Hawaii Tribune-Herald Island Beat Thursday, December 22, 2016 11 “You never know what to expect at one of our concerts,” Moderow says. “The beautiful thing of Maunalua is when you don’t expect something is going to happen it generally does, or it’s said, or someone is going to come up and share. It’s a really open stage. We aren’t there to be a variety show, but it’s really nice because there is so much talent on the Big Island, you just never quite know who will be a part of it. Spontaneity is king in my world.” Though the concert is before Christmas, Moderow says the one thing not to expect is a program of holiday songs. “When I go to see an artist in concert I want to hear the old stuff,” he says. “I want to hear the songs that make me fuzzy inside. I just went to the Garth Brooks concert (on Oahu). He didn’t play any Christmas music and it wasn’t missed. Why? Because I wanted to be filled up with Garth Brooks and with his music and especially his old stuff. You know, that one song will take you back to that time and that, to me, is paramount.” The Kahilu Theater concert will really be the “greatest hits of Maunalua,” Moderow says. “I’ve been singing ‘Sanoe’ for 25 years,” he says. “I sing it every week, two or three times a week and sometimes I don’t want to sing ‘Sanoe,’ but it’s not for me to say. The audience is my boss. If auntie asks me to sing it, I will sing it. To me, that’s a huge reason why people come to see us. Our new stuff is great, don’t get me wrong, but you never, ever forget those songs that are your foundation.” Moderow says each of Maunalua’s four albums have their own “standout” songs. “But I tell you, it’s something about that first album that people go back to,” he says. “I think it’s the innocence of the music. We were 25 when we recorded that first album. It was our first time in the studio and we had no idea what to expect, so we just laid out the rawness, and I think that’s what people got. “They got the uninhibited beauty of kids singing Hawaiian music when there wasn’t a lot of Hawaiian music at that time, which was in the mid-’90s.” With the success of their fourth album, “He Inoa,” Moderow says the group is busy performing, but he also is working on his first solo album. “Not to start any horrible rumors that Bobby is leaving Maunalua to start a solo career,” he explains. “It’s not that at all. I’m recording it right now. So, I’m really excited to share my music with Hawaii. That said, my focus is still Maunalua. It’s a side note kind of project, and I’m taking my time with it.” Maunalua’s music, Moderow says, is the best it has ever been. “The easiest way I can explain Maunalua is it’s Hawaiian music of the 21st century,” Moderow says. “You’ve got the ‘Portagee’ in the middle (Moderow), you’ve got Kahi, a Hawaiian-Filipino mix, you’ve got Richard, he’s Mexican-Samoan. That’s a motley crew. That’s the most unorthodox Hawaiian band you’ll ever see. But what I’m so proud of, when you look at us, we’re a cross-section of Hawaii. We blend it all.” Moderow promises a good time will be had by all at their Big Island concert. “Those of you who know Maunalua, great. Those of you who don’t, welcome to the family and check this out, it’s going to be amazing.” Says Deb Goodwin, Kahilu Theatre executive director, “The voices of Maunalua are a perfect way for us to celebrate the season with aloha. The group delivers traditional Hawaiian music with impeccable musicality, and for those of us who have called Hawaii home for most of our lives, these are the songs that bring a smile to our face and to our hearts.” MAUNALUA From page 2 Maunalua What: Na Hoku Hanohano-award winners Maunalua in concert. When: 7 p.m. Friday Where: Kahilu Theatre, 67-1186 Lindsey Road, Waimea (doors open at 6 p.m. for the performance; beverages and snacks available for sale at the theater bar). Tickets: $68, $58, $48, and $20, available online at www.kahilutheatre.org, by calling 885-6868 or at the Kahilu Theatre box office from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Hawaiian music trio will perform at 7 p.m. Friday at the Kahilu Theatre. Courtesy photo
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