Today's DailyOM Offerings...
April 17, 2012
Hapa
Hapa
1993
Hapa are called the Simon and Garfunkel of Hawaii, and its first self-released album in 1993, Hapa, combined sounds from Hawaii’s indigenous culture fused with funky and beautiful Pan-Polynesian influences. The album received multiple awards in Hawaii, including the Haku Mele award for Barry Flanagan and Keali’i Kaneali’i’s “Lei Pikake,” which is now a popular love song. Flanagan, a New Yorker learning slack-key guitar, traveled to Hawaii for more extensive study where he fell in love with the calm and culture of the islands, and dedicated time to internalizing Hawaii’s sacred musical art forms, such as oli (Polynesian chant) and hula (sacred dance). Hapa is a term used to describe a person of mixed heritage, and this album is a perfect translation of mixed heritages into music.
Hapa is full of lush vocal harmonies and virtuoso slack guitar. Its cumulative sound is that of joy and unlocked sacred musical traditions. And yet each song delves just as deeply into the pop realms as it does the mysterious sacred, by catchy choruses, pop rhythm guitar, and the mere inventiveness of new verse too powerful to tuck away into lesser-known genres. “Haleakala Ku Hanohano,” opens Hapa, with the words first slowly narrated, and then followed by speedy rhythm guitar for an unforgettably danceable luau tune. “Kaopuiki Aloha” shows off the group’s swift picking fingers and melodic imagination, combining traditionally patterned strums with flowing improvisation based on the musicians’ seasoned expertise.
The award-winning ballad “Lei Pikake” begins with powerful vocals sweetly sung, and even without understanding the words, one can feel the rich meaning through the ebbs and flows of the delicate and passionate vocal inflections. Guitar then backs up the voice with sparse falsetto-vocal harmonies for a rare and perfect tune. “Olinda Road,” another instrumental song, brings about jazz-fusion, Polynesian chords, and Spanish cowboy guitar into the mix. Most songs contain at least one surprising element such as the romantic string section suddenly apparent before the closing of the album in “Oh My Love.” For a variation of uplifting, highly lauded music voyaging us into the center of tropical paradise, just press play.
April 17, 2012
A Helping Hand
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You may unexpectedly come to recognize the important role you play in your loved ones lives today. Whereas once you might have wondered about your inability to propel the people you care for toward their dreams, you may now understand that the small contributions you are able to make to their well-being do just that. As a result, you will likely be inspired to take on the brunt of your friends’ and family members’ concerns and worries in order to help them focus more attentively on their individual goals. Your compassion and your loyalty can touch your loved ones’ hearts today, causing them to ascribe their eventual success, in part, to your diligent and caring efforts.
Each time we enable our loved ones to pursue their dreams by offering our unconditional support, therefore lightening the burden they carry, we demonstrate our commitment to their individual journeys of actualization. Most human beings are social by nature and rely on each other for aid and assistance as a matter of course. The gift of sustenance we give to the important people in our lives ensures that they can realize their individual goals while still meeting their domestic and career-related obligations. When we offer a helping hand, no matter how seemingly insignificant our contribution, we become a positive part of our loved ones’ growth and overall level of well-being. As you assist the people you care for today, you should take pride in the fact that you are freeing them to concentrate on their dreams.
April 17, 2012
Turn It Around
Laboring under a Label
Many of us find ourselves laboring under a label that has a negative connotation, but this can be reversed.
We live in a culture that uses labels as a means of understanding the world and the people living in it. As a result, many of us find ourselves laboring under a label that has a negative connotation. Unless we can find a way to see the good in such a label, we may feel burdened by an idea of ourselves that is not accurate. It is important to remember that almost nothing in this world is all good or all bad, and most everything is a complex mixture of gifts and challenges. In addition, different cultures revere certain qualities over others, but this does not mean that these qualities are inherently good or bad. For example, a culture that elevates outgoing behavior will label an introvert in a negative way, calling them antisocial. In truth, the ability to spend time alone is one that most great artists, mystics, and visionaries share. Owning the positive side of this label can lead us deeper into our gifted visions and fertile imaginations.
When we look into the lives of any of the great people in history, we always find that they had quirks and eccentricities that earned them less than ideal labels from the societies in which they lived. Many famous artists and musicians were considered to be isolated loners or disruptive troublemakers, or sometimes both, yet these people altered history and contributed to the world an original vision or advances in our understanding of the universe. If we can remember this as we examine our own selves and the labels people use to describe us, we find that there is a bright side to any characterization.
If you have been labeled, remember that all you have to do to see the positive side is to turn the label around. For example, you may be considered to be overly emotional, and the fact that you are perceived this way may make you feel out of control. But notice, too, the gifts of being able to feel and express your emotions, even in a world that doesn’t always encourage that. You might begin to see yourself as brave and open-hearted enough to stay alive to your feelings. You may also see that there are certain paths and professions in which this is a necessary ability. As you turn your label around, the light of your true nature shines to guide you on your way.
Original post @ Dreamwidth with
comments. Commenting is welcome on either post.
