Sounds of Hawai’i event
A night of pure magic awaits! Kaumakaiwa & Kulāiwi and some of Hawai’i’s most talented musicians and dancers will grace the Water Street Plaza Amphitheater.
Immerse yourself in culture during our Sounds of Hawai’i event!
Kaumakaiwa & Kulāiwi and their talented friends bring breathtaking music and hula to Water Street Plaza Amphitheater on March 30 at 7pm. A truly authentic experience for just $15.
KAUMAKAIWA & KULAIWI
featuring
Kawika Kahiapo, Lehua Kalima, Shawn Pimental
with Pono Fernandez
When: Sunday, March 30
Time: 7pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
Location: Water Street Plaza Amphitheater
Cost: $15 (buy here)
*This is an outdoor venue. Seating is general admission. No outside alcohol or coolers are allowed on the plaza or in the amphitheater. Schedule subject to change or cancellation without notice. Management reserves all rights.
Description: Experience the Sounds of Hawai’i with an unforgettable evening of modern and traditional music and dance from the islands. Performers include Kaumakaiwa & Kulāiwi featuring Kawika Kahiapo, Lehua Kalima, Shawn Pimental and Pono Fernandez, hula. Individually, they are accomplished and talented. Together they create the magical sound of Indigenous Hawai‘i.
About the Performers
Kanaka’ole… vaulted through various registers and timbres, from bass to witchy contralto rasp to sweet soprano (“skinny girl” voice, [she] said), a traditionalist tour de force.” –NY Times
Kulāiwi – Hawai‘i’s Group of the Year & Hawaiian Group of the Year
A riveting performer, Kaumakaiwa Kanaka‘ole creates some of the most original work to emerge in contemporary Hawaiian music, drawing from ancestral memory and hula practice as chant transforms to melody. Kaumakaiwa seamlessly melds Hawaiian culture and modern sensibilities in deeply powerful music. A modern Hawaiian, she is a vibrant keeper of culture, and at the same time, an authentic innovator.
Kaumakaiwa’s long-time guitarist Shawn Pimental, an award-winning musician in his own right, joined with two of Hawai‘i’s leading music performers — Lehua Kalima (of Na Leo) and Kawika Kahiapo, and hula practitioner Pono Fernandez – to form Kulāiwi, creating music drawn from their Native Hawaiian roots. With soaring vocals, island harmonies and a folk vibe, accompanied by an easy-going charm, Kulāiwi [“land of my ancestors”] is committed to the stories of Hawai’i revealed through songs embedded with Hawaiian values, perspectives, and ways of being in the world. Their debut CD release Native Lands earned them 4 Nā Hōkū wins (Hawai‘i’s music awards), including top honors as Group of the Year.
Together, Kaumakaiwa and Kulāiwi share prodigious talents as performers, songwriters and composers, engaging indigenous thought to address today’s issues through music, chant, and sharing of spirit. Their original songs are inspired by diverse musical styles and a passionate commitment to Hawai‘i. They reflect a growing population of Native Hawaiian speakers, whose pride in their roots provides strength and grounding, and empowers their responsibility as protectors of land and culture.
