Songs & Stories

Host Steven Roby interviews ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro at the Kahilu Theatre in Waimea. Jake talks about his new album "Jake and Friends" and other topics.

Mister Peanut Butter was formed in 2015 and is now a six-piece band with Mike Bennett on vocals and rhythm guitar, Sam Gruesen on vocals and lead guitar, Josh Hodges on bass, Chris Wilson on drums, Kaimalu Harmon on keyboards, and Katy Arnovick on acoustic rhythm guitar and vocals. This podcast features two songs and interview done at their Kahilu Theatre debut in 2021.

After a two-year hiatus, Beat-Lele, the Oahu-based Beatles tribute band, returned to the Big Island for two performances at the Kahilu Theatre with shows on December 2-3.

Beat-Lele’s humble beginnings date back ten years ago when they were performing as Day in The Life at Minato’s restaurant in Honolulu. They performed without costumes or mop-top wigs, and their focus was strictly on getting the music to sound like the original records.

In 2017, the band transitioned from electric guitars and a drum kit to an acoustic ukulele sound with an island twist. Beat-Lele remains the only Beatles tribute band within this niche.

Show Notes: Grammy-winning keyboardist/composer Gregg Karukas returns to Kona and his musical roots for a unique evening with longtime collaborator (and George Benson's second guitarist and producer) Michael O'Neill. They'll be featuring some new/old sounds for Gregg, as he has been developing material based on the classic Hammond organ group format.

The GK Soul/Jazz Party will feature Gregg Karukas (Boney James, Larry Carlton, Sergio Mendes) - organ featuring Michael O'Neill (George Benson, Barbra Streisand, Stevie Wonder)-guitar, Russ McKinnon (Tower of Power, Barry Manilow)-drums.

These shows will be Gregg's first return to the Big Island since performing for three years at the Dolphin Days All-Star Concerts at Waikoloa Hilton with Michael Paulo, Jeffrey Osbourne, Pauline Wilson, Kenny Rankin, Brenda Russell, Rick Braun, Peter White, and Oleta Adams.

After a three-month gap, the Kahilu Theatre re-opened its doors to live audiences, and last Friday’s third installment of the Song Circle series proved once again that we have some exceptional performers who deserve broader attention.

With his musical roots in the Austin/Nashville music scene, Don May has been developing a traditional singers-in-the-round show since April, and it keeps getting better. These intimate performances allow each musician to share details about their songwriting that are usually skipped in a noisy club setting.

In addition to May’s country-tinged tunes, this time, he featured singer-songwriters Kelly Hyde (Hawi) and Kimberly June (Kona) for an 80-minute acoustic set.

Although Josh Tatofi’s show last Saturday was livestreamed, the real excitement was being a part of the energetic crowd that attended his concert at the Mauna Kea Beach Resort. Fans spontaneously busted out with “cheehoo!”, swayed their cellphone flashlights to “Danny’s Song,” and participated in an a capella version of “Brown Eyed Girl”, while Tatofi schooled them on the proper way to sing the “Sha-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la tee-da” chorus.

The Hilo Community Players will present a distanced, drive-in style, live production of Richard O’Brien’s THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, Oct. 22, 23, 24, 29, 30 & 31 at 7:30 p.m. at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium Parking Lot. Tickets are available now at HiloPlayers.org. 

This podcast features an interview with Dr. Rachel Klein, president of the Hilo Community Players, talking about what the audience can look forward to at the upcoming shows.                                                                  

Songs & Stories Podcast: S4, E5

Kailee Spark up in the SF Bay Area – Silicon Valley, raised Mormon, and left the church at age 22. A child of the ‘80s, her musical career started at eight years young, she wrote her first song at 12, raised on classic rock music, she was gifted a guitar at 13 and the rest is history. Learning to play by ear and always challenging herself by writing songs in every genre in her journey as a singer-songwriter.

In this episode, you'll hear, "Passageways" and "Universe at Your Fingers."

Follow Kailee Spark: Website I Twitter I Instagram

The Big Island Beat Podcast: Bonus Episode

Show notes: In this episode you’ll hear backstage interviews with Terrapin Station members Russell Ruderman (guitar/vocals), Michael Surprenant (drums/vocals), and Sarah Bethany (Keyboard/ vocals).

The Grateful Dead tribute concert marked the first live music performance since the pandemic closed the theatre over a year ago.

The Big Island Beat podcast is available for free on all major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. If you have a podcast show suggestion or guest interview recommendation, give Big Island Music Magazine a call at (318) 500-3582, and leave us a message on the request line. If we like what we hear, we might air it on a future podcast episode. Thanks for listening and Aloha!

In this episode, we speak with musician Brad Bordessa who has been playing and teaching the ʻukulele professionally for over a decade. Bordessa talks about his new podcast, and tells us about the backstory for two of his original songs, "Fall Out," and "If Only."

To learn more about Brad Bordessa, visit: https://liveukulele.com.