Live steel guitar on Oahu?

[Bob Knetzger]

I'll be on Oahu the second week of next January.

Any recommendations for live shows or for other resources for steel guitar?

Thanks,

Bob K

[Nic Neufeld]

What I typically do is...bring my own steel guitar. Hard to find it otherwise (unless you time it with a HIMELE festival, which I have done). There's a lot of music on O'ahu (and in Waikiki) but the battle these days is finding people playing Hawaiian music at all (lots of loud pop music in the tourist districts)...and when you find a combo playing that music, odds are definitely against them having a steel player...it happens, just isn't the norm.

I know Alan mostly plays just festivals and teaching stuff, isn't gigging on a regular basis, and I -think- the same is true for Bobby Ingano but I'm not sure with him. Some new younger players include Malie Lyman and Joe Zayac but I'm not sure where they play...and Joe apparently does a lot of jazz guitar so isn't a fulltime steel player. I've heard that the PCC luau up in Laie has (or had) steel guitar, with Steve Cheney...but I've not been to that one and can't say with any assurance he's not retired.

Let's see...other steel guitar related things...well, there's a statue of Joseph Kekuku at the PCC in Laie...I wouldn't drive up there just for that. I also make it a habit each visit to pay respects at the Diamond Head memorial park, where my top three steel guitar heroes were laid to rest (Jules Ah See, Barney Isaacs, and Billy Hew Len...as well as Alfred Apaka and a number of other famous musicians). If you want to stay away from the bustle of Waikiki I would, at the risk of what feels like giving away a secret, really recommend Paradise Bay on the windward side. I ended up playing kanikapila with the guy who does the music there four nights a week and we had a good time (like I said, most reliable way to hear Hawaiian steel guitar in Hawaii is to bring yours, sadly).