Maui Soundtrack

By Jack Stephen

We headed to Maui for a nice summer vacation break. What would we be listening to? Kani ka pila! (Hawaiian for play music).

Monday: The music of George Helm—Hawaiian music fueled by slack key guitar, ukulele, and mellow moods. Listening to his compilation on Spotify sounds almost religious in a sense. George Helm, who I didn’t know much about, had quite the scene working. He has one of the most unbelievable falsetto voices I have ever heard. Some cursory research revealed that he was an activist. In the 1970s, he and some buddies were incensed by the U.S military bombing practice on the smallest of the Hawaiian Islands, Kahoʻolawe. They protested the destruction of what was a beautiful island. At one point, he was concerned about a couple of his activist friends who were hiding from the U.S. military on the island for over 35 days. He set off from Maui on a surfboard to try and help find them. He was injured and disappeared into the ocean, never to be seen again. But this music lives on, slack key guitar supporting his amazing singing, recorded in some local bar. Pretty incredible and a great way to set up this vacation week. From the lanai of this condo, I can see the island of Kahoʻolawe, undeveloped and uninhabited today, ravaged by the U.S. military and littered with unexploded munitions everywhere. Mahalo George Helm, thanks for the efforts.

It’s Friday now, and I haven’t written anything about this trip all week. There’s something about this place called Maui, not sure what it is, but there’s a tendency to just sort of check out and not really want to do anything. Its freaking beautiful. Go to the beach, go to the pool, take a walk, sleep in, take a nap, or even just sit somewhere outside and stare at the greatness of the ocean. When I was here with my father right before he died, that’s what we often did. He was pretty sick with brain tumors. But, he was still happy, and why wouldn’t he be, here he was at the end of it all—he had arrived. We just sat and talked. I remember he remarked how Maui was “such a gentle place.” Yes indeed, you can feel it. You can hear it especially. Maybe this is the soundtrack of this trip after all, the crash of the waves, the birds chirping, the doves cooing, and the wind rustling the palms. Easy sounds—sounds of comfort and memories. Is that what music is about? I don’t know. But I do know this, this island “music” are the sounds that remind me of my dad and the time we had. I can see his smile. As I look over Napili Bay, a soft rain falls, bringing a new sound in the air. Mahalo. 

What would he be listening to? “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder. My dad always liked Stevie Wonder, who was big when he was in college. Plus, my dad’s name was Stephen, so “Stevie” seem to be an appropriate nickname—at least as far as the Delta Tau Delta’s at Texas Tech were concerned. This song was a collaboration between Stevie and the great guitarist (albeit maligned) Jeff Beck. What a song it is. It reached number one on the Billboard 100 in 1973. It is goddamn funky, a quality Stevie was accused of for most of his career.  

What I would have played next? “Visions” by Stevie Wonder from the Innervisions album.  Lyrically, the irony of both these tracks is palpable. Think about it, he was freaking blind! His whole world might have seemed like a superstitious vision for god’s sake. But somehow in all his talent, he was able to cut through and communicate his experience in a great soulful way. This was a great album, he really started to hit his stride and experiment with what he could do as a musician.  

“…today’s not yesterday, and all things have an ending…”

It feels pretty eerie being this close to Lahaina (we were staying just north) as the community is still reeling from the fires that burned the town to the ground last August. You drive around and see memorials everywhere. You still cannot enter the town almost a year later, as military-style checkpoints line the entry points, pedestrians and cars are banned. What you can see is horrifying, foundations are the only thing standing in neighborhoods. There are random stoplights outside the city limits so truck after truck can continue to move out the debris. This was a horrible tragedy. We heard on the news they had just identified another body in the rubble. The total lives lost are over one hundred. You can feel the heartbreak in the air. This disaster will reverberate for years to come.  

Friday afternoon, grabbing a few groceries at the Napili Market for our final weekend here, what’s on the speaker?  

