SOOTHING SOUNDS OF HAWAIIAN SLACK KEY EMINATE FROM LAXSON AUDITORIUM JANUARY 31, 2004

It's one of the loveliest and seemingly simplest musical sounds on Earth—lilting melodies, plucked on an acoustic guitar, as soulful as Delta blues and as soothing as a warm, whispering breeze at sundown. Called ki ho' alu, or "slack key," it's a guitar style rooted in nearly two centuries of Hawaiian history. It's simplicity is deceptive, belied by the seasoned virtuosity required to master a range of special tunings and personalized approaches to finger picking and improvisation.

Once primarily only shared with ‘ohana, or family, slack key's beautiful rhythms and magical way of capturing the aloha spirit are now taking international center stage. Performing in Laxson Auditorium, Saturday January 31, 2004 at 7:30 p.m. will be the "Slack Key Lady" Cindy Combs, innovative singer and songwriter Dennis Kamakahi, and slack key legend Cyril Pahinui. All three are performing as part of the Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival. Before the show, a decadent Hawaiian-themed dinner will be offered in the Bell Memorial Union Auditorium, catered by Associated Students Catering. A ticket to the dinner with a premium seat to the performance is $42 per person (see sidebar).

In slack key, some of the strings are slacked from the standard tuning, with the thumb playing the bass while the other fingers play the melody and improvisation in a finger-picked style. The roots of the slack key can be traced to the 1830's, when the guitar was brought to the Islands by Spanish and Mexican cowboys. The Hawaiians quickly adopted the guitar into their culture, creating many ingenious tunings to suit their music originally to match the key of the vocals.

The three slack key performers in this particular festival are all very unique in their styles. Dennis Kamakahi, one of Hawaii's most prolific and popular songwriters is well known as a warm and evocative singer as well as a gifted slack key guitarist. "There's a lot of kaona (hidden meaning)," said Kamakahi. "For instance, in a lot of the songs you have rain or mist. These things touch the skin like an embraceable lover. Flowers that bloom in Hawaii are beautiful to the sight and so is a woman who attracts you. As a composer, you look at the woman, you look at the flower and you write that the woman is a flower that blooms in your heart, touched by the rain, embraced by the mist. Nothing is said directly."

Kamakahi believes that if one is a composer, you never stop composing. Every new place that you go, every new person you meet, gives you the opportunity to write about how you feel. "When you write a song you come away knowing that someone has shared a true life story with you and you'll share it with the world."

"Slack Key Lady" Cindy Combs began playing slack key guitar in 1971 by answering an advertisement in a local newspaper that offered lessons from Keola Beamer, a young and up-and-coming performer on the music scene. In six weeks of lessons with Beamer, Cindy learned much, like the G6th and C Wahine tunings that she still favors today. "Those six weeks changed

my life and put me on the road to where I am today," she explains "still playing, still in love with slack key."

Cyril Pahinui is the son of the legendary slack key guitarist Gabby "Pops" Pahinui. Cyril first started playing guitar at the age of seven. Cyril found motivation from his father and good friend Atta Isaacs, who is considered to be one of the best improvisers in the history of slack key. Cyril began performing professionally with his father at the age of 15, where he would need parental permission to play the clubs around Waikiki. After his musical career was put on hold when he was drafted into the Army, Cyril once again performed with his father and appeared on a total of five of Gabby's albums.

Cyril went on to join Peter Moon's Band and recorded four albums with the band before he decided to put together his own project with his brothers Bla and Martin, to release an album on Private Music entitled The Pahinui Brothers, with guest artists Ry Cooder and David Lindley. Lately Cyril has been busy touring solo and with his own band. He is currently also recording more albums of solo slack key guitar and vocals that are being produced by George Winston for Dancing Cat Records

Helping to bring Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival to the North Valley are local sponsors: KPAY Radio, KCHO Radio, Chico News & Review, City of Chico, and Butte College.

Advance tickets are $12 for CSU, Chico and Butte College students, $14 for children and other students, $16 for seniors, and $18 for general admission. Premium seating tickets are $22, and $42 for a ticket to the dinner, which includes a premium ticket to the performance. Tickets are available at the University Box Office (898-6333) located at 2^nd & Normal Streets, or at the following outlets: Terrace Pharmacy, The House of Color in Paradise. Tickets purchased at the door are $2 extra. For disability related accommodations call 898-4325.

Chico Performances is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing high quality dance, music and theatre to the residents of the North Valley.

The Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival is presented by Chico Performances and is supported, in part, by grants from the City of Chico and its Arts Commission.

Side bar for Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival Dinner

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More information is available on the web at: www.chicoperformances.com

Downloadable high resolution images are available at: cricket.csuchico.edu/cp/

To contact this artist: call Herschel Freeman at (901)757-4567

Artist web page: www.dancingcat.com

Chico Performances contact: Daran Marx Finney (530) 898-6785. This information available on disk or by email.