Willie K Twisted Ukulele

Hawaii’s famed instrument reaches new heights

May 23, 2013

For his latest album, “Twisted Ukulele,” Willie K did something rather unusual. He traveled to the German city of Berlin and recorded a bunch of tracks accompanied only by one of the project’s producers, Hanan Rubinstein, who plays guitar with Alicia Keys.

The result is uniquely Willie, a kind of smorgasbord of his extraordinary talent stretched across genres from traditional Hawaiian to rock, pop and blues.

In 2009, the charismatic musician toured Germany as a solo artist opening for the UK pop/soul band Simply Red, to tremendous acclaim. Willie was such a hit that the tour’s promoters suggested he record an album for the European market.

Article Photos

Willie K

Maui News file photo

“They had never seen an opening act get two standing ovations at a stadium in Berlin,” Willie explains. “One of the promoters hooked me up with people who had a recording studio. The idea was to focus on the ukulele creating a pop album out of Germany.”

The project was supposed to be distributed by Universal Records in Europe, “but they didn’t take it,” he continues. “They were sitting on it and were trying to find a market for it and it was taking too long. I knew I could do something and sell it in Hawaii.”

In the liner notes, Willie writes: ” ‘Twisted Ukulele’ is probably the first project of its kind to ever hit the ear waves of the world. We introduce the variety of uses of the ukulele. Give it a chance and it can become the most powerful instrument in the world.”

So with this concept in mind, Willie unleashed his formidable talent on an array of gems from U2′s “With or Without You,” Van Morrison’s “Have I Told You Lately,” and Hall and Oates’ “Sarah Smile,” to the standard “Fly Me to the Moon,” and such Hawaiian classics as “Waimanalo Blues,” Dennis Kamakahi’s “Kokee” and “Hawaiian Cowboy,” plus five new originals.

“I was working with a producer who chose everything,” he notes. “He took the formula of what I wanted to hear with the ukulele and made it happen. Back in 2008 and 2009, everyone was striving for that ‘Over the Rainbow’ brass ring, when Brother Iz really peaked to the top. It’s a shame they weren’t able to promote it in Germany. I think it’s one of the most beautiful projects I’ve ever done.”

Usually recording his albums in Hawaii, Willie relished the opportunity to work with gifted producer/musicians in Berlin. While Willie sang and played ukulele and acoustic guitar, Rubinstein played all the other instruments.

“It was very professional,” he reports. “They didn’t automate anything on my vocals, they just made me do it like 80 to 100 times on a song and pick and choose which sounded great. They were really adamant about performance and getting the real feel of a song. I just played the ukulele and sang the songs. All the ear candy was just one guy, it was all Hanan. It was amazing. He was exactly what I’ve been looking for as a producer for the last 20 years, to bring it out of me. I don’t (normally) sing like that or perform like that. He brought it out. And he’s a great guitar player, a protege of George Benson.”

And so we get to hear Willie morphing into Bono, sweetly singing and strumming ukulele on a brilliant, stripped down version of U2′s majestic “With or Without You.”

“That’s my favorite song on the whole album,” says Willie, rightfully proud.

Other standouts include a gorgeous “Sarah Smile,” embellished with a subtle reggae twist, that could easily be a local radio hit. On Sol Bright’s “Hawaiian Cowboy,” Willie gets to showcase his tremendous yodeling skills, while Alvin Isaacs’ “Koula” demonstrates his gift as a falsetto singer.

“All the pop songs were their idea, and, of course, I took care of all the Hawaiian songs,” he says.

As for his originals, “Howling at the Moon,” a highlight on his “Warehouse Blues” album, surfaces here in a more bare-bones version. And giving thanks to the German folks responsible for guiding the album he delivers a lovely homage, “Sunshine in Berlin.”

“German people go, ‘It will never happen,’ ” he says laughing about the title.

A couple of songs that didn’t make the album include what he describes as, “a kind of jazz, hip hop” version of Van Morrison’s “Moondance,” and a “Chinese blues” version of Eurhythmics’ “Sweet Dreams,” which might be included on a future work.

As for the future, Willie is looking forward to some exciting events, including overseeing a kind of battle of the bands program for, “reggae, rock, pop, DJ and country music. The final battle will be at Aloha Stadium or the Diamond Head Crater.”

And the success of his blues fest at Mulligans on the Blue in Wailea has led to invitations to perform at various blues events in Santa Cruz, Seattle, New Orleans, Australia and Canada.

