Aloha to steel guitar at the Halekulani Hotel?

Gerald Ross · Post by **Gerald Ross** » 19 May 2008 9:55 am

If what Bill Wynne says is true (and I don't doubt you Bill) then the Halekulani is using quite an antiquated managerial system.

How do they manage to keep the employees from sabatoging the place? Typically in situations like this the wait staff, housekeepers etc. hate the management so much that they resort to acts of revenge. Unfortunately these acts many times are taken out on the customers.

Who runs the place? A big corporation or a single family?

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 23 May 2008 5:23 pm

Derrick know how that goes. I believe they (the Japanese owners) contract management firms to run hotels. So it's all bottom-line oriented (?)

It's time for the Halekalani to get some new hula girl blood too. Kanoe has been there forever it seems.

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 23 May 2008 5:42 pm

Let me know when you're going to tell that to Kanoe, I'd like to have my camera ready.

And, you'd better have your life insurance paid up!

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 23 May 2008 8:55 pm

"Kanoe has been there forever it seems."

Hey, I say LONG LIVE KANOE !!!! Such a beautiful lady and a lovely performer. It's amazing how well she has retained her beauty, charm and grace over the past 20 (or more) years. I hope she stays on at the Haleku for many, many years.

Wally Pfeifer · Post by **Wally Pfeifer** » 24 May 2008 5:51 am

Bill,- I would say you're treading on soft quicksand regarding Kanoe. Hope she stays forever.
Wally

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 24 May 2008 11:09 am

Oh well, I've been flamed before! I would like to see some younger hula dancers, so what's wrong with that?
I see enough old people when I look in the mirror!

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 24 May 2008 11:20 am

Sure, everyone loves to see 'young' hula dancers. However, very few coming up today possess the elegance which you will see in the performance of Kanoe Miller. She totally betrays her age....and I even saw her without any stage makeup, (when she attended Jerry's memorial service)...she's still a beauty to behold.

She may be packing on the years as all of us are, however she seems to remain eternally young...a truly lovely lady !

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 24 May 2008 12:02 pm

Ain't nobody put a flame to you, Bill, that was just a striking comment which you should have expected the responses that followed. All in good fun, as we all like the best in local beauties, and Kanoe has certainly maintained that tradition for decades as well as one of the best in hula.

If you want more youth and pizzazz in your dancers, next time you make it to Oahu, we'll stop in at Club Femme Nu. Just bring paper money. The girl that did the stack of quarters trick and gave change is long gone!

Roger Shackelton · Post by **Roger Shackelton** » 24 May 2008 2:35 pm

Rose & I were in Waikiki from April 26--May 8. We went to the Halekulani on Saturday evening, April 26.
I approached Kanoe after one of her performances.
As I walked toward her she started shaking her finger
in my direction and shouted, "I KNOW YOU, I KNOW YOU,
but I can't think of your name". I hugged her and whispered my name. She said, Welcome back to Hawaii.
A very charming lady indeed. I hope she remains at The Halekulani for a long,long time.

ROGER

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 24 May 2008 10:27 pm

I always hated getting slapped alongside the head with a sack of quarters.

Don Kona Woods · Post by **Don Kona Woods** » 25 May 2008 12:31 am

..next time you make it to Oahu, we'll stop in at Club Femme Nu.

Is that the Club where the males impersonate the females? There is no steel guitar there!!

I will take Kanoe anyday with the steel guitar accompaniment. Classic Hawaiian hula is always best done by mature women. Beverly Noa and Emma Veary, who were mature ladies,

are two classic hula dancers who danced at the Halekulani for a number of years in 1950's and 1960's and were extremely popular.

Aloha,

Don

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 25 May 2008 8:35 am

At our clubs, there is no hiding whacha got. They used to be really great.
The Haleku' would do well by changing thier format likewise. Hello Kanoe...

Jeff Au Hoy · Post by **Jeff Au Hoy** » 30 May 2008 4:25 am

Well Bill must like em real young cause I think Kanoe is stunning. She's a beautiful person with a heart to match. It took me a while to realize that everytime she'd approach the stage, my brain would go "wow", sending some sort of signal down my right arm to my picking hand and to my middle and index fingers which would then flutter atop the horseshoe pickup causing a disruptive takatakatakatakataka.

A number of factors lead up to my being "let go."
But when your leader and rhythm guitar player has a set repertoire of 15 songs and gives you a blank stare when you say, "Hey let's do 'Love Letters in the Sand'"... it's time to hit the eject button anyway.

The hotel management had nothing to do with it.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 30 May 2008 5:18 am

About 15+ years ago, I was watching a performance at the Joliet HSGA convention - my first-ever of a traditional Hawaiian steel performance. Two Hawaiian ladies, clearly in late middle age, got up to dance. I turned to my rock bass player friend, who I'd dragged along against his will, and cynically said something like, "Just wait, THIS is gonna really suck."

Well, those women got up there and danced with such sincerity, joy, and soul-baring beauty that I had tears of shame in my eyes afterward. A good life lesson if ever there was one. About two years ago, I had the pleasure of seeing Kanoe at House Without a Key. It was the same feeling as before (minus the cynicism). May she dance there forever!

Jim Mitchell · Post by **Jim Mitchell** » 30 May 2008 6:45 am

I have never been there but I found the site for
KANOE MILLER
http://www.squareone.org/Hapa/kanoe.html

Who is in the band

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 30 May 2008 9:10 am

That was the years ago Mon. and Wed. regulars of Alan Akaka on steel, Kaipo Ah Sing on bass and vocals, and Mr. Hollywood, the incomparable Sonny Kamahele on guitar and vocals.
On a good night, these guy's were tops.
Non-the-less, the beach goers would just stroll by behind the band, hardly anyone sparing a glance or caring about the great music.

The Steel Guitar Forum

Aloha to steel guitar at the Halekulani Hotel?

Hey Bill...

Kanoe Miller

Ummm, no Don..., and how would you know?