WRAD: The Aloha Collection
by Paul Spindle
posted 2006-06-28
Then he told me that he liked to play in straight tuning sometimes too. I tune the guitar and hand it back to him. Then he proceeded to play and sing Bobby Darin's "Beyond the Sea", and flawlessly I might add. I mean, this guy not only plays incredibly, but he has a great voice too. I think it must be a cultural thing. Music plays such a big part in the Polynesian lifestyle that they all can sing. I've yet to hear one that can't.
So, we're hanging out, swapping tunes, telling stories, having fun. Another tourist comes up and we all start talking. He says he's going to have dinner at the Beach House and wanted to know what we thought of it. Mike starts to tell him about the food, the view and what to expect when they get there.
I broke in to tell them the story about the Beach House birthday bash that happened the previous year and about getting everyone in the bar to sing Happy Birthday to a group of locals. Right at that moment, Mike's eyes light-up. He said, "that was you? I was there in that group. That was the coolest thing." He told us, "the restaurant decided they should join the party and kicked down with some pu-pus and drinks and some cake. We had a great time that night we should do that more times." (A true musician, always looking for a way to scam some free grub).
Well, as you can imagine, at that moment our friendship grew stronger. Learning that we had shared that amazing moment at the bar. Over the next few days we hung-out a bunch, talking and swapping songs. Mike told me about his past and his trouble with drugs, legally, spiritually, and physically. He also told me about the organization he had helped to start, Wave Riders Against Drugs (WRAD).
WRAD is a group of drug-free pro-surfers that go around to schools throughout Hawaii and Southern California to teach kids about the negative effects that drugs can have on them with their personal stories. They show the kids that they can still rip, be cool and have fun, drug-free.
Now here is the really cool thing about all of this... Mike's got a new CD out called "Wave Riders Against Drugs - Aloha Collection". It is a compilation of Kauai artists playing different styles of Hawaiian music. To be honest with you, it really doesn't get much better that this. There are songs to make you laugh like 'Manuela Boy'. And songs that will touch your heart like 'Moloka'i Sweet Home', and even a few ripping instrumentals like 'Westside Shuffle'. The Aloha Collection is a great place to start if you don't already have any Hawaiian music in your music library. And if you already do, it will make an incredible addition to it. By the way, all the proceeds go to support WRAD in the quest to show that a life without drugs is so much better than life on them.
So email WRAD for more information...
Enjoy...
