Waikiki, Hawaii - Outrigger Reef on the Beach has introduced its newest musical series, Steel Guitar Sundays, a backyard style, kick-back kind of affair with generous portions of music, chatting and fun.
Offered from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the second Sunday of each month at the Shore Bird Restaurant and Beach Bar, Steel Guitar Sundays features seminars and music by some of Hawaii's finest steel guitarists including Alan Akaka, Greg Sardinha, Bobby Ingano and Casey Olsen. Other steel guitarists are invited to bring their instruments and jam with the featured performers on Waikiki Beach.
Steel Guitar Sundays is the latest in a series of musical events sponsored by Outrigger Hotels & Resorts as part of its ongoing support of traditional and contemporary Hawaiian Music. Outrigger also sponsors the Aloha Friday Luncheons at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach, periodic workshops on the Hawaiian nose flute and ukulele, the annual Ledward Kaapana Aloha Acoustic Workshop, and the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards.
The steel guitar and the banjo are thought to be the only musical instruments "invented" in what is now the United States. The story goes that a fellow by the name of Joseph Kekuku discovered the sound in the 1890s when he picked up a bolt from a railroad track and slid the metal along the strings of his guitar. Steel guitar gained popularity in the early 1900s, and is part of the family history of many island families, including Outrigger employees who recall family members playing the steel guitar at home.
"The sound of the steel guitar is so distinctive that even a few notes bring back a flood of memories," said Roy Cordeiro, who oversees sales and marketing for the Outrigger Reef hotel and whose grandfather played the steel guitar. "Steel Guitar is synonymous with a classic era of Hawaii's history, when practically everyone listened to 'Hawaii Calls' on the radio and we lived in a plantation atmosphere. The open-air and beachfront venue at the Shore Bird could not be more perfect for Steel Guitar Sunday."
The next Steel Guitar Sunday will take place on September 9, followed on October 14 and continuing through 2008 at the Shore Bird Restaurant and Beach Bar, one of Waikiki's most popular venues for breakfast, lunch, sunset cocktails and dinner.
For reservations, call the Shore Bird Restaurant at 808-922-2887.
The oceanfront anchor of the new Waikiki Beach Walk®, Outrigger Reef on the Beach is ideally situated between beautiful Waikiki Beach and exciting Waikiki. Currently undergoing a $100 million makeover, the hotel is being transformed into Oahu's newest haven of elegance, gracious hospitality and unparalleled commitment to Hawaiian culture. The project is being carefully completed in multiple phases to ensure the continued comfort of guests. On property are a wide array of restaurants, shops and services including a 5,000-square-foot day spa and complimentary Hawaiian Vow Renewal Ceremony. The adjacent Waikiki Beach Walk is Oahu's newest entertainment destination, home to shops, boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and accommodations spanning a nearly 8-acre area in Waikiki.
# # #
High resolution digital images of the hotel are available for editorial use upon request. Contact Luly Unemori, Pono Communications, at 808-986-0404 or luly@ponocomm.net
MEDIA CONTACT:
MaryLou Foley
Public Relations
Outrigger Beachfront Division
808-924-6040
marylou.foley@outrigger.com
Nancy Daniels, APR
Public Relations Manager
Outrigger Hotels & Resorts
808-921-6839
nancy.daniels@outrigger.com
About Outrigger Enterprises Group
Outrigger Enterprises Group is one of the largest and fastest-growing hospitality services companies in the Asia-Pacific region. Outrigger is a family-owned company with nearly 60 years of hospitality experience and runs a highly-successful, multi-branded line of hotels, condominiums and vacation resort properties, including Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, OHANA Hotels & Resorts, Outrigger Condominium Collection, and Embassy Suites®-Waikiki Beach Walk®.* Outrigger Enterprises Group also operates and develops hotel properties and hospitality-related retail and real estate opportunities for partners in Hawaii, the Pacific, the mainland USA and Asia. For on-line information, log on at www.outriggerenterprisesgroup.com or www.outrigger.com.
*Embassy Suites is a registered trade mark of Hilton Hotels Corporation.