Hukilau- Aloha Served Here

With the aim of preserving, perpetuating and promoting the authentic culture of Hawai‘i, the Kapalakiko Hawaiian Band was formed in 1984. Kapalakiko is Hawaiian for San Francisco. Our work is concentrated in the San Francisco Bay area but radiates outward across the state of California, nationally across the United States, back to our 'aina (homeland) in Hawai'i, and into the international arena. Rather than be merely entertaining, we instead, try to educate our audiences about the music and dances of Hawai‘i. We perform "the good stuff" in the mele kui tradition, in the various genre the defines Hawaiian music, with a detailed emphasis on Hawaiian poetry, language and lyrics in the context of our history as a people.

Ever since its formation, the Kapalakiko Hawaiian Band served as the house band for the Hawaiian Barbecue & Lu'au Foods, the South Pacific Seafood Restaurant, Lehua Lounge, Da Hukilau-Izusu Restaurant, E Komo Mai Hawaiian Restaurant, and Tita's Hale 'Aina, all located in San Francisco. Other performing homes included the Avalon Restaurant and the Aloha Junction Bar & Grill both in Mill Valley, and the Ginger Club that was located in the Stanford Shopping Center. Current venues in the San Francisco Bay area includes Kaleo Cafe in San Francisco, and Da Hukilau (Palo Alto, San Francisco, and San Jose). The band makes occasional concert appearances at the Little Fox in Redwood City, Henfling's Firehouse Tavern in Ben Lomond, Freight & Salvage Coffee House, the Ashkenaz , and the Templebar, all located in Berkeley, and Constable Jack's Blues Bar in Newcastle. Casuals, weddings, birthday celebrations, bar mitzvahs, cruises, corporate events, crab feeds, funerals, wine parties, etc. remain our bread and butter. Winner of the Malie Musicians Award at the 1989 and 1991 Ka La Hulu Ho'okuku Hula Competition in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Kapalakiko Hawaiian Band has made four musical tours of Hawai‘i and is planning a fifth within two years.

A seemingly never ending project is the KHB's first recording, "Ka 'Ohu O Kapalakiko - The Mist of San Francisco." Other recording projects include:

"Ka Loke Mele O 'Iosepa - The Yellow Rose of 'Iosepa" commemorating the musical legacy of the Polynesian Mormon colony of the late 1800s that survived for over twenty-three years at 'iosepa, Skull Valley, Utah; "Kaloaloa," our Hawaiian falsetto recording, and a Hawaiian music anthology for our newsletter, the Kapalakiko Productions Calendar of Hawaiian Events. All are in various stages of production but none are yet commercially available.

The Kapalakiko Hawaiian Band is an 'ohana (family) of Hawaiian music performers made up mostly of young, second generation overseas Hawaiians who have taken up the task of preserving and perpetuating our unique Hawaiian culture and local lifestyle. We have formed the Kapalakiko Hawaiian Workshop Band, to systematically learn and perform the over one thousand Hawaiian songs in our performing library. We also offer 'ukulele, ki ho'alu (slack key) and 'olelo (language) workshops. From these study groups emerge the Kapalakiko Hawaiian Band's front line performers. The basic performing unit of the band is a trio, but in special situations we can perform as a solo or duo, either acoustically or with our own electronic sound system.

BOOKING
For queries and bookings, contact Saichi Kawahara at: 800 Meade Avenue, San Francisco, California, 94124-3554; (415) 468-7125; FAX (415) 468-8260; Email: halemele@aol.com.