Acoustic adventures in Mo'ili'ili

Singer-songwriter John Cruz performs without backup (and sans stage accoutrements) at Anna Bannanas Wednesdays. Featuring versatile rearrangements of his off-mainstream art-folk music favorites and his own solo work, he occasionally is joined on stage by musical siblings Tiffany LeeAnne (bottom photo) or Guy Cruz. Photos by Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Staff Writer

Cruz has kept a late-night Wednesday gig at the Mo'ili'ili haunt since summer, drawing audiences ranging from semi-largish to handful-smallish. On the evening I stopped by, a crowd of about 25 was along for Cruz's smooth musical ride.

After ambling in from an outside stairway behind the bar 'round 10:30, Cruz stood alone, tuning his guitar on a barren Anna's stage that, at first, seemed strangely too large for him. There was no band and no stool; just a seemingly audience-oblivious Cruz, his guitar and a microphone. Then Cruz cocked his head up slightly, smiled slyly, and said, "Let's try this again."

For the next couple of hours, everything seemed suddenly right in the world.

Cruz's voice is a marvelously versatile instrument — its sandpaper-like surface full of powerful lived-in roughness, its undercurrents a warm, textured blanket of emotional nuances at times barely registering above a whisper. His fretwork is just as impressive — intricately furious acoustic guitar attacks one minute and quietly precise slack-key picking the next.

His smart set list offered excellent rearrangements of little-known singer-songwriter gems sprinkled with a handful of original compositions.

With a new arrangement and some rough-hewn vocalese, Cruz's emotion-filled cover of Bruce Cockburn's "Wondering Where The Lions Are" easily eclipsed the Canadian art-folk pioneer's laconic original. Likewise, a terrific cover of Van Morrison's "Into The Mystic" lent the already perfect composition some inspired and interestingly-blistering acoustic rejiggering.

Cruz emerged as such a master of rearrangement and eclectic musical choices, it was at times tough to decipher which songs were covers and which were his own. The effect kept nearly every composition Cruz performed sounding fresh and new.

Familiar Cruz hits such as "Island Style" and "Sitting In Limbo" bore almost no resemblance to studio versions on the singer's 1996 Na Hoku Hanohano-winning CD "Acoustic Soul." Cruz kept the homespun nostalgia of the lyrics to "Island Style" intact, but invigorated them with a vocal delivery hinting at irony. Minus multilayered backing vocals, a full band and studio wizardry, the redemptive lyrics of Cruz's cover of Jimmy Cliff's "Limbo" came off more honest and heartfelt.

"Mama's Lil' Baby," one of my favorite "Acoustic Soul" tracks, was preceded by a couple of minutes of gorgeously-intricate fretwork that looked effortless. A spare version of papa Ernie Sr.'s signature "Waimea Cowboy" was as sweet and endearing as it was reverent and beautiful.

The beauty of Cruz's laid-back, unvarnished performance was his brave determination to follow his musical muse regardless of his audience's desire to come along willingly. The blissful end result is that we actually did.

Got a night spot or club event we should check out? Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8005.

What: John Cruz

Where: Anna Bannanas, 2440 S. Beretania St., upstairs; 946-5190

When: 9:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Wednesdays

Cover: $5

Younger than 21 OK?: No

Age of crowd: mid-20s to mid-50s

Dress code: "Shirts and shoes"

Attire we saw: Casual. On men: tees, polos, jeans, khakis, baseball caps. On women: tees, tank tops, jeans

Our arrival/departure: 10 p.m./12:30 a.m.

What we drank: Bartender's iced tea ($5.50), Absolut cranberry ($4)

Peak crowd while there: 25

Queue?: No

Sample music: "Mama's Lil' Baby," "Island Style," "Wondering Where The Lions Are," "Into The Mystic," performed live by Cruz

Dancing?: No