Kaleponi

I’ve gotten a lot of fun out of exploring the paths and trails in our neighborhood. I’m always on the lookout for interesting settings to use in my video shoots, like this magnificent live oak where Ledward Kaapana and I played Aloha Ia No O Maui. I recently headed in a new direction and found myself walking along a creek running through nearby Pleasant Hill. I was surprised to find a very old truck chassis lying in the bamboo and bushes growing on the creekside. One thought popped into my head instantly – what a perfect place to shoot a video of Holoholo Ka`a!

I’ve never tried to come up with a solo arrangement of this classic hula, so the first thing was a quick look at He Mele Aloha for a check on the chords, then a visit to YouTube for a refresher on how folks sing the song … oops. Seems like there are various melodies and even different lyrics. Well that’s not uncommon, the folk tradition is very strong in Hawaiian music and folks change things around if it suits them.

Inspired by that thought and the challenging melody line I started throwing a good old rock-n-roll slide into my arrangement, hopefully not too off the wall. I was also inspired by the interesting visual nature of the rusty old truck frame, the wood spoke wheels rotting away, the remnants of an old running board, the strength and solidity of the rear axle assembly. I tried to capture some of the wry poignancy of this once powerful machine fallen from usefulness and left to decay, never to holoholo again.