Hapa
Hapa
1993
Hapa are called the Simon and Garfunkel of Hawaii, and its first self-released album in 1993, Hapa, combined sounds from Hawaii’s indigenous culture fused with funky and beautiful Pan-Polynesian influences. The album received multiple awards in Hawaii, including the Haku Mele award for Barry Flanagan and Keali’i Kaneali’i’s “Lei Pikake,” which is now a popular love song. Flanagan, a New Yorker learning slack-key guitar, traveled to Hawaii for more extensive study where he fell in love with the calm and culture of the islands, and dedicated time to internalizing Hawaii’s sacred musical art forms, such as oli (Polynesian chant) and hula (sacred dance). Hapa is a term used to describe a person of mixed heritage, and this album is a perfect translation of mixed heritages into music.
Hapa is full of lush vocal harmonies and virtuoso slack guitar. Its cumulative sound is that of joy and unlocked sacred musical traditions. And yet each song delves just as deeply into the pop realms as it does the mysterious sacred, by catchy choruses, pop rhythm guitar, and the mere inventiveness of new verse too powerful to tuck away into lesser-known genres. “Haleakala Ku Hanohano,” opens Hapa, with the words first slowly narrated, and then followed by speedy rhythm guitar for an unforgettably danceable luau tune. “Kaopuiki Aloha” shows off the group’s swift picking fingers and melodic imagination, combining traditionally patterned strums with flowing improvisation based on the musicians’ seasoned expertise.
The award-winning ballad “Lei Pikake” begins with powerful vocals sweetly sung, and even without understanding the words, one can feel the rich meaning through the ebbs and flows of the delicate and passionate vocal inflections. Guitar then backs up the voice with sparse falsetto-vocal harmonies for a rare and perfect tune. “Olinda Road,” another instrumental song, brings about jazz-fusion, Polynesian chords, and Spanish cowboy guitar into the mix. Most songs contain at least one surprising element such as the romantic string section suddenly apparent before the closing of the album in “Oh My Love.” For a variation of uplifting, highly lauded music voyaging us into the center of tropical paradise, just press play.
April 17, 2012
A Helping Hand
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You may unexpectedly come to recognize the important role you play in your loved ones lives today. Whereas once you might have wondered about your inability to propel the people you care for toward their dreams, you may now understand that the small contributions you are able to make to their well-being do just that. As a result, you will likely be inspired to take on the brunt of your friends’ and family members’ concerns and worries in order to help them focus more attentively on their individual goals. Your compassion and your loyalty can touch your loved ones’ hearts today, causing them to ascribe their eventual success, in part, to your diligent and caring efforts.
Each time we enable our loved ones to pursue their dreams by offering our unconditional support, therefore lightening the burden they carry, we demonstrate our commitment to their individual journeys of actualization. Most human beings are social by nature and rely on each other for aid and assistance as a matter of course. The gift of sustenance we give to the important people in our lives ensures that they can realize their individual goals while still meeting their domestic and career-related obligations. When we offer a helping hand, no matter how seemingly insignificant our contribution, we become a positive part of our loved ones’ growth and overall level of well-being. As you assist the people you care for today, you should take pride in the fact that you are freeing them to concentrate on their dreams.
April 17, 2012
Turn It Around
Laboring under a Label
Many of us find ourselves laboring under a label that has a negative connotation, but this can be reversed.
We live in a culture that uses labels as a means of understanding the world and the people living in it. As a result, many of us find ourselves laboring under a label that has a negative connotation. Unless we can find a way to see the good in such a label, we may feel burdened by an idea of ourselves that is not accurate. It is important to remember that almost nothing in this world is all good or all bad, and most everything is a complex mixture of gifts and challenges. In addition, different cultures revere certain qualities over others, but this does not mean that these qualities are inherently good or bad. For example, a culture that elevates outgoing behavior will label an introvert in a negative way, calling them antisocial. In truth, the ability to spend time alone is one that most great artists, mystics, and visionaries share. Owning the positive side of this label can lead us deeper into our gifted visions and fertile imaginations.
When we look into the lives of any of the great people in history, we always find that they had quirks and eccentricities that earned them less than ideal labels from the societies in which they lived. Many famous artists and musicians were considered to be isolated loners or disruptive troublemakers, or sometimes both, yet these people altered history and contributed to the world an original vision or advances in our understanding of the universe. If we can remember this as we examine our own selves and the labels people use to describe us, we find that there is a bright side to any characterization.
If you have been labeled, remember that all you have to do to see the positive side is to turn the label around. For example, you may be considered to be overly emotional, and the fact that you are perceived this way may make you feel out of control. But notice, too, the gifts of being able to feel and express your emotions, even in a world that doesn’t always encourage that. You might begin to see yourself as brave and open-hearted enough to stay alive to your feelings. You may also see that there are certain paths and professions in which this is a necessary ability. As you turn your label around, the light of your true nature shines to guide you on your way.
Original post @ Dreamwidth with
comments. Commenting is welcome on either post.