I really need to get my act together and update this site on a more regular basis. It seems I alternate bursts of activity between here and Nahenahe.net, and Nahenahe has been receiving all of the love recently. I have also spent a lot of time helping my friend and songwriting partner Kenneth Makuak?ne get his website launched in anticipation of his upcoming CD release, which will feature anywhere from 10-15 of our joint compositions, in addition to a few that he has written himself or with others. We’ll be performing together (or more accurately, I’ll be backing him up on bass) at a performance in Ka‘? this weekend.
I can’t really explain what it’s been like to work with Kenneth on this project, and to experience the growth of our friendship, and the ease of our collaboration over the past year and a half or so. It’s so funny to have him ask me to accompany him on gigs like this. Here he is, one of the most successful Hawaiian songwriters/producers/recording artists in the past 20 years, and me, a relative nobody who hasn’t even gigged or picked up an instrument with serious intent for nearly 15 years. It speaks volumes, I believe, for him as a friend, person and musician, and I’m grateful for the opportunity just to stand on the same stage with him.
I’ve also spent a lot of time reading and contemplating a Ph.d. research topic. I identified a very interesting one, however, it is a bit out of the scope of my desired area, which is in the relationship of Hawaiian language and music. I’m still cultivating ideas in that area, but nice to know I do have something to fall back to if I cannot identify a substantial enough topic in that area.
