Freight favorite Patrick Landeza, who happens to be an extraordinary Hawaiian slack key guitarist, is coming home for a party. He’s got plenty to celebrate – the release of a new album, the premiere of a four-minute excerpt from his first documentary, and his 43rd birthday! Patrick launched his musical career playing Open Mic Night at the middle Freight. Since then, he’s released eight albums, including the new one, Nahe`olu, which means sweet and refreshing sound. In 2006, he became the youngest recipient of the Kapalakiko Aloha Spirit Award for his contributions to the Hawaiian community. In 2013, he became the first musician based on the mainland to win the Na Hoku Hanohano Award – Hawaii’s version of the Grammy – for Slack Key Album of the Year. In 2014, he won the Listen for Life International Musician of the Heart Award. Earlier this year, he received the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce of Northern California Kūlia I Ka Nuʻu Award for his contributions to Hawaiian culture. Oh, and in his day job, he teaches Social Studies to middle school students in Fremont.

Born and raised in Berkeley to Hawaii-born parents, he studied slack key from virtuosos like George Kuo, Ray Kane, and Sonny Chillingworth. “When I learned from the masters in Hawaii,” he says, “they taught me that being a slack key musician isn’t just about the music. It’s about perpetuating a cultural tradition that includes storytelling as a means of sharing our culture.” Patrick is not only one of the top slack key performers in the world, he is also a musical bridge between Hawaii and California – he plays, in his words, “traditional Hawaiian music with a Berkeley twist.” The documentary he’s been working on with filmmaker Alex Vo tells the story of his musical and cultural journey. So yes, Patrick has plenty to celebrate – and he’d love it if you could join him. There will be hula and musical guests, an excerpt from the documentary and music from the new album. It should be a blast!

Visit Patrick Landeza's website

Listen to a track from Patrick Landeza: