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Topic: Modern Alt / Pop Hawaiian Steelers? |
Mat Rhodes
From:
Lexington, KY, USA
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Posted 5 Nov 2005 8:55 am |
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Greetings, fellow steelers, from a year (plus) ex-"closet Forum voyeur"! After a family (the wife) intervention, I've decided to come clean, join the forum, and quit being an info-mooch.
I'm from Houston and have played with several local pop & rock singer/songwriter types for the last 4 years or so. It's only in the last 2 - 3 years that I've developed an interest in Hawai'ian music, language, and culture.
I've been listening to just a couple of the movers and shakers on the Waikiki music scene like Casey Olsen (with Raiatea Helm) and Bobby Ingano (with Teresa Bright), but I'm convinced that I've only scratched the surface. Do any of you aficionados of this music know of any acts that are incorporating steel in a Pop / Alternative vein?
I've heard mentioned the Blue Hawaiians and I plan to buy the newest CD once it's released. I've even listened to some of the online Hawai'ian radio stations, but the contemporary material seems more oriented toward Jawaiian and acoustic music with little steel, if any. Surely there's more?
Mahalo nui.
Matt Rhodes
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Craig Prior
From:
National City, California, USA
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 5 Nov 2005 10:00 am
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I'd like to add Paul Kim who was the guest of honor this year at the HSGC, also featured on the cd "Byrd's Nest" (on heavy rotation in my player), and a fine choice it was for the convention.
Also fellow fo' bro' Jeff Au Hoy who was last year's guest of honor and again, another fine example of great talent.[This message was edited by HowardR on 05 November 2005 at 10:02 AM.] |
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Mat Rhodes
From:
Lexington, KY, USA
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Posted 5 Nov 2005 11:16 am
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These are great suggestions, guys! I actually own "Hawaiian Steel vol. 2" and listen to it pretty frequently. My wife and I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Kim, Mr. Sardinha, and Mr. Akaka at the Halekulani this last September. We even got to meet Derrek Mau at the Outrigger. All good guys! If you haven't seen or heard them in that context, I can only imagine that any other mainland venues would pale by comparison, at least visually!
I really wanted to see Paul Kim at the Joliet convention this year, but our Hawai'i trip zapped the travel funds and the boss wouldn't hear of me taking more time off.
I should have clarified my earlier post and I hope I'm not stepping on any toes of the purists. Who is using drums (cue in audible gasps) with traditional or Hapa Haole music? Or who is incorporating Hawai'ian steel in techno, dance, trance, rock, pop etc.? Is there anything that the 20-30 something club crowds are dancing to nowadays that even remotely has Hawai'ian stylings as we steelers know it?
Thanks,
Matt |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 6 Nov 2005 2:28 am
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| Why not give a listen to the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Assn. Member "Playing" section and hear some mighty fine Hawaiian flavored music? |
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Billy Wilson
From:
El Cerrito, California, USA
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Posted 6 Nov 2005 3:33 am
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| Check out the Vanduras. They are available right here on The Forum. |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 6 Nov 2005 4:42 am
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Matt, you raise an interesting question. I also wonder if there are any steelers playing in that genre. I for one, would certainly be interested in hearing that.
In France, there's a movement of young people taking Gypsy Jazz and incorporating it into rock/pop/techno/alt.
Some of it is good, some of it isn't, like everything else. But good music, is good music.
I think you need music to evolve and change, not just for change sake, but it also helps keep the original and traditional music alive. |
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 6 Nov 2005 4:51 am
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Welcome, Matt.
You can mooch all you want, but it's fun to read what you have to say, and informative for me. |
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Todd Weger
From:
Safety Harbor, FLAUSA
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Posted 6 Nov 2005 9:14 am
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| Quote: |
| Who is using drums (cue in audible gasps) with traditional or Hapa Haole music? Or who is incorporating Hawai'ian steel in techno, dance, trance, rock, pop etc.? |
Matt -- my trio, Haole Kats!!! does quite a bit of traditional hapa-haole music with uke/bass/steel, but we also do several arrangements with just bass/steel and percussion (brushed snare/cymbal), which really give it a swingier sort of feel. For latin stuff, the percussionist will play bongos, shakers, etc., which also works great. The response is always positive.
