I just spoke with Makana who hails from Hawaii. Guitar Magazine recognized him as one of the top guitarists in the country.  He'll be stopping at the Ludlow Garage during his U.S. tour with his friend also from Hawaii, John Cruz.  You'll be able to hear top-of-the-line slack key guitarists.

During our conversation, he discussed his Hawaiian musical roots, the slack key guitar, and the many genres of music he performs.  He also shared a story about his appearance at Peter Gabriel's WOMAD festival and talked about George Clooney's movie, The Descendants, which was filmed in Hawaii and to which he contributed music.  

Makana talked about John Cruz and what they'll be performing at the Ludlow Garage, too.   He also mentioned that the last time he was in Cincinnati, he played with Jason Mraz.

Makana and John Cruz will be appearing at the Ludlow Garage on Friday, September 8th at 8pm.  You'll find highlighted links for ticket information as well as more information about Makana and John Cruz.  A rare opportunity to see two of the masters of slack key guitar!

Makana's YouTube video submitted to NPR's Tiny Desk

John Cruz YouTube video - Hurricane (HiSessions.com Acoustic Live!)