LIVE 159 • Punahele – Ray Kane Slack Key Cover (Longer Version)

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Here is another, slightly longer version I recorded of the classic Ray Kane slack key song “Punahele.”  According to the Dancing Cat liner notes, Punahele (“favorite” or “pet”) came to Ray “one night in 1938 at Zablan’s Beach in Nanakuli. ‘Back in those days there were no cars, it was pitch black. So I sit there in the dark in the nice cool breeze and I hear the waves bouncing on the sand and see the moonlight flicker on the water. It inspired me, something so nice. So mellow. That’s what gave me my inspiration.’”  Hope you enjoy.

Recorded with a Taylor 412ce LTD (Rosewood/Spruce, Gotoh 510 tuners, strings are Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) and a Neumann TLM 102 microphone.

LIVE 170 • Hualalai Sunrise (Slack Key Guitar)

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“Hualalai Sunrise” was inspired by the morning sunrises in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawai’i.  Much of North Kona – from Kalaoa where I spent much of my early childhood to Holualoa where I later lived – can see the sun shining over the top ridges of Hualalai in the morning, bathing its warm light over the slopes from the summit to the ocean.

Recorded with a Taylor 414ce-NR (Rosewood/Spruce grand auditorium nylon string) and a Telefunken M60 small diaphragm condenser microphone.

LIVE 172 • Bron~Yr~Aur (312ce)

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Bron-Yr-Aur is probably my favorite Led Zeppelin acoustic song.  Written by Jimmy Page about a tranquil cottage in the Welsh countryside, the song is meditative and bucolic; it always puts me in a different place whenever I hear it or play it.  This version was recorded on my Taylor 312ce.

Recorded with a Taylor 312ce (Sapele/Spruce, with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) and a Line Audio CM4 small diaphragm condenser microphone.

LIVE 169 • Welsh Dragonfly (312ce)

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Welsh Dragonfly was born one day from ideas improvised after listing to some of Led Zeppelin’s ‘acoustic’ songs.  I’ve long liked the story of Page and Plant retreating to a tranquil cottage in the Welsh countryside with acoustic guitars in tow to find inspiration in the bucolic atmosphere and write some new music.  As for the ‘dragonfly’ part of the title, I’ve often been inspired by seeing dragonflies hovering around various places over the years, and indeed they’re striking creatures… I’m also a fan of Art Nouveau and reminded of the Tiffany dragonfly lamp design, a touchstone representation that stands out in my mind at the moment.  Anyway, this is a song that makes me feel relaxed and peaceful when I play it.  Hope you enjoy.

Recorded with a Taylor 312ce (Sapele/Spruce, with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) and a Line Audio CM4 small diaphragm condenser microphone.  

LIVE 171 • Ohio River Rag (Alt Take)

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Here is another take of “Ohio River Rag,” which was recorded as part of my Awake Again album project.  While revisiting that project and remixing the album (the full album is on this page), I came across some alternate takes of a couple of songs that I thought it would be fun to publish; this is one of those songs.  The Awake Again album featured a good mix of both Hawaiian Ki Ho’alu / slack key and traditional acoustic blues influences, though I tend to think of songs like this as more of a blues number.

Recorded with a Taylor 310ce (Sapele/Spruce, Elixir Polyweb 80/20 Bronze) and a matched stereo pair of Shure KSM141 microphones in Holualoa, Hawai’i.  

LIVE 164 • The Bantry Girl’s Lament (alt take)

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Here is an alternate take of The Bantry Girl’s Lament, a traditional Celtic song which dates back to the early 1800’s.  The arrangement is based on Martin Simpson’s version from his fine album “Leaves of Life.”  While Martin used a Drop D tuning for the song (or rather its equivalent on Baritone guitar), I play it here in open G6: (D-G-D-G-B-E).  To me, this is a peaceful, meditative song that gives pause.  Hope you enjoy.

Recorded with a Taylor 912ce (Rosewood/Spruce, with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD Light strings) and a Neumann TLM 102 microphone.

LIVE 165 • Sí Bheag, Sí Mhór (Taylor 312ce)

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Here is another version of my arrangement of Si Bheag, Si Mhor, composed by famous 17th century bard Turlough O’Carolan.  While some of my prior recordings of this song were down tempo, this is a more up tempo version with a snappier feel.  I think the song works well both ways to be honest, one of the many interesting things about it.  Hope you enjoy.

Recorded with a Taylor 312ce (Sapele/Spruce, with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) and a Line Audio CM4 small diaphragm condenser microphone.

LIVE 163 • Acacia Improv (K22ce)

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Acacia Improv is an outtake of some improvisation done one day while I was recording “Acacia Just Noticed.”  That song as well as this short little improv were meant to highlight the koa guitar’s warm low-mid tone with a touch of sparkle in the treble register, to bring out the characteristic warmth and sweetness of the wood.  Hope you enjoy.

Recorded with a Taylor K22ce (solid koa grand concert with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) and a Neumann TLM 103 microphone.

LIVE 162 • Acacia Just Noticed (K22ce)

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Acacia Just Noticed came to me one day while improvising on my koa guitar.  Once aged a little, koa (part of the Acacia family, thus the titular play on words) imparts a warm low-mid tone with a touch of sparkle.  Sometimes, depending on how you’re playing, koa can be a little thin and bright, but here I’m playing without a pick and using part of the pads of my fingers to soften things up – especially useful with some of the snappy parts here.  Along with that, I feel like the the two sections of this song are played in registers that particularly lend themselves to bringing out warmth and sweetness of koa.  The overall combination of these elements melds together in a way that I felt made the wood shine through, thus the nod in the title.  Hope you enjoy.

Recorded with a Taylor K22ce (solid koa grand concert with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) and a Line Audio CM4 small diaphragm condenser microphone.  

LIVE 168 • Monsarrat Ave (Kamaka HF-3D)

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Here’s a recent recording of “Monsarrat Avenue.”  This original solo ukulele piece pays tribute to the mellow vibes of the area around Monsarrat Avenue, which runs near Kapiolani Park and Diamond Head towards Kapiolani Community College.  There are so many little things to love on (or just off) Monsarrat: the Honolulu Zoo and its fence with local artists selling their wares, the wafting of music from the Kapiolani Bandstand or the Waikiki Shell, Kapiolani Park itself with the powerful beauty of Leahi, Diamond Head, in the background; nearby is a lovely little district of restaurants and shops.  After that, you pass rows of Kaimuki homes with people riding their bikes on quiet side streets as Monsarrat Avenue meanders and changes name to Diamond Head Road; it then passes by Kapiolani Community College – home of a popular (crowded) weekly Farmer’s Market – and curls around the back side of Diamond Head.

Recorded with a Kamaka Koa Deluxe Tenor ukulele (Kamaka HF-3D, high G with either Uke Logic Soft Tension or Ko’olau Aho strings, and a Thomastik-Infeld CF-27 flat wound third string) and a Telefunken M60 small diaphragm condenser microphone.