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"My laptop was completely ruined when my office flooded. Even the hard disk was wrecked; but I didn't lose a single document."
 | Hawaiian artists News - 14-October-2009 |  |
 BARRY FLANAGAN AND ERIC GILLIOM
Stella Blues Cafe in Kihei.
October 18th, 2009
Dinner Seating at 6:00 pm
Show Starts as 7:30pm
Four-Course Dinner & Show $60.00
Stella Blues Cafe
1279 South Kihei Road
Azeka's II Shopping Center
Kihei, HI 96753
Please call for limited seating Reservations: (808) 874-3779
Mahalo and see you all there!
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- ABOUT BARRY FLANAGAN -
Founder of the internationally acclaimed, contemporary Hawaiian music troupe “HAPA” in 1983, Barry Flanagan, a self-proclaimed “perpetual student”, is an evolving musical visionary. Born in New York City and raised in nearby Bergen County, New Jersey, Barry Flanagan came to the Hawaiian Islands in 1980 to study and explore the art of Kiho Alu, or slack-key guitar, and Haku Mele, Hawaiian poetic song composing. Flanagan heard slack key master Gabby Pahinui, which inspired Flanagan’s first visit and eventual move to the Valley Island of Maui.
Flanagan immersed himself in Hawaiian culture and art, seeking out poetic language and slack key guitar instruction, passionately studying both indigenous art forms with Maui as the backdrop. An “eternal spring of inspiration for artists and writers from around the world” is how Flanagan describes Maui.
A prolific composer and performer, and one of Hawaii’s most respected and celebrated recording artists and producers, Barry Flanagan has composed many of Hawaii’s most popular and cherished songs. In 1994, the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts honored Flanagan, and Hawaiian language instructor/translator S.H. Kiope Raymond, with the prestigious “Haku Mele” award. This acknowledgement, for “excellence of song composition in the Native Hawaiian language”, was bestowed for the now classic Hawaiian love song, “Lei Pikake.” Flanagan’s production and composing accolades included single of the year for the hauntingly beautiful “Ku‘u Lei, Ku‘u Ipo”, and the producer’s award for HAPA’s initial CD release.
HAPA’s benchmark self-entitled initial release swept all six categories it was nominated for at the 1994 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards (Hawaiian equivalent of the Grammy’s). Produced, composed, and arranged by Flanagan, “HAPA” still maintains Top Ten statuses on the Hawaiian music charts ten-year’s after it’s initial release.
Its groundbreaking sales have established it as the number one selling recording by a group or duo in the history of recorded Hawaiian music. The troupe continues to tour internationally, performing to sold-out concert halls from New York to Tokyo.
Both follow up HAPA recordings, 1997’s “In the Name of Love” (“The Years Best Album” –Honolulu Advertiser) and 1999’s “Namahana”, (“Masterpiece” –Honolulu Star Bulletin) produced and arranged by Flanagan, debuted in Billboard's Top Ten World Music chart. Flanagan was given permission by the Reverend Billy Kyles, curator of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Museum in Memphis, Tennessee to use a section of a speech by Dr. King in HAPA's powerful rendition of the U2 classic, "Pride (In The Name of Love)".
In 2000, Flanagan co-composed a song with friend Kenny Loggins for his Grammy nominated “More Songs from Pooh Corner” release. The song, “Hana Aluna Lullaby” includes a chorus in the Hawaiian language, making this the first song utilizing Hawaiian lyrics to receive this distinction.
For more info on Barry & Hapa go to www.hapa.com
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- ABOUT ERIC GILLIOM -
(as told on his myspace page)
I grew up on the Island of Maui in Hawaii, my dad is Hawaiian and my mother is from Wisconsin. I come from an entertainment family, many of them in the business in one form or another. I was into music and theater at a very young age and decided to pursue the "biz" after high school. So I went to a performing arts school in Chicago (Goodman School of Drama) for for very hard and cold years.
After college, I moved to L.A and started auditioning.....for everything, I was cast in my first film Hoosiers, and started getting role in TV shows like Moonlighting and My Sister Sam. All the while I was nurturing a professional dance career, you see I had been dancing ballet, jazz and tap all along, which got me into several professional dance companies and many music videos.
Then one day I auditioned for choreographer Debbie Allen (Fame) and became part of her posse, she loves funky dancers with technique. She cast me in my first broadway show. Carrie the Musical. That took me to London where the show was being rehearsed and mounted, after almost a year and opening the show in Stratford , it went to Broadway.
From there I danced in several more shows until I went to Spain to dance and sing in a Spanish TV show called Sabado Noche..... That was a trip!! I decided when my "professional" dance career was coming to an end to explore other parts of my talents, Music. Acting, producing, directing I came back to Hawaii in the early 90's and play the role of Franknfurter in an AMAZING production of The Rocky Horror Show directed by a fantastic New York Director. The show was a smash hit, biggest audiences Hawaii had ever scene.
I had also formed my very first band at that time called The Eric Gilliom Project, a funk band made up of the best players in the island, also very successful for its time. I began to sing on many records and eventually produced my own in 1996, Into the Mystic I was beginning to tour a lot and found myself back in N.Y performing at Carnegie Hall with Hawaii superstar Kealii Reichel. In 2004, I hooked up with long time friend Jamie Foxx and was part of the cast of a variety show he was producing for the WB called "Thesenuts". We shot the pilot with an all star cast, super model Tyra Banks was also in the cast, unfortunately the show wasn't picked up. I came back to Hawaii and spent a year practicing another long time passion of mine, Guitar.
I wood-shedded with long lime friend and guitar player extraordinaire Barry Flanagan for HAPA, he would show me how to play slack key and many other styles as well as singing in the Hawaiian language, I toured with Hapa that summer. Then I met the great Willie K, who had been singing with my beautiful sister. They had a very successful duo happening for many years, when they broke up Willie and I began to work together (with my sisters blessing of coarse) Willie and I became the "BAREFOOT NATIVES" in two years time we did two records together and many tours and concerts and several TV specials with our director and partner Brian Kohne. From that came the great fortune of meeting and now playing with rock legend Mick Fleetwood, yes of Fleetwood Mac.
He has once again formed an amazing band of characters called the Island Rumours Band with guitar great Rick Vito, bassist Lenny Castellanos, percussion wizard Lopaka Colon, Singing goddess Gretchen Rhodes and myself. We have been a band for over two years now and getting ready to record.
I live on Maui and I love Hawaii cuz Im a local boy at heart. I am so very fortunate and blessed to do what I do, and I plan to do this for the rest of my life. I am a highly creative being and always looking to learn more about life.
My purpose in life is to create art.
I am an artist!
I love music and I love to LAUGH!
More info on www.ericgilliom.com | Page:
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