The Steel Guitar Forum

Seems the long standing tradition of steel guitar at the House Without A Key is in serious threat, with the latest expulsion of yet another steeler from thier weekly roster, they are now down to 2, Kaipo and Greg, with Greg much too busy to do emergency fill ins regularly.
Unless they have managed to find another qualified steeler, and they have gone thru about all there are on Oahu, they may end up kissing a good thing goodbye (if not already), and they've done it to themselves. Nobody else to blame.
Shameful.
The first I heard of in this trend was back in the 90s when Jerry Byrd fronted his all-star trio, and asked them for a 15% pay increase for his guy's, and they sed NO. He packed his bags and split.

Walter Mo'okini was fired for supposedly taking too long to return to the stage after breaks. Total BS. The man was recovering from knee surgerys, and was always on time.

Harold Haku'ole sed screw you when they implimented a pay reduction last year to what was already an insultingly low salary.

These are just 3 of the finest gentlemen and greatest steelers on Oahu, with Harold being the last survivor and not playing steel any more, and to treat them so shabbily is inexcusable.
But, par for the course at this and most other hotels/lounges here.

Where they will find even competant replacements is anybody's guess. It's a very limited pool, and all the big fish have been shot to rot.

I guess you have to go where you're appreciated ($).

Dare I ask if the same scenario you mentioned happened to Jeff? I'm going there in September and will be more than a little irritated if I don't get my "fix" of live steel there.

I was under the impression that anytime you need to replace Country or Hawaiian.....that it's easy to do with Rock & Roll, you know six or eight guys with lots of glitter, smoke and flame, loud amps and a lot of jumpin' all over the stage. They made that a practice some years ago here in the Pacific Northwest. The manager asked me? "Why pay $250 per night for four cowboys when you can get 6-8 guys for $100.00??
Management seems to have figured this dilema out.

Ray, that's why they have the new Tiki's joint in Waikiki, so you can be blasted by the (actually, pretty good R&R covers band) as you stroll along the entire beach at Waikiki instead of peace and quiet, or heaven forbid, good Hawaiian music with steel guitar..., pathetic.

Matt, I'll let Jeff comment on his particular sitch.
The only place that pays good to Hawaiian musicians is Japan and the mainland tours.

I just came from the Haleku' to get the scoop, no dice. They thot Jeff was still there, so I got the chumps Email that is usually in the know there, and I'll try to get the current line-up, with or without steel.

From what I hear thru the grape vine, players these days lack the effort to show up on time, or at all some times. I really just don't understand that attitude. I think a dose of integrity would help. A work ethic, and ability to work with others is golden.

Those hotels are cheap of course. The price of a room for one night at the big hotels would likely pay for the band and then some. But so much for the bean counters and their bottom line.

The Haleku is run by a certain breed/nationality of 'management' which doesn't give a sh** about Hawaiian music and least of all, the steel guitar...the bottom line is simply; how much booze they can sell at those small round tables. They can book any group which may, or may not have a Hawaiian flavor, (or steel guitar), knowing the tourists will continue to flock in, if only to experience the ambiance of seeing Diamond Head at twilight along with the romance of dancing under the stars 'neath the old hou tree. If any of you taped Jerry's speech which he delivered quite unexpectantly at Joliet over a decade ago,(shortly after he quit the Haleku), he summed the whole situation up perfectly and very bluntly as only Jerry could do...(bless his memory). Playing at that 'romantic' spot, or any of the other great hotels in Waikiki, ain't all it's cracked up to be. Musicians, no matter if they happen to be known world-wide as Jerry was, must enter from the rear, and their status ranks lower than that of waiters, often earning much less.

I fired off an Email to Janis Clapoff yesterday, the GM at the Haleku'(janis.clapoff@halekulani.com), explaing the deplorable history they have treating the musicians and still are, in detail, and asking what they plan on doing now that they have pretty much run thru the entire pool of competent steelers still willing to play there.

I'd like to have Jerry's own words to reply to her reply, if it comes...

The House Without A Key, Manager, Ted Toddy will be back tomorrow (ted.toddy@halekulani.com) and hope to get a reply as to whom is filling the new 3 evening vacancies. Greg Sardinha will no doubt try, but he's much to busy to be any more regular than his 2 nights already, and that leaves Kaipo as the other.

From our perspective, that's a sad situation, but I have my doubts about any changes in attitude of the management, no matter who contacts them. They likely treat all the employees`with the same indifference.

It's sad to hear that. I haven't been to the islands for a few years, but one of the highlights of my last trip was getting to hear and meet Casey Olsen while he was performing at the Halekulani. Even at that time, steel guitar was pretty hard to find at any of the hotels or clubs.

It's also the ignorant tourist who is to blame. And the hotels know this. The hotels know they can satisfy the tourists with very little.

To many of these tourists it doesn't matter if they are on a beach in Mexico, the Caribbean or Hawaii. To them it's just sand and palm trees. They want cheap beer, deep fried food and sunshine.

These are the same people who vacation in Paris, Rome, Madrid etc. and line up at McDonalds or KFC when meal time rolls around.

They don't want to hear the local music. They want what they listen to back home.

The only time they want to "hear" local music is if they can get a picture of themselves drunkedly standing next to a "real Hawaiian" or a "real Mexican in a sombrero".

Pathetic.

I believe there was no steel at the Halepoo last night, and no reply from Ms. Clapoff yet.

But it was a real hoot at the Marriott last night as Bobby Ingano sat in for the fist 2 sets and Aaron Mahi returned on bass. They were really into it.

