The Hula Honeys

sweet, sassy and sophisticated, their sound weds pre-statehood Hawaii party music with hip jazz chords and subtly intricate vocal harmonies. The results are unique, heartfelt and irresistible.
--Tom Stevens, Popular Maui writer, educator and radio host

A honey of a findHawaiian paradise never sounded so goodenchantment is what the Honeys are all about. If you adore Na Leo, Puamana and Territorial Airwaves, youll embrace the Hula Honeys.
--Wayne Harada, Honolulu Advertiser

The traditions of smooth jazz and hapa haole* music are blended in perfect measure by Maui's Hula Honeys. The vocal duo works their musical magic... hapa haole classics; [and] originals that could become classics in the years to come." - John Berger, Honolulu Star-Bulletin (2009)

Vintage Hawaii harmony, light jazz and aloha: The Hula Honeys are known for performing the entrancing music of Hawaii's territorial days nightclubs, songs that take you back to Boat Days and Waikiki's golden era. Blending vintage Hapa Haole* songs with hip jazz classics, they create a swinging sweet sound all their own.

Within their versatile repertoire, accompanied by ukulele and guitar with elegance, spirit, and aloha, you can hear everything from traditional Hawaiian ballads to tin pan alley standards, charmingly updated with a light air of contemporary Hawaiian jazz and a mix of original songs. Ginger plays a Pono Baritone ukulele and a vintage 4-string Gibson tenor guitar. (Tenor guitar is a fairly rare sight harkening back to the late 1920s when banjo was replaced by guitar as the main rhythm instrument).

Their appearances can include education and community programs; they also give workshops in hula and ukulele.

Longtime friends and multi-instrumentalists Ginger Johnson and Robyn Kneubuhl grew up in the same neighborhood in Honolulu, and their music recalls Waikiki of that era -- palm trees, beach boys and song, including the music of Robyns mother, renowned singer Emma Veary. Female-led musical trios were commonplace back then, dressed in fabulous muu muu, flowers in their hair, and smiles of aloha. The Hula Honeys are joined by bassist Jonathan Drechsler, a New York City native and a fixture on the 1970s Greenwich Village folk & blues scene, appearing with Odetta, Bill Dicey, Johnny Winter, and others. Since moving to Maui in 1995, he has performed and recorded with Gabe Baltazar, Abe Weinstein, Henry Allen, and Owana Salazar, among others.

The Hula Honeys have played in intimate clubs, mainstage theaters, corporate events, and music festivals (Annual Ukulele Festival, Maui Arts & Cultural Center Amphitheater; Ukulele Festival, Napa, California). Their premiere CD Life Just Got Sweeter was nominated for a Na Hoku Hanohano (Hawaiian Grammy) award; the second CD Girl Talk was just released in 2009.

* Hapa haole Hawaiian songs of the 40s and 50s, fun, romantic, and entertaining, blending Hawaiian themes and melodies with lyrics in a mix of Hawaiian and English.