When the three founding members of Kapena take the stage at the Waikiki Shell on Saturday, they’ll be celebrating the enduring popularity of a group whose roots go back more than 30 years. It will be the first time in 14 years that Kelly "Kelly Boy" De Lima and brothers Tivaini "Tiva" Tatofi and Teimomi "Timo" Tatofi have played a concert at the Waikiki Shell.
"At a young 51 you appreciate things, you look at people in a different angle," Tiva Tatofi said during a conversation with the trio last week at the Row Bar. "To be able see to our children playing music, and see all our friends who are still there for us — it’s a beautiful thing."
In Honolulu, Kapena will share the Waikiki Shell stage with Fiji, The Manao Company, Bruddah Waltah and others as part of a second-annual "Revive the Live" concert, the first of five concerts that will take the original members and their (now-adult) "kids" to Kauai, Molokai, Maui and Hawaii island in October. De Lima’s offspring, Kapena, Kalena and Lilo; Tiva’s son, Josh Tatofi; and Timo’s son, Dustin Park; will be part of the tour.
Kelly De Lima, seated in the center and the trio’s primary spokesman, described their first rehearsal for the original trio’s reunion as "magical." He had been playing music with his children for the past 10 years, he notes.
"I basically forgot what Tiva and Timo and I used to sound like," he said. "When I heard those voices I told them, ‘This is what started it all.’ It’s a gift from God. Totally. I’m so happy for this reunion — for us, for all the fans who supported us through the years who have been asking for it."
As the band members spoke, several passersby recognized the trio and approached the men for autographs and cellphone photos. A guy who looked ready for work on one of the nearby Kakaako construction sites had them sign his duct-taped ukulele.
The concert is the latest chapter in a story that began at Kaimuki High School in 1984. De Lima, playing ukulele, and Timo Tatofi, playing guitar, wanted to enter Kamasami Kong’s original I-94 "Brown Bags to Stardom" talent contest but decided they would be stronger as a trio.
Tiva Tatofi, two years older and already a high school graduate, could sing and play bass. The rules regarding eligibility for Brown Bags changed from year to year; it happened that year that groups could include nonstudents, so Tiva became the third member of the group.
Kelly’s father, Rudolph "Duffy" De Lima, suggested the name Kapena (Hawaiian for "Captain").
Kapena won the right to represent Kaimuki at the state finals, though they lost in the final round. As is apparent now, that did not halt the band’s rise.
"Kids today gotta know that losing something or not being No. 1 in something is not going to determine what your outcome is going to be," Kelly De Lima said. "We pursued our dream."
With Duffy De Lima’s encouragement, the band persisted. They played for tips in a place called the Polynesian Pub and were signed to a record deal by Ken Kahanu Post.
KAPENA: ONE LAST HANA HOU
Where: Waikiki Shell
When: 5 p.m. Sept 26
Cost: $30; $25 advance for grass, general admission seating. All reserved seating is sold out.
Info: Ticketmaster.com or 866-448-7849 |
By 1998, the trio’s second album, "Kapena," would win Na Hoku Hanohano Awards for Group of the Year and Contemporary Album of the Year.
At the turn of the century, with Ken "K.T." Thompson as their manager, Kapena was one of the busiest acts in local music.
There were days when they would play shows on several different islands. The hectic schedule was possible because Thompson’s contracts would specify that the venue was responsible for having everything ready for them. The trio would arrive with their instruments, plug in, do the show and leave for the next one.
"I think one of the busiest days we had was three outer islands and (a party for) Chris Schutter’s graduation — it was us and C & K — but you could get on the plane, you didn’t even need ID in those days," Kelly said. "So we did the three islands, came back, did Chris Schutter’s party, and then we had another gig we went off to that night at Fisherman’s Wharf. Not to mention (that) we came off a gig the night before at about 1 in the morning."
Kapena did a lot of Jawaiian remakes in those days — "Red Red Wine" and "Whatcha Talking ‘Bout," to name two. They also did country, pop, gospel, Tongan, Samoan, Tahitian and Fijian songs.
Asked for a song representative of the group’s extensive repertoire, and De Lima and Timo Tafofi suggested "Masese," a Fijian song written by Sakiusa Bulicokocoko that became a perennial crowd favorite.
Tiva Tatofi named "Blue Darlin’" and "Kalama’ula" — one country, the other Hawaiian.
"A lot of people wonder how did we get our success: There’s only God," De Lima said, with the brothers nodding agreement. "We give it all to him. He tells us what to do and what not to do, and of course a lot of times we don’t listen, and that’s when we get into trouble!"
Many longtime Kapena fans remember the late Elton "Bruddah E" McKeague, the percussionist who was the de facto fourth member of the group for most of the 1990s. When ill health forced McKeague to retire in 1998 he was replaced by a powerhouse drummer, Eddie Teo, who was almost a generation younger than De Lima and the Tatofi brothers and a longtime fan of the group.
Family responsibilities required Tiva Tatofi to return to Tonga in 2001. "Being a Tongan, you have your custom and your culture, and being the oldest, you have a lot of different responsibilities," he explained. Kainoa Delo became the group’s bass player and stood by De Lima through subsequent personnel changes that included Timo Tatofi’s departure.
In recent years, Kelly, Kapena, Kalena and Lilo De Lima have performed as Kapena. Elsewhere on the music scene, Josh Tatofi emerged as a solo artist who sometimes performed with his father and his cousin, Dustin Park.
"I had this vision that the kids were one day gonna join me," Kelly De Lima says. "I just kept it going. I remember going through some really tough times. A lot of the people missed Tiva and Timo, but my dad always said, ‘Stick with what you do best.’
"Now, with this (reunion), with Tiva and Timo, it comes full circle, and I’m so glad that it did."
Fans who want more of the legacy will want a copy of the limited-edition Kapena 30th anniversary CD, "Kapena 30." It’s available only at concerts for now. Along with a new recording by the original trio, "When the Sun Comes Up," are 29 remastered recordings — including "Masese."
