CD Release Party (Drenched)

WHAT A NIGHT! HOLY SMOKES! If you missed out, you missed out on a crazy, wet, fun night! For those of you that didn’t make it down to Gordon Biersch yesterday, let me catch you up with story time. There’s so much to tell, I have decided to do it 24-style using a timeline…

2:00 am – Thunderstorms drench most of the islands of Hawai’i, including O’ahu which had up to 12 inches of rain in some parts.
9:00 am – Rain continues to pour down on O’ahu, so a call is placed to Gordon Biersch management to see if the party is a go. A “play it by ear” attitude is taken as Doppler readings and forecasts indicate a 50% chance of precipitation throughout the day.
11:30 am – Further communications with Gordon Biersch management remain skeptical but optomistic.
1:30 pm – With the rain subsiding for the past couple hours, team Manoa DNA declares the party a “go” and preparations begin as planned.
3:30 pm – Team Manoa DNA arrives at Gordon Biersch to begin setup. True fans are already there, staking out there tables under the bar roof. The sky is covered in dark clouds, wind whipping up to 30 kts, but no rain, and setup moves forward.
5:00 pm – With the wind whipping around the bay, the party begins with Danny Kaleikini blessing the event and Bruddah Wade (Hawaiian 105 KINE) as emcee.

5:05 pm – The first performers, the ‘ukulele Keiki, take the stage as people begin to fill up Gordon Biersch.
5:30 pm – As Bruce Shimabukuro takes the stage, a small sprinkle hits the harbor but no one runs for shelter. It passes and festivities continue.
6:15 pm – Holunape takes the stage as Gordon Biersch becomes packed, and the wind subsides. Clear skies can be seen as the sunsets on what is appearing to be a great, rain free, evening. The dinner cruises also set sail around the harbor, another positive sign for team Manoa DNA.

6:45 pm – Amidst the fun-filled Holunape atmosphere, Team Manoa DNA begins to notice showers heading into the Harbor from the south-east, but with so much positive energy in the air and hula on the ground, hopes are high. Bad sign #1.
6:50 pm – Bruddah Wade takes the stage to a growing house at Gordon Biersch to introduce Ernie Cruz Jr. & the Girlas. Team Manoa DNA notices the dinner cruises are back already, as the weather and ocean is too rough for cruising. Bad sign #2.
7:00 pm – Ernie Cruz Jr. & the Girlas begin their great music as a small shower passes over the stage. “That was just a blessing,” is the battle cry of the party, hoping the good luck is held out for the rest of the night. Bad sign #3, strike out.
7:15 pm – Just into their third song, the rain starts up again. But this time, it doesn’t stop. In fact, it gets worse…and worse…and worse, until the wind and the rain is blowing sideways and everything is getting soaked. Torrential downpour engulfs the bar and the music is ordered to stop so that no one gets electricuted. Hysteria ensues as fans run for cover from the downpour and musicians scramble to cover and save their instruments and electronics.

7:30 pm – Amidst a soaked crowd, Nick announces that the official party has been cancelled due to the rain, and everyone is thanked for coming down and bearing the weather.
7:45 pm – While scrambling to keep everything dry, Mark (keyboards for Manoa DNA) suggests that the band should still try to entertain the guests as a thanks for sticking around in the weather. Plans are set in motion to move the party in doors, and a make-shift stage is created in the front bar.
7:50 pm – Manoa DNA takes the “stage” in front of (soaking wet) family & friends at Gordon Biersch. The crowd is electric and the energy surrounding the band is awesome. What rain?

The night continued and what a night it was. It was like magic, how it all happened, no one could have planned a better, more intimate night. First, Raiatea Helm took the stage and wowed the crowd with her incredible voice, and along side Chino Montero, the duo had a falsetto hold-your-note battle that was a lifetime memory. Then Melveen Leed took the stage, and along side Manoa DNA then Roy Sakuma, the Diva took over the night with her incredible voice and commanding stage presence. But ohhhh, the night was not over yet. As if a gift from the gods, the original Palolo group was united at the party, and they took the stage together for the first time in years. Not planned at all, this was the highlight for one avid “Palolo” groupie (Nick) and was a huge treat for everyone. Manoa DNA took the stage again to close the night, and created one heck of a memory.

To all the performers, thank you for all your love and support, you guys made this night happen, and we owe you guys for coming down and sharing your talents at our party. Thank you especially to Raiatea Helm, Melveen Leed & Palolo for sticking it out with us after the rain and joining us on stage.

But most of all thank you to all of you who joined us at the party. All of you are awesome and we thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for all your support and love. We hope you guys enjoyed yourselves as much as we did, and even though it rained, we hope you guys still have great memories from a most-memorable night.

The full photo album is available at http://www.manoadna.com/?page_id=10. And I will update this post later with pictures so you can see the carnage for yourself.

Aloha, Mahalo, thank you very much,
Manoa DNA