Tavana With Special Guest Makana

Tavana is a multi-instrumentalist from Honolulu, HI who uses electronic drum triggers to lay down a variety of grooves with his feet while simultaneously playing guitar, banjo, lap steel, or ukulele and singing soulful, island-inspired rock and blues. His album, "Aloha Spirit" was a Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award Nominee for Best Contemporary Album of the Year in 2018, and features Leon Mobley (Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals), Chris Chorney (Kanye West and Jay-Z), and Mike Lewis (Sammy Davis, The Temptations, Billy Joel), as well as other world class musicians - Mark Lindberg, Ken Likens, and Ane Pessin. The album displays Tavana’s versatility with crossover pop songs "SMH," "Aloha Spirit" and "Island Days," while still showcasing some of his traditional hard-driving rock style on "Walk My Way" and "Glass Castle."

Tavana has been the supporting act for Alabama Shakes, Shakey Graves, Xavier Rudd, Jenny Lewis, Julian Marley, and Kaleo to name just a few, and In 2009, Eddie Vedder invited Tavana to sing "Hawaii 78," a Hawaii anthem of sorts, with him at the Hawaii Theatre. “He’s more the exception than the rule, he is a great human and I’m glad to know him,” said Vedder while introducing Tavana to the audience. From a recording of their performance together, Vedder produced a limited vinyl record that was sent out to 10,000 Pearl Jam fans.

Makana is a singer, composer and master of the Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar tradition. Esquire Magazine refers to him as “the greatest living player,” and The New York Times calls him "dazzling." As a child he learned directly from the legends of the art form, including Bobby Moderow, Raymond Kaleoalohapoinaʻoleohelemanu Kāne and Sonny Chillingworth. Slack Key is a style dating back to the mid-1800s in which the guitar strings are “slacked” into beautiful chordal tunings. In these tunings- handed down through generations-the player performs alternating bass patterns, complex rhythms and lead melodies simultaneously to create a sound that evokes “three guitars in one,” evoking a lush acoustic soundscape that summons the dramatic imagery of Hawaiʻi.