A dozen of Hawaii’s most talented slack-key guitarists are on the bill of the 27th Annual Kona Style Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival.
The family-friendly kanikapila, a benefit for the Ki-ho‘alu Foundation, will take place from 1-5 p.m. Sunday in the Outrigger Kona Beach Resort Ballroom. Doors open at noon.
“We have a very diverse lineup of great musicians,” said Milton Lau, the Ki-ho‘alu Foundation’s president and founder.
That might be an understatement.
Those who’ll play 20-minute sets in the four-hour event include: Waimea’s Charles Michael Brotman, acclaimed instrumentalist, composer and producer, winner of the first Hawaiian Grammy award; Donald Kauli‘a, a Wai‘anae Coast native who now calls Maui home; L.T. Smooth, a regular on the Kona circuit; North Kohala’s John Keawe, who has won multiple Hoku awards; Blayne Asing, originally from Oahu, but now living in Waimea and working with the Kahilu Theatre; Walter Keale, who was raised in California but moved back to Hawaii to be close to his roots; Ben Kaili, perhaps Hilo’s best-known slack-key musician; Kala‘e Parish, a brilliant Native Hawaiian country balladeer who is also well-versed in slack key; and Ian O’ Sullivan, a classically trained musician and slack-key artist from Oahu’s North Shore.
A Hoku award count for Sunday’s artists would likely number several dozen.
Asked who’s headlining the festival, Lau said, “We shy away from naming headliners.” Then, after a pause, he said, “But if I had to name a headliner, I’d go with Brother Noland (Conjugacion).”
“He’s done a lot,” Lau explained. “He’s won lifetime achievement awards; he’s won many Hoku awards, and he’s written a lot of music. People can identify with him.”
Conjugacion has remained popular through a four-decades-plus career. His music encompasses a multitude of styles, but it and he remain Hawaiian at the core.
Also taking part in Sunday’s slack-key showcase are a pair of young Mauians, Anthony Pfluke and Kahiau Lam Ho.
Pfluke — the “p” is silent — is studying Hawaiian language, culture and music composition at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. He’s appeared as a special guest at a Maui Arts and Cultural Center concert with Hawaii superstars Keola Beamer and Henry Kapono, and has jammed onstage with John Cruz on the Valley Isle.
Cruz, a certified A-lister, actually played bass as Pfluke played guitar and ‘ukulele and sang.
Pfluke’s latest single, “Lahaina Strong,” is dedicated to those affected by the Lahaina fire, with hopes of a brighter future for Maui.
“He’s kind of, like, the latest thing on Maui over the last couple of years,” Lau said. “He’s very talented, and one great thing about him is he can write his own music, also. So, he can play his own originals, as well as traditional songs and other things people are familiar with.”
“Three years ago, I was judging a talent contest on Oahu. It was for the Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Kani Ka Pila Grille. There were five contestants, and (Pfluke) was one of them. And after Anthony went on stage and did his thing, I looked at the other judges and said, ‘OK, you can put your pencils away because this guy’s walking away with a win.’ And another judge — he was the head of the music department for Honolulu Community College — looked at me and said, ‘I guess you’re right.’”
According to Lau, despite the one-letter name difference and the fact that he’s from Maui and not Hawaii Island, Lam Ho is related to the family of the late Hilo kumu hula Johnny Lum Ho.
“He was in the contest a year ago, the same one Anthony was in, and he outshined everybody,” Lau said. “After he won, I did the same thing I did with Anthony. I told him I could take him around to all of the islands and get him some exposure statewide.
“So, the first festival he did was the Kona festival, last year — and everybody loved him. Apparently, he’s got a lot of family on the Big Island, and they came out in force to support him.”
There are no advance ticket sales and only 500 seats available for Sunday’s show. Tickets are $20 at the door, with ages 12 and under admitted free.
Food and beverages will be available for purchase, and the hotel will have a special parking rate of $10 for the day.
“We’ve had great crowds and a lot of support from the local community,” Lau said. “Last year, we had an about 85% local audience. This year, we’ve had a ton of requests for information from visitors, so I suspect we’ll have a lot of visitors there this year.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com