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The people's choice
The 11th Annual Hawai`i Music Awards
By Lisa Malakaua
Wednesday, March 19, 2008 8:56 AM HST
Last Saturday night at the Willows Restaurant on O`ahu, it was a banquet in honor of Hawaiian music and its international following. Hosted by the Music Foundation of Hawai`i, the 2007 nominees for the 11th Annual Hawai`i Music Awards ate, drank and made merry in response to the wishes of a fan base casting a total of 94,000 votes via the Internet.
The Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to advancing the local music industry. Business Manager Edwin Sakamoto is a member of the foundation who became involved in 2006. He explains his motivation this way: "I've always believed in two things. Artists always got to bond, and the second thing is, artists need to help each other. So really, that is what the deal is and my way of giving back." Sakamoto is one of an impressive list of supporters including Uncle Johnny Kai, Aloha Joe, John Waihe`e IV, Ronnie Gandiza, Boogie Bugarin, Jose Maldonado and Tommy Chock. All of whom Sakamoto says are "trying to give back to the community."
"If we help the community, we are helping ourselves and we are helping our neighbor, you know what I mean?" he asks. The way he tells it, it has to be about giving because it's not, "definitely not" about the money.
Sakamoto goes on to describe the Music Foundation of Hawai`i as a group of people "selflessly dedicated in giving recognition and further recognition to all artists."
Johnny Kai serves as the executive director for the Foundation. He is a man with his eye on the past, present and future of Hawaiian music, not only as a genre but as a communal experience.
The Hawai`i Music Awards is held at the beginning of each year and recognizes artists and musicians living in Hawai`i, as well as Hawaiian and Polynesian musicians living anywhere in the world. Nominees can be international artists who perform Hawaiian or Polynesian-style music. Working to gain recognition for these artists has broadened the audience for Hawaiian music and attracted many young people to careers in the performing arts. Artists are eligible to compete if they have released commercially-available music of any style the previous calendar year and the winners are determined by online voting from a public audience around the world. This year, there were 141 entries, 31 categories, and the votes came in from September to January, with over 60 countries participating. The final tally even included votes from troops in Iraq.
"The reason why they have this annual event is because most of the artists are not well known and it allows them and upcoming new young artists to get their music out there," states Mahina Kaai of Hawaii Calls, Inc., dba Hula Records.
Amongst some of Hawai`i's most renowned entertainers that attended this year's event were Hawai'i Island's own Rob Yamanoha who won best Adult Contemporary for his new album Better. His reaction was best described as ear to ear. "I just can't believe it," he said. "I have never won anything in my life before."
Lukela Keala (lead vocal) for the group Ekolu graciously offered a heads up to our readers, "We are coming to the Big Island to promote our The Best of Ekolu CD and To the World from Ekolu DVD, so we will be having a CD/DVD Release Party for that at Uncle Mikey's in April. If there is one town we love, it's Hilo. Like no joke, I mean, choke love in Hilo. We are here tonight because we won the Anthology Album of the Year. So it's exciting and we are excited to be here. By the way, your readers can find us at http://www.ekolulive.com or on myspace.com/ekolu for more about what we are doing."
Cyril Pahinui was in attendance with 18-year-old Peter Moon Jr., who shared that the best words of wisdom that his father Peter Moon ever gave him was, "Genius is 10 percent smarts and 90 percent hard work." Pahinui won the Slack Key album of the year for his He`eia album and Moon Jr., the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Fourteen-year-old Allison Chu left quite an impression, "This is my fourth CD and I'm here tonight because I won the Children's Music Category for my Kuhio Bay album, an album dedicated in memory of Don Ho because I had the privilege of meeting him and sharing his stage. This is my third win. But for today, this is my first win. But this is my third trophy all together like from 2001. I want to do more acting and more singing and hopefully be on Broadway that would really be kinda cool. I also want to do a lot of Hawaiian music."
Chu would later demonstrate her impeccable Spanish and vocal skills by sharing a song from West Side Story and recreated the role of Maria. Hula dancer, singer and actress, keep an eye out for this one. You can learn more about Chu's extraordinary talents at http://www.myspace.com/allison808 or http://www.allisonhawaii.com.
To learn more, donate, or attend the 2008 Hawai`i Music Awards, you can contact them at http://www.hawaiimusicawards.com.
11th Annual Hawai`i Music Awards 2007 winners:
* Children's Music Category/Allison Chu/Kuhio Bay
* Adult Contemporary/Rob Yamanoha/Better
* Anthology/Ekolu
* Compilation/Legends of Ukulele 2 Steel Guitar/Ken Emerson and Slack & Steel Kauai Style Folk Music/Makena
* Contemporary Hawaiian/Paul Shimomoto/Sentimental Alibi
* Exotica Music/Waitiki/Rendezvous in Okonkululku
* Lifetime Achievement Awards/David Palmer and Larry Fukunaga
* Gospel Inspirational Music/Jon Almosara/Thankful
* Jazz/Angela Crandall/Shine
* Rock/82 fifty/Take a Chance and Let the Music Play
* Hip Hop/Ryde or Die Movement/Business Jay Deuce & Da Ace
* International Hawaiian/Agnes Kimura/Ho`omana`o
* Island Contemporary/Mighty J
* Pop Music/SDIB/Anthony Kua
* Reggae/Natural Vibrations/From the Heart
* Slack Key/Cyril Pahinui/He`eia
* Lifetime Achievement Award/Peter Moon
* Ukulele/Jake Shimabukuro
* Film Score/Jake Shimabukuro
* Traditional Hawaiian/Faith Ako
* World Music/Mahealani/A Walk By the Sea
* Single Music/Tsunami Wave Riders/Island Dreamin'
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