Bill Wynne Musician
For over 45 years, Philadelphia native Bill Wynne has shared the music and culture of Hawaii with audiences from Carnegie Hall to the Monarch Room of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki. An expert in slack key guitar, steel guitar, and ukulele, Wynne is best known for his exceptional skill in the traditional Hawaiian art of falsetto singing for which he was awarded first prize – a Hula Records recording contract – in the 2005 Aloha Festivals Falsetto Contest. Wynne learned practically everything he knows about Hawaiian music through the careful study of recordings – a collecting frenzy which has a resulted in an enviable library of more than 25,000 rare Hawaiian music recordings which he now shares via his 24-hour-a-day internet-based radio station, Ho`olohe Hou Radio (//hoolohehou.com/). Wynne has twice hosted his own TV specials from Honolulu as part of the Pakele Live series and appeared more than 20 times at the New York Botanical Gardens as part of its “Visions of Hawaii” exhibit.
Danielle Ate the Sandwich Musicians
Danielle Ate the Sandwich, is the stage name of pop-folk songwriter, Danielle Anderson. Based in Fort Collins, Colorado, Danielle has been touring nationally since 2009 after cultivating an online following from her homemade videos on Youtube and her unique style of online marketing that brings her music to the audience she affectionately refers to as “Fanwiches.” in September 2016, Danielle Ate the Sandwich released her 6th full length album, “The Terrible Dinner Guest,” recorded in Norfolk, VA, and supported by a fan funded Kickstarter campaign.
Bryan Tolentino Musicians
Aloha my name is Bryan L. Tolentino. I am a self taught ‘ukulele player. I started playing the ‘ukulele at the age of 10. At the age of 12, my best friend Asa Young first introduced me to playing Hawaiian music on the ‘ukulele. Our early influences were the musical groups, “The Son’s of Hawai’i” and “The Sunday MÄnoa.” After graduating from St. Louis High School in 1979, my friends and I decided to form a musical group called “The Side Order Band.” The group consisted of Asa Young on 12-string guitar, Delwin Beazley on 6-string guitar, and Chris Kamaka on upright bass, and me on ‘ukulele. We performed at various functions throughout the island of O’ahu.
Abraham Lagrimas Jr. Musicians
Abe Lagrimas, Jr. is a versatile multi-instrumentalist who begun his musical journey when he first sat behind the drums at the age of four. As he learned more about drums and music, Abe gained an interest in other instruments as his career progressed. Predominantly known as a drummer, Abe is highly proficient on the vibraphone and the ukulele and continues to perform throughout the world on all three instruments and in many different musical situations.
Lil Rev Musicians
( from Lil' Rev's site ) I was born and bred in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with dual passions for music and education. I opted for the pragmatic route and earned a Bachelors Degree in Community Education from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. After college, I split my time as an educator between teaching music to grade schoolers at the Milwaukee Jewish Day School, and as an adjunct music historian and lecturer at The University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
His heroes include: Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Josh White, Sonny Terry, Cicso Houston and Leadbelly.
Aloha Boys Musicians
Born and raised in Hawai'i and transplanted to the Washington D.C. area to pursue careers, the Aloha Boys, Glen Hirabayashi, Isaac Ho'opi'i and Irv Queja - met in 1996 while playing music for their children at Halau O 'Aulani, a school of Hawai'ian culture, in the Washington, D.C. area. A special and exciting bond grew musically among the Aloha Boys, who love to kanikapila or play an acoustic down-home, backyard-style Hawai'ian music, a style which includes everything from the very traditional to contemporary songs and styles. They all sing lead and backing vocals. Their voices blend in a nahenahe (soft pleasant) style. They have performed at numerous functions from backyard parties to concerts and at many venues including Carnegie Hall and on the National Mall at the openings of the World War II Memorial and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, the Kennedy Center Millenium Stage, the Barns at Wolf Trap, and in Rheims, France, Toronto, Canada, New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charlotte, Southern California and Hawai'i. In Hawai'i, their peformances include Pakele Live, the Gabby Festival, Slack Key Guitar Festival O'ahu Style, and Slack Key Guitar Festival, Virginia Style. The music of the Aloha Boys brings them and their audience back to a lifestyle that is unique and precious to Hawai'i.
“It's a good instrument. It's little, it's portable and loaded with more melody than any other instrument I know of.”
— (Eddie) Vedder of Peal Jam On the Ukulele