Mana Mele’s latest CD includes a newly written song

• By John Berger
• Nov. 30, 2016

Mana Mele is the music and multimedia arm of Mana Maoli, a nonprofit whose music programs give students the opportunity to work with music industry professionals. Read more

Haugen gathers songs for Pearl Harbor commemoration

• By John Berger
• Nov. 23, 2016

Keith Haugen — prolific island songwriter, recording artist and record producer — is the first Hawaii resident to mark the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor with commemorative music. Read more

Kicking off Christmas with music

• By John Berger
• Nov. 16, 2016

Reviews of local musicians’ latest album releases Read more

O’Sullivan’s musical tour celebrates the North Shore

• By John Berger
• Nov. 9, 2016

Hawaii-born Ian O’Sullivan has followed his 2013 debut album, “Born and Raised,” with a second collection of acoustic guitar instrumentals. Read more

Slack-key guitarist Ledward Kaapana shows his skill with other string instruments

• By John Berger
• Nov. 3, 2016

Ledward Kaapana is rightly known as one of the greatest Hawaiian slack-key guitarists of his generation, but the soft-spoken virtuoso plays several other string instruments with comparable skill. Read more

Yoza’s latest album builds on previous releases

• By John Berger
• Oct. 20, 2016

Hoku Award-winning singer-songwriter Yoza builds on the foundation of her first two releases with this six-song CD. Read more

Makana bids aloha with diverse CD

• By John Berger
• Oct. 12, 2016

With this aptly titled 13-song CD, Makana, who is off to travel the world before moving to Los Angeles, bids farewell to Hawaii and the current chapter of his career with a final demonstration of the breadth and depth of his repertoire. Read more

Kupaoa’s new album highlights band’s many talents

• By John Berger
• Oct. 5, 2016

In the eight years since the release of their debut album, “Pili o ke Ao,” Kellen Paik and Kelikolihau Hannahs Paik have become one of the power duos in contemporary Hawaiian music. Read more

Traditional Hawaiian music lives

• By John Berger
• Sept. 28, 2016

The self-titled debut album by Keauhou — Zachary Alaka‘i Lum (guitar/vocals), Jonah Kahanuola Solatorio (ukulele/vocals) and Nicholas Keali‘i Lum (acoustic bass/vocals) — is the latest to show that while many local musicians have jumped on the “reggae train” since 1989, others are keeping Hawaiian music alive and moving forward. Read more

Heavy metal rock opera roars on

• By John Berger
• Sept. 21, 2016

Almost exactly a year to the day after they released “The Citadel,” the first act of a heavy metal rock opera about interplanetary war in A.D. 4157, Gerard K. Gonsalves and his Tin Idol Productions organization are continuing the story with “Hell Hath No Fury.” Read more

Artists take on love, politics

• By John Berger
• Sept. 14, 2016

With a career trajectory that goes from playing music on Waikiki street corners to winning consecutive Hoku Awards to steady progress in Los Angeles, Streetlight Cadence is an inspiration for many in the local alt-rock underground. Read more

Musicians cover range of genres

• By John Berger
• Sept. 7, 2016

Moostr is multitalented Imua Garza, his wife, Tiffa Cruz Garza, with Alika “Boy” Kalauli IV (bass and vocals) and Seann Carroll (drums). The Garzas are the creative core of the project — they wrote all the songs, they both sing and he plays guitar — but Kalauli and Carroll are much more than sidemen. Read more

Hanaiali‘i honors grandmother with new album

• By John Berger
• Aug. 31, 2016

In the 21 years since Amy Hanaiali‘i Gilliom made her debut as a Hawaii recording artist with the album titled “Native Child,” she has proven one of the most versatile female vocalists on the local scene. Read more

Shimabukuro’s latest release is influenced by Music City

• By John Berger
• Aug. 24, 2016

In 15 years as a solo artist, Jake Shimabukuro has taken the ukulele in many directions. There were times he placed strumming speed above all else and times when he chose to let every note “breathe” and be fully appreciated. Read more

In a state known for ukes, an artist focuses on the flute

• By John Berger
• Aug. 17, 2016

One of the mysteries of Hawaiian music is why some haole (non-Hawaiian) instruments were adopted and adapted by Hawaiians and others were not. The guitar, piano, stand-up bass and ukulele became integral parts of Hawaiian music. Read more

De Lima delivers on ‘Pokemon’ parody

• By John Berger
• July 27, 2016

The “Pokemon Go” craze is the inspiration for this comic song parody by Hoku Award-winning comedian Frank De Lima. Read more

‘Running on Empty’ is anything but

• By John Berger
• July 20, 2016

It has been a more than four years since Australian-born songwriter-guitarist Richard Barber introduced himself with his first Borrison Ivy project, “Just Another Office Job.” Read more

Pe‘a nurtures traditions

• By John Berger
• July 13, 2016

Although Kale Chang has been known in recent years as a record producer and mentor of younger artists, he also has important credits as a recording artist. Read more