Lau Aloua, a graduate
of Lahainaluna High School, is Kupa`āina's slack-key expert. Born in Tonga,
he started playing at hotels at the age of nine. He has lived in Maui, New
Zealand, Samoa, Fiji, and much of the East and West Coast. He also plays in
the Waianae band Kamaha`o. A former chef, Lau
still cooks for his wife and mother-in-law in their Waianae Homestead home,
when he's not supervising a landscape crew or doing TV commercials.
Keao Cockett, our original
multi-talented, keyboardist, guitarist, saxophonist, `ukulele player, and
vocalist. Keao is a teacher at Kapolei High School, and performs with his
own band, Inner Session. Their album, recorded for Immense and
Intense Productions, is now in stores. He also plays in his dad’s band Na Pali on Kaua`i. Check out www.myspace.com/innersession.
Babatunji Heath has filled in on drums with the band as well as Mr. Chang’s various and sundry WSUP (Whoever Shows Up) gigs. Tunji is a founding member of Kototama Productions and helped the band make its first album. Tunji is well
known for his old recording/practice space studio JUNK MUSIC STUDIOS where Kupa`āina and bands such as Red Session and Go Jimmy Go made
some of their first recordings. Tunji currently resides in Hong Kong with
his wife Maggie.
Kelli Heath is a
producer/engineer/ founding member of Kototama Productions, slack key guitarist
extraordinaire, a member of The Girlas collective, and a
solo artist in her own right. Kelli has played guitar on many occasions with the
band and helped us produce our first album. Kelli is becoming increasingly well-known in the local as an ace sound engineer.
Anson Pang, our original drummer, is a
Damien grad, an ex-Marine, Vietnam veteran, a retired bank officer and a
proud grandfather from Kāne`ohe. Anson now resides in Abilene, Texas with
his grandchildren.
Luke Solatorio, our first bass player and high school
classmate of Mr. Chang, still sits in with the band, even playing congas at Diamond Head Cove. He currently plays with the band Canoes For Rent when he has time between doing the sound at his church and working at sea.
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Nakana Wong plays stand-up bass
and contributes vocal harmonies, particularly when the band is one of its "un-plugged" modes. He is full time member of the band Kahua, a mainstay at the Willows restaurant in Honolulu that plays
traditional Hawaiian music. He is also a
member of Keao’s band Inner Session and sits in as a member of WSUP now and then. Nakana makes a regular living as a science teacher in
the Hawaiian language at Anuenue.
Kanalu G.T. Young, known on KINE 105.1 as The Kapahulu Daktah, is a composer and font of wisdom for the band.
He is a professor of Hawaiian studies at the University of Hawai`i,
Mānoa. He has contributed extensively to the fields of Pacific Island
history and Native Hawaiian political and historical scholarship and
discourse. Kanalu has also written songs with artists such as Jon Osorio and Pai`ea.
Big mahalo to our musical mentors, conspirators
and inspirators in Barry Flanagan, Ernie Jr. and Guy Cruz, Tracey Terada, Tyrone Wells,
Kumu John Lake, Malama Minn, Mikala Canonigo, Maria Remos, The Girlas, Lopaka Colon,
Kapali Keahi and Lahaina Grown, Paula Fuga and the One Love Band, Jon Osorio, Johnny Helm, James McCarthy, Noelani Goodyear-Kaopua, Solomon and
Kamuela Enos, Kahua, G, Ooklah The Moc, Kamau, Oshen, Na Pali, Kamaha`o, Keahi Blue, Jay Jeffries, Jack Johnson, Y York,
Margaret Jones, Bob Ostertag, John
Vierra and JV Studios, Junk Music Studios,
and all present and future Junk jammers, the gang at Hale Noa and Diamond Head Cove
Health Bar, Moemoea, Traditional Music, Inner
Session, Jim On & Beerman attorneys-at-law, and all friends
and family from the Eastern-Western-Northern and Southern parts of our
islands, the continents and the world who have supported us and invited us
into your homes, hearts, and ears.
All those who care about this land and the
people of this land, who choose to give back to the environment, support
cultural survival and revitalization, cross cultural exchange and communion,
and further progressive change in multiple arenas in Hawai`i nei and the
world.
Less about the band.
Kupa`āina plays their signature tune Kupa`āina at the 2006 Windward Ho`olaule`a.
