ONE YEAR: PAU

Pau is Hawaiian for finished. It was one year ago today when we launched Whodaguy Hawaii..

That happened on 7/7/07 at o700. Can you believe that was 365 days ago? "The luckiest day in 600 years," believed millions around the world, particularly in China, where that series of numbers, or centuries, or something, had a special meaning.

I want to post this 8670 hours exactly from the time we launched. (We based the time at 7:00 o'clock in the morning on the West Coast of the U. S. That was 4:00 a.m. here). Will put this up, and then add some thoughts after I have chance to digest them, and whatever is store for breakfast. Above is my original sketch of how we would reconfigure this small, two-bedroom "plantation-style" house into the "Worldwide Headquarters" of our online site, which has been heard in all 50 American states and more than 45 other countries. Some highlights of the past year:

The first person to come on mike, and say hello to his relatives in North Carolina, was Lt. Binford Strickland, USMC. I met Bin at the press conference we held at Windward Community College in April to introduce our neighbors to what we would be doing. Bin came by, discussed activities at Kaneohe Marine Base, where he is Assistant Public Affairs Officer and has been a supper supporter ever since ... I must also thank WCC Chancellor Angela Meixell for allowing us to hold our meeting there and also to recruit the interns who where invaluable to our transforming this place, with lots of heavy lifting, into what it is today ... The first professional musician to play here, on ukulele, was Roy Sakuma. He gave us details of his annual Ukulele Festival, which draws hundreds of players and thousands in the audience at Kapiolani Park ... Our first "expert" guest was John Heckathorn, editor of Hawaii magazine; food writer for Honolulu magazine and Honolulu Star-Bulletin columunist. On his second visit, Heck described his visit to the Big Island and a paniolo (cowboy) cookout. With slack key guitar music in the background, he described dining on sauteed beef testicles, also known as "mountain oysters."

Another Bulletin buddy,. music writer John Berger, has been here several times. First visit we discussed and played tracks from some of the better local CD's released in 2007. Recently, John was here the day after the 2008 Hoku Awards with his observations on the event, which he covered for the newspaper. Part of that show was a "Fashion Review" by the amazing and alluring Mihana. Then this talented singer, musician, composer and member of one of Hawaii's royal families, spent ninety minutes "talking story" and singing her songs and many written by her mother, Irmgard Aluli, composer of over 300 songs. Perhaps the most well-known is "Puamana," about the family home in Lahaina, Maui. Mihana began with a haunting chant in Hawaiian. It was a long overdue native blessing for this place and our efforts. Mihana was accompanied by a fabulous ukulele virtuoso, Greg Martin, who she had just met and never played with before. What a thrill: Seeing and hearing these two make music together. They played everything from Auntie Irmgard's classic "Boy From Laupahoehoe," which turned out to be the first thing Greg ever learned to play and sing, to Mihana's song about her husband, "Chuckie's In The Kitchen (Cookin' Teriyaki Chicken)"! I've been looking for material to release on a Whodaguy Records CD, with all profits going to charity, and that session may well be it.

Another fresh voice belongs to Millicent Cummings, who came by to play songs from her then unreleased album "Altar Native." Although the word "awesome" has been drained of meaning by overuse, it truly describes Ms, Cummings' talent as a singer-songwriter. She also plays wicked ki ho'alu (slack key) Hawaiian guitar ... I heard about her from Cindy Combs, a true slack key master, who lives in Hanapepe, Kauai. The two wahine met and played together on the Garden Island. Cindy, before coming up to the house, phoned from the Foodland Market to ask what I had in the cupboard. "Not much," I told her. She arrived with not only the salt and pepper, but also a chicken, vegetables and all the fixin's for a wonderful soup, which she made during the first hour of our interview. It was a cooking show in every sense of the word.

