Arts & Entertainment
Friday,
March 18, 2005
Volume 33,
Issue 11
Sat, Nov 21, 2009
IN THE SGN
SECTION ONE
Front Page
MORE/ALL
SECTION ONE
STORIES
SECTION TW0
Arts & Entertainment
Slack key master Led Kaapana brings Aloha to The Triple Door |
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| Slack key master Led Kaapana brings Aloha to The Triple Door | ||
| by Lorelei Quenzer
By now I should just be used to bringing a carton of tissues to Hawaiian shows since I always end up with tears running down my cheeks. I forgot to bring my Kleenex to Led Kaapanas March 9 show at The Triple Door, though. Thank goodness I didnt wear mascara, or my contacts would have really stung! Kaapana, a master of the guitar style called slack key (in pidgin English or slang) and ki hoalu (in Hawaiian), showed off his signature technique and his teasing sense of humor. He opened with two of my favorite songs, the lyrical Ka Makani Kaili Aloha, also known as The Kipahulu Zephyr, and Kokee, about a special place on the island of Kauai. I wasnt tearing up. Yet. Then came the song Wailana, a song Kaapana has performed several times, and one which he always sings in his sweet falsetto. I felt my tear ducts give out, and I whispered to my friend Kacey, This is gonna be messy. Thankfully she was able to dredge a small package of tissue from her voluminous purse. She hadnt worn mascara either. Kaapana played several slack key pieces (my favorites Radio Hula, and Opihi Moemoe, among others) and an acoustic version of Killing Me Softly which took me a few minutes to recognize. His rendition of Love Is Blue made the four strings of his ukulele sound like at least 12. But the one that made me tear up the most I refuse to call it crying since I never had to blow my nose was Wai o ke aniani, a traditional song most memorably performed by Gabby Pops Pahinui, a revered performer who could be called the father of the modern Hawaiian musical renaissance. Kaapana mimicked Gabbys gruff vocal style perfectly, giving the audience chicken skin (goosebumps, for the Caucasians who are still reading this review). He thanked friends and family who were in the audience, as well as a lady who had given him a beautiful lei. During intermission, mid-way through his set, Kaapana sold and signed CDs recorded at his last appearance at The Triple Door. Thankfully, this years show was better-attended than last years. Hopefully this means that The Triple Door will continue to bring in acoustic and traditional Hawaiian acts for our hapa-Hawaiian community in the Pacific Northwest. Kaapana was asked for an encore before he even left the stage, and he graciously picked his guitar back up to perform a hapa haole (half-caucasian) kolohe (mischievous) song, Manuela Boy. This is a song my parents know from family gatherings in fact, my mom was very jealous of my entire evening and it raised a number of shrieks from the audience for its wicked lyrics: I want to marry this wahine [girl] I know; her name is Haunani Ho I told my papa and he said no - Haunani is your sister but your mama dont know Dont worry; papa gets his in the end. This was good fun, but Kaapana finished the show in a more serious vein: having the audience join in singing the anthems Hawaii Aloha and Aloha Oe, two songs that always get a local audience standing on their feet, holding hands and swaying. Of course, we used to call this an easy ovation, but Kaapana earned his the hard way. The Triple Door is a great nightclub venue, and its finally getting the hang of acoustic solo shows. Unlike previous times Ive been there, on this night the sound was perfect and the wait staff unobtrusive. The extensive menu, which our waiter referred to as highlights of the Wild Ginger, above, has something for everyone. I enjoyed my two hearty appetizers, pot stickers and Thai beef salad, while my friend Kacey drooled over her Thai curry salmon entrée. Both of us recommend the bread pudding (its massive enough to share, although you wont want to), but agreed that, even through our salty tears, the vanilla bean crème brulee was topped with too much burnt sugar. All in all the evening was enjoyable, if bittersweet, especially for Hawaiians missing our home. |
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