Iolani Alumni

When the 18th Annual KCCN FM100 Birthday Bash rolls around this weekend, two Iolani alumni will be rockin’ it on stage for the thousands in attendance on Friday night.

Christian Yrizarry ‘94 (left), formerly of Ho’onu’a, will be on stage as the lead singer for Beach 5 and Brandon Tucay ‘06 (right) will be keeping the beat behind the action as the full-time drummer for Kapena.

The 18th Annual Birthday Bash is a two-day event running Friday and Saturday at the Waikiki Shell from 4:30pm until the final “Hana Hou”. For the first time ever, the Birthday Bash will be televised live on Oceanic pay-per-view in standard definition (Channel 260) and HD (Channel 1260).

Event Date: Saturday, June 14th, 2008

In what has become a great tradition for Iolani families and alumni over the last few summers, the Iolani Alumni Association will again be hosting a free performance by one of Hawaii’s most beloved artists, the Makaha Sons.

Fresh off of a tour of Japan, “Moon, John and Jerome” will be playing under the warmth of the afternoon sun on the lawn in the Upper School Courtyard. It’ll be the perfect opportunity to gather with friends and family and enjoy a relaxing summer Saturday…

Again, admission is FREE. More details will become available as the date gets closer.

Iolani alumnus and current lead singer of Beach 5, Christian Yrizarry ‘94 made a brief appearance on the Travel Channel’s hit show, “No Reservations” when the cast and crew traveled to Hawaii to film a recent episode.

Photo: Christian (right) with host Anthony Bourdain (left) and radio personality Lanai Boy (middle) - Straying From the Norm

Now in its fourth season, “No Reservations” features Anthony Bourdain - best-selling author, food critic, renowned chef - as he travels the globe in search of the perfect dining experience.

Read more about “No Reservations” in Hawaii »

Hawaii Music Award winner Paul Shimomoto ‘86 recently appeared as a performer on “Night Time with Andy Bumatai”. Just in case you missed it…

Three recording artists with Iolani ties will be honored later this month when Johnny Kai and his Music Foundation of Hawaii present the 11th Annual Hawaii Music Awards at the Winners’ Banquet on March 15.

Best Contemporary Hawaiian Music Album: Paul Shimomoto ‘86, “Sentimental Alibi”

Best Island Contemporary Album: Mighty J, “Calling Out” (featuring Tiki Suan ‘94)

Best Pop Music Album: SDIB (San Diego Island Boys), “SDIB” (featuring Jeff Iwashita ‘98)

Online voting ends today for the 11th Annual Hawaii Music Awards, a people’s choice competition honoring local musicians as well as international artists performing Hawaiian music throughout the world.

A number of artists with Iolani ties are eligible for awards this year, so please make your way to HawaiiMusicAwards.com and submit your vote. Anyone can log-on and submit up to one vote per day per email address.

Iolani Alumni Artists:
• Paul Shimomoto “Sentimental Alibi” - Paul Shimomoto ‘86 (Contemporary Hawaiian)
• Public Property “Movement” - David Bess ‘99 (Reggae)
• Mighty J “Calling Out” - Tiki Suan ‘94 (Island Contemporary)
• Beach 5 “Beach 5″ - Christian Yrizarry ‘94 (Island Contemporary)

Their name may not be familiar, but their sound is unmistakable.

In a collaboration with former Ho’onu’a bandmate Sani Apuakehau, Christian Yrizarry ‘94 recently released the self-titled debut album for his newly formed group Beach 5. Named for the duo’s favorite beach spot (Makapu’u), Beach 5 takes an updated spin on the “feel good island sound” that Ho’onu’a made popular over the past decade.

As a part of Ho’onu’a, Christian released three albums which included a number of memorable singles including “When I Think About You”, “Blue Light” and “Passion Love” among many others while Sani, who actually attended Iolani School with the Class of ‘92 until second grade, released two solo albums of his own, the second under Christian’s production company label, Feel Good Entertainment.

See them on Hot Hawaiian Nights on K5 » (Windows Media)
Buy the album at e808.com »

Update: Problems with the video have been fixed. Please try again.

The game didn’t go quite as planned (Iolani lost to Punahou 48-14), but Homecoming Week was, as always, a success with the students, faculty and alumni. Catch a glimpse of the Senior Class of 2008 as they perform Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” during the annual Lip Sync Competition:

(Funny thing is… None of these kids were even alive when this song came out in 1982.)

Tune in to K5 tonight at 9:30pm to catch Mailani, Tiki (Suan) ‘94, and Jenn, otherwise known as Mighty J, on Hawaii’s new prime time talk show, “Night Time with Andy Bumatai“.

The group, who recently released their debut album “Calling Out“, will appear with Bumatai (shown) in studio at the Honolulu Design Center to talk about their music as well as perform a few cuts from their album.