“Rocky Mountain Way” by Joe Walsh. (Speaking of 1973) I’d say this was a pretty good choice, especially seeing how I was visiting from Colorado. This is a pretty great “Colorado” song. Walsh is one of those super talented session guys whose successes in a few different band iterations were not surprising to anyone. Initially blowing up with the James Gang (check out tracks such as “Funk #49” and “Walk Away”), he was one of those guys who, once he got going, never really stopped. Well, at least until he finally dried out, probably saving his life. He sure had an epic career though. This is the guy who played the guitar solo on one of the most played rock songs ever, “Hotel California,” along with Don Felder. I did a bit of digging and discovered Walsh lived in Boulder for a little while. He was one of the first musicians to record at Caribou Studios up near Nederland. Caribou was a renowned studio where several artists went to the mountains to record albums, including the lesser-known Elton John album Caribou. Walsh had a young child who died in an accident, and I guess that was about it for his Boulder career stop. Caribou Studios later burned to the ground in 1985. I got to give it to Walsh though, enjoyable catalog and some great guitar licks.

“Working My Way Back to You” by the Spinners. This version was a cover of the original hit by the Four Seasons back in the 1960s. It was pretty popular and might have charted higher than the original. I can tell you one thing about this song: This guy has really fucked up this relationship. I mean, when you have to “work your way back,” you are deep in the shit for sure. I guess this song would be a fun way to get back in the mix with this lady, but the tone is just a little too jovial. Maybe it would help if he sounded a bit remorseful or sad? But he just seems like whatever he did is not really a big deal. It’s a strong choice to have that bass vocal line come in on the line “been paying everyday.” I’m still not giving this guy much of a chance. The Spinners are pretty cool, I guess. Check out the songs: “I’ll Be Around,” “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,” and “One of a Kind Time (Love Affair).” I’m glad they had this comeback hit. Not really my top in the R&B game however, as they are a bit too “poppy” and lacking in funk. The real question I have: Was Frankie Valli able to “work his way back?” This song makes me think he was probably a pretty good philanderer. His solo track “My Eyes Adore You” is pretty solid.

“Infatuation” by Rod Stewart. Here’s some classic 1980s Rod Stewart, tailor made for chart topping even though it seems such tracks of this era don’t have much of a heart. “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy” would be another example. It just feels like he’s checking off the boxes as he’s writing these songs. I probably wouldn’t be so dour if I wasn’t such a fan of his earlier stuff.  Songs from his earlier albums (The Rod Stewart Album, Never a Dull Moment, and An Old Raincoat won’t ever let you down) are deep with the passion (listen to “Lost Paraguayos” and “Handbags and Gladrags”). On these albums, he sounds enmeshed in being authentic and really letting in all out in the studio. The mid-career albums are fun and probably made a pile of cash, but at what point of “just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should do it” thinking creep in. What I’m trying to say is, I’m glad he made that money and probably had a great time with the cocaine, but I wish he would have done an album with Joe Walsh instead.  

Back home in Colorado, on Wednesday, I sit and reflect on our trip. It’s pretty exhausting getting back but whatever. In my fatigue, I feel grateful for the chance to experience Hawaii once again. Don’t have much to say about this trip; Hawaii sort of consumes you. You just try to be present with the magic of this island paradise. Waking up in the morning, plunging in Napili Bay, floating as the sun rises—this is what it’s about. A chill rolls up my spine as I write this; everything seems alright in the world.  

What song is in my head?

“Cheap Silver” by Silverada. These guys used to be Mike and the Moonpies, but they recently changed their name. Bold move, let’s see how it plays out. I loved this song when it came out a couple of years ago on their album Cheap Silver and Solid Country Gold. This is just a country song done right; everything is working for these guys on this one. The string section is a great production choice, as it makes everything smooth and nice. This is a song that really nails what it’s like getting old, for me anyway. 

I hear the lyrics. I feel the music. In the silence of this morning, I think of my dad, the spirit of Aloha in my heart.