kealoha (HawaiiSlam) - ProfilesArchive

About Me

Kealoha is the founder of HawaiiSlam, Youth Speaks Hawai’i, and First Thursdays, the largest registered/certified slam poetry competition in the world (with an average attendance of 600+). He has served as Hawaii’s SlamMaster since 2003, and has been on the Artists in the Schools roster since 2005. Kealoha placed 8th out of 350 of the world’s best poets at the 2007 National Poetry Slam. In the 5 years that he has represented Hawai’i at the National Poetry Slam, he has appeared on the finals stage 3 times (twice in the best pieces showcase and once as an individual finalist). Kealoha has featured at numerous venues throughout America and Europe including the Nuyorican poets cafe (New York City), the Schiffbau (Zurich, Switzerland), the Waikiki Shell (8,000 sold out audience), and the NFL Pro Bowl halftime show (50,000 sold out audience). ///////////////Kealoha’s poetry has been published by Bamboo Ridge, Wordstew, and the Honolulu Weekly. He is the poetic vocalist for Henry Kapono’s "Wild Hawaiian" project, whose album was nominated for a Grammy. His poetry performances have also been recorded on albums such as Hapa’s "Maui" (winner of 4 Na Hoku Hanohano awards and the Hawaii Music Award for "Album of the Year"), the Mana Maoli compilation (featuring Jack Johnson and John Cruz), and a full-length spoken word CD entitled Kealoha. He has been featured 3 times on the "World’s Greatest Poetry Slam" DVD series (2004, 2005, 2007) and starred in the movie "Hawai’i Slam: Poetry in Paradise." Furthermore, he has made dozens of television appearances, including the State of Hawaii’s "Can’t Fool the Youth" anti-smoking campaign that he wrote, performed, and co-directed. ///////////////Kealoha has shared the stage with Jack Johnson (Multi-Platinum Recording Artist), Ben Harper (Multiple Grammy Winner), Willie Nelson (Multi-Platinum/Multi-Grammy Winner), Damian "Junior Gong" Marley (Multiple Grammy Winner), Michael Franti (Spearhead), Don Carlos (Reggae Legend), Medusa (Grammy Winner), Jason Mraz (Grammy Nominee), and countless numbers of slam poetry superstars. He has also collaborated with local pioneers such as Henry Kapono (Grammy Nominee), Hapa (Multiple Na Hoku winners), Makana (Slack Key Virtuoso), Willie K (Grammy Nominee), and Jason Scott Lee (Actor). Finally, he has guest lectured at over 100 schools, libraries, prisons, and community centers throughout his career (including a Master’s Workshop at the Bamboo Ridge Writer’s Institute) alongside literary leaders such as Lois-Ann Yamanaka, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Lee Cataluna. ///////////////Beyond poetry, Kealoha co-wrote and played the lead role in a hip-hop theatre production entitled Chase, which sold out on every night of its original and encore runs. He has also directed various productions including a sold out 1,400-seat show of the Vagina Monologues at Hawaii Theatre (featuring luminaries such as Lois-Ann Yamanaka, Nora Okja Keller, and Joy Harjo). On a more random note, Kealoha graduated with honors from MIT with a degree in Nuclear Physics, served as a business consultant in San Francisco, and worked as a surf instructor prior to becoming a professional poet. Visit www.KealohaPoetry.com for more information.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 5/30/2006
Band Website: kealohapoetry.com
Band Members: kealoha
