4 | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017 BIG ISLAND ENTERTAINMENT SCENE | WEST HAWAII TODAY Instrumental duo strikes a chord BAD PAPA Instrumental music is food for the soul. Artists and patrons of song have long enjoyed lyric-free music to create an inspirational mood and spark an emotional catalyst for creativity. Musical duo Bad Papa from Waikoloa recently released its debut album, “Searchin’ For Surf,” a collection of easy listening island music. Jammin’ Joe Buck and Bob Bojorquez fuse the sounds of slack-key and standard guitar to create uniquely heartfelt musical sounds. “We’re unique in that we mix slack-key guitar styles with multiple genres,” said one half of the duo, Joe Buck. “I’ve been a solo music artist for the past 10 years. I met Bob two and half years ago when I moved to the Big Island. He told me he played guitar and suggested we get together. I agreed and he came over and I was blown away by his slack-key guitar playing. From the start, we were able to create beautiful music together. It’s hard to explain.” A blind, recording artist, songwriter and performer, Buck plays many instruments, and specializes in many genres and styles. He grew up in Northern California and is a descendent of the Lyman family on Oahu. His father and grandparents were professional jazz musicians in the San Francisco Bay area. “I had a lot of jazz influences growing up,” said Buck. “My father and my grandfather were professional jazz musicians. They played with musicians such as Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby. Bob, on the other hand, is classically guitar trained and played in a beach band when he was younger. Our musical backgrounds are broad — between classical music and concert music, jazz, funk, country and R&B. We can pretty much do a three hour blues show or a three hour easy listening island instrumental show.” Buck’s musical partner, Bojorquez, grew up in Southern California and has played and written music for more than 50 years. Influenced by the Hollywood scene of the late 1960s, Bojorquez describes music as being part of who he is, and is unable to go a day without. He fell in love with the rhythmic sound of Hawaiian slack-key guitar and began teaching himself to play and write music for slack-key. “It is like our meeting each other was meant to be,” said Buck. “Today, we have over 40 original songs out. We mix Spanish-style music with slack-key guitar. We also mix blues, jazz and so many other styles. I’m blind, so it’s not always easy for me to get to gigs to perform, so it was such a blessing when I met Bob. We really enjoy playing and look forward to performing in more theaters and at community benefits.” “Bad Papa celebrates the collaboration between Hawaiian slack-key guitar and standard guitar and brings them together to create a unique sound that will transport listeners to their favorite island get away,” he said. For more information and to learn more about Bad Papa, visit www.badpapamusic.com. ■ BY KAREN ROSE SPECIAL TO WEST HAWAII TODAY Bad Papa recently released its debut album, “Searchin’ For Surf,” a collection of easy listening island music.
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