Makana

A slacker is one thing you could never call Makana. But you can call him a slack-rocker. The young singer-songwriter-musician, fuses slack key guitar virtuosity (a style that sounds like three guitars in one) with elements of rock, folk, bluegrass and blues'all within poignant, original message songs'to create a brand new genre of music- SLACK ROCK. Building upon his roots as the keeper of Hawai'i's slack key flame, Makana takes the centuries-old tradition and blasts it into the 21st century, much in the way that rock bands of the '60s and '70s updated traditional genres like blues and country music. But although slack key forms the basis of Makana's music, he's not stuck in the past. Transcending labels and moving forward has always been his prime motivation. Hailing from the isle of O'ahu, Makana'whose name means "a gift given freely"'began singing when he was 7 years old, took up 'ukulele at 9 and began learning the ancient art of slack key at 11, studying under the legendary master, Sonny Chillingworth. By 14, he was already performing professionally, and before long playing four nights a week. His reputation as the youngest master of slack key spread like molten volcanic lava throughout the islands. With each successive year, more and more music fans'both on and outside of the islands'are experiencing the Makana phenomenon. In addition to his own headlining tours, Makana and his band have opened shows for the likes of Sting, Santana, Elvis Costello, Jason Mraz, and Raul Midon and they've wowed even those hard-to-please audiences every time out. INFLUENCES: The traditional Hawaiian music masters of Ki Ho'alu (Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar); the musicians of the second Hawaiian renaissance; the contemporary Hawaiian musicians Willie K. and John Cruz; the original steel guitar legends Andy Iona and Tau Moe. Hawaiian Kupuna (elders) and Kumu (teachers); Lao Tzu, Krishnamurti, Martin Luther King Jr., Yashua, Russian authors Rand and Zamyatin, Khalil Gibran, Paulo Coelho, Hafiz and Rumi. Nature- Hawaiian sunsets and waves breaking only steps from home. Musicians- Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Tim Buckley, Andreas Vollenweider, Peter Gabriel, Sting, Eno and Lanois (as producers), Alan Parsons, The Chieftains, Van Morrison, Dylan, Richard Thompson, Tchaikovsky, Jimi Hendrix, My Bloody Valentine, Smashing Pumpkins, Eddie Vedder, Tracy Chapman, Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond, The Police, Dick Gaughan, Nick Drake, The Stones, Beatles, Ravi Shankar, Elton John, Bob Marley, James Taylor, David Bowie, Greg Brown, Bjork, Stephen Inglis, Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, and Dead Kennedys. Styles- Cubano and Portuguese music, Chinese melodies, culturally and spiritually rooted chanting, and Aboriginal storytelling and song. The influence of media and pop culture exists (haven't had a TV for over a decade), as does corporate image building and social indoctrination. It is balanced with emersion in natural Hawai'i. These days, less music. Just sounds: quiet, wind, waves, voices. The greatest influence comes in dreams; hearing the non-existent and then giving it sound; lyrics that move the soul, not just validate it, and melody that transforms matter to resonance. Banyan trees... AWARDS: 2006 Grammy Nomination for "Hawaiian Slack Key Kings", featuring a song composed and performed by Makana Multiple Na Hoku Hanohano Award nominations "Best World Music Album" at the Hawai'i Music Awards, for self-titled debut album "Makana" "Makana" voted "Best CD" by the readers of the Honolulu Weekly "Artist for Peace Award", 2005, in recognition of Makana's outstanding support of community and continuing message of peace