Opening for Ledward and Mike

Welcome to Kaleponi Records, my musical home on the web. My name is Fran Guidry, and I play kika ki hoʻalu or Hawaiian slack key guitar.

Kaleponi is the Hawaiian word for California, where I live. Ki hoʻalu, or slack key, has a direct link to California history. The guitar was carried to the Big Island of Hawaiʻi by vaqueros from California. You can read more about the history of slack key guitar on the Dancing Cat Records web site.

Slack key guitar is named for the retuning that characterizes the style. Most of these new tunings feature loosened, or slackened, strings which give a deep rich sound.

My personal slack key history goes back to 1999 and my first visit to Hawaiʻi. When we turned on the TV in our Waikiki hotel room I was captivated by the playing of Keola Beamer. I knew in an instant that I had to learn to play this beautiful music. Over the years I've learned from great players and teachers like Ozzie Kotani, Keola himself, Patrick Landeza, Kevin Brown, Cyril Pahinui, Kawika Kahiapo, Raymond Kane, Dennis Kamakahi, and Ledward Kaapana.

Tuesday, May 8th, 2012

I’m really not the hardest working man in show business, I’m afraid. I have so much fun just playing in my living room that I don’t feel a big push to get on stage. But since my mission is to spread the word about slack key and Hawaiian music, I really should be getting out and telling the story. Now the time has come to hit the road, because Ledward Kaapana and Mike Ka`awa have invited me to open on their spring tour.

All the details are in the Kaleponi Calendar link above, but here’s a rundown:

Thursday, May 10, Harlow’s in Sacramento, CA
Saturday, May 12, St. Joseph’s Cultural Center, Grass Valley, CA
Monday, May 14, Sierra Nevada Brewery, Chico, CA
Tuesday, May 15, Don Quixote’s, Felton, CA
Thursday, May 17, Club Fox, Redwood City, CA

After that week Mike goes home and we have a short break, then Ledward and I head to Oregon.
Saturday, June 2, John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts, Eugene, OR
Tuesday, June 5, The Alberta Rose Theater, Portland, OR

Mike returns from O`ahu for dates in Washington.
Wednesday, June 6 and
Thursday, June 7, Seattle’s Triple Door, where Ledward and Mike recorded their magnificent Force of Nature live CD.
Friday, June 8, The Upstage Restaurant, Port Townsend, WA

If you’re in any of these neighborhoods I hope you’ll join us for an evening of slack key and Hawaiian music.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 8th, 2012 at 2:54 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.