the release of my second CD, Home Malanai.  We celebrated the kick-off of the CD with a tour of California- beginning in Grass Valley then on to San Francisco and ending in Ventura.  All three performances were magical, and it was so heart-warming to see so many familiar faces and friends in the audience.  (Great to see you Iris, Janice, Toni, Uncle Rod, Jim and Ruth and everybody else!) It was truly a family reunion of sorts!

We were blessed to partner with Kumu Pilialoha, her alaka‘i Ku‘umomialoha and Auntie Debbie and the dancers from Ka Hale Hula O Pilialohaokalani ‘O Hilo who did such a wonderful job producing the concerts- and danced so beautifully at both concerts. Mahalo to all for your hard work, generosity and adding such beautiful hula to the music!  Big mahalos to Mariel Banducci, Heidi Schroeder, Paul and Sandy Varacalli, Uncle Don Jenkins and Dr. Kalani for your generous contributions!

I would like to give a special mahalo to Auntie Elvin Spencer for your kind and gracious hospitality, to Auntie Barbara and Uncle Don for your kōkua with CD sales and videography, to Michael Keene for your kōkua with promoting the concerts and the CD- and for all you do to support all Hawaiian music, and to John Stricklin for hosting such a fun CD release party at San Francisco’s hottest new restaurant “Local Kitchen and Wine Merchant.”  My heartfelt mahalo goes out to Pōhai Kealoha (Nohealani, Danny and Erik!) and CJ “Boom” Helekahi for accompanying me on this special journey and for your loyalty, dedication and aloha.

Home Malanai is truly the creation of so many people.  I am deeply grateful to all the musicians, singers, composers, engineers, artists and producers who contributed their talents to the work.  It took me a while to finish (okay- a really long while!) - but it was well worth the wait!  We are setting up formal distribution now- so the music should be on the shelves and airwaves soon!

As we begin the New Year, I ask that everyone reflect on the true source and inspiration of Hawaiian music and culture: the beautiful lands, forests, birds and plants, reefs and oceans of Hawai‘i nei.  We must remember that without our precious and fragile native Hawaiian environment, our native Hawaiian culture will cease to exist. The two go hand in hand.  No matter where we live, we must all mālama –or care for- our lands, forests, oceans and all living creatures. 

 

E ō mai e nā kini a lehu              E lohe `ia nō i ka pakapaka ua `O ka hana ia E mālama `ia a mau loa aku

So answer all you people And heed the message sent In the blessing of raindrops Our work is to protect, evermore

 

Me ke aloha pumehana,

Leokāne