PULLMAN, Wash. – Slack-key guitar phenomenon Keola Beamer and hula master Moanalani Beamer will perform Hawaiian music and dance at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 28, in Daggy Hall’s Jones Theatre at Washington State University.
Reserved seating costs $20 for adults, $16 for seniors (60 and up) and $10 for students and youth. Discounts off adult prices are available to WSU Alumni Association members and groups of eight or more.
Tickets may be purchased in advance at TicketsWest outlets including online at http://www.ticketswest.com, by phone at 800-325-7328 and at the Beasley Coliseum ticket office, open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday (closed March 17-21 for spring break). Additional fees apply to online and phone purchases.
Same-day tickets may be purchased at the Daggy Hall box office beginning two hours before the performance.
New life, traditional roots
Keola Beamer (http://www.kbeamer.com/) is one of Hawaii’s premier singer-songwriters, arrangers and composers. He draws traditions and inspiration from five generations of Hawaii’s most illustrious musical family, breathing new life into slack-key guitar music while remaining true to its deeply Hawaiian roots.
He is joined on stage by his wife, Moanalani Beamer, who began her hula training at age 4 with kumu hula (hula master) Johnny Hokoana.
In performance, Moanalani Beamer dances, chants, sings background vocals and plays several ancient Hawaiian percussive instruments, including `ili`ili (river stone “castanets”), ka`eke`eke (cut bamboo) and ipu (gourd drum). Together the couple presents a complete sensory experience of Hawaiian music and dance.
Award-winning master
In slack-key, guitar strings are tuned low. Fingerpicking techniques mimic the yodels and falsettos common in Hawaiian singing. The songs are often inspired by stories and by the tropical landscape.
Keola Beamer established himself early as a leader in contemporary Hawaiian music when he wrote the classic “Honolulu City Lights,” one of the best-selling records in Hawaiian music history. An award-winning singer-songwriter, he was featured on the soundtrack for the George Clooney film, “The Descendants,” and released the album “Malama Ko Aloha,” both of which received Grammy nominations in 2013.
For information about upcoming WSU Performing Arts events or to view a Jones Theatre seating chart, visit http://performingarts.wsu.edu .
Contact:
Gail Siegel, WSU Performing Arts, 509-335-8522, gsiegel@wsu.edu