Yakamashii Series returns: Kathy Collins, Eric Gilliom live at Nisei Veterans Memorial Center

The Yakamashii Series, featuring Maui’s official “tita” and master storyteller, Kathy Collins, is returning to the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center on on June 17.

The event will be held at 665 Kahului Beach Road from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Kathy’s special guest for this event is award-winning musician and entertainer, Eric Gilliom. 

Participants can attend the event in person, via Zoom or via Facebook Live. 

Literally translated as “noisy and clamorous,” Yakamashii, a series of fun interviews and anecdotes hosted by Collins, will keep audiences laughing.

Gilliomʻs talents have taken him from his roots in Hawaiʻi to performing live on the stages of Broadway, the Grammy awards, and the mainstream entertainment.

In recent years audiences have enjoyed his comical performance in White Hawaiian, an auto-biographical one-man musical that celebrates the Gilliom family’s Hawaiian entertainment legacy. His versatility allows him to sing everything from Rock, Soul, R&B to Hawaiian and Broadway show tunes.

Gilliom has played with and opened for musical legends, including, Earth Wind and Fire, Steven Tyler, John Legend, Willie Nelson, Jamie Foxx, Brian Johnson (AC/DC) and Michael McDonald.

Gilliom paired with the late Willie K to form the Barefoot Natives. This Nā Hōkū Hanohano award-winning music and comedy act toured the world. Together they starred in the irreverent island-based motion picture, “Get a Job”, from writer and director Brian Kohne, one of Gilliom’s longtime creative partners and co-writer of White Hawaiian.

A graduate of the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, as an actor, singer and performer, Eric has worked with Debbie Allen on Broadway, in television on the Jamie Foxx show, and on the big screen with Gene Hackman in Hoosiers.

Call 808-244-NVMC (6862) to register or to get online log-in credentials.