“Hele Mai Le‘a Le‘a Kākou”

‘Āina Pilina, Community Aloha, Creative Process, Music Stories, Spirit of Place, Uncategorized

Hele Mai Le‘a Le‘a Kākou

…Pick up some poke and limu Kohu,
Oh so ono goes good with the Poi.
Enjoy Ohana and eating with da friends,
Relax and later on go hia moe.
Ho’i mai, Ho’i mai
Hele mai le’a le’a kākou.

Mo onolicious at da beach! — Pick up some poke and limu Kohu, Oh so ono goes good with the Poi. Enjoy Ohana and eating with da friends, Relax and later on go hia moe. Ho’i mai, Ho’i mai Hele mai le’a le’a kākou.

Hele Mai Le‘a Le‘a Kākou

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Welcoming 2024 with a Single Release December 2023!!! Keoki Apokolani Carter, guitar, vocals & percussion: Braddah John Keolanui, congas and other percussion: Yvonne Yarber, ipu; Sonny Lim, bass. Lock Lynch, recording. Mahalo nui for making music connecting us to place! And most of all, mahalo to ‘āina where we can still be, and malama pono[…]

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Island inspires and holds all that came before.
We mālama the goodness
with sweet sounds, pilina, joy, and gratitude.
Mahalo to the many who share their stories
and celebrate with island mele.

Recording-Braddah John & Yvonne at the ‘Ōuli Water Bottle Studio 2017

Taking on a life of itʻs own. Capturing a moment as Hele Mai Le‘a Le‘a Kākou grows.

Friday Eve, a weekend on its way Join some friends Kani ka pila Time passes when having fun, they say Ho’i mai, Ho’i mai Hele mai le’a le’a kākou

To friends and ohana through the years we wen le‘a le’a kākou! Special mahalo to Hana who gave his mana to mālama nui this special place so many years , and Ulu, Larry, Suz, Kenny, Candy, Braddah John & folks for the mele moments and mea ‘ai on this cover. The memories mingle with others that linger in the sand, la‘au, waters and winds beyond our time here. And mahalo Hana for putting that pakini bass under my foot to feel, and old plucking broken rake handle in my hand, to be happily changed! (YYC)

‘Ōuli Water Bottle Studio Session kihoalu with Keoki and his Gibson. Lockʻs setup with what weʻve got.

Keoki with his Gibson. Closeup of Lockʻs “arc” mic set up.

Check out more mele at

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Bring It! Waimea, brought community.

Community Aloha, Creative Process, Music In The Rough, Music Stories, Open Mic Originals, South Kohala, Spirit of Place, Talkstory, Video Stories

The pandemic brought it to a dormant rest. There are many hopes to revive this energizer of community creatives and support. Keep an eye and ear open for itʻs hopeful return in 2023.

Bring It! Waimea at the Kahilu, Mike Luce theatre. A creative vortex that brought songwriters and community kindness together, sharing birthing new songs and sparking bravery in the creative process. Five minutes a person, before the dancing hands! Open mic for original songs and spoken word. Yvonne & Keoki with Diesal on cajon. Dreamers, doers and songsters, Roslin and Steph hands on with Scotty on mics and all things sound and support, so many others, too! So fun to be a part of this community. And thanks to the rest of the volunteer hui for this historic era. 2017

A new song about hard times…still yet…got to kiss the sky in gratitude for life. Recorded and released four years later. Open mic for original songs and spoken word only…total community fun! December 2016. Check out the December 2020 recorded version that matured to move out into the world on the Auē Noho‘i album.

When things “boderate”.

‘Āina Pilina, Change, Creative Process, Healing, Music Stories, Spirit of Place, Video Stories

Merchant and Richards. A music video by Yvonne.
Collaborative multimedia art piece by Yvonne and Keoki who plays three characters in the video and accompanying piece. First Place in the 2017 juried art show “Climate of Change” and first video purchased to be part of the Hawai‘i State Art Museum permanent collection.

Auē Noho‘i. A songwriters commentary on “nuff already—how did we get here?”
A videographers call for compassion because this can happen to most anyone.

