Canoe festival benefit concert.Big Mountain, most famous for their cover version of Peter Frampton’s Baby, I Love Your Way, will headline the “Coming Home” benefit concert on Saturday, April 5, at the Lahaina Civic Center. The concert benefits the International Festival of Canoes, “Maui’s Signature Cultural Heritage Event,” welcoming special guests including master carvers from Polynesia and Micronesia to display a splendor of superior artisanship.
Maxx & Anjj LLC, a newly formed production company, helped produce this event which partners with businesses to support Hawai‘i’s musicians, including their own musical act, Maxx Effex and Anjj Lee. The company offers event planning, publicity support and event merchandizing.
“I am so honored to be a part of this amazing cultural event that inspires youth to get to know more about their heritage,” said Anjj, co-owner of Maxx & Anjj LLC. “What a great way to give back to the community. We’re definitely going to come back to Maui to witness history in the making at the International Canoe Festival in May.”
The canoe festival begins on Saturday, May 18, and runs until Saturday, May 31, in a daily interactive showcase at Kamehameha Iki Park and Banyan Tree Park on Front Street in Lahaina. This cultural event has been recognized globally for its presentation to the public of the traditional arts of Polynesia.
Last year, the art of tiki carving was introduced, which produced Tongan, Maori and Rarotongan statues. This year, the making of poi pounding boards and the art of traditional tattoos will be featured. If you ever wanted to know how a thatched house is built, a wooden plank surfboard is shaped, or an ‘awa (kava) ceremony is performed, this festival will be the place to witness these ancient ceremonies. Festival attendees will also witness a traditional birthing ceremony that will launch a canoe carved from a log.
“We’re celebrating our 11th year,” said Executive Director Rina Sampson of the LahainaTown Action Committee, the organization that coordinates this festival. “The festival is really a share of culture and an exchange of values with our Polynesian cousins from Tonga, the Marshall Islands, the Cooke Islands, New Zealand and Tahiti. It’s an incredible event to see in 15 days. Visitors can speak with masters from Pacific nations, see different styles and learn about what canoes mean to us—being an island nation. It was our way of travel.”
Learning about ancient rituals, early methods of travel and master carving artisanship could only be made possible through fundraising efforts like this upcoming reggae fest. Big Mountain’s new CD, entitled “Versions: Undercover,” was released on March 18, and will be available at the concert which will also feature Soul Free, Kawao, Inna Vision, Conscious Healing and more….
“Big Mountain hasn’t been here for a while and they are the only Reggae-Hawaiian group who made hits internationally,” said Effex, president of Maxx & Anjj LLC. “When I contacted them, they told me that they hadn’t been playing together for four years and they were taking a break to work on their new album. I’m thrilled that I convinced them to do it because it’ll be an extra special concert.” This unique concert will not only benefit cultural heritage but it will also reunite band members.
Sponsors for this one-of-a-kind event include Island Air, 98.5 Island Rhythms, Q103FM, LahainaTown Action Committee, Bud Light, Barefoot League, Ecosystems, MidWeek, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Andy Bumatai, Lewis Communications, Wade Bahn Beauty Studio, KTUH, Tropical Smoothie Café and KHON-2.
Don’t miss this reggae fest at the Lahaina Civic Center. Gates open at 2 p.m., and presale tickets can be purchased for $20 at Request Music, Premier Video, online at www.visitlahaina.com or call 667-9175.