Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 11, 1 November 2003 — 'Come anel See Hawaiʻiʻ with Nā Kama's second CD in five years [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

'Come anel See Hawaiʻiʻ with Nā Kama's second CD in five years

By Manu Boyd The sound is definitely Hawaiian, and the instrumentation is hot, but Nā Kama — the duo of Eric Lee and Brian Mersberg — introduces a bit more hapa haole on its second recording project, representing a change in focus. "'Come and See Hawai'i' is a sampling of many of the songs we sing regularly. We do a lot of gigs with the HVCB (Hawai'i Visitors and Convention Bureau), both individually and as a group," explained Lee, noting the inclusion of such malihini favorites as "Aloha Week Hula " and "I Wond.er Where My Little Hula Girl Has GoneC Lee also performed for nearly five years with the Ka'ala Boys known more for island music and reggae stylings, illustrating his versatility and knaek for various genres of music. "I wrote 'Come and See Hawai'i' back in '93, after Hurricane 'Iniki hit Kaua'i," said Lee. "At

that time, I was living in a dorm at U.H. Mānoa, and we got a wake up eall to evacuate because of the storm. After

Kaua'i was hit, I pictured how the island looked before and after the storm, and how we I should appreciate L

the beauty of Hawai'i and not take it for granted. You gotta take a step back and appreciate i life." '

Kaua'i seems to be a Nā Kama inspiration. O

their previous project, "Ke Ala Hou " (1998), "Nā Hala o Naue," the name song for Queen Emma hailing the hala groves on northern Kaua'i, was a

big radio hit. What gets a lot of airplay these days from their number two disk is "Nani Wai 'ale 'ale," another Kaua'i tune about the island's famous

mountain, the fragrant mokihana and laua'e,

and the resounding waters of Nāmolokama in Hanalei. That Nā Kama track, and several others, features Mākaha Sons bassist John "Ham" Koko, known for his riveting bass action. In fact, Nā Kama has been compared to the Sons — quite a compliment since the egendary group has been around for 27

/ years and is going as strong as ever. ' "About a year-and-a-half ago, we decided to do this project," said Lee. "We recorded about 20 selections at Kit Ebersbach's Pacific Music Productions, then we picked a dozen we thought went best together," he explained. With

another eight cuts "in the ean," we should expect a third CD in mueh less time than the last one. See NĀ KAMA on page 18

Mfi f 'Aii ana

NĀ KAMA from page 1 1 Lee also finds inspiration in Hilo, his favorite plaee to visit. "'Ku'u Pua Lehua' eame to me when I was at the Merrie Monareh Festival a few years ago," he said. "With so many Hawaiians all together and a real hula feel, the song (about the 'ōhi'a lehua blossom abundant in Hilo) eame to me," he said. You ean look for Nā Kama promoting "Come anā See Hawai'i " around the islands in November and Deeember. A Christmas eompilation seheduled for release this month by Paeifie Hawaiian Distribution will feature Nā Kama, Weldon Kekauoha and the Tapa Groove, the 'Opihi Piekers, and others. Erie and Brian will perform "Christmas in the Islands" by Kamehameha Sehools Performing Arts Direetor Randie Kamuela Fong. Cheek out Nā Kama around town this holiday season, or visit online at www.nakama.com. ■