Scenes at Merchant & Richards Streets in Honolulu sparked the writing of this song. “Merchant And Richards: You Can Park Here, Sheʻs Not A Meter Maid,” Is a multimedia collaborative work by Yvonne Yarber Carter and Keoki Apokolani Carter expressing feelings about changes in downtown Honolulu, a microcosm of change through the last two centuries in Hawaii. Richards Street runs mauka, near Iolani Palace to makai, near Aloha Tower. “Recent visits to O‘ahu, the island of our birth, stirred powerful emotions, images and concern—feelings of loss, incongruity, compassion, abiding love, rich memories and worry. Worry, that no amount of triage can repair the damage caused by decades of society valuing economic wealth above community and earthʻs wellbeing”. Using imagery, original sounds and music Keoki and Yvonne acknowledge a collective responsibility, and the hope that our hearts are not lost, or gone missing. The original draft video used audio from a live concert and became part of the Hawaii State Arts collection. This remake incorporates our new studio recording. Keoki Apokolani on guitar and vocals. Paul Lindbergh on saxophone. Jon Hawes on acoustic upright bass. Video camera, production and editing: Yvonne Yarber Carter. Keoki was patient enough to not only make the music but try out the video green screen ideas and to keep his scratchy ‘umi‘umi after a long creative boat trip with Ricardo off-grid in Alaska [another blog].

Puka! New Compositions. Sharing mp3 songs & video backstories of Kumau Barn Sessions

‘Āina Pilina, Creative Process, Music Stories, Uncategorized

Apokolani recording new original songs with the Maker brothers—Elliot and Gregory—in Kohala. The latest work in progress. Mahalo to the Russell Kumau ‘ohana in Kohala for the inspiring space. A DIY recording project that is far from do-it-yourself. A recording collaboration with the song taking on a life of its own. Apokolani is Keoki, Yvonne and Paul Lindbergh (who is travelling during this session). September 2018. L-R: Lock Lynch (sound engineer), Yvonne, Gregory Maker (acoustic bass), Keoki (ukulele & guitar), Elliot (piano & flugelhorn) Photo by Yvonne. September 2018. Kohala. Extra recordings and Final Mixing with Lock Lynch in Honolulu late 2019-2022. ALBUM RELEASE December 17, 2022.

New Digital Release December 17, 2022. Physical CD coming soon.

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All new story songs borne out of the land and each other. Keoki Apokolani Carter and Yvonne Yarber Carter blend together Hawaiian honua mo‘olelo with world folk storytelling, jazz, blues, and life. Add the many musical flavors of the Maker Braddahs (Elliot and Gregory).

A storm cancelled an outdoor Oahu concert in late August, so impromptu, we caught a plane home and gathered on sunnier Hawaii Island at Kumau Ranch for a live sound experiment. Recorded & Engineered by Lock Lynch Sept 1, 2 & 3, 2018, always ready to conjure up new possibilities. Mahalo to the creative inspiration of place and the nourishing home of Ricardo and Jileen Russell.

Most of all to the mana of ‘āina Kumau—confirming that a seeming disappointment can open unexpected doors of creativity! Album release, December 2022. “Kumau Barn Sessions” Apokolani & the Maker Brothers

Mele Making Backstories and Raw Clips

Trying out different sound configurations for recording in the music barn at Kumau Ranch in the Kohala high country.

New Apokolani storytelling songs birthed. Here is some of the backstory. So much aloha goes out to many— Lock, Elliot, Greg, Chris Chorney, Michaeloha, Ricardo, Jileen, and ‘āina Kohala.

Above. September 1, 2018. Keoki, Greg “bassman” Maker, and Elliot Maker start warming up while Lock experiments with different sound recording configurations. Yvonne captures moments and does all the whatevas.

Above. The process. “Oh So Many Doors” as it morphs and births from a private pule rhythm meditation on Logic by Yvonne to a song. It incubated silently on a laptop for several years when Keoki stumbled upon it and said, “you should share this, I can play that bassline for you.” And so he slacked his guitar and the rest is a collective history. This is the first moments working on it with Greg and Elliot while Keoki plays rhythm slack guitar.

Above. Yayyy! Lock sets up the individual monitoring and gets to know the equipment at hand.

Working on variations. Take 1 of many.

Above. Next steps of session recording setup for first-take of “Oh So Many Doors”. Lock finesses new sound configuration, searching for the right mics and levels.

Elliot and Greg warmup jazz style by learning Apokolani original. Lock working to setup mics and sound check. His live sound skills applied to studio experiments.

Above. More, loosen-up, warm-up, on a fun song, “Bartalk On A Napkin”, still yet, not recorded. A mele sparked by a talkstory with Keokiʻs cousin and how she was gifted the money to open a bar in Nanakuli. Of course, Keoki puts his own quirky twists and Yvonne chimes in. Lock still finding the best mics for each person. Studio Kumau offers a wide range of options in addition to ours.

Day TWO.

Above. Day Two has a whole new groove happening for real. Long intense hours creating cohesive sounds and rhythms. The magic of jazz and blues is happening and weʻre almost there. Recording “In A Moment Like This”.

