Hawaiian Tradition
There are as many styles and categories of music in Hawai'i as there are singers and musicians. Since the beginning, when Hawaiian entertainers began to be heavily influenced by outside, off-island musical sounds and styles, Hawaiian musicians and singers took the new sounds and instruments and quickly placed their own stamp of ownership on them. The beat, the pulse of the music, irrespective of the tempo, began to penetrate the presentation of most songs, creating a new, vibrant style.As new artists emerge, they add to the musical forms of the past and bedeck the matrix of the style with their own artistic personalities which become unique garlands of new, musical nuances. Two such artists are AMY and WILLIE K."Upon leaving a private music school in California, my grandmother, Jennie, spoke to me about the importance of Hawaiian music. Knowing that I was classically trained, she asked me to try and practice Ha'i. I fell in love with it. Everything I had ever learned about music was in this style of singing. Keeping in mind the female legends of Hawaiian music, Aunty Genoa Keawe, Lena Machado, Kealoha Kalama, and Leina'ala Haili, I tried to write in a traditional form, but with my own style. I hope to take you back in time when music was simple, beautiful, and pure. This is from my heart."   Amy Hanaiali'i GilliomBand members:Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom-lead vocalsWillie K.-12-string guitar, 6-string guitar, 4-string ukulele, electric bass, mandolin, percussion