Kanekoa

2022 will officially mark 25 years of ukulele innovators, Kanekoa, the band of limitless possibilities. Kanekoa is one of Hawaii’s premier live music experiences, consistently selling out shows wherever they perform. Playing what is described as “ukulele-powered Hawaiian jam-rock,” their sound is based on the untapped potential of the electrified Hawaiian ukulele. Guided by the culture and land of Hawai‘i, Kanekoa is right at home playing any type of genre from traditional Hawaiian to 80’s Pop to Jamband Blues, uniquely offering their signature electric ukulele sound to everything they play. Wherever this band plays people are mesmerized, they have even caught the ear of some of the biggest names in music including Mick Fleetwood, Los Lobos, and Bill Kreutzman who calls Kanekoa "The Hawaiian Grateful Dead". With every show they play, Kanekoa continues to gain new loyal fans. — To hear this band, and the music that comes from their four strings…is to love this band.

Kanekoa was founded in the early 1990’s by soulful and soothing singer/rhythm ukulele player Kaulana Kanekoa, ukulele virtuoso and blues guitar prodigy Vince Esquire and the talented pace-maker percussionist Travis Rice. Maui legend Uncle Don Lopez, a virtuoso on the Ukulele-Bass, is a more recent addition and completes the full-flavored sound to round out the band. This four piece has uniquely taken the ukulele sound into new territory—just like local legend (and occasional collaborator) Jake Shimabukuro.