Feeling Blue in Paradise: Slack Key ‘Ohana and Rand Anderson team up releasing a new single!
“Slack Key Blues” will also be on Slack Key ‘Ohana’s forthcoming “Mai Tais in Paradise” album.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. / Honolulu, Haw. (11 April 2025): With all that blue ocean and blue sky, Hawai’i is not for everyone. That was lap steel guitar player Rand Anderson’s conclusion after overhearing someone visiting the island complaining about the sparkling sea and majestic backdrop overhead. The Hawaiian transplant teamed up with his Pacific Records labelmates Slack Key ‘Ohana on a new single, “Slack Key Blues. Produced by Anderson, Chris Hobson, and Slack Key ‘Ohana’s Brian Witkin and Joe Witkin, the single is now available digitally and via a limited-edition run of CDs and numbered vinyl discs.
“Slack Key Blues” is a tropical slice of Hawaiian culture and American blues that offers a glimpse into Slack Key ‘Ohana’s third album, “Mai Tais in Paradise,” which is expected in late summer. The single is a light and breezy sway on a hammock guided by the soulful voice of Kela Sako, a native Hawaiian and the newest member of Slack Key ‘Ohana. Sako’s exquisite lead vocals surf the guitar groove crafted by Anderson and Brian Witkin and augmented by Carol Witkin’s ukulele.
“While I have loved Hawaiian music my entire life, I grew up playing blues guitar. I got into playing slack key guitar much later in my music career and this song is a blend of my passions for both blues and slack key guitar,” said Brian Witkin, who wrote the music for “Slack Key Blues” while Anderson penned the lyrics, which were inspired by his experiences living in Hawai’i.
“I was watching Island News, and they were interviewing some guy who lost his job. He had bought a one-way plane ticket to Hawai’i. I had heard that some states actually send homeless people to the island on a one-way ticket. Most people get here and stay because they would rather be homeless in paradise. The Waianae reference in the song is about the homeless encampments on the westside of Oahu, which seems to be the roughest part of the island,” said Anderson, an award-winning multi-instrumentalist and vocalist who is passionate about Bluegrass and Hawaiian music. He has been collaborating with Slack Key ‘Ohana since the band’s self-titled debut album, which was named Best World Music Album at the San Diego Music Awards in 2022.”
The colorfully illustrated cover for “Slack Key Blues” was created by Disney Imagineer and tiki graphic designer Tom “Thor” Thordarson. Pacific Records will be releasing both a lyric video and a music video for the single in May.
Based in Southern California, Slack Key ‘Ohana’s 2024 “Hawaiian Cowboy” is nominated in the prestigious Album of the Yearcategory at next month’s San Diego Music Awards. The Hobson-produced album features performances by four-time GRAMMY®-winning slack key guitar master George Kahumoku Jr., GRAMMY® nominee Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, and four-time Nā HōkūHanohano (the Hawaiian GRAMMY® equivalent) award-winning ukulele player Brittni Paiva. Before officially joining the band, Sako appeared as a guest on “Hawaiian Cowboy.” Her solo debut EP, “Speed Bumps,” earned Sako a Best New Artist nomination at the San Diego Music Awards after debuting at No. 4 on the iTunes Reggae Music Albums chart upon its release last December. A video for a single from “Hawaiian Cowboy” garnered a Nā Hōkū nomination last year while Slack Key ‘Ohana’s album is a finalist at this year’s Nā Hōkū awards in the Island Music Album of the Year category. Rand’s album, “Island Time,” is a Nā Hōkū awards finalist for Contemporary Acoustic Album of the Year.
Catch Slack Key ‘Ohana in concert on the following dates:
April 16 San Diego, CA Pechanga Arena’s Stella Artois Lounge
April 18 Santa Cruz, CA Pono Grill
April 19 Davis, CA Moss Lane
April 25 & 26 Scottsdale, AZ Arizona Tiki Oasis
Mat 1 Solana Beach, CA Opening for John Cruz (Duo)
May 2 Palm Springs CA The Reef
May 3 Palm Springs, CA Tiki Caliente (Main Stage)
Listen to “Slack Key Blues” at https://orcd.co/slackkeyblues.
For more information, please visit https://slackkeyohana.com.
# # #