Back to Back Showcases in September

September 13, 2021 • Addison Ching • Festivals and Conventions

The Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase will feature two livestreamed showcases this month.

The first Showcase on Saturday, September 18, will be a Kanikapila Showcase. Guests viewing the showcase are invited to sing and play along with kanikapila musicians or just sit back and enjoy the music. Songs will be selected by the kanikapila musicians but special requests are welcomed at mele@hawaiiansteelguitarshowcase.com or via live comments during the broadcast.

The kanikapila All-Star band will feature steel guitarists Alan Akaka, Greg Sardinha, and Paul Kim. Kapio Asing on guitar and Helene Woodward on upright bass will join the group. As the steel guitarists also play multiple instruments, it is likely to see one or more of them playing the ‘Ukulele or other instruments.

An Open Stage Showcase will be offered the following Saturday, on September 25. The Open Stage Showcase will feature videos submitted by steel guitarists and steel guitar bands from Hawai‘i and worldwide.

This will be the second Open Stage Showcase offered this year. The Open Stage Showcase is similar to the Open Stage program at live festivals and provides an opportunity for steel guitarists to present prerecorded performances to the viewing audience. Individual musicians submitting videos use a variety of innovative ways of providing musical background to their performance, from using software such as Apple's GarageBand to create the backing tracks, to recording self-created backing tracks in various instruments to create the accompaniment.

Both showcases will be broadcast on the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase's Facebook page and on the Showcase's YouTube Channel. Links to both broadcasts are published in real time on the Showcase's website Event page. Livestream broadcasts will begin at 3 PM Hawaiian Standard Time.