Hawaii Tribune-Herald Island Beat Thursday, July 6, 2017 3 ‘Drifting’ guitarist McKee returns to BI Acoustic guitar whiz Andy McKee returns next week to the Big Island for shows Tuesday and Wednesday at Gertrude’s Jazz Bar in Kailua-Kona and another July 15 at the Hapuna Prince Hotel’s Kamani Room. The 38-year-old Kansan, whose YouTube video of his original song “Drifting” has garnered 56 million-plus views, said he “can’t wait to get back.” “This time it’s even more special,” McKee said last week. “I’m bringing my wife and kids with me and we’re going to stay for another week and just sort of hang out and check out the volcano and some of the black sand beaches, go snorkeling and take in all the sights. It’s quite different from Kansas, where I’m from.” As a teenager in Topeka, McKee loved metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Metallica. But when he saw percussive fingerstyle guitarist Preston Reed, it was a game changer. “I saw him when I was 16 and I thought, ‘Wow, the acoustic guitar is pretty amazing!’ He was doing altered tunings and tapping. I’d seen tapping on the electric guitar, with Eddie Van Halen and trying to learn ‘Eruption,’ things like that. Seeing Preston Reed, he was doing chordal stuff and doing the melody and using the guitar body as a percussion instrument.” Ironically, because of McKee’s popularity, the style Reed pioneered decades ago has become known as “Drifting style” guitar. “For me, putting videos on YouTube changed my life in a big way. It got my music out there to people that maybe wouldn’t have checked out my style. “But thanks to that platform, it’s brought that whole genre to people,” McKee said. Since McKee played several Big Island venues in November 2014, he’s been busy, touring in the continental U.S. and Canada earlier this year with another American fingerstyle pioneer, Tommy Emmanuel. He also toured in Asia last summer. “I went to Singapore and Malaysia, China and Korea and Vietnam,” McKee said. “Vietnam was really fun. I liked the food there and the fans were really great. I wasn’t too sure what to expect, but it was a lot of fun. In some parts of Asia, they’ll get up on stage and freak out like it’s the greatest rock show they ever saw. Some places are a little different; they’re listening a bit more closely. I did a couple of nights in Tokyo. They’re a bit more reserved, and you’re sitting onstage wondering if they’re enjoying it but at the end of the night they come up to you and shake your hand and tell you they really loved it.” McKee said that while his music is different, his tunings are “kind of similar” to ki ho‘alu, Hawaiian slack-key guitar. “I was drawn to altered tunings when I first got into the acoustic guitar, just because, for me, you’ve got this whole new palette to work with,” he explained. “You’ve changed the guitar into a whole new setting. And all of these chord shapes you’ve memorized and the scales, they’ve all changed. You can’t rely on just that anymore. You come up with new chord voicings that you can’t do on a normally tuned guitar. It gives it a full, rich sound that lends itself well to acoustic guitar because you’re trying to cover all the bases of melody, harmony and rhythm at once. And if you can make the guitar sound bigger you get a wider and fuller sound.” The guitarist also has new in-depth instructional videos available at truefire.com. “You get to see what I do in the videos, and I break things down, measure by measure, each chord and each fingering, to show people what I do and how I come up with my tunes. It’s something people have been asking for for a long time. We’ve got our first course, which is five tunes, and we’re going to do more in the future. It’s been going well, it’s great,” he said. Showtimes are 7 p.m. with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. each night. Tickets are $35 general for all shows, with $48 gold circle seating available for the Hapuna show. Tickets are available at CD Wizard, Hilo Music Exchange and Hilo Ukulele and Guitar in Hilo; Waimea General Store in Parker Square; Taro Patch Gifts in Honokaa; Gertrude’s Jazz Bar, Kona Music Exchange and Kiernan Music in Kona; and online at bluesbearhawaii. com. McKee also will conduct a guitar workshop from 2-3 p.m. July 15 at the Hapuna Prince Makani Room. The price is $59 and it must be booked in advance at bluesbearhawaii.com. For more information, call 896-4845. Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald. com. ONE GALLERY an artists’ collective Art & Wine Classes 961-2787 3 GENERATIONS (PG13) Comedy / Drama In celebration of Pride Month Ray is a teenager who has realized that she isnʼt meant to be a girl and wants to begin a transition. Maggie, the mom, must track down Rayʼs biological father to get his legal consent. Dolly, Rayʼs lesbian grandmother, is having a hard time accepting Ray as her grandson. Each must learn to embrace change. LA Times: “This well-acted picture proves a poignant, absorbing look at a modern family.” $8 Gen. - $7 Student/Senior 38 Haili St. • 934-7777 Paradise Restaurant Supply Downtown Hilo. 808-933-3675 Largest Kitchenware Dealer on Island We Specialize in: Large Woks - Stock Pots - Sinks Stainless Tables - Bar Mixers - Steamers Dishes - Silverware - Thermometers Now in Stock High Quality Chef Coats WE SHARPEN KNIVES Open 7 Days a Week M–S 9:30AM–5PM, Sun 10AM–5PM 250 Kamehameha x Haili $35 onegalleryhawaii.com Fri, Sat, Mon & Tues - July 7, 8, 10 & 11 at 7pm Sun - July 9 at 2:30pm & 7pm Starring: Elle Fanning, Naomi Watts, Susan Sarandon, Tate Donovan Directed by: Gaby Dellal www.hilopalace.com By JOHN BURNETT Hawaii Tribune-Herald Courtesy photo Acoustic guitarist Andy McKee, whose “Drifting” video has more than 56 million YouTube views, plays Tuesday and Wednesday at Gertrude’s Jazz Bar in Kona and July 15 at the Hapuna Prince Hotel.
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