KULĀIWI: Native Lands
Friday, January 21, 2022 at 8pm
presented by Irvine Barclay Theatre

Series Sponsor:

The Hiland Foundation

Richard and Elizabeth Steele Fund

This performance will include one 15-minute intermission.

Lehua Kalima: Vocals and Guitar
Kawika Kahiapo: Vocals and Guitar
Shawn Pimental: Vocals and Guitar

with Pono Fernandez, hula

Songs will be announced from the stage.

Please, no video or audio recording of any kind. CDs are available for purchase in the lobby.

Kulāiwi - Native Lands

Three of Hawai‘i’s leading award-winning performers and musicians — Lehua Kalima (of Na Leo), Shawn Pimental, and Kawika Kahiapo have joined forces! Hawaiian musicians, singers, songwriters, entertainers, they have formed Kulāiwi to create music that springs from their Native Hawaiian roots. Says Kalima, “We started just playing together, and it was magical.” 

Kulāiwi means “land of my ancestors” or “Native Lands.” With soaring vocals, island harmonies and a folk vibe, along with an easy-going charisma and witty banter, they are deeply committed to the stories of Hawai’i – the land and the people – imbued with the indigenous point-of-view. Their prodigious talents as lyricists and composers create music immersed in Hawaiian values and ways of seeing and living in the world. Both their original songs and their selections of Hawaiian classics are inspired by diverse musical styles and reflect their passionate commitment to their islands.

Accompanied by award-winning hula dancer and educator Pono Fernandez, they create an evening that expresses their deep emotional connections to their roots and personifies Hawai‘i today. 

Lehua Kalima, a founding member of the renowned trio Na Leo Pilimehana, has been performing for over 30 years. With her roots embedded in Hawaiian music and her passion for folk and pop, she grew up listening to traditional Hawaiian and Hapa-Haole (half Hawaiian/ half English) music. Kalima has penned and recorded over 35 songs, both with Na Leo and as a solo artist. A recipient of over 20 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards (Hawai‘i’s “Grammy”) with Na Leo, she has won an unprecedented three individual awards as a songwriter for Song of the Year and a Nā Hōkū Award for her solo album Rising in Love. Lehua learned Ōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) to compose songs in the language of her people and was honored to receive a Native Arts & Cultures Foundation Fellowship Award.

Shawn Kekoa Pimental is a 5-time Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award winner and Grammy-nominated music producer and artist. He has produced records for numerous Hawaiian and reggae musicians, and has composed and produced music for Mike Post, Disney, and other award-winning shows. He has provided his talents on guitar, drums, bass, and vocals for Hawai‘i’s leading recording artists, including Keali‘i Reichel, Na Palapalai, Kaumakaiwa Kanaka‘ole, Na Leo, Kainani Kahaunaele, Three Plus, and Rebel Souljahz, among others. He has also toured the world as a musical director and band member for many other artists, sharing the stage with Janet Jackson, Colbie Caillat, Maxi Priest, Steel Pulse, America, and Jack Johnson. He is co-owner of Studio Ala Moana, a prime recording studio in Honolulu, and owner of the record label Koops2 Entertainment, which represents both premier artists and emerging independents from Hawai‘i, in styles ranging from traditional Hawaiian to contemporary to reggae.

Kawika Kahiapo has been on the professional music scene for over 40 years, having appeared on over 120 recording projects, including six of his own. He is a multi Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award recipient and slack key master, who is known for his “voice of velvet.” He was a featured artist on a Grammy-winning CD, Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar, Vol 2. Kawika’s passion for music started as a young boy. His earliest mentors included his own father, as well as “Pops” Gabby Pahinui and Palani Vaughan. His love for music is very much intertwined in his life, as a day rarely goes by without him picking up his guitar. Serving Ke Akua ("God the Creator") and others is a priority and is reflected in Kawika’s lifestyle and music. Love for the islands, its people, ‘ohana, and Ke Akua is what inspires him, while staying committed to perpetuating Hawaiian music, the culture, and the art of kī hō’alu (slack key guitar). 

Pono Fernandez has been formally training in the art of hula since she was a child. An award-winning hula dancer, she has shared stages around the world with musical artists, including Robert Cazimero, Hoʻokena, Kainani Kahaunaele, Nā Leo Pilimehana, Hawaiian Style Band, and others. Besides having a deep love for hula, she is also a writer, scholar, educator, and a student of feather work. Performing with Kulāiwi weaves together all of her worlds and is her opportunity to share her mission of aloha ʻāina ("love of the land"), uplifting Hawaiian and indigenous knowledge.

Pasifika Artists Network
Karen A. Fischer
1-808-283-7007
karen@pasifika-artists.com
www.pasifika-artists.com

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