Stormy weather is back and this time it’s blowing in from the southwest.  I even heard there were flash flood alerts posted for the west side of O’ahu … hmmmm, serious stuff!  I was supposed to take my Japan friends golfing yesterday but we got rained out and instead, had a nice leisurely lunch while watching curtains of rain blow in from the ocean.  There were still some diehard golfers out on the course but I’m sure they got super soaked & muddy … not my idea of a perfect golf day!  Here in Manoa, it’s still pretty windy but the rain seems to have stopped so maybe we’ve seen the worst of it.  Whoops – talked too soon – here it comes again …

Last night we were invited over to Sarah’s house to celebrate her birthday with some awesome Hawaiian grinds – laulau, lomi salmon, kalua pig, chicken long rice, pipikaula, poke, poi, and the most delicious birthday cake with Roselani Dairy’s haupia ice cream!  Although I love Hawaiian food, for some reason I don’t get to eat it as often as I’d like to .. probably because I always eat too much and become an instant couch potato after I’m done.  It’s SOOOO good, though!  Happy birthday and mahalo, Sarah, for inviting us to join in your celebration!

Aloha, “Pops”

The NY Giants are the Super Bowl XLVI champs!  What a game!  It reminded me of the last time that New York and New England met in the Super Bowl, with the Giants beating the Patriots that time too.  Both teams played very tough, but in the end it was the Giant’s defense that made the difference.  But the best part of yesterday’s game was the bet that I won from my buddy, Rob!  Mahalo, brah!

This week will be pretty much like last week except that our good friends’ daughter will be getting married this weekend.  The Taguchis are from the Yokohama area and always take such good care of us whenever we’re in Japan.  Yokohama is one of ManoaDNA’s favorite cities and we have many great friends and fans there.  It was the first place we ever performed in Japan, and it was during this trip in April ’06 that we experienced the most amazing (and frightening!) welcome ever.  We were performing at the Minato Mirai concert hall in Yokohama, and during the intermission were asked to go to the lobby to sign autographs and take pictures.  Since this was our first trip to Japan and we were the rookies, we figured we’d just stand in the back and let the other Hawai’i entertainers greet the crowd.  Well, as soon as the doors opened for intermission everyone made a beeline straight for us and we were literally mobbed!  People were sticking cell phones and cameras in our faces as we tried to sign as many autographs as we could while trying not to get crushed!  We were actually starting to panic a bit … until suddenly the intermission was over and everyone rushed back to their seats!  It was an experience that the boys and I will never forget …

Have a great week, everybody!

Aloha, “Pops”

It’s Sunday morning here in the valley and there’s excitement in the air as everyone prepares for final football game of the season – the NFL’s Super Bowl!  Although my two favorite teams didn’t make it (Broncos and the 49ers), I’m still going to root for the NY Giants just because Carla is a staunch Patriots fan!  But the best part about the Super Bowl are the commercials because for some reason, they always air the funniest, most creative commercials during the Super Bowl.  My favorites are the Bud Light and E*Trade ones, especially that E*Trade baby … he’s hilarious!  Just goes to show you that you don’t have to be a football fan to enjoy the Super Bowl!

Last night was another very fun evening at the Kani Ka Pila Grille.  Many of our friends came down to see us including Wayne and his wife, Susan, along with Jesse Kuhaulua and his group who had flown in from Japan earlier that morning.  Jesse, a local boy from Happy Valley, Maui, was the first foreigner to be accepted into the ranks of sumo, Japan’s most revered sport.  We had the privilege of traveling with him last September up to the Tohoku region of Japan as part of a goodwill delegation where he attracted large crowds wherever we went.  It was great to see him again and I want to thank everyone who came down to party with us last night!  Mahalo to Pat and Kamalei for their lovely hula, and also to the many visitors both from the mainland and Japan who were there to enjoy our music last night!  Aloha!

Friday night’s performance at the Punahou Carnival’s Hawaiian Plate was a real blast.  The boys & I played before a packed house and the energy that night was awesome!  With Mark on bass, Seann on drums, and AK on his Strat, we took off at warp speed and never looked back … we had so much fun!  I was happy to see our buddy Pal Eldridge there … he really helped the boys when they were students at Punahou and gave them their first real performance experience during the school’s annual May Day shows.  Also ran into our pal Kama Hopkins of the group Holunape who stopped in to say hi … great to see him again!  But I was amazed at how many of our fans from Japan came to the carnival just to see us perform … mahalo for coming – we are truly grateful for all your support!

Have a great Super Bowl Sunday, my friends!

Aloha, “D”

The weekend has finally arrived which means that the Punahou Carnival will be in full swing today and tomorrow.  And since ManoaDNA will be there performing at the Hawaiian Plate tonight from 7 – 8pm, we won’t be appearing at Lulu’s (obviously!).  I really look forward to the carnival every year because not only is it a fun event but the malasadas are to die for!  I usually buy at least a dozen of those sugar- coated deep-fried pieces of dough  … they are SO GOOD!!  There’s nothing like a hot cup of coffee and some chewy hot malasadas on a chilly night … well worth the extra 5,000 calories!

