A big “Mahalo nui
loa!” to the wonderful musicians who support our Lei Day festival. Please
visit their pages, and support them through the year by attending their
concerts and purchasing their music.
Keoki Kahumoku
Keoki has headlined with us for every single "Mo`olelo o ka Lei" Lei Day
Festival since the very first one at Wailoa Center in
2005(Right: Keoki and Leilehua at 2005 Lei Day celebration), and
each of the Mo`oheau Bandstand Lei Day celebrations since.
Keoki also has joined "He Mo`olelo o ka Lei"
coordinator Leilehua Yuen to share his talent at the Palace Theater's Wednesday
show, Hawai`iana Live! Each Wednesday, Hawai`iana Live! explores a
different aspect of Hawaiian culture through chant, storytelling, song, and
hula.
We are so thrilled
to have Keoki join us again! If you don't know Keoki, he is a multiple Grammy
Award-winning musician, a pig farmer and trapper, a teacher, a fisherman, a Dad,
a taro farmer. . . . . Keoki also performs each year for Astro Day. Each autumn,
Keoki hosts the Kahmoku `Ohana Hawaiian Music and Lifestyle Workshop in the
peaceful plantation town of Pähala, at the
Pähala Plantation House.
E komo mai! Join us for another
Lei Day on May Day (May 1) in the historic town of Hilo, Hawai`i!
Buddy
and Sammi Fo We
are so honored to haveAunty Sammi and
Uncle Buddy join us for the first time this year. Uncle Buddy is a master of
that classic Waikīkī sound so
many of us grew up loving. Aunty Sami is an exquisite hula dancer with a
unique graceful style which can also be very sassy! Buddy was named "a Major Player in the History of Hawaiian Music," and won a
2003 Na Hoku Hanohano Life Time Achievement Award. Buddy Fo's Career skyrocketed from the start in
1960 when he put together a four-part Harmony Group called the "Invitations" - the first group out of Hawai`i
to go to LA and Record in a major recording studio. Throughout Waikiki's Entertainment Hey-Day,
Buddy was a permanent fixture along side Don Ho and Kui Lee. Today Buddy & the lovely Sammi, his wife, are still performing,
Buddy playing `ukulele and singing, and Sammi on back up vocals and congas, excelling in a time and style of music that is rarely seen anymore!
Come and enjoy sharing
the afternoon with them! Performance time 2:30.
Braddah Waltah
Honored as the originator of Hawaiian Reggae,
Braddah Waltah is renowned throughout the islands. With
hit songs like Sweet Lady of Waihole, Long Ago, Keep Hawaiian Lands, he
changed the music scene in Hawaii forever. His first release, Braddah Waltah
& Island Afternoon - Hawaiian Reggae, set the ground work for the Hawai`i
Reggae Music scene of today, winning the
Na Hoku Hanohano Award
in 1991 for Best Contemporary album. Many of Braddah Waltah's songs have become
staples among Hawaiian entertainers. Iconic Music Group plans release of a new
Braddah Waltah album. Performance
time 1:30.
Meleana Manuel and Halau Hula Ke `Olu Makani o Mauna Loa
What a privilege to have this fine halau from Volcano join us here at KalákauaPark this year. We really enjoyed watching them at Chinese New Year,
and look forward to many more events! Performance time 1:30 pm
Manu
Josiah
With his gentle slack-key stylings, Manu expresses his aloha for the islands,
telling stories of his `ohana in the music he has composed. Performance
time 11:30.
Kamaluhia Woolley Hula dancer and lomi lomi practitioner, Kamaluhia Wooley devotes many hours to
the promotion of Hawaiian traditions and community service. For Lei Day, she
takes time out of preparing for Sunday's Hilo Huli,
the annual Rotary Club of
South Hilo fundraiser selects different community service projects
to kokua. This year's project is the helping to raise money to bring
doctors to Hawai`i Island. Live Music, hula, food & drink, silent
auction.
The
Maile Sisters
Forest
spirits beloved of Laka and Hi`iaka, the Maile Sisters figure in
many romances.
The Maile Sisters debuted in April of 2005 in a performance at the Wailoa Art
Center in Hilo. They performed there weekly through the month of April, with a
final performance on April 30 in preparation for Lei Day. They have performed in
Japan, as well as in many schools on the island of Hawai`i.