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Some
Hawaiian music approaches art song -- Aloha
Oe and the Hawaiian
Wedding song come immediately to mind.
The rediscovered mele and mele hula chants
deserve more attention than they get, and there's a
whole album of hapa-haole songs like
On the Beach at Waikiki with Hawaiian words stuck
like raisins in white bread lyrics.
Example by singers like Elvis Presley whose Blue
Hawaii defined an era.
There are a lot of musical influences here that
produced close harmony, slack string guitar, ukuleles,
falsetto singing and the importance of percussion and
dance. Such forms combine to offer up some interesting
entertainment that runs from cocktail combos to the big
production shows at Waikiki.
Or, if you're very lucky, a family sing along in
four or six parts down the beach where locals party.
Hawaii
offers more of a musical stew than a melting pot.
It's possible to find Samoan, Tahitian,
Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and
other ethnic nightlife. Like Country and Western? You'll
adore Hawaiian cowboy music.
Local
bars do offer rather more of a mix of drinks than the
mainland with Mai Tais, Blue Hawaiians and a host of
fruit, alcohol offerings that are all more lethal than
they taste or, for that matter, look like under their
cute little umbrellas.
Local's bars, beach boy bars, quiet hotel bars,
bash dancing bars, lively bars on terraces and beaches,
singles bars and, yes gay bars all offer something
alcoholic and, if you choose wisely, a compatible crowd.
Hawaii does take an extremely dim view of drunk
drivers, so please designate, walk or cab.
However,
given the welcoming climate, finding some of the best
nightlife is as simple as a walk along the sidewalk in
Waikiki or Kona. Don't
want to drink? Fine,
try a stroll on a moonlight beach with someone special. Set up with a nice drink in an open air café and smell the
tropical night air with a hit of gardenia. Watch the
passing parade or the sun setting over Diamond Head.
That's Hawaii. Early
to bed, early to rise, gets you up for the magnificent
Hawaiian sunrises to few tourists see.
Then
there's always the nightlife and disco until 4 a. m for
the sleep impaired. |
