Hawaii Tribune-Herald Island Beat Thursday, February 9, 2017 11 nuances to the Makaha Sons’ music, he felt immense pressure coming on board because he didn’t want to disappoint longtime fans, nor let Koko down. “I felt like if we did well it would be great, but if we didn’t they might not have us back,” he says. After the show, however, their soundman (whom Artis says doesn’t freely pass out compliments) gave them the thumbs up. And people in the audience came up and said how much they enjoyed the music and that they were appreciative Koko, Artis and Yim were carrying on the legacy of the Makaha Sons. “That first year, it seemed we had to prove ourselves everywhere,” he says. But the Palace Theater Valentine’s show was different. “I got a sense early on that we were doing well,” Artis remembers. “We could hear people in the audience making comments, and they started singing along with us.” Nevertheless, that first year was a lot of work for the three musicians to get to know each other on a whole new level. “The hard thing was the Makaha Sons have so much material, what do you pick to play?” Artis says. “Three years later, and we still haven’t played everything. There’s something like 120 or 130 songs in their musical repertoire. We’ve done maybe 50 or 60 of them. Every year we’re adding more.” So, at the Palace Theater show, the audience can expect to hear some songs they didn’t hear last year. “We are very conscious of that when we return to a place we’ve played before,” Artis says. “This year, you’ll hear the difference another year makes playing together as the Makaha Sons. You’ll see the interaction on the stage is fun and light-hearted. Previously, it was Jerome doing most of the talking and keeping the show moving. But all three of us are frontmen, and Jerome is happy to share the stage with us so we can all joke and kid around. People are enjoying that more than we expected.” And for the first time in eight years, the Makaha Sons also will perform shows on the west side of the island, at 7 and 9 p.m. Friday at Umekes Fish Market Bar & Grill in Kona. Koko says the dynamic between the three is great and their harmonies are getting better by the day. “The original Makaha Sons … we could read each other onstage,” Koko says. “Everybody had a role. Now, you bring in Kimo and Mark and they are really musically savvy. They do things I learn from. It’s coming together now, and we’ll be going back to places like Canada, Colorado and Boston this year — places we haven’t gone in the last five years.” Palace Theater Executive Director Morgen Bahurinsky says the concert is a full house, and audiences have remained loyal fans through the changes in the group. “There was so much appreciation for last year’s concert,” Bahurinsky says. “Many people remarked that was the best Makaha Sons concert they had ever heard. In my opinion, they did seem to kick it up a notch.” During the past 41 years, the group has released 22 albums. They are Na Hoku Hanohano award winners, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. The Makaha Sons also were inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame in 2012, and Koko’s most recent solo CD, “Makaha Sons Memoirs,” was nominated for a Grammy. Artis says that if you want to be viable in the music business, however, you have to continue to come up with new product. “For us, that will be continuing a legacy that’s more than 40 years old,” he says of the group’s next endeavor to produce a CD of their own. “You want it to sound like the Makaha Sons, but you also want it to reflect some of the other influences of the new members.” A CD was supposed to be done a long time ago, Koko says, but it wasn’t the right time. “You don’t want to do it just to do it,” he says. “You want to do something that still respects the legacy of the Makaha Sons. My job is to keep the sound of the Makaha Sons as close as possible to the way it was the past 38 years.” But there also is room for growth. Artis says he has a number of original songs he hasn’t recorded and there are some Koko also hasn’t had a chance to record yet. “The three of us are gathering material and will see how each song fits in,” he says. “We will definitely go into the studio this year. To solidify ourselves as the ‘new Makaha Sons’ I think we need to do that. To me, if you have the confidence to record something together, that tells you that you’re in it for the long haul. We could be a tribute band, but I think we want to continue to grow and add new material to the already stellar list of recordings of the Makaha Sons of Niihau and the Makaha Sons.” The greatest difference, Artis says, between playing with his band of 10 years, Kapala, and playing with the Makaha Sons is he can see how important music can be to people over time. “Makaha Sons songs are beloved,” he says. “You can see the emotion on people’s faces as they sing along with you. It transports them back to a fond memory, another place and time.” The Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts provides partial funding to make this concert possible. MAKAHA From page 2 Makaha Sons Valentine’s Concert When: 7 p.m. Saturday Where: Palace Theater Tickets: Advance general admission tickets are $30, side reserved seats are $40 and center reserved is $50. All tickets are $5 more the day of the show. To purchase tickets by phone call 934-7010 or visit the box office from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday. For the first time in eight years, the Makaha Sons also will perform on the west side of the island. Courtesy photo
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