Terry Kingen playing the blues on the Epiphone Casino.

As my adventures on the island of Kauai unfolded, I had the pleasure of having a couple of friends visit from the mainland. Terry Kingen has been a great friend of mine since elementary school. Terry is one of the premier guitar players in the Seattle area, and has been teaching me blues guitar for the last couple of years. Anytime Terry and I get together, music is involved!

One evening, Terry and I decided to have a party. And whenever we have a party, drumming and guitar playing is always the primary theme! Several friends came over to join us that evening for a wonderful dinner. When we were all completely stuffed, we gave ourselves a short recovery time and then broke out the guitars.

Francesco Garripoli started singing some of his new songs, and Terry couldn’t resist laying down the lead. He started off playing my Epiphone Casino. Although I love guitars, I’m not a very good player. This particular guitar was a favorite of the late John Lennon. If you ever see a video of The Beatles’ last performance on the rooftop of Apple studio, you will see him playing a guitar just like this one. It is said that he liked it because it was lightweight and the hollow body allows it to be played as an acoustic guitar. Not to mention the P90 pickups make it sing beautifully when played  through an amplifier.

Musical Feast

Francesco rocking the Taylor guitar.

With Francesco laying down the rhythm guitar and Terry playing lead, there was only one thing missing: the  drum. So I pulled out my djembe and started playing. Song after song, Francesco sang the beautiful melodies that he’s been inspired with for the last year, Terry added the beautiful lead licks to spice up the songs, and I laid down the djembe. The energy continued to build from there.

We must have played for at least two hours! Francesco came up with amazing new material. In fact, the songs we played that night were later performed by our band, the Kauai Vibe Tribe, a few weeks later at The Trees Lounge in Kapaa.

When we eventually ran out of Francesco’s songs, we took a little break to replenish our energy with some coffee and ice cream! When you’re a hard-working musician, it’s important to eat right. Sugar and caffeine are two very important foods for good musicians. So, after consuming copious amounts of the local ice cream and a few cups of coffee, we were ready to start again!

The Djembe Drum

Toby taking a break from the djembe.

It’s amazing how good the ancient tribal African instrument, the djembe, can sound so good with modern guitars.

With that evening’s jam-session, it was almost as though the ancient and the modern had united. Whether we were playing folk songs written by Francesco, or tunes by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young—or in some cases, very unusual renditions of a Frank Zappa song—the djembe served well as the rhythm keeper.

I hate to say it, but the djembe even sounded good with some of the rockabilly and country songs that Terry sang. I must admit, it was challenging to play country music on the djembe—for me it’s hard to play country music, period. But Terry put his own spin on the music and made it sound just fine!

Toby Plays Guitar

For our second set, I was somehow convinced to play guitar. Actually, it didn’t take too much convincing: I love to play. And to take over the djembe and keep rhythm for us, we were joined by our friend Naoka.

Naoka on djembe.

This time the tone changed a bit. Being that my guitar skills are somewhat limited, Terry started a nice blues progression in the key of A, and encouraged me to lay down some of the lead patterns that he’s been teaching me.

I must admit that this was a little bit intimidating. Both Terry and Francesco are far more superior on the guitar than I am. But I had just the right amount of ice cream and just the right amount of coffee to be loose and ready to lay it down. And I had so much fun!

We played on and on. Sometimes, I would play rhythm and trade licks with Terry, and othertimes we would all play rhythm and add made-up, funny lyrics to the blues patterns. What a joy!

What’s Music Without Dancing?

As we jammed along on the blues, some of our other guests, my friends Robert Weir and Sherie Hayes, started dancing. This wasn’t just any kind of dancing. This was real dancing. Step-by-step, each one knew what the other was doing. Robert would spin Sherie under his arm and she would duck and emerge safely on the other side of him. We moved the chairs around to give them more room, as it was a delight to watch the masterful movements of these very skilled dancers.

Sherie with Toby on guitar.

I’m not sure for how long the dancing went on. Everyone ended up lost in the beauty of the energy that was being expressed that evening. But I’ll tell you this: it was one of the most amazing times that I’ve had on the island!

I’m incredibly fortunate to have Francesco, Naoka, Sherie, Robert, and Terry in my life. We played that night as late as we thought advisable as not to disturb the neighbors, and it was just perfect. My fingertips were very sore, since I don’t usually play the guitar for long periods of time, and it was time to experience the silence of the island under a beautiful starry sky.

Reflecting on Warmer Times

Today as the temperature drops and the rain begins to fall, soon followed by snow, I think back on the summer where I spent two months on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. It was a magical time of climbing the mountains on the island, walking the pristine beaches, absorbing the most amazing sun and experiencing one of the greatest highlights… Playing as the drummer for the Kauai Vibe Tribe. The Kauai Vibe Tribe is a group of local musicians headed by Francesco Garripoli who sings and plays guitar,  Master Will Lydgate on bass, the talented and lovely Ms.Elle on backup vocals and ukulele, and yours truly on djembe.

