Cecilio & Kapono on KGMB Sunrise

Cecilio & Kapono live on KGMB's Sunrise news show, August 21.


One of Hawaii's most popular and enduring recording artists, Cecilio & Kapono gave a short, open public concert performance at the KGMB TV studios parking lot on August 21. Morning news anchors invited the public to come and watch the live broadcast. Since I live near the KGMB TV studio on Kapiolani Boulevard, I walked over to the parking lot and found the group there, mostly waiting around for tape to roll.

If you know anything about TV, most of the time working on a production is spent waiting. I was there at around 6:45 am and the station did not shoot the live segment until the 7:30 am hour. In the meantime I and a very small group of people waited around and talked to each other and the two performers.

Not surprisingly for me, we ended up talking about computers among other things. Found out that both C & K are avid Macintosh computer users. We talked about the Garage Band software, computer security, identity theft and risks of using a standard Windows PC online. Cecilio is an avid golfer and he talked about using a GPS based golf course hardware device. Cool.

They jammed for a few minutes warming up and once they started playing Cecilio & Kapono treated us to about 4 or 5 songs. They included well known classics such as "Goodtimes Together," "Highway in the Sun" and "Friends". I think they also sang a song I had not heard before called "Back in the Day" which I heard again on their website.

After the broadcast I found that several of the KGMB News morning people are fans as they ended up posing for pictures with the legendary duo.

Cecilio & Kapono are coming out with a new album on September 1.

Additonal Links

• More Photos
• KGMB TV
• Cecilio & Kapono "Back in the Day"
  

C & K with KGMB Sunrise weatherman, Ben Gutierrez.

This was also crossposted to Mel's Internet Universe Music Blog.

Mob Mentality Subdues Hawaii Statehood

About 130 Hawaiian Sovereignty activists marched from Ala Moana Beach Park to the Hawaii State Convention Center today in protest of Hawaii’s 50th Observance of Statehood.

The small but loud mob carried their usual signs, shouted slogans and chants into bullhorns at passing cars and anyone else who cared to listen. Their loud protests were marginalized by the amount of space they were given in front of the main entrance of the Convention Center. The protesters destroyed an effigy of “Uncle Sam” and allegedly burned the 50th star cut off from an American flag. Despite that, police reined them in fairly well.

Of course the shouting was really played up for cameramen and reporters who showed up to cover the protest. The protesters themselves had their own media crew stationed across the Convention Center on Atkinson Blvd. recording every minute of the protest with state supplied Olelo TV cameras for broadcast on the taxpayer supported public access cable channels later.

Inside the Convention Center the State sanctioned “New Horizons for the Next 50 Years” conference was taking place featuring a number of speakers from the political, business, academic and media communities. The conference was a timid, subdued affair that was a far cry from the raucous celebrations held at Iolani Palace and elsewhere in Hawaii on the first day of Statehood in 1959.

The Hawaiian sovereignty movement seeks among other things to secede from the union and turn the clock back more than 100 years to the days of kings and queens.

Meanwhile most residents spent Hawaii’s 50th Statehood Day by going to the beach, working, or shopping at the malls and big box stores.

It is a shame that there were no free, large scale, state sanctioned, public celebration such as a parade to commemorate the milestone of statehood and revel in patriotism for being a part of the United States of America. The reason why there was no large celebration is because the state did not want to upset the pro-sovereignty groups. Such a blow to good ol' American, flag-waving patriotism.

Hopefully there will be celebrations for statehood in the next 50 years.




Top Photo: About 130 protester line the front of the convention center to protest against Hawaii Statehood. Photo above: This efigy of Uncle Sam was torn apart shortly after this picture was taken. Below: Sovereignty activists use state taxpayer funded cameras to record the event.

Restoration of the Hawaii State Seal

Workers re-installed the Hawaii State Seal back to its proper place on the Hawaii State Capitol this week. The seal was taken down in May to be cleaned and restored to a new lustre. The workers who did the restoration did a good job with the restoration. The seal looks like a gigantic bronze coin hanging back on its perch high up on the capitol building.

There are two seals, one on each side of the building. The heavy bronze seals weigh more than 7,000 pounds each. Workers need a crane and scaffolding to take down and then put the seals back up. I was told the cost for this project was about $300,000, far less than the restoration of the recently completed "Aquarius" mosaic in the center of the capitol which clocked in at $1.5 million.

The main reason for the seals' restoration was safety I am told. The old seals are being held up by new chains. Hopefully these will last at least another 10 years or more before another restoration is needed. The completion of the state seal and "Aquarius" projects come just in time for the 50th Anniversary observance of Statehood. Nothing major will be happening at the capitol on Statehood Day with the possible exception that a time capsule will be buried there. More on that in an upcoming post.

• More Photos of Hawaii State Seal Restoration
  

Photos taken August 4 and August 6 by Mel. Copyright 2009 All rights reserved.