Maunalua

A few minutes later, the members of Maunalua -- Bobby Moderow Jr., Kahi Kaonohi, and Richard Gideon -- were lugging instruments and sound equipment onto the patio. They wore Hawaiian shirts (not matching), wide shorts, rubber thong sandals, and good-natured smiles. As they set up, "regulars" came over to greet them.

At three o'clock, the trio burst into music. With Moderow on 12-string steel guitar, Kaonohi on bass, and Gideon on ukulele, plus Moderow and Kaonohi singing pull-out-all-the-stops falsetto, you felt as if you were surfing on a wave of Hawaiian musical energy. The Waikiki waters breaking on the nearby beach seemed to be in synch with the music.

"Hello, everybody, and welcome to Duke's Canoe Club on the Beach!" bandleader Moderow exclaimed after the applause died down. And for the next two hours, it was Maunalua's club. But just as they were ready to play their second number, a bald old-timer shuffled over to their sun canopy and shook each band member's hand. The musicians took the time to pose with him as a kind onlooker snapped a picture for the elderly fan.

Most of the songs were in the Hawaiian language, and Moderow didn't do long intros at Dukes, where the clatter of cutlery and the beachside noise would have interfered. But the harmonies, dynamics, and pacing conveyed the different moods and emotions of the traditional Hawaiian music the band taps.