Scott Huckabay

When Scott Huckabay stepped foot into Solar Culture Gallery, he said he was drawn to the energy of the space next door. So Steve Eye, the building's caretaker, gave the thumbs-up, and the show was moved to the Galactic Center. The audience sat on provided cushions on the floor.

Getting started, Huckabay gently tapped his bead-filled acoustic guitar. He then licked one of his fingers and slid it along the guitar body, creating a squeaky sound resembling a dolphin's vocalization. This sound would conveniently tie into the loosely woven narrative throughout the show, involving a man who swam with dolphins. Although the brief intro may have been discordant to the average listener, Huckabay then ran a violin bow across the strings—and the performance turned majestic. From the depths of the ocean, we were launched into the stratosphere with full-tilt acoustic fury.

I've never seen Huckabay's equal on acoustic guitar. It's as if he found the guitar in the wild when he was young, and never having seen anyone use such a thing, he invented his own way of producing sounds. While there's an undercurrent of classical training in Huckabay's playing, he doesn't just think outside the box—the box doesn't exist.

Some of his more-modern techniques included two-handed fret-tapping, looping and using an EBow. The stuff that blew my mind included approaching the fret board over the top for string-bending, -plucking and -strumming from every possible angle—including on the headstock itself. He also kicked the guitar while a bell was wrapped around his ankle for extra rhythmic emphasis. Most impressive was his ability to completely change the tuning of the guitar on the fly, while in the middle of playing a song.

To close the show, he placed the guitar on the floor. While practically mounting it, he rubbed rocks and crystals along the strings to create eerily comforting soundscapes. It was a performance that impossibly—and beautifully—meshed elements of folk, rock, pop and classical music.

The intensity, even during the quieter moments, was palpable. Witnessing someone merge with an instrument in such an unprecedented way was transformative. Huckabay is indeed a musical shaman. - Mel Mason

The walls of the Honoka’a People’s Theater just might come alive March 9, inspired by the musical vibrations of “guitar alchemist” Scott Huckabay. Huckabay is no ordinary musician. In a recent taping of “State of Profusion,” performed live at a venue in Washington, the artist could be seen whirling around in a colorful outfit on-stage with his eyes closed, clearly taken by the music. Noisemaking instruments were strapped to his ankles, and he danced around creating his own rhythm as interesting and unusual sounding guitar loops wove into a mass of intertwining melodies.

Huckabay’s unusual story dates back to an accident that changed his life forever. Huckabay was not previously musically inclined, but recalls enjoying listening to music at an early age. He’d been lonely as a youngster, and later fell in with a motorcycle gang.

“A couple of years before the motorcycle accident in 1987, I was hooked on a lot of bad drugs and drinking hard liquor. I did not have any friends when I was younger. A motorcycle group brought me into their tribe and accepted me for who I was but unfortunately I was influenced by what they happened to be doing…those were some crazy times in my life,” recalled Huckabay.

As his motorcycle sped at full speed toward an oncoming truck, Huckabay recalls making a “pact with god.”

“I experienced this epiphany in my mind that I was going to die or something terrible was about to happen to me so I let go of the handle bars while surrendering to god [or our] creator knowing I was not alone. It was so surreal,” said Huckabay.

“I remember floating through some kind of vacuum tunnel of different shades of colors, almost like flying through different colored clouds in a tunnel at warp speed. All of a sudden, I came to a halt and there was this opening that looked like some kind of a doorway just for a moment…then I rapidly went in reverse mode through that vacuum tunnel,” said Huckabay.

In the next moment, he awoke in a hospital bed in intense pain, but with a “new perspective of a life path.” A guitar sat at the foot of his bed, something Huckabay says to this day he cannot explain.

“Every time I picked up the guitar, all the pain would dissolve. From then on, I never put the guitar down. Since then, I have no need to take up that lifestyle of doing drugs or drinking alcohol ever again. The accident was a blessing in disguise,” said Huckabay.

Three years later, he moved to Hawaii, where he lived in a tent on the beach for a year and befriended a pod of spinner dolphins which he swam with every day.

“I gained their trust and was accepted into their pod,” said Huckabay. “They were teaching me all about sounds and I was learning to go deeper into my thought patterns and forms. When it was time to leave the pod, I knew I had a mission to explore and experiment deeper in what the guitar was capable of creating.”

Incredibly, Huckabay’s arm and leg which were said to “never work again” had begun to heal.

In 2006, Huckabay encountered another musical concept that lead to the creation of his unique style.

“I met Dr. Len Horowitz who taught me [on] a technical level [about] the frequencies I was tapping into through music which [are] based off the Solfeggio scale. According to Horowitz’s research from his latest book, “The Book of 528,” it is an ancient scale from the renaissance era that produces instant healing and miracles for humanity,” said Huckabay.

“There are seven tones or frequencies measured in hertz form that represents each of the body’s energy system. I resonate particularly with 528hz which is connected to the heart center energy. Eventually, I will explore the other six frequencies. My mission is to help bring these tones out to the world in a non-evasive positive way,” said Huckabay.

Huckabay has performed all over the world, playing with big names Chicago, Steve Morse, Joe Satriani, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Bonnie Raitt, Albert Lee, Buffy Saint-Marie, Shadowfax, Jackson Browne, John Trudell, Toni Childs, Sarah McLachlan, Pierre Bensusan, Ram Das, Hapa, Bob Weir, and Randy Hanson. But he is particularly thrilled to be back in Hawaii.

“Hawaii always lives in my heart wherever I travel in the world, it is my home. The Hawaiian people are truly amazing and inspiring. The ‘aina and aloha is strong here. I am very honored and excited to perform for the people here in Hawaii,” Huckabay said.

Equally excited is Honoka’a People’s Theater manager Phaethon Keeney.

“I love life-affirming good vibes and positive creativity and this guy has it. I guess you could say in a nutshell he has an eclectic and innovative style in creating joyful multi-textured musical landscapes. People dig his music, he’s fun and energetic and…I’m excited to see where the music takes him on stage and share in that wild ride too,” Keeney said.

Huckabay maintains a positive outlook on life and practices yoga and deep breathing daily, as well as eating a balanced raw and vegan diet. This kind of preparation is necessary to deliver performances that are not only physically demanding but spiritually resonant for his audiences as well.

“I feel my purpose that God/Creator gave me is a rare opportunity to turn around my life and to help assist others in their awakening or inspirations through the frequencies of music. My intention behind the music is only with pure love, Huckabay said.”

Scott Huckabay performs Saturday, March 9 at the Honoka’a People’s Theater. Tickets are $15 at the door. For more information about the concert visit http://honokaapeople.com, or visit www.scotthuckabay.com for more information about the performer. - Le’a Gleason