Henry Kapono Rocks!?

Henry Kapono Ka'aihue, half of the sometime duo, Cecilio & Kapono, has been known for mellow/harmonious recordings and performances. True, he does Rock out now and then, but the 2006 "The Wild Hawaiian" CD release describes what he does with new/old Hawaiian music. From "Na Ali'i," it's full speed ahead, taking to the waves in "Taboo" in the best Dick Dale style. "Hawai'i Aloha (A Mau Loa)" isn't Rev. Lorenzo Lyons' hymn celebrating Hawaii's youth, but a series of "My Hawai'i" vignettes. "Hi'ilawe," a love song associated with Gabby Pahinui, gets the Rock ballad treatment, not unlike The Peter Moon Band's "Island Love."
Roland Cazimero did Rock portraits of "Pele" and King Kamehameha in "Warrior," but these were original songs, unlike Henry Kapono's reworking of "Ke Aloha O Ka Haku/Queen's Prayer" into a Rock homage. When The Brothers Cazimero played on after the breakup of The Sunday Manoa, Hawaiian music elders complained that they were "Be-bopping" Hawaiian music. These days, Hawaiian music is much more than Slack Key, encompassing Reggae (Jawaiian/Kanakafari), Rap, Slam Poetry, and Rock. (No matter what gets the "Hawaiian Music" Grammy Award each year.)