* Willie K plays at Hard Rock Cafe in Lahaina at 7 p.m. Saturday (no cover). At 5 p.m. Tuesday, he will sing the national anthem for the Na Koa Ikaika Maui baseball team at Wailuku’s Iron Maehara Stadium. On Wednesday, he plays a dinner show at Mulligans on the Blue. For reservations, call Mulligans at 874-1131.

Join Hawai’i's mega-talented Uncle Willie K & Warehouse Blues Band for 2 hours of awesome sounds as he shreds & rocks while you dance the night away! See you on the South side!

Show 10p – 12a. 21 yrs & over $10 cover charge.

Willie K merchandise available during and after his show.

Come upcountry & enjoy the Incredible One Uncle Willie K & Warehouse Blues Band as they rock Paia town at Charley’s! You don’t want to miss 2 hours of amazing sounds that will make your body dance. See you there!
Show 10p – 12a. 21 yrs & over $10 cover charge.

Willie K merchandise available during and after his show.

PLEASE NOTE WILLIE K’S CANADIAN TOUR FOR AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2013 HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

Willie K releases a new CD titled “Twisted Ukulele” and it’s on sale now!

This album is a must-have for Willie K fans. Hear Willie K play it all from Sophisticated Hula to classic covers like Fly Me To The Moon. Each song has Willie K’s signature style stamped on it, and is accompanied by the beautiful sounds of the ukulele. Sales begin February 1st, 2013!

Monday, Jan, 7, 2013; 5:17 PM; – by Movies News Desk  for movies.broadwayworld.com

Willie K in GET A JOB.

GET A JOB,” the award-winning motion picture comedy produced entirely in Hawaii which stars Willie K, Eric Gilliom, Augie T, and many of the island’s top entertainers and musicians, released to DVD on November 1, 2012. The Motion Picture Soundtrack by the Barefoot Natives also went on sale November 1st. Watch the latest trailer below!

Produced entirely in Hawaii by islanders, the ground breaking feature film has screened successfully in theaters throughout Hawaii, on the mainland, and in countries such as Spain, India, and Cambodia. On the Film Festival circuit, “GET A JOB” won top prizes in many of the Festivals in which it screened.

GET A JOB” stars Willie K, Eric Gilliom, and Augie T, with a cast and crew of over 300 islanders including Jake Shimabukuro, Carolyn Omine (writer for TV’s “the Simpsons”), Henry Kapono, Amy Hanaiali’i, the late Charles Ka’upu, Ernie Cruz Jr., Kealoha, and Kathy Collins.

Mick Fleetwood, Willie Nelson, and Pat Simmons of the Doobie Brothers also make cameo appearances in the wedding band. Author and sports broadcaster Raymond Rolak makes a cameo as the surf student.

The movie was written/directed by Brian Kohne, and produced by Stefan Schaefer. The music in the movie really shines, as exemplified on the Barefoot Natives “GET A JOB” soundtrack CD.

For more information, visit www.GetAJobMovie.com.

http://http://www.hawaiifilmoffice.com/
http://http://www.filmmaui.com/
http://http://hawaiipolonia.com/index.php?m=49

MauiTribe and Mulligans on the Blue are proud to bring the

FIRST ANNUAL UNCLE WILLIE K’S BLUES ON THE BLUE BBQ

An afternoon and evening of Blues, Blues and more Blues!!!

Uncle Willie has put together an amazing show and will feature Legendary performers Elvin Bishop, Angela Strehli and Mick Fleetwood.

Opening Blues acts include:
Tom Conway Band
The House Shakers
Bobby Ingram
Mike Carroll and more.

Music starts at 4pm and the doors open at 3pm
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 day of show.
$15 BBQ plates will be served by Smokehouse BBQ

Tickets are available at:
Mulligans on the Blue in Wailea – 874-1131

Uncle Willie’s Kloset in Wailuku – 244.0700
270 Waiehu Beach Road, #113

Online tickets available at: www.WillieKBlues.Eventbrite.com

More info at www.MulligansOnTheBlue.com

Mahalo to KONI 104.7 FM
and the Makena Beach and Golf Resort

About Elvin Bishop

“…careening slide and razor-edged bursts, all delivered with unflagging enthusiasm and wit.” – Rolling Stone

Elvin Bishop has been travelling the Blues road longer than most, and he’s got the stories to prove it – many of which are contained within the songs on this release. Stops along the way include his work as a founding member of the groundbreaking Paul Butterfield Blues Band in the early ‘60s, recordings with legends such as Clifton Chenier, John Lee Hooker, and The Allman Brothers, and Pop success with his own 1976 smash hit “Fooled Around and Fell In Love”. Bishop’s long and varied career has included plenty of side trips along the way as well, from deep down gutbucket Blues played in smoky South Side Chicago taverns, to raucous roadhouse R&B, to good time Rock & Roll on concert stages and festivals around the world. And at every stage along the way, he’s instilled all of his music with passion, creativity, and a healthy helping of wisdom, wit, and good humor.

Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Bishop’s earliest exposure to music came from the family’s radio, where in between “How Much Is That Doggy In The Window” and “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” young Elvin could sometimes catch classic records of Jimmy Reed, Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters. Once he’d got his feet wet, there was no turning back. He quickly acquired his first guitar and on his own began working out the basic outlines of the Blues, R&B and Rock & Roll that had captured his soul.

By the time he was preparing for college in the late 1950s, Bishop had earned a National Merit Scholarship that allowed him to go to almost any school he chose – and the only choice on Elvin’s mind was the prestigious University of Chicago, which just happened to be located on Chicago’s South Side, ground zero for much of the urban Blues Elvin had so far been studying only from a distance. He arrived in Chicago in 1959, and before long crossed paths with a fellow student Paul Butterfield. Together, they explored the taverns and Blues joints in the black neighborhoods surrounding the university campus at a time when Blues giants like Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Otis Rush, Magic Sam and Howlin’ Wolf could be found playing in corner bars for a $2 cover charge just about any night of the week.

By 1963, Bishop and Butterfield were ready to graduate – not from the university, but from their apprenticeship under Chicago’s Blues veterans. They made their first recordings that year, doing a session with veterans Billy Boy Arnold and James Cotton. That same year, they recruited Howlin’ Wolf’s former rhythm section of Sam Lay on drums and Jerome Arnold on bass, and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band was born. In 1965, after adding Mike Bloomfield and Mark Naftalin to the lineup, their revolutionary debut LP was released, opening the door for virtually all the young white Blues bands that followed. Bishop remained in the fold for three albums with the Butterfield band, including their innovative “East-West” release (on which Bishop and Bloomfield’s intertwining guitars helped set the stage for the Allman Brothers Band and the Grateful Dead, among many others who followed), before getting the itch to move on and venturing out on his own. Elvin released several well-received albums in the early ‘70s, before experiencing his biggest Pop success, the gold-record earning national hit “Fooled Around and Fell In Love” from his 1976 LP “Struttin’ My Stuff.”

Road work kept Elvin busy through the ‘80s, and as time went by his journey led him back to the Blues that were at the root of all his musical endeavors. And that fertile territory has been his focus ever since.

Delta Groove Productions president Randy Chortkoff has been a fan and follower of Elvin’s music through all the many phases of his career, beginning with Butterfield Blues Band in the mid 1960s, and when the opportunity arose to bring Elvin into the Delta Groove fold, Chortkoff jumped at the opportunity. The result was Elvin’s Grammy-nominated 2008 CD “The Blues Rolls On,” and a flurry of other awards and accolades, including being named 2009 Male Blues Artist of the Year by Blues Blast magazine. Elvin’s brand new release “Red Dog Speaks,” his second on Delta Groove Music, is the exciting next step in his Blues journey.

Right out of the gate, Bishop leaves no doubt where his heart is, cleverly introducing his long-time cohort “Red Dog” with a gritty slow blues calculated to set the pace for what’s to come. Along the way he smoothly steers the way from strutting Blues and R&B , through a good dose of good-time Rock & Roll, and even an occasional detour through Doo-Wop, Zydeco, and Gospel. Elvin has made plenty of talented friends over the years, and many of them jumped at the chance to help out on “Red Dog Speaks”; Buckwheat Zydeco, Tommy Castro, Ronnie Baker Brooks, and John Németh all make guest appearances. And all of it adds up to an amalgam that can only be called “Elvin Bishop music.”

About Angela Strehli

Husky-voiced blues and soul singer Angela Strehli has often been called the “First Lady of Texas Blues.” Indeed, her contributions both on and off stage have done much to propel the Austin blues scene toward international prominence. Whether recording with such friends as Marcia Ball, Lou Ann Barton, Sue Foley, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, or helping mastermind policies behind the success of Antone’s—the legendary Austin blues club—she has performed with unerring taste and verve. For a major modern blues figure, the sultry blonde has not recorded prolifically, preferring to treat each album as a special event. However, the albums she has chosen to share with the public are remarkably entertaining and expressive slices of gut-bucket blues revival and scintillating uptown soul.