Ma‘ona maika‘i.

Above. Ma‘ona maika‘i. We took a bounty-of-the-land lunch break and Yvonne is documenting as sheʻs done most of her life, trying to capture a variety of moods in the spirit story as we try to shift back to the music. Having fun before another take “In A Moment Like This”, searching for that chickenskin wave that everyone rides together.

Elliot, “That was the pocket!” Now we gotta do it again.

Above. We can all feel when after plenty takes—THIS IS THE ONE! Nothing like it. The take “In A Moment Like This”. The exclamations at the end say it all. And ready to move to the next song.

The process as it “puka”s out to others. Another story song of friends as they stood outside a beautiful Waimea night under the stars looking towards Mauna Kea from Kawaihae Road near ‘Ōuli.

Above. Day Three. Recording “Star Gazing” — a connected hui that has become one. Living together, eating together, being together. A special time with Kumau.

Above. Day Three at the end of recording. Time to take a deep breath, shift and re-group. But before the scramble of re-organizing, packing and planes to catch–donʻt forget photos. Missing Jilleen and Ricardo who are off-ranch—mahalo nui again. And, mahalo Shawn for a wonderful bass.

Followup Snippets At Our Home Kinda Studio

One & Two Years Later After Plenty Stuffs

Back at the Analog Rock Studio

in the historic Blaisdell Hotel located in the heart of Honolulu’s Chinatown

Next Steps coming soon In A New Post.

Part two. Lock Mixing, Engineering in his studio and Editing with Keoki and Yvonne.
Chinatown was old stomping grounds as small kids when still a “Territory”…such rich memories.
Plenty, plenty music And then the late 60s and 70s explosion.
The awesome mele aunties on their upright basses, pianos, strings and honey voices.
Homecooked ono-kine food for the kind and generous customers.
And then a couple doors down the Glades, and further; Territorial Tavern and bugaBuga, Tremaine, and on and on.
Downtown, still a vortex of grassroots, untamed, Energized trailblazing Creatives.
Each cycle ampliyfing the next.

Above. November 2019 at Analog Rock Studio–Lock & Chris Chorneyʻs in Chinatown. Yvonne has imagined a cello on this song for years. This was the moment, late at night, after Chorney and two others finished a couple hours of experimental improv. Glad Keoki and I were in Honolulu for dear Pua and “Cowboyʻs” wedding. The wonders of longtime friends must have energized healing and some surprizing studio time for vocal tracks, cello and Barn Session editing with Lock.

Hemispheres of Waves

Healing, Music Stories, Spirit of Place

by Yvonne
Sound waves. Light waves. Energy waves. Electrical waves. Peaks and troughs. Calm and rough. Sets of waves to navigate their movement through time and hemispheres. Ever moving.

Music is an ancient language of the brain and body—it crosses the left and right brain hemispheres. It has the power to heal and unite broken bodies and spirits. The power to transform and elevate joy and light.

One day I will share more fully how music helped to restore a new version of life. Peaks and troughs of sound and electricity. How it woke me from paralysis on the right side of my body—reconnecting left and right hemispheres with new pathways to old memories and songs. Talking was still garbled and haphazard, but the songs were complete and lucid and healing. Others helped the music wake me—merged healing energy with sound . Keoki and Elliot were there, sharing their music spirits and hope the moment it first happened. Singing and playing ukulele and piano, giving freely and with love to a room of people in wheelchairs, like me, with freshly customized and traumatized brains. All of a sudden I blissfully joined in the song they were playing—the entire melody and lyrics, in tune. Continuing even while they momentarily in shock, stopped playing. Surprise, unexpected gifts are precious.

The unfolding continues. This “vlog” will share bits and bytes that express our gratitude for the creative process and how it weaves people and hearts together. And to mahalo the blessings of ‘āina and spirit of place. May the hemispheres heal and strengthen healthy connections to walk in the light in these times of imbalance. Right, left. North, South. Up, down. In, out. Seen and unseen.

I luna, I lalo…

Kahilu.TV reaches out to community during COVID and creates a new venue.

‘Āina Pilina, Community Aloha, Gig—Sharing On Stage, Music Stories, South Kohala, Video Stories

Sweet Pilina of Music, Leo, and Place. Ola!

Mahalo Kahilu for virtual online music concerts to balance pandemic challenges,
soothing and nurturing community spirit during statewide quarantine.

From the Kahilu.TV March 26, 2021 virtual performance to 13 ohana collaborators sitting in the back of the theatre, and two rows of life-sized cutouts in the front, the awesome crew and plenty folk who watched via the world-wide-web, from near and far. Mahalo to Ku‘ulei Keakealani, her daughter Nahe, Keola Grace, and Leila Dudley who joined us.