Therapeutic Rock and Roll

In most of my travels I play on my own primarily any therapeutic manner so to jam with these guys and play this fun music was a real thrill. The first time Francesco came over for us to rehearse was a great experience. He is a prolific songwriter, and really comes from the heart as he plays his beautiful Taylor guitar, (or Fender Strat if he’s in an electric mood) and sings with passion. As I entered in with the drum a beautiful smile came on Francesco’s face and it was clear that there was a merging of souls as well as music. The first time the group got together to practice  it was clear that the same connection existed between Will and myself. As Francesco began to play his first song I could feel the  funky vibe laid down by the bass guitar. Without looking, I began to lay down a beat complementary to the bass line I was hearing. The  groove got tighter and I looked up to see a huge smile on  Will’s face as our rhythms merged to create a beautiful foundation for Francescos song. All in all it was a fantastic experience.

Practice Pays Off

We performed at the Trees Lounge  in Kapaa. The place was jammed and we rocked the house all night long. One of the funny stories involves Francesco and one of the residence on the island. One of the songs that we did, I think it was the only cover, I take that back it was one of two covers that we did, is a song called  “ Wooden Ships” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. It just so happens that Graham Nash lives on the island and from time to time will pop in to local bar to check out the music. It suddenly hit Francesco’s awareness that Graham could very possibly come to Trees that night to hear us play. So in a respectful and somewhat intimidated voice Francesco says “if Graham is there, I am not singing Wooden Ships”. Will playfully responded “come on Francesco, Graham is a really nice guy and would be honored to hear you sing his song”. Well Graham never showed up and we did a great job on the song and believe it or not I’m actually going back for an encore.

Come and Join Us This January

You have nothing more important to do in the month of January 2011. On January 22,2011 the Kauai Vibe Tribe will be making another appearance on the island. This time in addition to the rocking band that we  had we will be featuring the amazing Mr. Terry Kingen on lead guitar. This will be an amazing show. January is a beautiful time to go to the island. The whales are jumping all over the place, breaching I guess is the correct term. The Kauai Vibe Tribe will be playing at some local venue, to be announced, And the following weekend will be the Kauai Wellness Expo! So there are all kinds of wonderful reasons to head to the island in January. And for those of you looking forward to a summer vacation, I will be facilitating three workshops this coming summer on the island so stay tuned for more information.

Please Check Back

Well I guess it’s time to do a little work, make a drumming video, and handle some paperwork. Thanks for sharing this delightful memory with me I look forward to reading your comments!

I’ve been here for weeks now. It’s probably time that I do some writing. So I want to share with you the fun and magnificence of the island of  Kauai! This is by far the most magical place I have experienced on the planet. Yesterday as I laid on the beach and watch the dolphins play in the surf I was overcome with a sense of gratitude and wonder.  The way the earth welcomes all of us, the way the other beings that share the planet with us welcome us. It is amazing. The interesting thing so far has been the weather. There has been a tremendous amount of rain. In the past this of course would be a disappointment since all I lived for was laying in the sun and playing in the ocean. But this rain has made the island so lush and so alive! The other aspect is that the rain is primarily in the morning and the afternoons have been beautiful and sunny. So the term paradise really fits.  I have been drumming and doing some private sessions, and working on some new music that will be released this fall. I am trusting that the magic of this island will be felt in the magic of the music. The longer I stay more connected I feel to the indigenous spirit of this great island. As I have talked to some of the locals and some historians in the area the power of this place and the blending of cultures leaves me spellbound.

Tonight I will be jamming with my friend Francesco. We are preparing for a performance of one of the local clubs which should be a blast! The mix of old and new, the healing drum with modern music, the voice of the heart and the rhythm of the drum, combined to bring a gift to all that listen. A powerful time on the island full of fun! I will update regularly and I’m looking forward to those who are coming to visit. By the way, there is still room in the September workshop for those who would like to attend!!!

Aloha,

Toby

While on Kauai last month I had the pleasure of attending the Kauai Wellness Expo. What a great event! I was in some great energy and met a bunch of people who are committed to making the world a better place. One such person and one of my favorite people in the world is Danny Hoshimoto. Danny is kind, loving and the true embodiment of Aloha. He is also a master raw dessert maker! I enjoyed many of his amazing creations while at the expo. Below are Danny and I posing while I take the shot! and Danny creating his favorite Coconut Cream Ambrosia. It is the most delightful food I have ever tasted!!!

Another aspect of the expo are the celebrities that hang out incognito. You never know who you will run into. I have seen music great Taj Mahal, actors Jeff Bridges and Pierce Brosnan, Bill Kreutzmann from the Grateful Dead and many others. While walking about I ran into a friend who I just came to know is a world famous Qigong Master, Francesco Garripoli. This guy is amazing. Each morning he leads the people at the expo through a Qigong routine. Here is a little scoop on him from a website I found.  Francesco Garri Garripoli is the Chairman of the Board of the Qigong Institute and enjoys being an author, television producer, Qigong practitioner and wellness advocate. He began his formal training in Eastern healing in Hawaii in 1977 after leaving a full medical school scholarship. His documentary Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century, airs on PBS Television, where he has produced programs for 20 years. Francesco teaches Qigong workshops around the world and through www.wujiproductions.com and is a past Chairman of the National Qigong Association. Author of Qigong Essence of the Healing Dance and Tao of the Ride, Francesco currently resides on Kauai, Hawaii at the non-profit Kahuna Valley Retreat facility www.kahunavalley.com . Here I am with Francesco, he is also a prolific song writer and guitar player.

I also ran into this person who requested to stay anonymous. Any ideas????

We shared some of Danny’s raw chocolate delight and then it was time for me to hit the beach. Thats the report from the Kauai Wellness Expo 2010. ALOHA!