Lately, we've been focusing more on what I call "Hawaibbean" music (not to be confused with Jawaiian, which is Jamaican and reggae based). I've looked for usage of this term, but I haven't seen it used officially for combining Caribbean elements with Hawaiian, so I'm planting the flag here!
We're interested in combining more steel/uke in salsa, bossa, calypso, mento, soca, etc., styles, especially since we live in Florida.
I tend to play a lot of chord 'stabs' and such too, as I sing while playing steel, and so even without a harmonic rhythm instrument like uke or guitar, it works pretty good, especially for the swing stuff.
We'd like to add a fourth player sometime who could sing, play either dedicated bass, or uke/percussion to really let us take things further, but finding that person around here is proving quite difficult.
TJW
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Todd James Weger --
1956 Fender Stringmaster T-8 (C6, A6, B11); 1960 Fender Stringmaster D-8 (C6, B11/A6); Regal resonator (C6)
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Kevin Bullat
From:
Huntington Beach, CA
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Posted 6 Nov 2005 7:32 pm
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Matt,
Todd's band the Haole Kats are really, really good. They're one of the best bands (IMHO) on the tiki circuit in which my band, The Smokin' Menehunes, is a part of.
I'd definately get one of their CD's and play it often! |
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Mat Rhodes
From:
Lexington, KY, USA
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Posted 7 Nov 2005 7:53 am
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Guys, thank you for all of the suggestions and referrals! I knew I couldn't be the only one who's thought about this. The checkbook's coming out this week...
If any of you watch the Travel Channel during some of the Hawai'i-oriented programs, you'll sometimes hear the background music with steel that's been "pepped up". The same goes for the commercial breaks. It's kind of cool and catchy and more along the lines I was thinking.
I receive Keyboard Magazine and have noticed that almost every instrument in the world has been sampled onto .wav files and CD-roms except steel (and let's hope that NEVER happens). So somewhere out there in the music departments of the larger studios, there's either one or a very small handful of "flesh & blood" steelers that are recording for such TV commercials & programs in spite of any possible canned drum and bass backup tracks. I suspect it's either Brandin or Smith, but we may never know...(?)
Matt[This message was edited by Matt Rhodes on 07 November 2005 at 11:14 AM.] [This message was edited by Matt Rhodes on 07 November 2005 at 10:01 PM.] |
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Brandin
From:
Newport Beach CA. USA
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Posted 7 Nov 2005 2:00 pm
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Matt,the only samplin' I'm doin' is at the
bakery. 
Billy, thanks for the plug!
GB |
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Mat Rhodes
From:
Lexington, KY, USA
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Posted 7 Nov 2005 3:07 pm
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Gary,
I read my last sentence and it does read a little awkward. I meant that the studios would use your "muscles & tendons" services to do spots, not "can" you like everything else these days .
By the way, my wahine is a pastry chef. I know about "samplin" it takes a lot of physical discipline and will power to stay thin with temptation just yards away! Sugar is the devil  .
Matt |
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Brandin
From:
Newport Beach CA. USA
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Posted 8 Nov 2005 9:39 am
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Matt, you're a lucky man!
Back on subject, I would recommend "Double
Naught Spy Car's" first CD 'Comb In Blue
Water', with Paul Lacques playin' lap steel.
GB |
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Mat Rhodes
From:
Lexington, KY, USA
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Posted 9 Nov 2005 8:57 am
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Thank you, Gary, for the info. I'll research it.
Thank you to everyone else for the information and personal contacts. I'll be reaching you individually to order your CDs.
Matt |
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