Henry Kapono with Jay Larrin, Grosvenor Theatre, , Friday, Feb. 7, 8 p.m. All proceeds from event go to the West 麻豆传媒映画Foundation.
听鈥淏ad Moon Rising鈥� starts with a D chord. So does 鈥淚 Can See Clearly Now鈥� and, as it turned out, so did Henry Kapono鈥檚 career.
Growing up in Kapahulu, a small town just outside Waikiki, Kapono sang in church choir. He played the ukulele. But it wasn鈥檛 until he was sitting around a fire one night at church camp that he found his instrument. His friend was playing guitar. Kapono stared. And then, his friend let him cradle the guitar.
鈥淗e showed me a chord. The D chord. And that was it,鈥� Kapono recalls.
Back then, the guitar was an instrument to fall in love by. For Kapono, it still is.
Speaking from Colorado on a Monday morning, Kapono reflects on a nearly 50-year career that鈥檚 included just about everything except a show in Canada. He was close to making his north-of-the-border debut when he was one-half of 1970s pop folk duo Cecilio & Kapono, but it didn鈥檛 work out.
鈥淲e were supposed to open for Charley Pride or something,鈥� he remembers. 鈥淲e got snowed out.鈥�
He almost had a different career, he notes. His baseball skills got him into Punahou Academy 鈥� a prep school that would later count former U.S. president Barack Obama as an alum.
A strong football player, Kapono earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Hawaii. He dreamed of playing pro football but while the gridiron had his body, rock 鈥檔鈥� roll had his soul.
He remembers doing shows with a local rock band when a promoter gave the group a chance to play in Vietnam.
What he didn鈥檛 quite give them was the chance to come back.
鈥淚 went to the far east to play for the troops 鈥� and never came back for two years,鈥� Kapono says.
He carried a guitar in a war zone.
It wasn鈥檛 a USO tour, Kapono emphasizes. 鈥淲e were playing out at the bases in the jungle.鈥�
He saw a lot, he says. And what he saw changed him.
鈥淚t was a big wakeup for me,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 had to pay attention to what was going on,鈥� he adds with a laugh.
After a stop in Thailand he made his way back to Hawaii. His dream of athletic glory was over. And, he decided, that was OK.
鈥淚 feel like it was meant to be,鈥� he says. 鈥淏y the time I came back I鈥檇 learned a lot, as a human being and as a musician.鈥�
His life has been about music ever since.
鈥淚 write a lot about the islands, a lot about love and friendship,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 like to do songs that have a positive message and uplift people.鈥�
He hasn鈥檛 been writing much recently, he says.
鈥淚鈥檝e been focusing on a new project that I鈥檓 working on of all the classic songs. Classic songs that we grew up listening to and that my parents loved.鈥�
He鈥檚 been reworking 鈥淎lways On My Mind,鈥� 鈥淏lackbird,鈥� and 鈥淔ools Rush In.鈥�
鈥淥nce in a while I鈥檒l play one in my set and it鈥檚 amazing how people just gravitate to it,鈥� he says.
He鈥檚 planning to put together an album of these classic songs, he says.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of like a reset for me,鈥� he says, explaining he鈥檒l write more original songs after the album鈥檚 finished.
The business is a lot different than when he started, Kapono notes.
鈥淭he music and the music industry have just changed so much,鈥� he says. 鈥淪ocial media is what keeps you going 鈥榗ause then you know you can reach an audience.鈥�
In terms of making a living, live performances are generally more important than recording, he says.
His audiences have changed, too, he notes.
鈥淚t鈥檚 mellowed out a lot,鈥� he says.
They used to scream to beat the amps. Now they listen.
鈥淭hey want to know the stories behind the songs,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 changed a lot. . . . You just have to do what you can to adjust to the time without giving up yourself.鈥�
