6 | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2016 BIG ISLAND ENTERTAINMENT SCENE | WEST HAWAII TODAY Band releases long-awaited MAKA ROCKS BY KAREN ROSE SPECIAL TO WEST HAWAII TODAY “Let’s Dance” by Maka was released this fall. COURTESY PHOTO/SPECIAL TO WEST HAWAII TODAY The live music scene in Hawaii is a collective blend of influences from ukulele and slack key guitar, to reggae, rock ‘n’ roll, rap and jazz. The variation in island music is as diverse as the culture itself. Kailua-Kona-based Hawaiian rock band, Maka, brought their original sound to the Big Island a couple of years ago, and has been entertaining the west side since. The four-piece band comprises Maka Gallinger on vocals and ukulele, Jason Stith on bass, Sean Allen on guitar and John Reiner on drums. Taking first place at the islandwide Battle of the Bands in 2014 thrust the band into the spotlight and led them to finishing this fall their long-awaited album, “Let’s Dance,” recorded at Grammy Award-winner Charles Michael Brotman’s studio. “It’s really a range of genres from rock to reggae to pop. It shows our diversity, which is what we wanted to showcase,” Gallinger said of the While the current members of Maka have played the past couple of years,Gallinger’s quest for the perfect band was a journey in discovery. Starting as a solo artist, she felt call to get a band together and perform as a group. “I’ve been through a musicians,” she said. been playing with Jason,bass player, for about years now. We went through several guitar players style just wasn’t what looking for until we found Sean. We’ve been playing with Sean, our current guitarist, for about three years now, and John, drummer, has been with for about a year and a Gallinger stresses the importance of band unity how vital it is for all members of the band to get along “I think it takes about year for a band to really it together,” she said. band comes from different
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