Kapalakiko Hawaiian Band

Tonight I joined the Kapalakiko Hawaiian Band rehearsal.

It was the first time I was part of any performing band (outside of school). We started with a pot-luck dinner at 6:30pm, then set-up amps, mics, and music stands for the rehearsal at 8pm. We went right into practicing songs that Saichi chose. The song book is a binder with over 700 songs! Each song was beautiful with it's own story, history, and feeling. I got to record some on my iPhone so that I could listen and practice over the week. I have been informed it will take me 5+ hours to copy all the songs in the song book so that I can have one of my own.

There is amazing talent in the group. I met 8 members, most of whom were apprentices. Apparently, you will either be a 1st seat (pro) or an apprentice. They were incredibly welcoming. I was formally inducted to the band as I received 3 Kapalakiko Band t-shirts. This is truly an amazing opportunity to learn from the best. I was able to keep up with the songs (especially since verses repeat at least once) so as we played more and more of the same song I began to grasp more and more. I still need Hawaiian language lesson and apparently - voice lessons too. I'll see what I can do about that.

There is also an opportunity to learn slack-key guitar - so that's in my near future too. This is the start to a wonderful journey. I can't wait to see where I am 5 years from now.

Here's the Kapalakiko Website: http://www.kapalakiko.com/

Time for bed.