Island Time and Slack Key ‘Ohana will be joined by legendary Nā Hōkū winner Barry Flanagan of HAPA at the June 20 concert celebrating the unique blend of Americana and bluegrass music.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (12 JUNE 2025): The night before the Hawai’i Academy of Recording Arts hosts their 48th Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, which is the GRAMMY® Awards equivalent, Pacific Records will showcase two of their 2025 Nā Hōkū nominated bands, Island Time and Slack Key ‘Ohana, along with multiple Nā Hōkū award-winning singer-songwriter Barry Flanagan of HAPA and local band Hook + Line at the Slack Key Lounge in Honolulu on June 20.
Hawaiian transplant resident Rand Anderson, who leads Island Time, conceived of the Hulabilly Showcase as a platform for the music and creativity that blends two disparate cultures and categories: Hawaiian music and bluegrass. Anderson, a seasoned songwriter and producer who plays pedal steel, dobro, mandolin, upright bass, and banjo, is a board member of the Bluegrass Hawaii Association. He recorded more than twenty bluegrass and slack key musicians on Oahu last year for the Island Time project that is Nā Hōkū nominated for Contemporary Acoustic Album of the Year.
“I’m very excited to see the confluence as well as the evolution of these two related, but distant musical worlds,” said Anderson who is at work on his next project titled “Hawaiian Grass,” which deepens the Hawaiian music and bluegrass mélange on a collection of Hawaiian classic songs sung by Hawaiians.
Pacific Records president Brian Witkin has been steadily adding more Hawaiian artists to his boutique label’s carefully curated roster. One of the label’s latest signings is Flanagan, who as HAPA became the biggest selling Hawaiian group or duo ever with the release of their 1993 self-titled debut album. Their follow-up recordings changed the perception and expanded their appeal beyond Hawaiian music, with many of their groundbreaking albums being the first Hawaiian records to be classified as world music. Through their albums and concert tours, HAPA became one of the most recognized names in Hawaiian music internationally.
Slack Key ‘Ohana is nominated at this year’s Nā Hōkū Awards for Island Music Album of the Year for their “Hawaiian Cowboy” album. The Southern California-based band stole the spotlight at last year’s awards show when they performed with ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons, four-time GRAMMY-winning slack key guitar master George Kahumoku Jr., and four-time Nā Hōkū Award-winning ukulele player Brittni Paiva, all of whom appear on “Hawaiian Cowboy.” In 2024, Slack Key ‘Ohana’s video for “Nahenahe Ka Leo o Ka Wahine Uʻi,” a song from “Hawaiian Cowboy,” received a Nā Hōkū Awards nomination as Hawaiian Music Video of the Year. Witkin is the band’s co-lead singer and guitarist and is partnered with vocalist Kela Sako, a native Hawaiian. In April, Slack Key ‘Ohana previewed their forthcoming “Mai Tais in Paradise” album with the release of the single, “Slack Key Blues,” which was written by Anderson and Witkin.
“We’re incredibly proud to bring our artists together for this special showcase—it’s not just a celebration of their talent, but also of the community we’ve built. Having artists from our Pacific Records roster and finalists at the Nā Hōkūs on the bill makes this event even more meaningful. It’s a moment to lift each other up, honor the nominations, and share the energy that drives independent music forward,” said Witkin.
The Honolulu outfit Hook + Line is an island-inspired Americana band fronted by award-winning singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jacob Staron.
To purchase tickets to the Hulabilly Showcase, go to https://www.slackkeylounge.com/shows/hulabilly-06-20-25.