WEST HAWAII TODAY | BIG ISLAND ENTERTAINMENT SCENE FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017 | 3 THE GRASS IS BLUER Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum return to Aloha Theatre BY KAREN ROSE SPECIAL TO WEST HAWAII TODAY The late American musician Bill Monroe said that bluegrass music has brought together more people and made more friends than any other type of music in the world. At 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, the Aloha Theatre in Kainaliu welcomes Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum back to the stage. Lewis and Rozum are regarded by many to be among some of the best bluegrass artists in the country. Lewis, a songwriter, fiddler, vocalist, teacher and producer, grew up in Berkeley, California. Her father was an accomplished flute player who encouraged his children to play a musical instrument. However, after a bad experience with piano at the tender age of 7, and six years of classical violin, Lewis almost gave up music altogether until she discovered the Berkeley Folk Festival. “At the Berkeley Folk Festival you could hear all kinds of music, and it just really grabbed me,” she said. “That was the first place I heard Doc Watson, the first place I heard Jean Ritchie, maybe the first bluegrass band I heard, the Greenbriar Boys. And then there was Jesse Fuller and Rev. Gary Davis and Mississippi John Hurt. It just totally busted my ears open and got me really excited about folk music as a teenager.” Lewis met Rozum, a mandolin player, in 1986 when he joined Lewis’ band, Grant Street. They formed a musical partnership and since have recorded more than 20 albums together. Their latest release, “The Hazel Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum have played at Aloha Theatre for almost 20 years. They return for a single performance this Saturday at 7 See CONCERT on page 11 ➠ :30 p.m. DON PRICHARD/SPECIAL TO WEST HAWAII TODAY
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