By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

Lance Kamaka can hear my pen scratching across the notepad. The microphone I have to wear in order to interview him picks up the sound and amplifies it in his headphones. "Writing fast, eh?" he jokes.

You have to be fast to keep up with Kamaka.

Some people think he's going to be the next big thing on the Hawai'i music scene. Some think he already is.

He gigs three nights a week at La Mariana. He released his first CD this year and is writing both music and a business plan for his second CD. "In short, I'm going to go wherever the music takes me," he says.

Kamaka, a musician, singer, composer and arranger, has to wear the FM amplifier headphones to hear his own music. He's legally deaf. A rare genetic disorder called Norrie's Syndrome caused premature hearing loss. Not that that stops him. The one thing that does get in his way is his attention to detail.

"In my music, I'm a perfectionist. In other things, not so much. But in music, it slows me down," he says. "On the one hand, it's good because it makes you grow, but on the other hand, it can be a stumbling block. I'm never totally satisfied with what I have. I always think I can do this better."

Kamaka released his first CD, entitled "Soothe Me," earlier this year. He did all of the recording himself, though he went to a recording studio to "fix the levels." He composed the nine tracks of what he calls "massage music" ("Don't listen to this in the car while you're driving," he jokes) and then self-promoted the project.

"That was a learning experience for me. Dealing with distribution is a lot of work. It takes a lot of the fun out of it."

For this next project, Kamaka is hoping to make a deal with a distributor so that he can focus on the music. He says his second CD will be contemporary Hawaiian music.

In pursuit of his childhood dream of a career in the music business, Kamaka enrolled in a 12-week course with the very long title: "Artists Mean Business: Making Self-Employment Work for Artists with Disabilities."

This was the first time the course was offered through the University of Hawai'i Outreach College in partnership with the U.S. Center of Disabilities Studies and VSA Arts of Hawai'i Pacific.

"The class is very informative about making a business plan," says Kamaka, who is learning to use his attention to detail in other parts of his life. "I'm getting a better handle on it because of it."

Kamaka is also gearing up for a concert on Aug. 15 at the Hard Rock Cafe. The show is from 5 to 10 p.m. Kamaka will share the stage with Beethoven's Nightmare, America's only all-deaf rock 'n' roll band. Kamaka has something on those musicians, though. He's also blind.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.