Hot music was also played by early guests David "Kawika" Kahiapo and Walter Keale. Their CD, as members of the group Kaukahi, won the 2007 Album of the Year Hoku. Their magic vocals and guitar artistry convinced me that there was something special about this place, and structure, for playing and recording music. Walt's version of "Waimanalo Blues" by Liko Martin, is unforgettable. (It can be heard both on one of our PodJockey.com podcasts and on the WhodauyHawaii MySpace site ... Most musicians who stopped by performed "Ku'u Home O Kahaluu," written by Jerry Santos for Olomana back in the 1970s. Its a tribute to the part of Oahu where he grew up ("...fishing o'opu in the mountain stream, riding hills on horseback.") Jerry is one of the two people I take visitors to see when they want to hear authentic, non-tourist Hawaiian music. (The other is Ledward Kaapana, who lives down the road and also came and played and sang in his unique, world class style). It took a while to coordinate Santos' visit, as he is always in demand, but it was well worth the wait. Aided by the "cough syrup" he brought with him, we had a rousing and memorable time.

We also visited, via phone, with the one and only Keola Beamer, who was at home on Maui. Reviewed his distinguished career as a composer, performer and, now, instructor. The most bizarre phone interview was with Hollywood triple-threat Cameron Crowe. We discussed how we first met, at KGB-San Diego in 1973, when he was still in his teens, all the way through his visits to Hawaii and love affair with the place. Cameron's imitation of me screaming directions at him, how to get to my house so we could be on time to see Led play in Hawaii Kai, made me think about not yelling quite a bit. Cameron's wife, the Great Nancy Wilson, heard the hollering from another room, and ran in, thinking he was being attacked. Last month, when Nancy and sister Ann appeared in a Heart show at Blaisdell Concert Hall, I had the chance to introduce Nancy to Ledward. Talk about a mutual admiration society. Nancy, one of the world's great guitarists (and composer of the Cameron Crowe film scores) also sent me a priceless gift not long after WDG began. She composed, played and sang a theme song, which we use every chance we get.

When I went back to L. A. in 1994 to work on the follow-up show to AMERICAN TOP 40 I saw that there was a tradition established when the AT40 studios moved to North Hollywood: All the artists who stopped by signed a wall that ran along a hallway at the ABC Radio studios. It was a treasure, beyond eBay in value. One day I heard the sounds of construction. The place was being remodeled. The masonry wall with all the Legends' autographs was reduced to dust. So, when two weeks before launching WDG I contacted artist Mark N. Brown to do a mural for one wall of the living room-turned-studio, I made sure that it was done on particle board. (I learned many years ago from my main mentor, Colonel Tom Parker, that "Anything good has to be removable, and ready to take with you by the end of the day.") So most everyone who has been here has signed our portable-when-need-be panels. Glancing at it, some of the names of our first year guests that I see are: Del Beazley, The Makapuu Sand Band, George Kahumoku, Jr., Melveen Leed, John Cruz, George Kuo, Danny Kaleikini, Desoto Brown, Makaha Sons, Puukea Nogelmeier, Leon & Malia, Ed Kaahea, Don Robbs, Herb Ohta, Jr. and others I can't read from a distance. We went to the home of Don McDiarmid, Jr., whose recollection are a virtual History of  Hawaiian Muisc. Oh yeah, Bart Dasilva, classmate of Barack Obama (Punahou 1979) who told us stories about Barry's teen years.

Those who we visited with on the phone include Honolulu Mayor Mufi Haneman, Kimo Kahoano, George Winston, Bob Shane, Buddy Fo, Marlene Sai, Henry DItz, Michael W. Perry, Charlie Tuna and others. Special thanks to two people who visited with their CDs and then helped me tremendously in other ways, based on their "daytime jobs," Teresa Bright and Paul Shimomoto. The "Credits" on our home page list many more folks who donated their time and talent to make this all happen. And a super-special mahalo to old friends who put their time and money where their hearts are: Kevin Gershan, Chip Monck, Ed Kanoi and Ernie Nearman. All his life, my dad told me, "There is nothing more important in life than good health and loyal friends." The past year certainly proves that, in ways that I cannot begin to describe in words.