I thing Gerald nailed it. Most tourists are dumb asses when it comes to culture. Where did you say that cheap beer is?

Speaking of dumb asses, some people I am ashamed to know just returned from Hawai'i. I asked if they got to hear any Hawaiian music but was met with a dumb look on their faces. They spent their boozing
time at the HARDROCK CAFE....! Hell, they could have stayed home and done the same thing !! Really makes you wonder.

You have a Hard Rock Cafe in your home?

Wait a minute. How can it be the tourists' fault that some hotel's management is scrimping on thier entertainment budget?

Isn't it the tourists that make the hotels happen in the first place? And not everybody is into music, and even fewer are into Hawaiian music. Does that make them ignorant dumb asses?

If you visit Indianapolis and don't go to the reaceway are you an ignorant dumb ass?

And what's wrong with sand, sunshine, fried food and beer? Well, maybe not the fried food ...

Take it easy on the tourists, if there weren't any there would be a lot fewer gigs for musicians.

If I'm ever lucky enough visit Hawaii though, I want plenty of steel and slack key, and some sand and beer and hula dancers too.

And a sleepy lagoon.

The real shame of it all is that The Halekulani and The Moana have the heritage and location to have as much success as they want, if only they would have the smarts to put it together. The talents to insure a nice nightly draw are still out there, but no one will invest the slightest thot towards capitalizing on it.

Still no reply from the GM.

Hey Keith, I like your list

Ron Whitfield wrote:I fired off an Email… explaining the deplorable history they have treating the musicians and still are…

Unfortunately, that may not help. I can garantee you that if the place was packed every night and lots of patrons were telling the managment how much they liked the steel guitar & traditional Hawaiian music, there would be no danger of losing the gig. There is a problem all over the united states of less work and less appreciation for good live music. This is because people are not exposed to live music and are not educated about it. They don't seek it out. Add to that the attitude a lot of mainlanders have about the islands being a big amusement park.

The best thing we can do, is to patronize live music, encourage our friends to support it and music education in the schools.

They obviously don't give a rip, and one voice squaking ain't gonna change that, for sure.
The topic came up again last night at a Waikiki steel/dinner party, with all agreeing that the Halekulani sucks and not worth patronizing, especially with the high prices charged for not much.

If there was a consistant voicing of disapproval via Email, a very easy and effective tactic, there would be a distinct possibility that it would shake thier tree.
But, I guess that won't be happening either...

Well, Ron, I guess we're just going to have to accept the fact that the Hakalugi is destined for DJ-dom and Hawaiian steel guitar as we know it has been dying a slow death in Hawaii for the last decade or two (as much as we don't want to admit it). Maybe if one of the forumites can make an .mp3 sample disk titled "Authentic Hawaiian Steel Guitar Licks" , perhaps a savvy Hawaii-based DJ can resurrect the sounds of a bygone era by pasting them over some club/disco grooves. "Aaawww, Freak Out...."

Matt Rhodes wrote:"Aaawww, Freak Out...."

:mrgreen:

C'est Chic!

Dan Sawyer wrote:I can garantee you that if the place was packed every night and lots of patrons were telling the managment how much they liked the steel guitar & traditional Hawaiian music, there would be no danger of losing the gig.

In this case, Dan, I am fairly confident that would not work at this establishment. The Halekulani in all of its infinite wisdom seems to know what is best for their customer.

I am going to have myself permanently blacklisted from the place as a result of this post, but so be it... I had always dreamed of performing at the Halekulani even as a child. As a mainlander in love with Hawaiian music, I always thought it would have tremendous caché to perform under the same kiawe tree where Linda Dela Cruz, Kahauanu Lake, Sonny Kamahele and Benny Kalama stood before me. Last year, my dream came true. Because of last-minute cancellations and scheduling conflicts, I was able to perform there on three Saturday evenings with my great friend, Jeff Au Hoy.

Previously, on the mainland, I had performed everywhere from college frat houses to the Trump- and Wynn-owned casino-hotels in Atlantic City. But nowhere on the planet did I experience musicians less appreciated or receive more deplorable treatment than at the Halekulani Hotel. As noted elsewhere, musicians there are treated worse than cooks or waitstaff. I was yelled at or admonished for grabbing a glass of water in the kitchen (as opposed to the employee dining room a long, long walk away, essentially taking up one's entire 15-minute break) and for standing in the wrong place to talk to patrons interested in learning about Hawaiian music. Most interesting of all, the prevailing attitude seems to be "musicians are better seen than heard" because no matter where you set your volume, it's too loud for management while patrons complain to the musicians (as if we had any control) that they can't hear you. And all of the humiliation for what is possibly the lowest pay scale in all of Waikiki.

I suppose I will never work there again. But that's OK because I can say I had the experience. I doubt that Linda Dela Cruz or Kahauanu Lake were treated that way. But we can guess that Jerry Byrd, Walter Mookini, Harold Hakuole, Sonny Kamahele, and Benny Kalama were. And that is probably why they split: Legends being treated like children.

At least you were able to get it out of your system, Bill.
Here's hoping a new wave of sensibility overwhelms the hoteliers and they figure it out.
HA!

Still no reply from the GM or HWAK mgr.
nice...

Bill, count me one of the fortunate ones to see one of those gigs during "The Longest Hula Line" last September. I'm sorry to hear that the management put a damper on it - my wife and I had fun watching you guys. Y'all looked like you were having fun and we were none the wiser.

Here's a lame pic (sorry, it was a little dark) that I took of that gig:




You're on the right and Jeff is in the middle.

This next one has Kanoe Miller between you and Jeff:

Wow! I didn't know Kanoe played steel!