Posted on: Monday, July 9, 2001
The Mana'o Company returns with new CD
• Review of The Mana'o Company's CD
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor
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| The Mana‘o Company jams in Kaka‘ako Waterfront Park. Clockwise from top left: Weldon Kekauoha, Danny Kennedy, Kaulana Pakele, Salaam Tillman and John Baricuatro Jr.a Little Alohaä is the latest release by the ManaÎo Company. Kyle Sackowski • The Honolulu Advertiser Who's Who in The Mana'o Compapny |
Ten years after it helped mold and shape the Jawaiian-reggae explosion on the Hawai'i music scene, The Mana'o Company is back — older, wiser, bigger, seasoned with a few new wrinkles, and with a fresh CD, "Spread a Little Aloha," being released tomorrow.
Like Bruddah Waltah Aipolani and Butch Helemano, The Mana'o Company, also known as TMC, has defined "Island music," the hybrid that borrows the skank and funk of Jamaican reggae and combines it with ripples of Hawaiian seasoning and mana'o or ideas and feelings.
Island music been the preferred flavor of local bands for, well, a good decade, even prodding radio stations to change formats to align with the vogue.
"Not to downgrade the quality of music that's been out there the last few years," said Danny Kennedy, group leader and one of the three originals in the reorganized quintet, "but some of the stuff we've been hearing is pretty lame. You take an oldie, throw in the reggae skank, and you're a reggae or contemporary band. That set me itching to get back, to challenge us to step up the comeback."
The Mana'o Company was known then, as now, as more than a trendy Jawaiian act. Its five-part harmonies set them apart from their reggae peers. Its occasional detour to Hawaiian roots gave it broader appeal, with young and old alike tuning in.
And the new CD continues this philosophy with abundant clarity. With diverse guest artists such as Keali'i Reichel, Fiji, B.E.T. and Ho'onu'a aboard, the album —
a sound re-entry for TMC — has the feel of a winner.
"I think we're the rare band that has a drummer who can sing," said Kennedy about Salaam Tillman, percussionist. In the interim, Tillman has played with a host of
other local acts, including the likes of Henry Kapono and Ho'onu'a.
The other oldtimer is John Baricuatro Jr., guitarist. Though Sean Na'auao, an original member, has opted to continue his solo
career, TMC has enlisted the services of Na Hoku Hanohano Award-winning Weldon Keaukoha (Most Promising Artist) and Ehukai's Kaulana Pakele to complete the roster. So it's got ammo for the new go-round.
"It brings back a lot of the old feeling, the fun we used to have, to get back together again," said
Baricuatro, strumming guitar beneath a shady tree, where TMC had gathered for an impromptu kau kau and jam session at Kaka'ako Waterfront Park a few days ago. "We had a good time back then; it's always about fun, even when we're playing the old songs with the new guys."
New voices
The group disbanded a decade ago, to spend more time with their personal affairs, to start their families, to simply ease the conflicts that came with working the circuit and touring.
"We started talking about a
reunion, and it got serious at last year's FM 100 Birthday Bash," said Kennedy. "We had gone into the studio to do a single, and the rush it created was special. And it felt right to come back now."
The absence, said Kennedy, does not mean playing catch-up "but to keep up a certain standard. We worked hard, to make sure that we weren't just another Jawaiian band doing reggae stuff. We've incorporated a lot of harmonies with the two new voices. We felt we have same caliber as before ... or maybe better."
Yes, they had approached Na'auao to contemplate hopping back onto the TMC wagon. "He was in the studio and ready to release his 'Neutralize This' album, so it was cool; it was time for him to go his separate way," said Kennedy.
Kekauoha had frequently enlisted various TMC members for his back-up when his award-winning solo was released, and since the
fellows knew Pakele of 'Ehukai, it was only a matter of time that they would become a whole.
"In Weldon and Kaulana, we have two strong lead singers," said Kennedy. "And Kaulana's style has that same charisma of Sean's voice, and with Weldon able to do Hawaiian, we could do some older style of music, too. So it all came together."
Kekauoha has had no problem blending in. "I've always felt I was a group kind of guy, anyway," he said. "As a musician, I think that as a pinnacle, an epiphany in life, you want to make a solo album, to show your talent, but I've already done that. As for being in a group, doing back-up sometime, it's no problem. It's the friendship first; besides, this is a natural mix."
Pakele said that 'Ehukai has sort of been in limbo. "It's reached a point where we were all doing
different things, all living on different islands, one pursuing a master's degree in marriage counseling. So while we've been doing a few gigs here and there, the group sort of has dissipated, anyway. There's no hardship, either; I look at myself now as being available to 'Ehukai, if needed, but really a part of The Mana'o Company now."
Kennedy said that in rebirth, TMC had to maintain its legacy, "to keep it up to the level where we all remember it being — trying to not only look good but sound good."
Tillman said he can't wait to get back on the Mana'o circuit. "Playing music is my No. 1 priority which I why I still play with a bunch of bands" he said. "But I'm ready to refocus, to be with this band, to move forward."
Harmonies with softer reggae
Kennedy said that the reinvented TMC is striving to generate a fan base with wide demographics.
"We want the people who listened to our first two albums, and we don't want to to lose them, but we want to draw on a new group of fans who might want to listen to us," he said. "Yes, even old folks. That's why we're doing a lot of
harmonies ... but not forgetting the reggae, though it's a little softer, not hard core."
As Kennedy and Baricuatro strummed guitars and Tillman pounded on his bongos, the group chimed in on a sweet, impromptu "Drop, Baby, Drop," one of its early signature tunes. The harmony was unmistakably TMC, prompting a park-goer to halt in mid-step, with two dogs in tow, to listen and smile approvingly.
"I think we'll have an easy transition," Kennedy said about fan response.
"After 10 years, we've been consumed in finishing a product we could be proud of," he said. "One of the things we're trying to do is a lot of unplugged stuff."
The noon-time picnic jam in the park typified the kind of spontaneity and give-and-take Kennedy envisions for TMC in future gigs. Kennedy concocted the group's name a dozen-plus years ago. "For two weeks, we were Na Mana'o, but I was afraid that we'd give the impression that we only did Hawaiian, and that meant just 'ideas,'" he said. "The Mana'o was the important thing; so The Mana'o Company said it better. By then, we had done 'Drop, Baby, Drop' and '96 Degrees in the Shade,' and it was a better fit."
Kennedy said that the group carefully titled their CD to make a point.
"We feel that aloha is dying out a little bit in Hawai'i," he said.
"Road rage and all that," said Pakele.
"Time to spread a little aloha," said Baricuatro.
"It's not perfect here, but the aloha spirit is still pretty good here," said Kennedy. "If everybody can get into the experience of spreading aloha, as the song says, 'the world would be a better place.'"
You can e-mail Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.
