The Maikai Gents: The Band

Born from an unlikely heritage, The Maikai Gents was founded by members of the lounge-punk pioneering The El Guapos. With the addition of the caressing grass skirt and swaying hips of The Mysterious Miss Mauna Loa, as well as musical stylings of some of our favorite instrumentalists, The Maikai Gents have created a rare and wonderful phenomenon: a musical group that can entertain and delight audiences anywhere from senior centers to ultra-hip young urbanite soirees.

Iuka Grogg:

The boy who would become Iuka Grogg began his adventures in bands some time ago as the founding drummer/vocalist of the punk-rock power trio Squirrelly Wisteria. Boy was it fun, but with the dawning of the subsequent decade, playing in caves and lofts became old hat and something new was needed. Along with band mate, the soon-to-be Mika'ele Loco Moco, he made the move to Sparks, Nevada and formed a group, which, although now defunct, still possesses legendary status in the scene it created. This was the lounge-punk pioneering The El Guapos! Taking the name Ronnie Twirl as he switched to bass guitar wizardry, our young friend thrilled audiences with his amusing antics and instrumental acrobatics. The running and funning was intense and once the last piñata had been smashed, he yearned for a more relaxed environment in which to expand and explore his music. The new inspiration came calling on gentle tropical trade winds and The Maikai Gents Featuring The Mysterious Miss Mauna Loa were created.

The Mysterious Miss Mauna Loa:

Our lovely dancer, The Mysterious Miss Mauna Loa comes to us from a mystical and hidden South Seas Island. She landed on our shores as a cultural exchange student, where her knack for dance was immediately noticed and she was hired by the most famous of all amusement parks. You may have seen her captivating parade-viewing guests as she swayed her hula hips or even asked for her autograph as she was disguised as a popular character known for her snowy-white complexion! Happy to share her art and glean what she could of mainland culture, The Mysterious Miss Mauna Loa enrolled at a local U.C. campus and, buoyed by her natural talents and enthusiasm, she quickly rose to the position of head cheerleader. We consider ourselves truly lucky and honored to have such an amazing woman on our team.

Thurston Lavatube III

Thurston Lavatube III (Steel Guitar) brings to the Maikai Gents all that one expects from a master of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar: he’s fabulously rich, drolly funny, inconceivably good-looking, and he certainly is popular with the wahines! But it’s his musical talent that sets him apart from other island-hopping spenders of inherited wealth, making the sound of old Hawaii his true currency and the spirit of Aloha his endowment to malihinis and kama ‘ainas alike. It was our pleasure to have had his brilliance shine on our recording, "The Wiki Wiki Grog Shop."

NOTE: a man with an uncanny resemblance to Thurston Lavatube III plays with the San Francisco tropical rock band APE. You can mock this impostor’s lack of money and social status at any of their live shows. Another Thurston look-alike is the founder of the old-time acoustic duo, The Waikiki Steel Works.

Alana Moana Beach Parks:

Alana Moana Beach Parks (Bass) has got the swing in him! When he's behind us, the kanes and wahines (and even keikis, too!) can't resist slicing sand. From bands such as ours, as well as The Rhythm Cats and Mojo Jelly, his rhythms get folks dancing, smiling and shouting "hana hou!" We sure dig having this cool cat in our combo.

Kana Hanohano Kika

Kana Hanohano Kika (Guitar) has that serene island sensibility and knows just when to throw in some flash to keep things swingin'. He's a whiz on the fretboard and absolutely exudes the spirit of aloha. What a fine fellow!

Kanaka Jones

Kanaka Jones (Hawaiian Steel Guitar, Bass & Slack Key Guitar) has a long history (and love affair!) with Hawaiian music. He knows all the old-timers, he knows all the melodies, he knows all the words. He is a living encyclopedia of musical knowledge with a serious emphasis in the islands. Put just about any instrument into his hands, name a tune... and you'll get it! Jones is a gem!

