Good News Tucson - A Family Values Publication

Hapa Brings Hawaii to the Old Pueblo by Travis Kelly

Close your eyes. Relax. Imagine the trade winds blowing through your hair and the sun warming your face as it brings life to the land. Imagine the soft white sand beneath your bare feet. Listen closely and you may even hear the thunderous sound of the South Pacific surf crashing onto the reef as old as time. Ah, Hawaii.

Now, imagine the sounds that call to the islanders coming to Tucson.

The musical group Hapa is bringing their brand of Hawaiian Music to the Old Pueblo on Friday, November 16, 2007 at the Rialto Theatre. Hawaiian Music is best described as roots music akin to Blues or Bluegrass. Hawaiian music, like blues and bluegrass, is a sound and genre that forges forward in an ever-changing world of secular music.

Hapa blends tradition with the sounds of tomorrow as they celebrate sounds of Hawaii from yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Their offerings range from the ancient chants of yesterday to ballads about the paniolo (cowboy), the Portuguese fisherman, and the soul inspired harmonies and melodies of the traditional church choirs of the early missionaries.

Hapa also adds a blend American acoustic Folk Rock and Celtic sounds to their musical offerings. The powerful beauty of our 50th state has lured many cultures into making a place for themselves on the islands. Hapa has done the same taking many musical ingredients and making it their sound. Like the diverse ethnic cultures of the Islands, Hapa themselves represent different ethnicities.

Hapa is Barry Flanagan, born in New York City and a transplant to Hawaii since 1980; Charles Ka'upu born in Oa'hu. Nathan Aweau, born in Honolulu, Hawaii, joined the group in 2003. Their self-titled debut CD released in 1993 has become the biggest selling Hawaiian recording of all time. Hapa swept the 1994 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards (the Hawaiian version of the mainland's Grammy award). Hapa's music has established them as the most recognized name in Hawaiian music internationally. Playing sold out shows from New York to Tokyo, they have even shared the stage with the likes of Bonnie Raitt and Kenny Loggins. Hapa consistently reaches the top 10 on Billboard Magazine's World Music chart.

Many people may think of cheap, loud shirts, tropical drinks and grass skirts when they hear Hawaiian Music, but Hapa hopes to bring people beyond the commercial Hawaii.

"People who think they know what Hawaiian music is, and then have their ears opened up to what it really is, they become the most enthusiastic fans of the music. There's a lot more depth and beauty there than most people are aware of," says Hapa founder and multi-instrumentalist Barry Flannigan.

So whether you are transplanted local, a person who dreams of paradise, or like myself with generations of ohana (family) who call Hawaii home, whatever your ties to Hawaii may be, the soothing sounds of Hapa can calm the roughest of waves in one's life. Drop the tangled net of life for one night, take a mental vacation and let Hapa bring the sights and sounds of Hawaii to you in the Old Pueblo.

For ticket information, contact the Rialto Theatre at 740-1000 or visit their website (www.rialtotheatre.com).