Influences: All legitimate branches of Science and Logic (particularly Physics, Mathematics, Philosophy, Biology, Neuro Science, and Anthropology), Waking Life, Baraka, Planet Earth, Fight Club, the Matrix, Being John Malkovich, Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Vanilla Sky, Human Nature, Gattaca, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Jerry Maguire, Run Lola Run, Frida, Dancer in the Dark, 12 Monkeys, se7en, the Game, American Beauty, Into the Wild, Contact, Good Will Hunting, Beautiful Mind, Dragon, Eddie Murphy's Delirious, UHF, Ace Ventura, Office Space, Aladdin, Pulp Fiction, Beat Street, Stomp, Les Miserables, Rent, Once, Step Into Liquid, Shelter, September Sessions, The Simpsons, Inside the Actors Studio, $25,000 pyramid, Cosby Show, In Living Color, Albert Einstein, Lao Tzu (father of Taoism), Richard Feinman, Freud, Darwin, Maxwell, Maslow, Van Gogh, Plato, Nietzsche, Chomsky, Da Vinci, Edgar Allan Poe, Khalil Gibran, Allan Lightman, Herman Hesse, Shel Silverstein, Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes), Lois Duncan, Vladimir Kush, Stephen Covey, Allan Watts, Lois Anne Yamanaka, Mary Kawena Pukui, Queen Lili'uokalani, Bjork, Sigur Ros, Aphex Twin, Postal Service, Air, Bliss, Thievery Corporation, Stereolab, Propellerheads, Kim Hiorthoy, Mega Supras, Moby, Pato Banton, Bob Marley, Beres Hammond, Jimmy Cliff, Chaka Demus & Pliers, Cecilio & Kapono, Kalapana, Hapa, Gabby Pahinui, Genoa Keawe, Brothers Cazimero, Peter Moon, Henry Kapono, Makana, Keola and Kapono Beamer, Ho'aikane, Kapena, Ho'olapa, Maunalua, Kekuhi Kanahele, Willie K, Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom, Rap Reiplinger, Andy Bumatai, Hawaiian Ryan, Fenua, Kraftwerk, Run DMC, BDP (KRS-1), Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy, Africa Bambaataa, Slick Rick, Doug E Fresh, UTFO and the Real Roxanne (the back-and-forth epic saga battle), Kool Moe Dee, Diggable Planets, Brotherhood Creed, Nice and Smooth, Arrested Development, A Lighter Shade of Brown, Common, Jurassic 5, A Tribe Called Quest, NWA (I disagree with their messages these days, but when I was a kid I used to listen to them), MC Hammer (before U Can't Touch This), Busta Rhymes, Tupac, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (old school style), Kool and the Gang, George Clinton and the P Funk All-Stars, Parliament, Musical Youth, New Edition, Boyz II Men, Joni Mitchell, Des'ree, Tracy Chapman, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Ani Difranco, Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Esthero, Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam, the Jets, Michael Jackson (from the old school days all the way up to Dangerous), Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, Paul Simon, Ry Cooder, Rusted Root, Jason Mraz, Cake, Phish, Jamiroquai, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Les Nubian, Gipsy Kings, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Bad Boys Batucada, Bebel Gilberto, Cibelle, Michael Franti, Ozomatli, Ali Farka Toure, HawaiiSlam Poets, Youth Speaks Hawai'i kids, all the dope-ass slam poets throughout the world who have moved me, stand up comics, the Massachusetts Institute of Techonology (MIT), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Chess, Scrabble, Connect 4, Taboo, Encore, Poker, Mitchell Madison Group, Business Consulting, San Francisco, Burning Man, Brazil, Amsterdam, London, Bali, Tahiti, Japan, Hawai'i, surfing, hiking, hula, capoeira, break dancing, dreams, passions, backyard jams, conscious people, beautiful people, my family, and everyone who I've had a conversation with who has shifted my paradigm, made me laugh, or given me something to reflect on...
Sounds Like: Slam poetry spoken word stylings with a scientific logical polynesian hawaiian pidgin hip-hop twist...
Record Label: HawaiiSlam
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

The Grand Slam FINALS and HawaiiSlams 5th Anniversary Show!!

Hosted By: HawaiiSlam’s First ThursdaysWhen: Thursday Apr 03, 2008 at 8:30 PMWhere: Hawaiian Hut410 Atkinson Drive (in the Ala Moana Hotel)Honolulu, HI 96814United StatesDescription:HawaiiSlam&r...
Posted by kealoha (HawaiiSlam) on Sun, 30 Mar 2008 02:24:00 PST