Makuakane Maleka:

Makuakane Maleka (Bass) is consummate professional musician. Never late and always in time! This type of discipline may have been formed during his days in the U.S. Army Band and it has certainly served him well in his other musical projects such as The Punk Rock Orchestra, Project Pimento, Pete Anderson's band and Moot Davis' Band. This man's remarkable talents can be heard on our CD, "The Wiki Wiki Grog Shop" and boy, are we happy about that!

Lord Hunt:

Chances are you know this man's music. Lord Hunt has been an enormously creative and internationally respected musician since the last millennium! His fluid style and signature sound in bands such as The Finks, The Satisfaction, The Now and The Bomboras has gained him fans around the globe. We include ourselves in that category and are proud to share the stage with this legend.

Kiwini Hekili Hoku:

Kiwini Hekili Hoku (Bass) comes to us with an impressive pedigree. He has been the bass guitarist and tunesmith for such influential groups as The Finks, The Witchdoctors, The Huntington Cads and The Mighty Kegsmen. On several occasions while we've been in a club before or after a gig, Mr. Hekili Hoku has motioned towards the house speakers pumping in music and said, "Hey, I wrote this song!" The world certainly appreciates his work and we know we're in good hands when Kiwini Hekili Hoku is behind us.

Waikiki Jones:

Waikiki Jones (steel guitar) comes to us directly from the Hawaiian Islands where he found admiration and respect not only for his fine playing style, but for his study and love of the old-time steel players. His presence adds another dimension of aloha to The Maikai Gents' sound.

Peni Hana:

Peni Hana (Percussion) is quite an accomplished musician and vocalist. Although he sits smiling with his brushes and snare with us, Mr. Hana is not normally so sedentary. Due to his unbounded energy and 3' vertical leap, Peni received a volleyball scholarship to a major California university. Not only did these assets earn him an education, they also turned him into a rock and roll icon! For anyone who has seen him perform in his other bands, it will be a long time before the sight of this energetic lad pogo-ing to the ceiling will fade from memory. It's possible you may recall him as the masked frontman/lead guitarist of Benny and The Goons, or as the lead guitarist for The Markdowns, or the amazing-hazing lead singer and lead guitarist of The Mighty Kegsmen. It was with this band that Mr. Hana began his friendship with their opening act, legendary Catskills comedian Shelly Crabbs. He is now writing a tender remembrance of their jovial camaraderie in the forthcoming book "Is This Thing On?" Peni Hana also currently hits the skins for the big-wave R&B surf rockers The Volcanics.

C.B. Howlie:

C.B. Howlie (Percussion) is certainly a versatile musician. He has toured, recorded, and gigged with such famous folk as Toto, Berlin, The original New York cast of Godspell and El Vez. He, along with the stunning Miss Cherry Capri, is the founder of Cherry Capri & The Thurston Howlies, a band that provides our favorite space-age party soundtrack. Through his work with The Maikai Gents, Mr. Howlie was inspired to invent his now signature instrument, The Tikifarmaphone.

John "Spazz" Hatton:

John "Spazz" Hatton (Bass) is the consummate professional. We first met Spazz about 25 minutes before he was to go on stage with us one fine Hollywood evening. We sat with lyrics and chord changes and he scribbled cryptic notes and forms on the pages. Without even one run-through, he grabbed his upright and flew through the set leaving the audience breathless. Wow! John can be seen and heard in his other bands, The Hodads, The Big Daddys, The Brian Setzer Orchestra and The Brian Setzer Trio.

Kaukini Lowene:

You're probably already familiar with Kaukini Lowene's bass artistry. Perhaps you saw him on tour with Barry Manilow or Englebert Humperdinck. Or maybe you remember the scene in the movie "Swingers" where the koo-koo woman in the bar approaches the guys while the menacing theme from "Jaws" plays. Yup, that was Kaukini's playing you heard! He also has his own group which must be seen and heard: The Larry Steen World Jazz Ensemble. Two amazing ASCAP award-winning albums and one heck of a live show! We could go on and on about his masters degree in Jazz and African-American Music Performance as well as the long list of notable musicians he's played with, including Mel Torme, Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Eckstine, Mose Allison, Stevie Wonder, etc, but that would just take up the space where we really want to say how happy we are to have him in our group of fine musicians.