BY STEVEN MARK / original article at the Star Advertiser. The remarkable musical career of Willie Kahaiali’i — known as Willie K — spans a range so broad it seems to reach from the deepest bass to the sweetest soprano. From traditional and contemporary Hawaiian to blues and rock, he’s done it all and done it well. But lingering inside his ample abilities has been another voice: opera.

“To tell you the truth, I was a Mario Lanza fan at the age of 8,” he said, referring to the singer whose voice and charisma propelled him to Hollywood stardom in the late 1940s and early ’50s and inspired a legion of singers, including the “Three Tenors” — Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo.

“My father turned me on to the movie ‘(The Great) Caruso,’ which starred Lanza as the lead actor,” Kahaiali’i said. “I never forgot it. I’ve only seen it once, but it left a mark in my soul, I guess you could say.”

Kahaiali’i, a multiple Na Hoku Hanohano award winner for his work in Hawaiian music, will bring that passion to the stage this weekend in a repeat appearance with the Hawaii Youth Symphony. The benefit concert, called “He Makana O Na Mele: The Gift of Music,” which includes dinner, promises to be broadly entertaining, with the classic “Nessun Dorma” (a love-stricken singer, facing death, proclaims victory) and the peppy “Funiculi, Funicula” (about a cable-operated train) on the program.

KAHAIALI’I’S longtime interest in classical singing was encouraged by some of his fans who noticed the effortless power of his voice They suggested he try the famous aria “Vesti La Giubba” from “Pagliacci,” which Lanza sings in “Caruso.”

“I would say, ‘Oh yeah, I love that song,’ and they would be surprised that I even know what ‘Pagliacci’ is,” Kahaiali’i said. “It’s not like it’s never been there; it’s always been there, but I never thought I’d use it onstage until five years ago.”

That was when interest and opportunity came together in perfect harmony for Kahaiali’i.

He had begun looking up opera performances on YouTube when he signed up his daughter for piano lessons with Vania Jerome, a music teacher at Maui Preparatory Academy.

Then the singer discovered that Jerome had worked with many top opera stars in the 1990s in Los Angeles, a time when the city’s opera scene was coming into its own, and asked for some guidance.

Jerome said she suggested that Kahaiali’i focus on Pavarotti’s style and repertoire.

“He came back the next week, and it was a breakthrough,” she recalled. “The range had opened for him up on the top.”

Beyond that “there wasn’t a whole lot I could tell him in terms of technique,” said Jerome, who has worked with Kahaiali’i on details of diction and interpretation.

“With Willie, he’s just so in tune with his instrument. There’s not really a whole lot of thought that goes into it. He just does it. It’s very natural. He’s just talented and gifted that way.”

Kahaiali’i had performed with the Hawaii Youth Symphony many times by then, including one concert where he hit a high C while singing “O Holy Night.”

“That ignited the crowd,” said symphony conductor Henry Miyamura.

Miyamura later told Kahaiali’i, “Some opera tenors would give their right arm for your high C.” Kahaiali’i replied that he was studying Pavarotti’s singing, which led to a concert of opera arias. That concert will be repeated with a couple of additions for this performance.

Kahaiali’i has taken his operatic singing beyond the notes. He’s consulted some of Maui’s Italian expatriate community — he’s friends with the owners of Casanova restaurant and Fabiano’s Bakery and Pizzeria — for advice on the Italian language.

“They brought over their families from Italy to hear me sing,” he said with a laugh. “They brought their mothers and aunts and uncles, and they always bring mostly the women, because the women will step right up on stage and say, ‘No, that is not correct.’ … They’d tell me, with the enunciation, ‘You’re crossing over from Genoa to Naples, so you gotta pick your district.’”

IS AN OPERA career in the making? Miyamura believes that if Kahaiali’i had started younger, he would be a star tenor in the international opera scene by now. Jerome said male singers often don’t fully develop until they’re in their 40s and that they stay at their peak for many years afterward.

Kahaiali’i is 52 and said if offered a role in an opera, “I’d give it a shot.” He’s already had experience with acting, having starred in the comedic film “Get a Job” (recently released on DVD), with a sequel, “Get Another Job,” possibly on the way.

For now, performing with the youth symphony has been a great benefit for both soloist and orchestra.

Miyamura said Kahaiali’i has been an inspiration to the young musicians, showing them to “go beyond what you’re capable of.”

Kahaiali’i, who played several wind and brass instruments as a youngster, said he considers working with the young musicians “a blessing” and an unexpected twist to his musical destiny.

“For me the greatest part is I remember when I was in band and I tried out for the youth symphony. I never made it, but I made it another way: fronting the symphony,” he said with a laugh.