Album Notes

Discover a realm of acoustic music rarely explored by contemporary musicians - Hawaiian string music as it was played in the 1920's & 30's. The Waikiki Steel Works CD presents a sound that goes far beyond the average luau, highlighting the beauty of steel guitar expression and the evervescent joy of the age of 78 rpm records. Recorded with modern technology and numerous antique instruments, this is a CD that mixes past and present in surprising and refeshing ways.

The Waikiki Steel Works are the all-instrumental duo of Frank Novicki and Ben Bonham. Using the same types of acoustic instruments the great Hawaiian steel players used in the 1920's & 30's (such as National Tricone and Weissenborn-style lap steels), these two personable guitarists have exposed thousands of people for the first time to the magic of vintage Hawaiian sounds.

The Waikiki Steel Works CD is now in its second pressing thanks to fans worldwide who have discovered its quirky pleasures. Whether your tastes run to Hawaiian music, folk, eclectic acoustic, world music, or just plain Tropical Island envy - your day is sure to be a little bit brighter with this CD in your player


Frank Novicki lives in San Francisco and has been playing professionally for nearly 20 years. He has traveled to Hawaii to take lessons with Greg Sardinha (a protege of Jerry Byrd - the Master of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar) as well as with ukulele virtuoso Herb Ohta Jr. (the son of Hawaiian uke legend Ohta-San). Frank has also studied and performed with Hawaiian Slack Key guitarist Patrick Landeza.

Ben Bonham lives in Oregon. He is a longtime exponent of early American blues and Ragtime styles, which naturally led him to an interest in classic Hawaiian music. Ben has gained fame playing his varied collection of vintage musical instruments throughout the world. He can often be seen at major festivals performing as the ultimate One-Man Band. He has several self-produced CD's to his credit, which have earned him the admiration of steel guitar aficionados around the world. His latest solo CD, which features some beautiful Hawaiian-themed pieces, is entitled Slide Show.

"Frank Novicki and Ben Bonham pick some of the snazziest instrumental string music since that of the late Roy Smeck. The pair's repertoire ranges from Hawaiian standards to jazzy original material that sounds as if Eddie Lang and Lonnie Johnson might have worked it up while on a tropical vacation." - Lee Hildebrand, East Bay Express