Hereʻs the entire program from Kahilu.TV.
Keoki was happy to reach out…yet at the same time missed the energy of others.
He said, ” Plenty different playing to an almost empty theatre with cardboard cutouts in the front seats. But a few ʻohana in the very back shadows made plenty joyful sounds and clapping. Mahalo nui!”

Navigate the sections and movements by the bottom bar of circles.

Parts:
1: Ku‘ulei and Nahe grace the evening with opening oli and connecting to the waters of Waimea.
2: Kīhoalu Keola & Keoki
3: Sweet Nani. Hula with lovely, oluolu Lēila Dudley
4: Puukawaiwai. Kīhoalu and hula with Lēila Dudley
5: ‘Āina Kakou borne in waters and drylands of Makaha
6-9: A mix of baritone uke, guitar & island jazz
10 & 11: More stories to tell, Mahina Love & Byways

FROM KAHILU.TV
Apokolani & Friends performance on Kahilu.TV on Friday, March 26, 2021. Honoring the special place of North Kona and South Kohala, Waimea and its waters with a mix of kīhō‘alu. Keoki Apokolani Carter takes the Kahilu stage with Yvonne Yarber (Carter) and special guests Ku‘ulei Keakealani, her daughter Nahe, Keola Grace, and Leila Dudley.

Keoki Apokolani Carter is a songwriter on Hawaiʻi Island who performs most often as the trio “Apokolani.” His original music is composed on baritone ukulele or guitar. Lyrics tell of life, love, spirit of place and each other, with occasional humorous twists. Keoki often writes in collaboration with his “puʻuwai” and vocalist, Yvonne Yarber (Carter). The island sound of Apokolani pushes boundaries, weaving together jazz with island sway— whatever rhythm fits the story— slack, blues, or any kind. Compositions rise up out of his Hawaiian heart, soul, and experiences. From kīhō‘alu with a unique twist, to contemporary guitar and baritone ukulele that melds genres.

Mea—KAPA Cafe—Music, Process & Stuffs

Community Aloha, Creative Process, KAPA radio sharing, Music Stories, Spirit of Place, Talkstory, Video Stories

2020 November 20th talkstory fun with Jaz & Ka’ea on KAPA radio KAPA Cafe Friday.

Ka‘ea: “I like to call the music you created together or individually, “Conscious Music”.
Has that always been a part of your creative process? Because thereʻs always a message “or something you can take away from not only the lyrics, but the movement of the music.
Jaz: Itʻs also partial folk music in a way, if you go back to the old albums of the liner notes like Sons Of Hawaii, the Americans were calling it “folk music” as storytelling…and your music is very much that style…Your ukelele style is very much that Peter Moon, Ohta San—simple but very classy, clean playing. Not that [vocalizing] bludahdaadaadaadaa all over the place kine—which fits the storytelling. It doesnʻt distract from the storytelling.ʻ

See the YouTube video here or the Facebook posting.

Some Highlights:
Begin: Aloha and about new CD Aūe Noho‘i: Pili ‘Āina Kahi
5:36 Jaz & Kaea:How were you inspired. [Y] The energy for the music comes from outside ourselves
7:10 KC:…people ask…what comes first? but when both come at the same time…thatʻs the most powerful kind…theyʻre gifts
8:23 Jaz: Sometimes that kind comes as an odd time like in the car or not at home…do you use technology when that happens?
9:26 Kaea: I like to call the music you created together of individually, “Conscious Music”. Has that always been a part of your creative process? Because thereʻs always a message “or something you can take away from not only the lyrics, but the movement of the music.
10:53 Jaz: Itʻs also partial folk music in a way, if you go back to the old albums of the liner notes like Sons Of Hawaii, the Americans were calling it “folk music” as storytelling…and your music is very much that style…Your ukelele style is very much that Peter Moon, Ohta San—simple but very classy, clean playing. Not that [vocalizing] bludahdaadaadaadaa all over the place kine—which fits the storytelling. It doesnʻt distract from the storytelling.
11:48 KC : I guess itʻs all a melting pot of how we grew up. Go down da beach wit a six-pack of beer…Primo, or Gold Label back then…[plenty laughing] Then you could have campfire and da bradahs would come down with the ukulele and oh ʻwhatʻs this song? whatʻs that song? You donʻt know chords, you donʻt know whatever, you just find sounds and play the music. And Pops [KCs father Ula or Red], I learned kihoalu from watching him. He would slack the guitar and make sounds.
12:22 KC: My older brother, bless his heart, heʻs been gone now…but I can remember my hanabuttah days, he would get together with his friends and on the ukulele they used to play Jobim-kine songs, he was really into Brazilian jazz and this kine energy—whatever you want to call it–- comes about [creating new songs ] I always tell Aunty , oh this must be my braddah when I used to watch him, because that kinda jazz influence came from him. Cause he was playing that kind in the early 60s and Iʻm small kid watching, what he doing? What he doing?
13:53 Kaea: …you folks have chosen a handful of musicians accentuating the mood, the intention, and you can hear the music. Like Jaz was saying you can hear, the sax. Where the instrumentation is placed, youʻre actually allowed to enjoy it. Like when we were small, my mother would put on Brothers Cazimero and we would clean house to. This CD, [Aūe Noho‘i] you can put on and listen to all day long. Because it has this really calming groovy energy to it. So it just fills the house with such goodness
15:07 YYC: He leaves plenty space—the space between the notes is just as important at the sounds.
Kaea: That makes sense! Itʻs like my body understands…because itʻs not being confused about what itʻs hearing. That makes sense to me. Space.
KC: When I hear music that every space is filled up…I cannot listen to it. I cannot hear it…guess Iʻve always been that way. I donʻt know if itʻs growing up with Hawaiian-kine music, kī hī alu, listening to Pops, listening to uncles at lūʻau playing their music, it was all those influences.

