2 Thursday, February 9, 2017 Makaha Sons beloved on the Big Island The Makaha Sons have returned to Hilo every year since 2005 for their annual Valentine’s concert at the Palace Theater, which is always a sellout show. This year’s concert is at 7 p.m. Saturday. “Every year when we go back to Hilo we try to make it a little different,” says Jerome Koko, the only remaining original group member. “We try different songs and now with Kimo (Artis) and Mark (Yim), who have different musical styles, we can blend the sound with the Makaha Sons’ style.” Hilo is just one of Koko and the Makaha Sons’ long-standing performance gigs. And while the group has changed members over the years — first, with the death of Koko’s brother John, the band’s upright acoustic bass player, and then with the 2014 retirement of six-string guitar player Peter Moon — the legacy of the Makaha Sons continues. Three years ago, Koko brought Artis and Yim (both already established musicians in traditional Hawaiian and contemporary music) to the group, and together they forged ahead under the Makaha Sons name. “I got the call to join Jerome and Mark three or four weeks before a concert at Whittier College that Jerome had been doing for 20 years,” Artis (also one of the frontmen for the band Kapala) recalls. “When people have been going to a concert for 20 years, they are experts in what they want to hear and have a certain expectation of what they want to see. I usually don’t get nervous for shows, but this was the show I was most nervous for in my whole life.” Artis explains that there are so many Feb. 09 2017 4. Eroica Trio Women set to perform at UH-Hilo, Kahilu Theatre 5. HVNP events Park has plenty planned for February 10. Puzzles Entertain your brain 12. Let’s Go Out Ono grinds CREDITS: Editor David Bock Writers John Burnett Katie Young Yamanaka Photography Hollyn Johnson Design Bonnie L. Rogers Katie Young YAMANAKA Big Island Vibe Email your Island Beat announcements to entertainment@hawaiitribune-herald.com Courtesy photo The Makaha Sons perform in January at Whittier College in Whittier, Calif. See MAKAHA Page 11
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