Album Notes

We all dream of paradise. I have wanted to visit Hawaii since I was 14 years old, surfing English waves at Croyd Bay. Now whilst it’s true that some of The Hapa Hillbillies have recently visited the Islands, I still have not.
And so, every Monday evening we pretend it is 1929 and sing and play this music acoustically in the lobby of the
Hood River Hotel, for friends, locals and visitors - just like they used to in the lobbies of the great old Hawaiian hotels.
In the late teens, the first Hawaiians brought the ukulele, steel guitar and highly exotic, practically naked Hula dancers to the U.S. mainland and, understandably, the craze for all things Hawaiian exploded! Fueling this Island frenzy was the music of the day, with almost everyone singing Hawaiian or Hapa Haole songs. Much from those days is politically incorrect and some consider these tunes condescending and disrespectful to today's rich Pacific Island culture. I find the music enchanting and perform it with respect and affection - maybe one day I will finally get to Hawaii, and perhaps then my perspective will change ......
If you ever get to Hood River, Oregon then please come and see us at the Hotel on a Monday night - we’ll be there.
For now, play this CD, close your eyes and get carried away with sentimental nostalgia for a different time and place.
Ben Bonham, Hood River, OR.