Hawaiian Concert Guide Show 703 - The Bermuda Triangle

About this episode

This episode explores the interplay between contemporary Hawaiian music, traditional mele, and mid-century exotica.

Hawaiian Concert Guide Show 703 The Bermuda Triangle Hawaiian Concert Guide Show 703, titled “The Bermuda Triangle” , is structured as a three-point journey through contemporary Hawaiian music, traditional mele, and the stylized mid-century exotica genre. The title reflects this triangular movement—authentic Hawaiian expression, modern interpretation, and the globalized “tiki-era” imagination of island sound. Rather than presenting these as competing styles, this episode places them in dialogue, allowing listeners to hear both contrast and continuity across eras and intentions. The first portion of the show is anchored in contemporary Hawaiian music that remains deeply connected to language, land, and cultural identity. Artists like Ei Nei, Eric Lee, and Kaleo Phillips demonstrate how Hawaiian music continues to evolve while maintaining strong ties to mele traditions, storytelling, and regional pride. The midpoint exotica segment introduces a historical divergence, highlighting how Hawaiian and Pacific imagery was interpreted for global audiences in the mid-20th century. The show ultimately resolves this contrast by returning to the foundational sound of Ho‘okena, whose vocal…

People in this episode

Host: Piko

Topics covered

• contemporary Hawaiian music
• traditional mele
• mid-century exotica
• cultural identity
• musical evolution

Keywords

• Hawaiian music
• mele
• exotica
• cultural roots
• musical styles

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Islands Are Calling