It’s been nine years since the three original members of Kapena — Kelly “Kelly Boy” De Lima and brothers Tivaini “Tiva” Tatofi and Teimomi “Timo” Tatofi — last played a concert at the Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell. That makes the trio’s 40th Reunion Tour concert Saturday at the outdoor venue a major milestone in local entertainment.
A few general admission seats on the lawn were still available at press time.
“This is the original (group),” De Lima said recently as the trio was preparing for a rehearsal at HB Social Club/Hawaiian Brian’s. “We are doing just what people are asking for, just the old-school Kapena, broken down to where it all started.”
“We just did a radio interview the other day and we were singing ‘Baby Blue.’ Tiva and Timo belong to big (Polynesian) churches, and if you ever go to Tonga or Fiji, the choirs’ harmonies are phenomenal. It’s a different style of harmony. We sat down and we’re singing ‘Baby Blue,’ and we put it out on social media and thousands and thousands of people were commenting. And even for me, I missed the old-school Kapena.”
Tiva Tatofi marveled modestly that the trio’s popularity has grown beyond their original “island music” fans of the mid-1980s.
“Last time (in 2015), I was shocked to see the aunties had kids. Our classmates have kids!” he said. “Now for the 40-year anniversary, I’m pretty sure they’ll bring their children and their grandchildren.
“But what makes this really special for me is that my children didn’t get to see me back in the day, but now they can come and watch us play music. I want to bring all our fans and their children and their grandchildren to watch us. I can’t wait for that.”
The story began in 1984 when Kaimuki High School students De Lima and Timo Tatofi wanted to represent Kaimuki in Kamasami Kong’s original I-94 “Brown Bags to Stardom” talent contest. De Lima played ukulele, Tatofi played guitar, and they knew they had their vocal harmonies down. But to win “Brown Bags” they’d have to beat the best of the best from almost every high school in the state.
The two decided they could use a little more manpower. They didn’t have to look far to find it.
Tatofi’s brother, Tiva, two years older and already a high school graduate, could sing and play bass. The rules regarding eligibility for the contest changed from year to year, but the rules that year allowed former students to participate.
What about a name? De Lima’s father, Rudolph “Duffy” De Lima, suggested Kapena (Hawaiian for “captain”).
Kapena won their school’s preliminary contest at Kaimuki but didn’t win the statewide “Brown Bags” competition. The disappointment was short-lived.
“That night is just like yesterday,” Tiva Tatofi said. “The competition, the high schools competing, the top students. When I first met Kelly Boy, it was in the library, he was singing falsetto. It blew my mind. But the night of the competition, we had a studio audience and the crowd was so loud the judges couldn’t hear us. We went outside (afterward). ‘Did we win?’ we asked each other. No, but when we first met, something just clicked, and that was it.”
With Duffy De Lima’s encouragement, the band persisted, even if it meant playing for tips or buying their way on stage.
“When the original Kapena started, we were hungry,” the younger De Lima said. “We used to write our name on napkins where we go to clubs and watch other groups, and request ourselves to go up on stage to go play. Send the request with a $5 bill and they would call us up and we get up there and try and shine.”
In 1986, Kapena got a record deal from Ken Kahanu Post and released their first album, “Satisfaction Guaranteed.” Their second album, “Kapena,” won Na Hoku Hanohano awards for group of the year and contemporary album of the year in 1988. Things got bigger and bigger from there.
In the 1990s, with Ken “K.T.” Thompson as their manager, Kapena was one of the busiest acts in local music.
“I never had time for a ‘day job,’” Timo Tatofi recalled. “We were working, like, 15 to 21 gigs a week.”
“It was crazy,” De Lima added. “I remember one day we did shows on Maui, the Big Island and Kauai, and then two shows on Oahu. It was a demanding time, but how do you refuse the blessings? We tried to do everything that we could, and it’s been awesome. I’ve never had a job but playing music.”
Family responsibilities eventually required Tiva Tatofi to return to Tonga in the early 2000s and he retired several years later. Kapena evolved into De Lima, his children and a grandchild, but the spiritual ties between Kelly Boy and the Tatofi brothers are as strong as ever.
“We’re blessed,” De Lima said. “It’s always been ohana, and we’re together again.”
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KAPENA 40TH REUNION TOUR
>> Where: Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell
>> When: 6 p.m. Saturday; doors open at 5 p.m.
>> Tickets: $29 (general admission “grass” seats). Reserved seating is sold out.
>> Info: hifinest.com/events or ticketmaster.com
