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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, March 14, 2008

ISLAND SOUNDS
Vivid tunes in 'Heart' worth a listen

StoryChat: Comment on this story

By Wayne Harada

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
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"Listen To Your Heart" by KUmZ (Michael Casupang and Karl "Veto" Baker); Kauakoko Foundation/KUmZ

  • Genre: Contemporary Hawaiian.

  • Distinguishing notes: KUmZ is kumu hula Michael Casupang and Karl "Veto" Baker, collaborators-leaders of the Merrie Monarch-winning Halau I Ka Wekiu. This CD arrives at a momentous time (release date is Tuesday): the first since the halau swept the celebrated Hilo dance competition last year (four first places and overall festival award) and the 10th anniversary (March 15) of the formation of the hula school.

    All tunes are originals by KUmZ, the term of adoration for kumu and the chosen name of the duo. What Baker and Casupang have created here is remarkable and resourceful: personal emotions and remembrances transferred into eloquent and lovely musical postcards of places and experiences — precisely what the hula masters of yesteryear did for generations then and now. The difference is now CDs make passing the torch much easier.

    The opening two tracks recall treks to Kaua'i; "Ho'olohe I Ka Poli (Listen to Your Heart)" tells of fragrance of laua'e, the cliffs of the Garden Isle, the salt beds and more; "'O Wai'ale'ale" is an aural snapshot of lush palapalai, cloud banks at Wailua, the mists of Waipa. Both are zesty hula favorites.

    "Aotearoa Is Calling" is an English-Hawaiian homage to Aotearoa, with guest voices; similarly, "Korakora" is influenced by travels about another island paradise.

    "Popohe Ka Pua" is the result of a haku mele class under the tutelage of Puakea Nogelmeier, the scholar-composer, that salutes KUmZ's kumu, Robert Cazimero of Halau Na Kamalei, under whose guidance the duo danced, graduated and blossomed into hula leaders themselves. There's hearty dedication and abundant aloha — of and for lei, wind, blooms, the 'aina.

    "Kalaekilohana," an 'ukulele-accented ditty about a B&B in Ka'u, is perhaps the most simple and spirited and Hawaiian — a kanikapila item that drives to the title of the disc: A memory close to the heart lives through the place you love.

    "You're Gonna Miss Me," a Casupang solo with choral support from Na Pua Onaona, is a piano-backed English-language ballad that expresses the bond of dancing and 'ohana — and that inevitable day of parting. Sounds like coda from one life to another.

  • Our take: KUmZ's documentation and dedication create snippets of life for future dancers and historians to examine and appreciate. No better way than melody and mele to tell beloved stories.

    Sample song: "Ho'olohe I Ka Poli (Listen to your Heart)" by KUmZ

    "Admit One" by Pimpbot; Pass Out Records

  • Genre: Rock, ska.

  • Distinguishing notes: Pimpbot is an Island-based band well known to the night owls; its foray into rock realms has made it a local fave. Thus, "Admit One" is your backstage pass to the group's nerve center. But the blunt language is not for everyone.

    Pimpbot is Fernando "The Love Machine" Pacheco, lead singer, trombone, tuba; Tom "Tommy Utah" Coleman, guitars, background vocals; Rylan "Big Sexy" Yee, bass, keyboards, background vocals; and Eric "The Biz" Lagrimas, drums, percussion, tenor sax.

    It writes its own tunes, and pounds out themes that have some everyday relevance. The rainbow of rock ranges includes the soaring "Day Into Night," the gasoline-influenced "Driving on E," the frenzy of love on "Apple of My Eye." But parents, be warned: Some lyrics, such as those on "Eat My Lyric" and "Just Fine," tell it too frankly for young ones.

  • Our take: Don't knock the rock; give a listen and you'll find creative boldness from Pimpbot, which, of course, will make you feel a bit older — like, when did rock get so darn say-it-like-it-is, in-your-face?

    Sample song: "Baseball" by Pimpbot

    "Paparazzi" by Pharaoh Papi; Boo You Back Productions

  • Genre: Hip-hop, rhythm 'n' blues.

  • Distinguishing notes: Pa'ia, Maui-based hip-hopper Pharaoh Papi has a vocal swagger and style that sound mighty big-league; his "Paparazzi" boasts track after track of radio-ready or dance club-grooves for the hip crowd.

    "Like Dis" typifies Papi's craftsmanship — fast-talking recitations set against a deliberate tempo, stuff you'd expect in a club or on radio with this format.

    Nothing wrong, except there's repetition and formula-riddled concepts that are requisites for this genre ... that could lead to a yawn. Papi features several singers (like Annabelle Kibbee on "Lullaby") for variety, but they, too, fall under the spell of repetition. Still, there's professionalism and dedication to spare.

  • Our take: Like real-life paparazzi that stalk the famous, "Paparazzi" clicks on to its own beat — and draws attention for its willing audience.

    Sample song: "Get Low" by Pharaoh Papi

    Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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