Amy Hanaiali’I and Jeff Peterson

www.amyhanaialiigilliom.com

www.jeffpetersonguitar.com

Grammy-nominated vocalist Amy Hanaiali’I was raised on the island of Maui in Hawaii surrounded by kanikapila – music played by family and friends.  The singer’s grandmother Jennie Napua Woodd – who choreographed major Hawaiian films and shows in the 1930s in Hollywood – influenced Hanaiali’I’s musical tastes and gave her an appreciation for her heritage.

The singer has released ten wildly successful albums, which have solidified her place in Hawaii’s top-selling female vocalist. 

Grammy-nominated instrumentalist Jeff Peterson is one of today’s most talented musicians.  An expert slack-key, classical, and jazz guitar player, Peterson has collaborated with artists around the world.  The musician has blended a deep connection to his Hawaiian heritage with a singular and captivating style. 

Aloha!  Welcome to a sold-out crowd of Hawaiian shirts and gorgeous music. 

The first half of the show was entirely solo-guitar with Jeff Peterson describing his childhood home and influences of his song writing.  He was a gifted story teller and he interwove instruction on slack-key playing and Hawaiian musical traditions. 

Amy Hanaiali’I’s voice was unequaled – truly gifted.  She also was an amazing story-teller and embellished song-covers with stories about her grandmother or traveling as a Hawaiian ambassador.

It was a fun evening and left me longing to travel back to Hawaii.  Both artists loved their homeland and left us with a better understanding of both Hawaii and Hawaiian music.

Stephanie Bettman and Luke Halpin

www.stephaniebettman.com

MIM:  Accomplished singer/songwriter and fiddle player, Stephanie Bettman has earned praise from both her audiences and critics for her captivating performances and soulful lyrics.  In her critically acclaimed 2008 debut album Get Close to Me, Bettman combined bluegrass and jazz elements with expressive ballads and upbeat melodies.

Greats such as Merle Haggard, the Steve Miller Band, and Lone Star have welcomed the gifts of the multi-instrument and powerful vocalist Luke Halpin.  His mastery of the fiddle, banjo, guitar, and mandolin, as well as his ability as a singer/sonwriter, makes Halpin an impressive young talent.

Soaring harmonies and folksy rhythms characterize this skilled duo.  Bettman and Halpin have toured together since 2008 and have enjoyed success as an ensemble.  Their 2010 album It All Comes Back to Love has received extensive radio play and critical acclaim.

This concert can be described nothing short of ‘sweet’.  The sugariness of their multiple love songs was pleasant and welcome at first, boring and nauseating at the end.  I enjoyed their style and likeability – I only wish there had been more variety in their presentation and song selection.

Overall, the musicality of the evening was superb.  Stephanie can play a great fiddle and their harmonies were impressive.  A major glitch to the evening was a faulty microphone at the beginning of the concert that caused a lot of angst on stage.  Stephanie was able to adapt and they soon worked the kinks out.

I enjoyed the show but overtime the memories of it have faded, the impressions of it lost.  I remember one big ball of love songs.  It was all pleasant but not particularly awe-inspiring.

The Good Lovelies

www.goodlovelies.com

MIM:  Sunny and upbeat, with a pinch of sass, the Good Lovelies have enlivened the folk-music landscape with their textbook three-part harmonies, constant instrument swapping, and witty onstage banter since they joined forces in 2006 for their first show at Toronto’s funky Gladstone Hotel.

With their self-titled, full-length album proved that their blithe brand of folk music has year-round appeal.  With that album, the Good Lovelies won as New Emerging Artist at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.  In 2010, the same album received a JUNO award for Roots/Traditional album of the year.

The Good Lovelies were charming and entertaining – everything a Sunday evening summer concert should be!  Their harmonies were elegant and beautiful, their lyrics and songs were fun and original, and their stories were adorable.  The crowd loved them.

The ladies played a wide selection of string instruments:  banjo, guitar, mandolin, bass.  While their forte was folk music, my favorite song was their encore version of “Halleluiah” – absolutely stunning.

A highlight to the evening was seeing Chief Justice Sandra Day O’Connor – also in attendance.  The Justice sat in the rear box with the President of the Museum and was an avid fan. 

The Travelin’ McCourys

www.thetravelinmccourys.com

MIM:  As the sons of bluegrass legend Del McCoury, Ronnie McCoury (mandolin) and Rob McCoury (banjo) continue their father’s work – a lifelong dedication to the power of bluegrass music to bring joy into people’s lives.  And with fiddler Jason Carter and bassist Alan Bartram, the ensemble is loved and respected by the bluegrass faithful. 

