By Andrew Hamlin
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Hawaiian slack key master Makana, back when he was still Matthew Swalinkavich, found himself singing in the Honolulu Boy Choir by age 7, so it’s safe to say he was primed for a future in music.
One unexpected bonus of the Boy Choir shows, though, was meeting Dolly Parton in Hawaii’s Waimea Valley.
“I fell in love, obviously. My first official crush, I was 8! She was in every way, and continues to be, a beacon of class, grace, style, panache, creativity, and talent!”
But it wasn’t exclusively singing that guided the guitarist, appearing July 12 with the Seattle Symphony, as he grew up in Pearl City on the island of Oahu.
“My father would put on LPs of some of the greats of Hawaiian music—literally no other music was allowed in the house—and at a very young age I became fascinated with the grand melodies, the intricate stringed instrument arrangements, and the fluidity of the language. Hawaiian music was the only music that existed until I was a teenager, so it was etched into my soul from the get-go.”
He grew up on a steady music diet of slack key masters and groups, including Ray Kāne, Gabby Pahinui, Peter Moon and The Sunday Mānoa, Atta Isaacs Sr., Led Kaapana, and Olomana. “They may not be global household names,” he said. “But to me, they are the reason I became a musician, and dedicated my life to perpetuating and growing the musical traditions of Hawaii.”
His first musical instrument was the ukulele, which he learned from prominent “uke” teacher Roy Sakuma. Makana plans to release a ukulele album later this year, as a tribute to his first master.
He was also fortunate enough to learn slack key playing from two masters, Bobby Moderow Jr. and Sonny Chillingworth. He also adopted his stage name—Makala means “the gift” in Hawaiian.
“Slack key guitar is a rare, complex style originating back in the 1800s, with roots in Mexican and Chilean mountain music,” he explained. “The basic idea is the guitar strings are ‘slacked,’or loosened, into tunings that are actual chords, so that the guitar already holds the chord, freeing the fingers to focus on fretting the melody.
“The player simultaneously articulates alternating bass lines, faux rhythms (occasional strums), and lead melody lines, which sounds like three guitars in one!”
The style is so rare and complex, he emphasized, it’s often misunderstood over here on the mainland.
“Most people haven’t even heard the term ‘slack key,’ and it is often conflated with steel guitar, which employs a slide. ‘Pretty, Hawaiian-sounding guitar’ isn’t necessarily slack key either. So, I include a bit of fun education as part of every performance.”
Asked about essential skills for slack key playing, he quickly named one: Patience.
“There were years at a time when I would play 17-18 hours daily. Slack key demands a strict set of technical rules that require years to learn, and then, a liberation from those rules in order to convey the beauty and sensuality of Hawaii. It’s a course in mastery and letting go all at once.”
He’s used his music to stump for a wide variety of causes, among them fighting big biotech, funding services for the homeless, protecting coastline, and marriage equality for LGBTQ+ Hawaiians. But he stops short of feeling pride for his activism.
“I don’t feel pride so much as privilege, and a sense of responsibility, which drives my desire to use my voice and platform to invite attention to issues that affect people, places, and the planet.
“Everything to me is interconnected: Economics, ecology, culture, consumption, technology, art, social structures, human relationships, health, and mortality. I am deeply interested in, and passionate about, them all.”
“Hawaiian Summer Holiday with Makana and the Seattle Symphony” happens July 12 at the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium at Benaroya Hall, 200 University Street in downtown Seattle.
For prices, showtime, and other information, visit https://www.seattlesymphony.org/en/concerttickets/calendar/2022-2023/22makana.