Slack Key and Uke fans will be thrilled. Visit "The Islands" at The Coffee Gallery Backstage

SLACK KEY GUITAR NIGHT STARRING JIM "KIMO" WEST & T. DAN HOFSTEDT...Join us as "slack key" guitar masters Jim "Kimo" West and "T. Dan" Hofstedt take you on a sonic journey to the Hawaiian Islands via the enchanting and lilting sounds of ki hoa'lu, as it is known in Hawaii.

Jim "Kimo" West has performed at many of Hawaii's slack key festivals as well as the Southern California Slack Key Festival in Redondo Beach in both 2008 and 2009. A winner of the Hawaii Music Awards and Na Hoku Hanohano (the Hawaiian "Grammy") nominee, Kimo is known for his unique style, original tunings and "nahenahe" sound.

O'ahu native "T. Dan" Hofstedt plays slack-key infused with his rich personal experiences growing up in Hawaii and will be sharing some of his many original songs. He was recently featured in two sold-out performances at the Coffee Gallery in a unique show of Hawaiian "pidgin" English stories and slack-key guitar with Hawaiian storyteller and comedian Kamaka Brown called, "If Can, Can- If No Can, No Can."

Jim "Kimo" West first visited Hana, Maui in 1985, after a long summer on the road as guitarist for famed musical satirist, "Weird Al" Yankovic. As the sounds of Gabby Pahinui, the Sons of Hawai'i, Sonny Chillingworth, The Sunday Manoa, and others, played on the turntable, he jammed along for fun and relaxation. Already a devotee of open tunings, he was immediately drawn to the gentle rhythms of ki ho 'alu (slack key guitar) and soon began writing his own songs.

While always retaining the heartfelt essence of traditional slack key, Jim "Kimo" West brings much of his own musical heritage to his original ki ho'alu instrumentals. His style can best be described as "nahenahe", meaning "soft, sweet or gentle voice", a fusion of old and new but still rooted deeply in tradition.

T. Dan Hofstedt was introduced to slack key guitar as a teenager growing up in Hawaii where he performed in a Polynesian song and dance revue with the Kalani High School Select Choir, which performed at many venues around Honolulu, as well as a road trip to Nevada, Disneyland, and Mexico where they brought the Aloha Spirit to the mainland.

Sunday, September 20. ShowTime: 7:00 P.M.... Tickets: $20
($15 if you are wearing "aloha" attire)