The Travelin’ McCourys have a confidence that only comes from having paid their dues with twenty years on the bluegrass road.  Other groups and new fans hear this immediately:  the tight rhythm, the soulful material, and the confidence in taking bluegrass from the safety of the shore into uncharted waters.

At the beginning of this show, fellow usher Chris Moreno remarked that ‘all bluegrass pretty much sounds the same’.  It was not necessarily a complement but I soon realized how perfectly fabulous this was.  Bluegrass DOES all sound the same – which is why I find it so inviting and comforting and connective and familiar.  Fifteen minutes into the concert I had magically discovered that I really liked bluegrass.

This group was great.  The four steady bandmates were obviously well in-tone with each other and loved what they did.  They joked and teased each other on stage in an easy, non-forced way.  They each rotated high-lighting songs and 3 of the four sang.  With only 2 microphones, they had to dance around each other on stage as they rotated solos – but this was all accomplished in an easy choreographed way.  It was a lovely show.

Another highlight was their guest performer – a guitar player regularly with Ricky Skaggs and the Kentucky Thunder band.  He was amazing and a perfect addition to the group.

Towards the second act I was again struck by the fact that ‘all bluegrass pretty much sounds the same.’  Yes, this is true and after 90 minutes the familiarity had worn off.  I even had a ‘didn’t they already play this song?’ moment.  But overall, this was one of my favorite shows and much loved by the sold-out crowd as well.

Dick Dale

www.dickdale.com

MIM:  Universally acclaimed as a rock pioneer and “King of Surf Guitar”, Dick Dale brought a bold new sound to early sixties rock with hits such as “Let’s Go Trippin” and “Miserlou”.  While his music is closely associated with Southern California’s surfing culture, it was also influenced by the music of his Lebanese family background; Gene Krupa’s big-band drumming; and Dale’s early studies in trumpet, drums, and ukulele.

Part of Dick Dale’s unique guitar style stems from the fact that he is a left-handed guitarist who plays “upside down”, ie:  without reversing the strings for left-handed playing.  His thunderous tonality, which earned him the title “Father of Heavy Metal”, was also the result of a close collaboration with electric-guitar pioneer Leo Fender.  The Dick Dale sound has become deeply ingrained in American popular culter.  It was featured in Quentin Tarantino’s popular 1994 film Pulp Fiction.  And the Black Eyed Peas’ 2005 hit “Pump It” contains a sample of Dales signature song, “Miserlou”.

Dick is a legend in his own right and I came to appreciate and respect his music over the course of this show.  He played with his son Jimmy, a killer musician as well, and they enraptured the sold-out crowd for over an hour.  Dick had a friendly bantering style – he’d banter to the audience, he’d banter to himself, but mostly he banter to his son who’d return with an eye-roll and a shrug.  It did not appear scripted – Dick made up his monolog as he went along and was very entertaining. 

For someone I hadn’t heard of, I was amazed at the number of songs I knew.  Dick had a harder-edge style of surf music.  It was more early Frankie Valen and less pop-y Beach Boys.  Dick would demonstrate and teach along the way, frequently interrupting songs to point out cords or styles.  It was a fun and educational show all around. 

Tommy Emmanuel

http://www.tommyemmanuel.com/

MIM: Legendary “finger-style” guitarist Tommy Emmanuel is one of Australia’s most respected musicians and winner of two ARIA awards (Australia’s answer to the Grammy). His unique finger-picking technique is a masterful mix of dazzling melodic invention and rhythmic percussive effects that have attracted hundreds of thousands of loyal fans worldwide.

In this job, I frequently marvel at what I didn’t-know-I-didn’t-know. The Tommy Emmanuel show was a perfect example of my ignorance. I had never heard of Tommy but was quickly overwhelmed by his sea of fans. The show was sold out and many of the guest were frequently Tommy followers and ardent fans. I enjoyed watching the crowd throughout the show most of all.

Tommy was a showman and wowed the crowd both with stories and with his guitar playing. His repertoire was varied – from bluegrass to jazz to country – and he displayed a new style of guitar playing that incorporated both rhythm and melody in one instrument.

Tommy also had an opening act – Chase Foster, a young musician who was equally engaging and fun. He played many favorites and it was easy to sing or clap along with him. In some ways, I enjoyed Chase more as his music was more approachable and his youth so likeable. Very good opening act!