Unexpected kindness woven with heart, place, arts & music.

Kani ka pila improv

Mahalo nui for a special moment in time. Begins in the kitchen with John and a sweet improv duet with Brian McCree. And then…Go-for-broke Kani with Steve Bess at 9:42 above and 15:23. Next: slowed down with Keoki & Yvonne at 19:21.

Spontaneous music improv, and unexpected group kindness is a sacred gift to the spirit. A sunset evening just before our learning of the pandemic and a shift in worldwide reality. So this is all the more precious. Especially as COVID was just unfolding and rearranging relationships and the changing world order. Generosity of welcome sharing is a profound weaver of goodness. Mahalo nui to all of you. And check out Steve Bess exuding pure joy as he does! Mahalo Alexis and John Russell for bearing witness and spirit with your creative arts. And honoring pilina with the special ‘āina of ‘Ōuli where we are blessed to live as well.

The generous note shared with the above video.
From Alexis Russell:

Aloha Music Appreciation Friends—Back on Thursday, March 12^th we put together a rather impromptu evening of music-making at our house (first invitations went out the day before… last invitations went out minutes before 🙂 ). Old friend, John Patitucci, four-time Grammy-award-winning bassist was staying there for five days with his 22-year-old daughter, Grei, who is a singer-songwriter living in L.A.

I had told one of my friends, a talented musician, who knew all about John Patitucci, to bring his guitar. He texted back… “Are you kidding me? I would never presume to play with him.” I texted him back… “Presume.” Sure enough, by the time the evening was over my friend had played four or five pieces with John P., and had also engaged in some very lively conversation with him and a cadre of four or five other jazz aficionados.

John Patitucci shares a very special and rare quality… he is a truly humble man even though he is a very successful artist. In a humorous tone he volunteers… “I am a bassist. I’m used to following.” That evening he played with five or six different local musicians playing “Hawaiian” music… a genre that John was not familiar with. He followed beautifully and effortlessly. John made it sound like they’d rehearsed and played the pieces many times before. The smiles and the music that went back and forth between the local musicians and John was priceless. These guys demonstrated that music certainly is a universal language.

Buy why try to describe it?… check out the attached video link. Hope you enjoy it.

Thank you, John Patitucci and Mahalo i ke Akua— JR

P.S. One of our great friends, a psychiatric nurse who a few years back enlisted Alexis to work with her on her own approach to art as therapy… “Self Discovery Through Art” arrived at our gathering looking and feeling… in her own words… “haggard.” For weeks she had been immersed in trying to put together a project and it had worn her down. Though she’s not a musician, her partner is quite a jazz aficionado and so they were “definites” on our short list of invitees. As the music ended for the night with that Hawaiian classic… “Mr. Sun Cho Lee,” she came up to me with a huge smile, gave me a big hug and gushed her gratitude. The music… and the love had refreshed, restored and healed her spirit!

P.P.S. Some of the clips on the video are not from our Thursday night kanakapila… John jamming with daughter, a young bassist fiddling with John’s 6-string electric bass, John and Brian in an electric and acoustic bass duet… and of course the lead off segment of “Chef Boy-R-P”… cooking Italian in the minimalist kitchen at Anekona.

ALEXIS W RUSSELL
http:// alexis-art.com

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