George Kahumoku, Jr. has won multiple Grammy awards for his masterful performances on slack key guitar – but he’s not just a world class musician, he’s also an artist and sculptor, storyteller and writer, farmer and entrepreneur, as well as a teacher at his local high school and community college on Maui. Tonight he’ll play and sing at the Freight, mixing Hawaiian classics and contemporary songs with his own captivating originals. Who knows? We might even get to hear him do “Unchained Melody” Hawaiian style. George has amassed an outstanding body of work over the years, with more than 25 albums, including collaborations with Bob Brozman, Daniel Ho, and the late Norton Buffalo, and three Grammy-winning compilations of slack key performances culled from the weekly concert series he hosts at Maui’s Napili Kai Beach Resort. In his free time, George works on his farm, growing fruit and vegetables, dry-land taro – for his famous home-made poi – and tending his goats, chickens, ducks, and miniature horses. So we’re lucky that George is taking a break to bring his earthy vocals and unique 12-string slack key sound to Berkeley for a celebration of the music and culture that is Hawaii.

Da ’Ukulele Boyz, first cousins Peter deAquino and Garrett Probst, began playing together as kids, competing as a team in Keoki Kahumoku’s Maui Ukulele Contest held annually at the Hula Grill. Their amazing instrumentals, dynamic vocals, and relaxed stage banter gave them multiple victories for several years until they matured and took over management of the contest themselves. Energetic, talented, and charismatic, they recently released their first album, Da ’Ukulele Boyz.

Daniel Ho is not only an accomplished singer, songwriter, arranger, composer, slack key guitarist, sound engineer, and record company owner, he’s also the winner of six Grammy Awards, nine Hawaii Music Awards, and three Na Hoku Hanohano Awards in a wide assortment of different categories. Growing up in Honolulu, he dived into music early, playing organ and ukulele, moving on to classical guitar, piano, electric guitar, bass, and drums, and eventually daring to sing. He studied composing, arranging, and film scoring at the Grove School of Music in Los Angeles, and started his own record company in 1998. Since then, Daniel Ho Creations has released more than 80 albums by many of Hawaii's most respected artists. Daniel plays on the soundtrack of The Descendents, his song “Pineapple Mango” is a YouTube hit, and his ukulele is on display at the Grammy Museum! Oh, and he sang the Hawaiian-language cover of Prince's “Nothing Compares 2 U” in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Save the fare on a flight to Hawaii and drink in the aloha spirit right here at the Freight!