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In 1989, I was introduced to a Hawaiian man named Lono. We share visions of peace, and we share visions of music, and respect for the Hawaiian Islands and its' host culture, Hawaiiana. Lono was introduced to me as a musician. I recalled having visited Maui a few years earlier and attending a wedding at which the entertainment featured an extremely smooth styled Hawaiian man with a right handed strung guitar playing left-handed, seemingly upside down and backwards. When I saw Lono play, I realized he was the same performer. I shared my admiration for his past performance. We became quick friends.
Lono was performing as a musician many evenings and also working as a County of Maui Lifeguard full time. After soul searching, Lono realized that he must dedicate his full time efforts to his music, to develop his writing and performing to a level that he might progress to state and national performance stages. Lifeguarding would have to go. The security and stability that it offered him in his life was not going to serve his journey as he progressed, he felt. Lono spent more time writing music and performing. After a short while, he went into the recording studio to record some of his new songs. I recall when the cassette came out. Nice music. One song, Wailea, I recall, I found reminiscent on songs I had heard and enjoyed while in Hawaii. Nice. A year and more passed, Lono continuing to play music locally, continuing to turn the heads of all that heard him. I remember Lono driving miles and miles from home, performing countless "gigs" in restaurants, hotel bars and convention arenas and weddings, mostly playing other people's music, some of his own, but primarily "cover tunes" by other artists. Lono then spent
concentrated time in reflection and writing, saving and investing
his hard earned money into recording time to create a first CD,
Blue Eyes of Summer. Lono enjoyed
selling these CDs, mostly at his gigs, but the music business is
about selling and promoting through wider distribution circles and
with promotion. Music business is a business, but to Lono, it was
the music that was his fuel. The response from people encouraged
him to write more and reflect more and grow more… Into the
studio once again resulted in a second I decided to create an opening segment to my local TV show, M.A.M.A.* Presents, and feature this song! Literally hundreds of people commented to me over these years about how perfectly this song reflected their heart. Time marched on. Lono was still tirelessly performing in local clubs and such, but no one had yet "picked up the ball" and carried his music and word of his talents as he had hoped it would. Based on the continued response from his audiences, he longed for something more. Again, Lono made his way back into the recording studio and subsequently release his 3rd CD, Lono's White CD, partly in tribute to the style of a couple of his songwriting teachers, Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Songs on this album yet again were outstanding, and received tremendous applause and response from his audiences. I began to see tourist visitors who I had seen before, still faithfully buying Lono's CDs and actually arranging their Maui vacation so they might have the chance to see and hear Lono perform on multiple nights of their stay on Maui. Lono continued, in his gracious way, to deliver precious lifetime memories to many. An opportunity was presented to him by a recommendation from a local record store to a visiting Chicago-based radio personality, Steve Dahl, who heard Lono play on his Maui remote to Chicago radio show, and received fabulous response from his Chicago listening audience. They loved Lono! Steve Dahl asked Lono to come visit in Chicago and play some music in local clubs there. Response was outstanding! Then Dahl teamed Lono with his friend, accomplished record producer Joe Thomas who asked Lono to record and perform a couple of songs in a compilation CD with noted Pop and Rock music celebs, including the likes of Christopher Cross, Joe Walsh, Jimmie Webb, and Lono's good friend and music mentor, Henry Kapono, and more. It was about this time that a Lono song from his White CD, S.T. Song, was given notice in New York at the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
Lono, cast as both producer and co-contributor, funded and recorded a compilation album of talented Maui performers, entitled Heavy On Hawaiian Style. This 4th CD, which featured single release performances of original local music by others, also included a few Lono compositions, including the title cut, Heavy on Hawaiian Style. Local radio airplay gained local presence, but the limited pressings, again, brought therefore limited exposure and "success". Many aware Mauians and fortunate visitors continued to appreciate and enjoy Lono. Yet, something was wrong. What was the key to greater circles of awareness of his tremendous talent? Lono's love of music never waned. He continued to honor his heart and continued to write and perform beautiful heartfelt melodies married with thoughtful provoking lyrics. Again, Lono persevered, and returned to Melodyline Studiosand engineer Tommy Hall in Maui to generate yet another future classic album, Radio Kihei. Again, true to form, the CDs virtually raced out the door! Another locally accepted, even expected, Lono disk of musical pleasure. Well crafted songs and continued inspirational lyric presence was admired by everyone who heard the CD or saw Lono live in performance. …and so where was Lono's music going? In what direction was his heart directing him to? As if presented with a message from God, Lono began to feel a deep longing to explore his musical roots and upbringing. What music had he listened to when he grew up on the west side of Oahu in Makaha and the Kauai times and Molokai summers as a young Hawaiian boy and then mature man? His Hawaiian heritage and the rich cultural swell consumed him. His every musical breath seemed to find him singing, remembering and honoring through performance the stylings of Gabby Pahinui and the Sons of Hawaii. … and from these times, as a culmination of his re-embracing of his Hawaiian roots and culture, this album Lono: Old Style was born. A handful of privileged individuals got to enjoy initial pressings of this album. Reports from virtually every one announce the perfect music for this perfect time for this long honored music to be re-vitalized and delivered to a hungry world, ready to embrace, and in some cases, re-explore, the richness of the Hawaiian language and culture through the exceptional performances of Lono. I believe that as this album is heard and appreciated and spread throughout the islands and the world, not only will Hawaiian Music will be recognized and re-appreciated by a waiting world, and Lono in these performances, but all of Lono's past musical stylings will ring a bell heard around the world for a performer who has lived a musical heritage that seems to have come full circle and is ready for the world to see and enjoy. I give you… LONO: OLD STYLE. Jason Schwartz © 2004 All rights reserved. contact
me: |
As
time progressed, I saw Lono at local hotel and restaurant venues
on Maui. He was mostly playing solo, with self played and programmed
backup music that he sometimes used. I found myself going to see
him perform at the now defunct Marriot Makai Bar, playing mostly
"cover tunes" written by other musical artists. Audience
reaction was consistently excellent. I spoke with hotel guests/visitors
who found themselves coming to see Lono play there and wherever
they knew he was going to play almost all the nights of their vacation.
He had them longing for more.
