Kala Koa Entertainment Presents The 16th Annual Southern California Slack Key Festival and Free Island Marketplace

Kala Koa Entertainment celebrates 16 years of bringing the biggest and brightest names in Hawaiian music to the mainland with the 2023 Southern California Slack Key Festival returning to the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center on Sunday, January 15, 2023.

One of the most acclaimed Hawaiian concerts to ever leave the islands, the Southern California Slack Key Festival takes fans on a Hawaiian musical journey showcasing GRAMMY-winning slack key guitarists, the best hula dancers in the world, special guest performers and a free to the public Island Marketplace.

Since 2008, the Southern California Slack Key Festival has been the biggest Hawaiian music concert event in the mainland U.S. and features the most respected names in Hawaiian guitar music and hula today. Taking its name from a finger-picking style of guitar playing indigenous to Hawaii (as heard on the Grammy-nominated soundtrack for "The Descendants"), the Slack Key Festival brings the art of ki ho'alu guitar to Redondo Beach.

This year's Southern California Slack Key Festival's line-up includes George Kuo, one of Hawaii's premier Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar artists; Makaha Sons, one of Hawaii's leading Hawaiian musical groups; Sonny Lim, a member of Hawaii's famous musical Lim family; Jeff Peterson, contributed to two Grammy Award-winning recordings and a winner of eight Na Hōkū Hanohano Awards; Jim "Kimo" West, 2021 Grammy Award-winner and multiple Na Hōkū Hanohano Awards; Kainani Kahaunaele, won seven Na Hōkū Hanohano Awards in 2021; Kamuela Kimokeo, a member of the Na Hōkū Hanohano award winning group Hi'ikua; Ka'ihi Kimokeo, and Bryan Tolentino, popular ukulele player who can be heard on scores of recordings for other artists as well as his own Grammy nominated CD's.

Played from the heart and soul through the fingers and flowing with vivid tropical images, Hawaiian ki ho'alu (slack key) is truly one of the great acoustic guitar traditions of the world. In slack key, some of the strings are "slacked" from the standard guitar tuning, with the thumb playing the bass notes while the other fingers play the melody and improvise in a finger-picked style.

In addition to the concert, an Island Marketplace - free and open to the public - takes place from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. outside of the venue. Browse a variety of island themed gifts, home décor, accessories, apparel, Hawaiian food, authentic island-style shave ice and outdoor entertainment.

Sunday, January 15, 2023;
Concert 2:00 p.m.; Free Island Marketplace 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
The Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center
1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd (at Aviation Blvd.), Redondo Beach, CA 90278
Free Parking
www.slackkeyfest.com

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