LED KAAPANA
Friday, October 16, 2026 · 8:00 PM PDT · Throckmorton Theater · Mill Valley, CA
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About this event
Led Kaapana’s mastery of stringed instruments, particularly slack key guitar, and his extraordinary baritone and leo ki`eki`e (falsetto) voices, have made him a musical legend. He has been thrilling audiences for more than 40 years. With easy-going style and kolohe (rascal) charm, he has built a loyal corps of Led Heads from Brussels to his birthplace on the Big Island of Hawaii. Recognition by his peers earned Led four Grammy nominations in his own right and two wins on slack key compilations. Tickets About Led Kaapana Like so many Hawaiians, Led grew up in a musical family. In the tiny black sand bay village of Kalapana, there were few distractions - no electricity and no television. At backyard family parties, everyone would play music. “People played in shifts, taking over when somebody went to sleep,” Led recalls. “You’d fall asleep to the music, wake up….and the music was still playing. That was the best alarm clock I ever had!” It was at these family gatherings that Led learned to play in the old style, watching, listening, then imitating. As teenagers, Led, his twin brother Ned, and cousin Dennis Pavao formed the Hui Ohana, one of the hottest groups of the 70s and 80s and now legendary among Hawaiian musicians. The 70s saw the blossoming of the Hawaiian Renaissance, and Hui Ohana was a key part of that return to traditional Hawaiian culture and music. Young Hawaii Plays Old Hawaii, the title of their first recording, was also their statement of purpose. The group produced 14 best-selling albums and made hundreds of live appearances, proudly sharing Kalapana’s musical traditions. Led later formed another trio, Ikona, releasing six albums with that group, including Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner, Jus’ Press. He has also released a number of solo albums, including two Na Hoku Hanohano Instrumental Album of the Year winners, Lima Wela and Black Sand. Ki Ho`alu, Hawaiian Slack Key, Grandmaster Slack Key and Force of Nature (with Mike Kaawa) received Grammy…
Description from throckmortontheatre.org