“The Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards are Hawaii’s version of the Grammy Music Awards. They are held on an annual basis each Spring. The Hōkū awards were created in 1978 by Krash Kealoha and are currently being presented by the Hawaiian Academy of Recording Arts (HARA).

The Favorite Entertainer of the year is voted on by the public. Ballots are distributed through record stores and radio stations in Hawaii a week prior to the awards. Members of the Hawaiian Music industry vote on all other categories except for the technical categories. The technical categories are voted on by local resident recording artists, studio technicians, engineers, producers, writers, graphic artists, liner note annotators and others with local recording credit.

The award ceremonies are broadcast on television throughout Hawaii. Some the groups and artists that have received the most Hoku awards over the years include the Brothers Cazimero, the Makaha Sons, Keali’i Reichel, Melveen Leed, and the Peter Moon Band.“

Source: History of the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards

Keola Donaghy who is a member of the HARA Board of Governors, has the 2008 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Final Ballot posted at Nahenahe.Net. If you take a look you’ll notice many familiar names that have been featured on 808Talk (Mighty J, Darin Leong, Keali’i Reichel, I.A., O-Shen, Opihi Pickers, Afatia) as well as many other friends and favorites of 808Talk (King Kekai, John Cruz, Barefoot Natives, Katchafire).

For those of you living in Hawaii, you can stop by any Borders and cast your vote for “Favorite Entertainer of the Year” and let your voice be heard. If you’re an actual Hōkū voting member and need some help making your decision this year, Bran Da Icon has made his personal picks available on his MySpace Blog and says you can just copy his picks…LOL.

Featured video is a clip from the 2007 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards when Henry Kapono took home the “Rock Album of the Year.”

We at 808Talk extend our congratulations (ho’omaika’i ‘ana) to all the 2008 finalists!

Be sure and check back for a future update for the complete list of winners from the 2008 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards.

Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards
Tuesday June 17, 2008
Hawaii Convention Center
Cost: Members - $75.00 / Non-Members - $85.00
808-593-9424
http://www.nahokuhanohano.org

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The night kicked off with a wonderful opening act by Paula Fuga, followed by Mraz making his grand entrance on stage singing “Rocket Man” and as usual adding in a bit of his fun personality into the mix.

One of the cool parts of the night was when Mraz asked the crowd to “make him stars” using their “cellular devices” as he called it, and when the audience answered the call, it was like actual stars were all around you. Of course the highlight of the night came when Mraz sang his popular “I’m Yours” and added in a touch of “Hawaii, Hawaii, Hawaii” and “Barrack Obama” which made the entire crowd go MRAZy!

At the end of the performance as tradition in Hawaii, the crowd yelled Hana Hou, Hana Hou and of course Mraz answered the crowd’s request and returned to stage to sing not only one, but two more songs. In the end he left the crowd with a wonderful message saying “find something you love and practice it, practice kindness and most of all practice gratitude.”

Mr. A-Z is truly an awesome singer, songwriter and performer. For those who didn’t get a chance to check out the concert, I hope you enjoy the small clips in the video that highlighted the night. Remember his new album is set to release on May 13th, so GET IT!

Purchase “We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things” by Jason Mraz:
  

Jason Mraz: http://www.jasonmraz.com

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Now if I were a chef or an expert at making Spam Musubi, I’d just explain the method to you myself, but my method is probably not as good as that from an expert so we visit with Cooking With The Single Guy (Benjamin Seto) who originally hails from Hawaii but resides now in the San Francisco Bay area.

He has a wonderful writeup on the Making of The Spam Musubi that’s well worth checking out. While you’re over there check out all the other interesting recipes he has as well as local reviews of restaurants in the SF Bay area.

Now let’s talk a little about the upcoming Waikiki Spam Jam which will be held May 3rd on Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki. The Waikiki Spam Jam is a street festival that celebrates the people of Hawaii’s love for Spam, a canned meat from Hormel Foods. In Hawaii, you’ll find Spam at all grocery and convenience stores, many restaurants and in most homes in Hawaii.

This street festival is great for all ages, as the event includes Hawaii’s top restaurants, two stages with free entertainment, and a variety of Hawaiian crafters. This is also a special event that benefits the Hawaii Food Bank, the largest non-profit in Hawaii that feeds the needy.

If you looking for more info and discussion on the Spam Jam that takes place here in Hawaii, just do a search of our archives for Waikiki Spam Jam and check out this video available from the 4th Annual Waikiki Spam Jam.

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