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©2000 by Ely Music/Pub |
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Coco Wire - Fall '99(Reprinted from the HSGA Quarterly)
Henry Allen continues to be Bizzzzz-Y on Maui. Last February, he completed what was the longest running free Hawaiian music show at Wailea Shopping Village. It ran for ten years! (Possibly only beat by Alan Akaka's seventeen years at the Halekulani "House Without A Key", and HSGA's fourteen years as a worldwide organization.) Henry was featured last May in the Whalers Village complex, and for all we know, as we write, is launched on another decade performing and perpetuating our Hawaiian guitar before the public. Can't keep up with Alan Akaka. After teaching on Moloka`i the morning of September 11, he flew back to Honolulu to play steel with "The Islanders" backing him, and emcee an hour's show at McCully Shopping Center, as part of Aloha Festivals. He rushed off to give a lesson to his young student, and then returned to the Halekulani to introduce Jerry Byrd, the first Guest Steel Artist in this year's "Steel Guitar Week" at the "House Without A Key". Isaac Akuna was the second evening's guest artist. Not only does he play grand steel guitar, but on, can he sing! Gary Aiko and Ed Punua got plenny competition now. Asked if he sang to his dental patients, Isaac said "yes, after I anesthetize them." Shoot! He's no fun at all. JT and Makalina Gallagher are still at it on the East Coast. Last we heard, they'd just given a brown bag concert at New York's Central Park, and were off to do a rooftop gig at the Brooklyn Children's Museum. Their group had JT on steel, Makalina on `ukulele, plus acoustic bass, drums, keyboards and three hula dancers for a performance on storytelling through music, song and dance. Way to go, guys! HSGA member Tomi Dinoh's Quarterly was returned to us "address unknown - no forwarding". I e-mailed his son, Bill Wynne to get a new address. Bill told us what happened: "Late one night, Dad heard a banging on the walls or floor. He lived in an apartment above an elderly lady, who was restricted to bed. Thinking she might need help, he ran down the stairs and her apartment was on fire! "He smashed a window, raced in, found her in billows of smoke and carried her outside, already covered with third degree burns. Then he woke his other neighbor, a nurse and her husband. The paramedics arrived and raced the lady to the hospital. "Meanwhile, her apartment and Dad's were destroyed. Dad was written up in all the local papers, and interviewed for the major news shows. Then, both the fire department and the Mayor of his town in New Jersey, threw separate award ceremonies for him. The apartment management gave him a new apartment to replace his. "In answer to the question of Dad's new address, I have visited several times, but I'll be darned if I know the new apartment number. You'd think the US Postal Service would know how to find a HERO!" We don't recommend that kind of "hot time in the old town" tonight or any other, in order to gain fame. All is well, however. Tomi is apparently getting his mail now, as he's renewed his membership for 1999-2000. Burning questions: what is Tomi doing for a steel guitar? See "Wanted to Buy" box from Tomi. Public thanks are in order to the HSGA folks who sold their Tee shirts, records and Hawaiian music at HSGA's Honolulu convention. Their combined after-sale donation to HSGA Scholarship was $286. Mahalo nui loa Duke Ching, Vivian Bangs (for Auntie Genoa Keawe's recordings), Greg Sardinha, Tom Swatzell, and John Tipka. And just so you know that nothing you mail to us goes to waste, I cut all the stamps from envelopes mailed from Canada, Europe and the Pacific Rim, along with interesting special U.S. stamps, and mail them to my aunt in San Diego. She, in turn, gives them to the "Stamps for Missions" group of the Lutheran Woman's Mission. A local stamp dealer buys all that are collected, and the proceeds go to the national organization for the churches' worldwide mission work. HSGA recently received a nice "Thank You" note from the San Diego group's secretary. So even the mail you send is giving aloha to somebody who needs it. Send us YOUR good news, so others can share with you in HSGA's Quarterly. 
HSGA * HAWAIIAN
STEEL GUITAR ASSOCIATION Homepage URL: www.hsga.org (hsga@lava.net) Last updated: 07/23/02 by Gerald Ross (gbross@umich.edu) |
