Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 19, Number 9, 1 September 2002 — Let's Do It Again ' -- Ells Simeona 's hana hou [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Let's Do It Again ' -- Ells Simeona 's hana hou

By Manu Boyd £ T~ et's Do ItAgain'" is the appropriate tii Ē for the second CD release of Ellsworth Ā /Simeona, who has adopted ihe simplified monika: of "Ells." The Kāne'ohe performer has achieved veteren status gigging as such venues as Gordon Eiemeh and Cheeseburger in Paradise. "When we put this one together3 we assembled a kind of 'people's ehoiee' of songs regularly requested at gigs," said Simeona. "This projectis kind of a departure from ihe last one ("i?aiseri on Rice ") in that there are no Hawaiian songs," he said. "Hawaiian is always my favorite, my roots," he explained, "butthis is more of a contemporaiy, 'island rhythms' flavor." No doubt, Ells has been influenced by ihe nationally signed country music star who doubles as his fiance. "Dita (Holifield) has been a big

influence, and has brought more professionalism to tlemy music," he said. j Holifield first eame to 1 Hawai'i 12 years ago as a 1 back up singer for Suzanne Sommers on a H

USO tour and has been here ever since. "People told her that here was no audience in Hawai'i for country music, but J she found that eoun-

tiy is actually popular here," Simeona said. Fiance Holifield of Twin Waters Records serves as the project's eoexecutive producer along wilh Simeona. "f/Iy favorite cut on the project is 7 Love Yoif because its the most acoustic," said Simeona. Other tracks include Dan Folgelbuerg's " Longer ,"

A Inn T? " Muekml'

f Love " wilh vocal support by i singer/actor Tannar Hendarson. Band membeis include Dwight Kanae on guitar, John Basebase on acoustic suitan Scott Baltazar

■ on bass, Dave Touchiarone on keyV boards. Touchiarone, long-time v record producer himself, is responj sible for most of ihe CD's instruI mentation and musical arrange- ^ ments. You ean catch the Kamehameha

Schools graduate pertormmg around town including Cheeseburger in Paradise, Tuesdays, 7-11 p.m.; Kapolei

Chilis, Wednesdays, 7-9 p.m., Outrigger Hotel's Sunset Terrace, Thumdays; and at Gordon Biarsch at Aloha Tower, every-other-Friday, 5:309 p.m. ■

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