It was a beautiful day at Waialae yesterday as my fellow degenerates and I gathered for an afternoon round of golf.  I ended up shooting an 82 – not bad considering I had a double & a triple bogey on the back nine.  It was just great to be out in the sun, hanging with a bunch of great guys, and taking my frustrations out on that small white ball.  The only “downer” was that the other team kicked our butts – Ants and Mike, two of the group’s highest handicappers decided to play their best golf in years and took us to the cleaners!  Oh well, that’s golf …

Have a great Super Bowl weekend, my friends!

Aloha, “D”

It’s Thursday which means an afternoon round of golf with my fellow degenerates.  And why I’m bragging about this to you guys is because it’s the first thing that I’m actually looking forward to this week!  Things should start picking up tomorrow with the Punahou Carnival, KKPG on Saturday, and the Super Bowl on Sunday.  I’ll be rooting for the Giants to beat the Patriots.  Why, you ask?  Just ‘cuz … plus the fact that I bet an IOLANI shirt vs. a bottle of wine with my buddy Rob in L.A.!

As I said before, this week has been a weird one for me … not really boring but with lots of little things going on – both good and bad.  I’ve had weeks like this before, but for some reason this one really stands out and I’ve been in a mild funk for the last couple of days (as you can tell from my blogs).  No worries, though … you gotta go through this once in a while in order to appreciate the good times.  I did receive a bit of good news – my friend and fellow degenerate, Les, made it through his heart surgery yesterday.  It was touch & go for awhile and there were doubts as to whether he would survive the operation – but he did and he’s now recovering nicely!  Heal quickly, brah … we need you back on the Thursdays!

We had a nice visit at IOLANI from hula sensei, Yoshiko, and several of her haumana who are here visiting from Osaka.  We had met her several years ago when ManoaDNA started over at the E&O Trading Co. in the Ward Centre … man, that seems like such a long time ago!  Anyway, it was great to see her and I hope we see them all again soon …

We had a surprise dinner last night – Alex came over and made us his special fish tacos!  He grilled corn tortillas and added sauteed mahimahi, his own homemade coleslaw, and liberal amounts of Cholula hot sauce.  Along with one of Side Street’s farmers salad with shrimp & avocado, it was just what the doctor ordered!  And as always, I ended up eating way too much (burp!) …

Aloha, “D”

Now I have a question for you guys – the portion of Kona St. where IOLANI is located, between Pensacola & Piikoi Sts. across from Ala Moana Shopping Center is a disaster waiting to happen with no streetlights, no sidewalks, and frequent floodings that create huge potholes too numerous to count.  At night I see more and more pedestrians walking along the poorly lit street (the only lights are from the buildings in the area) and it’s only a matter of time before there’s an accident.  So my question is, who’s responsible for the public’s safety?  Is it the city or the landowner … and who in fact IS the landowner??  Every time there’s a pothole problem I call the City & County hotline which then sends a crew out to repair them.  So if I let them know about the safety issue, will they put up street lights and install some sidewalks too?  Probably not … and it’ll probably take some poor sap getting hit by a car to get any kind of action.  Sad, but true …

I had lunch with my pals from KoAloha yesterday over at Ryan’s Grill at the Ward Centre.  I haven’t been there in a while and was shocked at all the empty space on the 2nd floor restaurant level … Ryan’s looked like it was the only one still open!  I remember when ManoaDNA first started back in 2005 at the E&O Trading Co., who along with Ryan’s, Compadres, and Brew Moon filled that place to capacity with people who came to enjoy the food & music!  Now it’s a ghost town except for Ryan’s … another sign of the times, I guess.

On a brighter note, we’ll be performing at the Punahou Carnival’s Hawaiian Plate this Friday from 7 to 8pm so come on down and enjoy some great food & music!  The boys & I do this every year as our way of giving back to our alma mater … it’s always a lot of fun and we get to see a lot of our former classmates.  And don’t forget to pick up some malasadas too … they’re pretty awesome!  Then on Saturday we’re back at the beautiful Kani Ka Pila Grille, so all in all, another great weekend of music!

Aloha, “D”

It’s Tuesday morning and another beautiful day in paradise!  Not much happening this week except work, work, and more work … pretty boring, huh?  Yesterday was pretty quiet – just lots of meetings and no workout.  Gotta restart my workout regimen again even though I still can’t play squash … it’s been over 8 months since I last played and my shoulder is still not 100%.  Although I’ve been lifting some weights and trying to keep up with my cardio workouts, I have to become more consistent.  Like that Nike slogan says … “Just Do It.”

I stopped in at Side Street last night to have a beer with my friend Cal and as always, we ordered the crispy skin pork as a pupu.  This stuff is so delicious but definitely at the very bottom of the health food list.  And to make matters worse, we ask them to deep fry it too!  Served with a dip of soy sauce and mustard, this stuff is THE BOMB!!  After we were done, I dropped by Tsukuneya to meet up with the boys and ended up ordering a bowl of their spicy shoyu ramen – and spicy it was!  I knew I was in trouble when the waiter brought the dish and I saw all these tiny slices of red chili peppers floating around in the soup!  It was really good though, and a great way to end the evening …

Aloha, “Pops”

Hope you all had a great weekend … I know I did!  This was ManoaDNA’s first weekend of performances for 2012, and it was great to be back making music with the boys again!  On Saturday morning we appeared on the Perry & Price show to promote the Punahou Carnival this coming weekend and bumped into fellow entertainers, the De Lima Ohana, and Lani Misalucha.  Lani performs with SOS Las Vegas and boy, can this girl SING!  She currently has her own show at the Beachcomber showroom and I heard it’s great … so check it out if you have a chance.