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

Japanese singer/songwriter Angela Aki ‘96 is featured on this month’s cover of entertainment and culture magazine Eye-Ai. She is set to release her second album, “Today“, under the Sony Music label on September 19th, 2007 — a follow-up to her 2006 release “Home” which sold over 500,000 copies and reached #2 on the Oricon Top 200 Weekly Music Chart.

Born and raised in Japan, Angela moved to Hawaii at the age of 15. She is the daughter of Kiyoshi Aki, the owner/co-founder of AEON Institute of Language Education, one of the “Big Four” Eikaiwa (English conversation) schools in Japan.

Visit the Angela Aki Official Website »

From the “feel good music” of Ho’onu’a to the rootsy reggae sound of Thick Tubes to the harmonic voices of Milo Shade, Iolani School has been home to several of Hawaii’s most popular musicians. With a passion for music that began early in their high school years, these former students made their first appearances at talent shows and assemblies performing first for their friends and family at Iolani and then moving on to record albums later on in their careers.

The latest group of students to follow this musical path is the all-alumni band “Island Vibes“. Their contemporary sound blends a variety of genres as they can be heard playing covers of everything from Malino to Jason Mraz. The group is made up of lead singer Jarik Bautista ‘07, ukulele player Ryan Renfro ‘07, lead guitar Kirtus Adams ‘05, bass player Kody Adams ‘07 and drummer Brandon Tucay ‘06.

Check them out at the 2007 Iolani Variety Show:

Long time basketball coach (and part time security guard) Bernie Ching will be honored tonight at the 2007 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards with a Lifetime Acheivement Award as a member of the legendary Hawaiian music group “The Surfers“.

The Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts, organizers of the award show, will recognize the group for their contributions to the Hawaiian music scene as renowned performers in Hawaii and on the mainland. Past winners of the award include Alfred Apaka, Gabby Pahinui, Peter Moon, Hui ‘Ohana and Palani Vaughan among many others.

The show will air live tonight (June 20th) at 7:30pm on K5.

Event Date: Saturday, June 16th, 2007

UPDATE: Don’t forget… the concert is tomorrow, June 16th. The venue has been moved to the courtyard between the chapel and the library staircase and there will be a concession stand serving drinks and snacks to help fundraise for the Iolani Varsity Boys Basketball team.

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June 16th may be a few months away, but the news that legendary Hawaiian music group, Cecilio and Kapono, or C&K, will be playing for FREE on the Iolani campus is pretty exciting. The duo will perform as a part of the Summer Concert series that started a few years ago with Ho’okena and continued last year with Hapa. This is a great event for friends and family to gather and enjoy a relaxing afternoon… Bring your lawn chairs, beach mats and picnic dinner (no booze)!

Location: Kozuki Stadium Courtyard between Chapel and Library Steps
Time: 5:00pm

Here’s a little something to get you in the mood…
(Video - Live at Aloha Tower Marketplace)

In an collaborative effort between three women from Hawaii’s hottest groups, Mailani Makainai (Keahiwai), Tiki Suan ‘94 (Milo Shade) and Jenn “JRoq” Wright (Kanalo) came together to form the musical trio “Mighty J” and have just released their debut album “Calling Out”.

Though their roots are in Hawaiian music, their sound cannot be classified as specifically “local”, but rather as a mixture of musical passions that range from hip hop to latin to reggae. Appropriately, their unique style has placed them in the category of “World Music”, a wide-ranging genre that has no boundries and will allow the group to grow beyond the confines of contemporary island music.

“Calling Out” features 12 original compositions and one cover track in Hawaiian, “Ke Ala Ka Jeep” by the legendary Eddie Kamae. Pick up the album in a music store near you or order it online at e808.com…

Check out the group in studio as they work on their debut single “Girls Night Out”:

Three women from three of Hawai’i’s most popular musical groups have joined together to form Mighty J. It’s members include Mailani Makainai (Keahiwai), Tiki Suan ‘94 (Milo Shade - shown) and Jenn “JRoQ” Wright (Kanalo and Simple Souls). These ladies are passionate about their music and because of their different backgrounds, create a sound that is unique enough to be called “World Music,” but also rooted in the soul of Hawai’i. Their usage of different types of instruments and infusion of different genre knows no bounds. It’s easy to see why that without a completed album, they have already developed a sizable following who strongly believe Mighty J is Hawai’i’s next “Big Thing.”

Their name, “Mighty J”, is derived from the collection of nicknames for each of the group members… Mai (for Mailani), T (for Tiki) and J (for Jenn)… together, that’s Mai-T-J. Get it?

The group is currently working on their first album and is documenting the creative process for all to see on their website under “Mighty J TV“. There you’ll get the chance to see the 3 ladies in studio and listen to them record a few tracks off of their upcoming album. Look for it in stores soon…