Here's a classic recording that stirs up some great memories! I've always considered this album to be "definitive Beamer Brothers". Some wonderful songs, some warm humor and a lot of heart. - Keola Beamer
Having been privileged to be with, and record many of Hawai'i most important stars, covering a very broad spectrum of styles (Kainapau, Apaka, The SOS, Ali'is and even the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra) Keola and Kapono Beamer were my introduction to a "grass roots" renaissance of Hawaiian music.
Both Beamers are excellent singers, exceptional musicians and gifted composers - their performances ring with a reverence for the traditions and beauty of the islands. As contemporary members of an illustrious family deeply rooted in the lore and musical culture of Hawai'i, they have bridged the gap between the old and the new with sensitivity, humor, and love for the land of their heritage.
Keola and Kapono have developed their own style of ki ho'alu, or slack key guyitar - a most unique and delightful method of playing the instrument that originated with the paniolo (Spanish cowboys who came to Hawai'i in the 1830s) and, although an established art form pertinent to the islands, for which there is no written music. It is largely this flavor of their guitars in their vast repertoire through which they relate to their forefathers and the land of their birth.
(In slack key, the strings are loosened at will by each individual artist to suit the particular number he is performing. Keola happens to be the author of the method's only instruction book.)
The Beamers are experts in this almost-forgotten art, as well as the nose flute and other ethnic percussion instruments. As you listen to this collection of musical Hawaiiana which runs the gamut from little-known gems steeped in tradition, to their currently popular "Sweet 'Okole", I believe you'll readily understand why they have become Hawai'i's youngest legends.
Sonny Burke - 1976