Stories

"Tiana" by Mackey Feary From the compilation Guitars of Hawaii Today: Volume 2. Mahalo to guitarist John Valentine for posting this on YouTube! Check out more Mackey Feary on Aloha Got Soul, a Hawaiian music blog dedicated to Hawaiian jazz, funk and soul.

"Ka Huaka‘i" by The Four 50's That's Darryl Valdez, co-founder of Tender Leaf, wearing black pants and playing the guitar in this video. Music still fills his passionate soul! In 2010, he was performing with a local Hawaiian acoustic group, the Four 50's. This video was recorded at Ka Huaka‘i "The Journey" Church in Honolulu. I've noticed that several Hawaii musicians—including Darryl Valdez, Tony Tam Sing, Rob Mehl—have dedicated themselves to playing Christian music. Almost exclusively? I don't know, it's just a thought... ...More thoughts on the homepage of this Hawaiian music blog.

To die-hard fans of Mackey: you'll smile, you'll cry, you'll cherish these recordings that YouTube user paxukulele recently uploaded. Despite the poor audio quality (not only was it a live recording, it's on cassette tape, remember those things?), the 9 minutes 33 seconds of Mack and friends jamming is a perfect way to uplift anyone's mood. You won't find these recordings or photos anywhere else, as they come directly from one of Mackey's friends, via paxukulele. Close your eyes and transport yourself to a low-key house party where Kalapana's lead singer keeps rhythm on his acoustic guitar without missing a...

Like what I do here? My mission is to share 1970s and 1980s Hawaiian funk/soul/jazz music with the world, but sometimes I don't have more than a moment to post something worthwhile. That's why Aloha Got Soul is on Twitter and Facebook. These social platforms let me share my thoughts with fans of Aloha Got Soul, whether I'm at the record store digging for Hawaiian LPs or kickin' it with fellow music lovers @lightsleepers. While you wait for the next blog post, interview, music video or album discovery... Connect with Aloha Got Soul here and here. Mahalo!

My interview with Robin Kimura was lengthy (in a good way), but not nearly as long as the extended performances Greenwood played at Waikiki's popular discos back in the 1970s. Greenwood started out in Waikiki clubs as the 'off-night' band—when a club's main performer had the night off. But when it came to Mackey Feary, Greenwood actually played after the Mackey Feary Band—sometimes with Mackey joining the funky ensemble for songs like 'Nightbird' and 'The Hurt'! Here's another excerpt of my interview with Robin, as promised in part one. This time, Rob remembers Mackey and the Magic Mushroom, a Honolulu...