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Topic: The Sweet Hollywaiians |
Gerald Ross
From:
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 8 Apr 2007 7:30 am |
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The steel player is Nobumasa Takada. He sent me a video of his group playing with the great Tom Marion, an excellent guitarist from California. Sounds like some nice playing.
Correction--The steel player is Tomotaka Matui.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links
Last edited by Mike Neer on 10 Apr 2007 5:59 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Andy Sandoval
From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2007 9:05 am
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| Sweet! |
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Edward Meisse
From:
Santa Rosa, California, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2007 10:06 am
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| Totally! |
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Rick Alexander
From:
Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 8 Apr 2007 10:44 am
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| Wonderful stuff! |
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Darrell Urbien
From:
Echo Park, California
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Posted 8 Apr 2007 10:57 am
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| Knutsen harp uke sighting! |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 8 Apr 2007 11:24 am
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| That was cool! I really liked the open string chords on the rythm guitar. |
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Gary Boyett
From:
Colorado
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Posted 8 Apr 2007 4:32 pm
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That was really nice. Thanks Gerald.
Not bad for a bunch of...... oh, I just can't do it...  |
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John Bushouse
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Posted 8 Apr 2007 5:04 pm
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| What a great video! Very nice tricone work. |
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Terry Farmer
From:
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2007 6:56 pm
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| I liked the music and the video production! Cool intro. |
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Don Kona Woods
From:
Hawaiian Kama'aina
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Posted 8 Apr 2007 9:05 pm
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| Quote: |
| Not bad for a bunch of...... oh, I just can't do it... |
Please go ahead and say it Gary, and take the heat off of me.  Poor me 
The Japanese have been great at perpetuating Hawaiian music. There are a large group which come to the HSGA conventions to perform in Honolulu.
There are some excellent steel guitarist among them.
The HSGA convention in Hawaii have featured players from all over the world. It is quite nice to hear the varied stylings in steel.
Aloha, 
Don |
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Andy Sandoval
From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2007 11:54 pm
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Not to change the subject, but you guys ever heard of the "Hula Hawaiians"? These guys recorded in the late 40's into the 50's and play some of the coolest Hawaiian I've ever heard.
Click Here
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Bill McCloskey
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Posted 9 Apr 2007 4:25 am
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Gerald,
I enjoyed this much more than the other clip you posted. That was great. |
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Gerald Ross
From:
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Posted 9 Apr 2007 5:14 am
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The Sweet Hollywaiians are great! I love their sound. They have the feel and instrumental tone of the music down pat. But from the sound of their vocals, most notably the pronunciation of the lyrics, they are not native English speakers.
To link back to the Cheap Leis thread...
Mike Neer wrote:
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| I think you can learn to play almost anything on an instrument, but the voice is something altogether different. |
Gerald Ross agrees:
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| Look at the Joliet and Winchester conventions and the repertoire offered on stage. The mainlanders always play instrumental steel tunes and Hapa-Hoale (sorry Rick) numbers - songs that don't require the singing of Hawaiian lyrics or accompanying a Hula dancer. The few Hawaiians in attendance perform the more traditional material. |
So it all evens out in the end.
_________________
Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'
A UkeTone Recording Artist
CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Hawaiian Steel Guitar/Ukulele Website |
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Bill McCloskey
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Posted 9 Apr 2007 6:01 am
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I was thinking on the way in today, why I liked one and didn't like the other. there are a couple of reasons:
1. I like the acoustic steel sound for this type of music better than the electric. That is a personal preference.
2. With the shirts and manner of the first group you presented, to me it came off as bad parody of the music: almost like a college barbershop quartet. More like frat boys doing a Hawaiian skit. The other band seemed less Hawaiian, and more early jazz with Hawaiian influences focused. Their outfits and demeanor struck me less as parody and more as homage. There was more seriousness to it, and professionalism and respect which came through in their performances. Anyway, that is my two cents. |
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Craig Prior
From:
National City, California, USA
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Posted 9 Apr 2007 7:25 am
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| Andy Sandoval wrote: |
Not to change the subject, but you guys ever heard of the "Hula Hawaiians"? These guys recorded in the late 40's into the 50's and play some of the coolest Hawaiian I've ever heard.
Click Here
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Some wild and crazy guys, that's for sure! That bottle of Seagrams inconspicuously tucked alongside the ukulele player kinda says it all, don't you think?
On a similar note I had bookmarked this site a long time ago:
http://www.spaceagepop.com/index.htm
I love this stuff. For instance:
http://www.spaceagepop.com/rc005.htm
Yeah, baby!!!!! |
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Jeff Au Hoy
From:
Honolulu, Hawai'i
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Posted 9 Apr 2007 8:23 am I reiterate... there's something in the presentation
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| I totally agree with Bill's second point. |
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Darrell Urbien
From:
Echo Park, California
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Posted 9 Apr 2007 11:25 am
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I dunno, who wore their hats indoors back then?
A costume's a costume, IMO.
BTW, wasn't there a Hollywaiians band from back in the day? |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 9 Apr 2007 11:58 am
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Yes. Sol K. Bright and His Hollywaiians. Their most famous song was probably "Hawaiian Cowboy".
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 10 Apr 2007 6:01 am
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Just to make a correction: The steel player is Tomotaka Matui. He also does all of the arranging and is the bandmaster. He's a multi-instrumentalist.
Nobumasa Takada is his student and a uke player. In the video he's playing a Michael Dunn harp uke.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Scott Thomas
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Posted 10 Apr 2007 8:37 am
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Mike, I like how you seem so plugged into the music scene and to know or have heard about all these different guys. Gives good insight.
I really love this! Concept and production on the video and great playing--thrills me to know groups are doing this material in this way.
I haven't checked on the price or availability on those Dunn harp ukes in awhile. I do remember that when they were first being offered they were surprisingly affordable given Michael Dunn's repuataion as a builder of extremely fine guitars. |
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Gerald Ross
From:
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 10 Apr 2007 10:36 am
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Here is a link with a short biography and some pretty good photos of the Hula Hawaiians.
http://tinyurl.com/yowrfh
If it were the 1950's again and they were coming to Santa Rosa to do a club date, I'd pay to see them. They seemed to have a sense of humor, and an ability to entertain along with possessing some real talent.
Sometimes you just want to go out with "The Missus" on a Friday evening and be entertained and have some fun, and these guys seemed to fill the bill. 
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Mark |
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Gerald Ross
From:
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Posted 10 Apr 2007 10:43 am
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I agree. I'd pay money to see the Hula Hawaiians, The Sweet Hollywaiians AND the Cheap Leis if they came to my town.
These groups all have a great feel to their music eventhough they don't fit the 'museum, historically correct or correct DNA' definition of Hawaiian Music.
Anyone want to see Dorothy Lamour fronting the Dick McIntire band?
_________________
Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'
A UkeTone Recording Artist
CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Hawaiian Steel Guitar/Ukulele Website |
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Scott Thomas
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Posted 10 Apr 2007 11:23 am
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| Only if she's wearing the sarong! |
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