Billy V Live

The ukulele has a distinct sound, but have you ever thought about what it would sound like if it were to come from the late 1800s or early 1900s?

Shawn Yacavone is owner of Ukulele Friend, selling specialty vintage and custom ukulele.

He first became interested in collecting ukulele as a kid. His dad is Italian from New Jersey and his mom is Filipino from Kauai. The story behind the ukulele — with its unique mix of cultures — was similar to his own.

Today, Yacavone acquires and restore these vintage instruments — made as far back as the late 1800s.

In the latest episode of Island Beat, Billy V sits down with Yacavone, as well as musicians Halehaku Seabury-Akaka (with the group Na Hoa) and David Woodward (from the group Walea). They recently performed a benefit concert for Aloha United Way at Kapiolani Community College using some of the historical instruments.

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Roger Bong started Aloha Got Soul as a blog in 2010 and later turned it into a record label in 2015.

Just last year, he found a physical space on King and McCully streets and evolved it into both a record label and store.

In the latest episode of Island Beat, Bill V talks to Bong about how his love for vinyl turned into a record label and how Aloha Got Soul celebrates music across all generations. 

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Johnson Enos is a Grammy-nominated music producer, songwriter and playwright.

Among his many credits: the Lilo & Stitch II soundtrack, Lilo & Stitch Tokyo parade, and work for Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa.

He’s also the creative genius behind a musical called “Honu By the Sea,” a family-friendly musical that follows a Waikiki Beach Boy who meets Malia the honu and her ocean friends.

In the latest episode of Island Beat, Billy V chats with Enos to get an inside look at his successful music career. 

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Darren Darnborough hails from London but has spent quite a bit of time in Hawaii. 

The actor, director and businessman has starred in numerous productions, but he was most recently in Hallmark's "Groundswell," filmed in Hawaii. 

Beyond this movie, Darnborough has been coming to the islands frequently since the age of 16. And it all started with a girl. 

In this episode of Island Beat, Billy V sits down and talks story with Darnborough about his special connection to the islands and some of his projects, including his app WeAudition. 

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Iolani alumna Lauren Teruya won the coveted Miss Hawaii title back in May after impressing the judges with a performance to a Broadway number as well as her on-stage presence and communication.

Along with representing the state in the upcoming Miss America competition, Lauren is also looking forward to raising awareness on her social impact statement “Arts for All.”

Lauren is also the sister of Miss Hawaii 2017 Kathryn Teruya, making this the first time a pair of sisters has ever held the Miss Hawaii title.

In the latest episode of Island Beat, Billy V talks to the Teruya sisters about Miss Hawaii and what’s ahead for them.

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Actor Rich Ting has a special connection to Hawaii.

Not only has he starred in the CBS reboot of “Magnum, P.I.,” but he also has ties to the islands as a proud graduate of the University of Hawaii, where he obtained both his law degree and master’s of business administration.

Today, he’s keeping busy with numerous acting roles. But despite the heavy workload and countless projects he is working on, Ting still has time to reflect on his years in Hawaii and the impact that going to school in the islands has on him.

You can hear more about Ting’s journey in the latest episode of Island Beat.

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Siena Agudong started acting at the age of 7 and made her television debut at 8. She has been on Disney, Nickelodeon and in movies on the big screen. She recently appeared as young Mia in “F9: The Fast Saga.”

Agudong now plays a young Billie Wesker in “Resident Evil” on Netflix.

Despite her long list of credits, Agudong never forgets where she came from and is a Kauai girl at heart. 

In the latest episode of Island Beat, Agudong joined Billy V to share stories about growing up on Kauai, how her Disney and Nickelodeon days shaped her acting, what it was like filming “Resident Evil,” and everything in between.

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The 2022 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards wrapped up last month for an in-person show, with a set of returning and first-time winners.

Hoku Award-winning artist Josh Tatofi once again claimed awards this year, winning Single of the Year and Hawaiian Music Video of the Year.

Grammy and Hoku Award-winning artist Kalani Pea also took home two awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year and Song of the Year for Composers.

Paula Fuga received her first ever Na Hoku Hanohano Award for best Female Vocalist of the Year for her song and album, “Rain on Sunday.”

And this year’s biggest winner was the group Kulaiwi, which won Album of the Year, Hawaiian Music Album of the Year and Group of the Year for their record “Native Lands.”

In this episode of Island Beat, Billy V sits down and chats with some of the winners to debrief the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards and find out how they’re feeling after the big night and what winning these awards means to them.

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Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner Chaz Umamoto has gone from performer and entertainer to producer and songwriter.

Umamoto, a former member of the folk group Streetlight Cadence, recently teamed up with Joshua Stephens, a former member of the Indie group The Fresh Preps. Together, these two formed the group The Brewz and are forging their own path by entering the hip-hop sphere and collaborating with some of Hawaii's biggest names in music.

In this episode of Island Beat, Billy V chats with Umamoto about their inspiration for making new music and why their new album will be different from anything they have produced thus far.

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Carissa Kano is a teacher at Maemae Elementary School.

In 2020, while students were forced to take on virtual learning, Kano wanted to find ways to keep her first-graders engaged.

Using costumes and singing, she put on a show for her students — under the impression that the lockdown was only going to last two weeks. 

In 2021, Kano used her talents to make a video called “Just Choose Love” with over 80 Maemae Elementary School faculty and staff. The song was a twist on the popular K-Pop song, “Boy With Luv,” and took four weeks to recreate.

Having their participation in making music videos not only positively impacted her classes, but started to affect more of the school as she got other students and faculty involved.

In the latest episode of Hawaii News Now’s podcast Island Beat, Billy V chats with Kano about her love for teaching with engaging music videos and also how her time in the Miss Hawaii pageant helped her with her career.

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