Saturday evening was a fun time at the  Kani Ka Pila Grille … and like Lulu’s, it took us a little while to get back into our usual rhythm again.  Once we did, of course, everything just fell into place and off we went!  As all of you know, KKPG is one of the premier spots for island music.  When the hotel was going through its renovations, KKPG was never intended to be a serious entertainment venue so the only sound system installed was for soft “elevator” music – not live stuff.  With live music 7 days a week, that system is obviously now totally shot – last Saturday there were two portable loudspeakers set up in the lobby area behind the stage which looked a little weird.  I hope they eventually install a proper sound system there … it’s a beautiful setting and the #1 spot for island entertainment in Waikiki – bar none!

Played golf with my Selohssa gang out at New Ewa golf course yesterday … shot an 84 in a very up & down type of round (good shot, bad shot, good shot, bad shot, etc.).  Afterward, I headed back to attend our DNA golf club’s annual banquet at Alex’s place.  Man, they had enough food to feed an army!  Mahalo to Tony for getting all the food – it was awesome!  Anyway, the 2011 awards were given out and guess who won for Most Greenies and Club Champion?  Yup – yours truly!  Just goes to show that you don’t have to be a good golfer to win … just better than the other guys!  Hahaha!  Anyway, we all had a blast …. thanks Nick & Alex for organizing last night’s festivities!

Aloha, “D”

Last night was our first time back at Lulu’s in 2012 and it turned into quite an ordeal.  First of all, some of our fans told us that when they called Lulu’s yesterday, someone there said that we weren’t performing that night … what the?!!  Come to think of it though, it may have been better if we didn’t play because  it was Pro Bowl night at Sunset on the Beach right across the street from Lulu’s!  I always dread performing on nights when Sunset on the Beach is happening because the event’s sound system is deafening.  It’s totally distracting for anyone around the area and we always end up straining ourselves trying to be heard above all the noise.  Last night was no different .. except that it was extra loud and irritating.  The worst was when the Pro Bowl cheerleaders took to the stage … I mean, they must’ve cranked the sound up a few decibels because it was BLASTING!!  Then to pile on more misery, they had this lady emcee who had a voice which sounded like fingernails scraping down a chalkboard .. SCREEEEEECH!!!  Pretty awful ….

It’s now Saturday morning (ahhh, quiet) and I’m having a cup of DD coffee before the boys come over.  We’re going down to the Perry & Price show in a little while to do a promo for the Punahou Carnival next week … we always do this every year to help out.  This evening we return to Kani Ka Pila Grille where we’ll actually be able to hear ourselves!  Hahaha!

Aloha, “Pops”

p.s. – Note to Nick:  Do not schedule Lulu’s on any Sunset on the Beach nights … I need to keep what little hearing I have left!

It’s a very quiet & cool morning here in Manoa – not a cloud in the sky and the winds are absolutely still.  There’s still some vog, but not much since it’s been pretty breezy and it rained a bit last night.  The trade winds are supposed to return this weekend but we’ll see …

My Thursday golf outing turned into quite an adventure since the southerly winds blow in the exact opposite direction from our normal trades.  The course played totally different and everyone struggled trying to make adjustments, including me.  A scary thing happened to me on the driving range – I was hitting some iron shots when all of a sudden I got the shanks!  For some reason, my swing totally left me and I started hitting the ball like a hockey puck!  You can’t believe the feeling of utter panic when you’re about to play a round of golf with a bunch of degenerates and your swing decides to take a vacation!  I immediately stopped and tried to calm myself and forget about what just happened … luckily, once we were out on the course my swing reappeared – whew!

I was privileged to be a guest of my good friend, Wayne Miyao, and Wayne Ishihara, president of the HJCC, who hosted a small dinner at Cafe Miro for Mr. Kenzo Tsujimoto and his wife.  Kenzo is the chairman of Capcom, one of the largest video gaming companies in the world (Street Fighter, Dungeon & Dragons series etc.).  He also owns Kenzo Estates, an exclusive winery located in the eastern mountains above Napa.  We enjoyed some fabulous dishes by chef Shigeru Kobayashi paired with (naturally!) Kenzo winery’s sauvignon blanc “Asatsuyu” and meritage “Rindo”.   “Asatsuyu” means morning dew, while “Rindo” is a purple flower similar to the color of the wine.  It was a great evening spent with some very special people and I want to thank Wayne and Wayne for allowing me to be a part of it!

And now, from fine dining to beach bar … ManoaDNA is back at Lulu’s tonight from 6 to 9pm!  See you there!

Aloha, “Pops”