Bryan Tolentino @ Southern California Slack Key Festival 1/15/23 Redondo Beach

mitchchang

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Aloha! I thought all you ukulele players would be interested to know that Bryan Tolentino will be playing in the Southern California Slack Key Festival for the very first time, January 15, 2023 2pm at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. www.slackkeyfest.com

This is the 16th year of what I'm proud to say is the biggest Hawaiian music event on the mainland and although the event is built around Hawaiian slack key (ki ho'alu) guitar, it's always been very important to me to showcase its versatility and the different roles it plays in Hawaiian music. So it's not all solo instrumental guitar. Yes there are soloists but also groups, singers, hula dancers, etc. Usually I'll play a little ukulele onstage as general backup here and there and a slack key solo or two and some years I'll invite a steel guitar player to mix things up, but I wanted to do something a little different this year and invite Bryan. He is such a good accompanist, always complementing what is happening onstage at any particular moment, not constantly & selfishly noodling around on the ukulele like some people I know and man, his licks are just oh so tasteful and perfectly timed every time. "Fairy dusting", he calls it 😅 It really elevates everyone and everything and if you like Hawaiian music, I hope you will come and experience the festival in January - with Bryan in it, this time!

slack key festival marquee 2023-4.png
 
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I have never attended a slack key guitar event before. I usually go to ukulele events, but I couldn’t resist when I saw the Makaha Sons were going to perform. It was a bonus when I saw Bryan Tolentino was performing too! Bryan’s musical skills and contributions to the ukulele world are immeasurable, and his willingness to share his mana`o is awesome. I am so glad you include Bryan. It was a great show! The meet and greet was good times! I was also happy to see so many of my ukulele buddies in the audience. Can’t wait for next year’s festival! I highly recommend it!
 
I attended a workshop that Bryan did a few years ago at the Magic Fluke facility in Mass. I really learned a lot. Excellent teacher and player. When I'm in Hawaii I try to go hear him play. My brother in law lives very close to Nico's in Kailua. Bryan and Hale Seabury play there quite a bit.
 
I attended the Southern CA Slack-Key Festival because I love and play the guitar too. And because I had attended other Kalakoa Entertainment events (the 2022 LA Uke Festival in September, and a Taimane Gardner concert in October), and know what a stellar job Mitch Chang does at organizing these events.

I’m not too familiar with guitarists though, and didn’t know any of the names on the line-up. But, I did recognize Bryan Tolentino’s name! He was there to play ukulele, and I can see why he’s much sought-after by other ukulele artists too. He added a nice touch of the beautiful ukulele sounds that are synonymous with Hawaiian music. He was so nice and modest too, willing to take pictures with fans.

Thank you, Bryan! And thank you, Mitch, for another fun and fantastic Kalakoa event! Yay for live music! See ya again soon!
 
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