MACC’s Drive-in Concerts Feature Henry Kapono, Makana & Ho‘okena, June 4-6

The Maui Arts & Cultural Center’ Live @ the MACC series presents three free outdoor, drive-in concerts Friday, June 4 through Sunday, June 6 in the A&B Amphitheater. Each concert will also be livestreamed. These live in-person concerts include:

• Friday June 4 with Henry Kapono and his full band in a Songs of C&K concert;
• Saturday, June 5 with Makana and special guest, percussionist Lopaka Colón Jr., and
• Sunday, June 6 featuring Ho‘okena with special guest ‘Moon’ Kauakahi formerly of the Makaha Sons plus the hula stylings of Nani Dudoit.

Additional acts each night are to be added. Concerts start at 7 p.m. each night at the MACC’s A&B Amphitheater, with gates opening at 6 p.m.

Admission is free, but due to the limited space and special logistics required, advance registration is required by
logging on to MauiArts.org. Registrations become available Tuesday, June 1 to MACC members first at 10 a.m. and
then to the general public at noon. Membership is available at MauiArts.org/membership. Due to the limited vehicle
capacity each night, only one of the weekend’s concerts can be ordered per household. All three concerts will be
livestreamed on the MACC’s website or on its Facebook or YouTube pages.

The Live @ the MACC series is made possible by the generous support of the County of Maui and the Office of Economic Development. The series is designed to bring much needed opportunities for many of Hawai‘i’s performing artists and art forms, in a combination of streamed/virtual or safe/live in-person events that meet or exceed all current guidelines.

Once a reservation is set, attendees must bring their original, bar-coded print-at-home e-ticket confirmation or have it ready to present on their mobile device. Only one scan allowed per e-ticket so duplicates will not be honored. Reservations are non-transferable.

The MACC’s main entrance will open each night starting at 6 p.m. Once inside the venue, attendees will not be
allowed to exit their vehicles during the film in order to adhere to safety and social distancing guidelines.

Vehicles will be directed by MACC staff to park in order of arrival to maintain safety zones. Due to vehicle spacing, once vehicles have parked in the venue, there will be no early exiting until directed by MACC staff to the nearest exit at the end of the movie.

No alcoholic beverages are permitted in vehicles in accordance with Maui County liquor laws. Restroom use will be limited to urgent needs only and patrons are required to wear a mask and socially distance from others. The MACC is a non-smoking/non-vape venue.

The MACC still remains closed to the public on a daily basis and guidelines dictate that this will continue. The MACC will continue to assess evolving health and government restrictions before a return to its conventional, in-person events. For more information log on to MauiArts.org or call the MACC Box Office weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Friday’s concert

Henry Kapono is a performer who has it all – vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, composer, thrilling performer, audience favorite, and multiple honors and awards, including a Grammy nomination. He has taken home 18 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year, Song of the Year, Single of the Year, and Album & Rock Album of the Year.

This year, he has again been nominated for multiple Nā Hōkū awards including Album, Contemporary Album, Song and Male Vocalist of the Year. He has been at the creative forefront of contemporary Hawaiian music throughout his career, from the laid-back island rock of Cecilio & Kapono in the 1970s and 80s, to launching his solo career that produced 18 albums and fans around the world to his Henry Kapono & Friends collaborations celebrating the music that represents the sound track of Hawai‘i. His groundbreaking The Wild Hawaiian album fused the power of Hawaiian traditions with driving rock rhythms and a soundtrack for the new century. The simple honesty of his lyrics and music touch the soul and his wildly talented guitar playing shares his joy in being alive. Kapono has travelled the world with innovation and creativity of music that very few artists are able to sustain.

Saturday’s concert

Born and raised in Hawai’i, Makana is an internationally recognized master of the rare Hawaiian art of slack key guitar. Not to be confused with steel (slide) guitar, slack key is older than the blues and was created by Hawaiians in the early 1800s as a way of simulating three guitars in one by playing bass, rhythm and melody in beautiful “open” tunings unique to the islands. A protégé of various Hawaiian slack key legends, Makana uses over a hundred tunings to fashion a massive, resonant, symphonic sound without use of loop pedals or other trickery. His repertoire is diverse and accessible- this is not the Hawaiian music from 1930s Hollywood! Out of slack key, Makana has fashioned a hybrid style of slack key, blues and bluegrass he calls “Slack Rock”. He has supported acts ranging from Santana and Sting to Jason Mraz, Joe Walsh of The Eagles, Bad Company, Leon Russell, Chris Isaak, Chris Botti, Elvis Costello, Common, Gotye, Jack Johnson and many others. His music has been featured on three Grammy-nominated records including the soundtrack for the Academy Award-winning film The Descendants. Makana’s sound ventures into the folk/ bluegrass/ acoustic rock realm. His voice is reminiscent of Tracy Chapman/ Jeff Buckley. Guitar Player magazine voted him one of the top three guitarists in America in 2008, and Esquire said “Slack key guitar, indigenous to Hawai’i, is older than the blues, and Makana is considered the greatest living player.”

Born in Hawaiʻi, Lopaka Colón Jr. is an established percussionist and multi Nā Hōkū Hanohano award winner. He’s the son of the famous percussionist Augie Colón, and has since a young age followed in his father steps. In the late 90s, Lopaka was part of the successful Pure Heart band, rated in the top-50 musical groups of all time of Hawai‘i and also one of Hawai‘i’s youngest musical groups ever to take the local music scene by storm in such a short period. The group later evolved into Colón (named in honor of Lopakaʻs father). Both bands won the People’s Choice award at the Nā Hokus as favorite entertainers of the year for two years in a row. Lopaka is a member of the Waitiki Exotica Septet, in which he performs percussion and exotic birds and animals sounds, and he is also a key component in the success of several local bands like the Grammy-nominated Wild Hawaiian (a project with the Henry Kapono band), the Barefoot Natives, the Makana Trio, The Mana Maoli Collective, Don Tiki, to name a few. He has performed with many other Hawaii’s top musicians, including Mick Fleetwood’s Island Rumours Band and Michael McDonald.

Sunday’s concert

Ho‘okena is a mainstay on the island music scene and is synonymous with high quality Hawaiian music. Since 1986, the group has produced 13 CDs and won numerous music awards. Their latest CD, Meant to Be, was released last October and commemorates their 35th anniversary. It garnered them 2021 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award nominations for Group of the Year, Hawaiian Music Album of the Year, and the Hawaiian Language Performance Award. A four-time Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards winner and three-time Grammy Awards nominee, Ho‘okena is recognized for their excellence in recording, composing and creating Hawaiian contemporary music. The group, consisting of Horace K Dudoit III, Chris Kamaka, Glen Smith and their hula stylist Nani Dudoit, travels the world to share their harmonious music, authentic hula and promote Hawaii’s rich musical heritage. ‘Moon’ Kauakahi formerly of the Makaha Sons will join Ho’okena bringing with him a repertoire of their favorites.