Behind-the-Scenes with Makana

Recently, I did an episode of “The Chat” with slack key guitar master Makana. Can you say “AWESOME”??

Seeing Another Perspective

Every show I do immerses me in someones’s world. I can’t tell you how much I love that. It’s one of the things I enjoyed most about my acting career: getting to experience life through someone else’s perspective. With this show, I get to do that AND tell a story! Heavenly beyond description.

As for Makana, my sister Tina actually introduced me to his music years ago. She has an incredible gift for scoping out incredible musicians on the rise… and after hearing her rave about Makana for awhile, I had to go see what she was going on about. Yup, she was right! The real deal.

If you missed my Chat with Makana, well just click this link to see it.

An Artist of Many Facets (and Faces!)

The thing about Makana is, he’s an artist of many facets.

This photo was his idea. I’d never actually done one of these before. Now I want to do more!

Mind Mints

You’ve heard his music… but he thinks about stuff too. He thinks about what it means to be alive and be responsible for what you put out into the world. There’s this section of his website called “Mind Mints”. In his TEDx Maui talk, he shares one that cracks me up every time I hear it. It’s at 11:51:

“See, I feel bad for God. She keeps trying to kiss you with what’s in this moment, but what’s in your mind is so old and stinky. Here. I’m gonna give you a Mind Mint. Take one… for God’s sake.”

So I check in with Mind Mints now and again. I always like to see what’s going on in the heads of people I enjoy and admire.

He’s vehemently against GMO – and actively speaks out against it, grows much of his own food… even his own fish (Tilapia). He feels that rather than “hope”, we need to create. Because “we have the power to actually do things ourselves” and community is key.

That “Can-Do” Attitude

Mostly, I just really find Makana’s “can do” attitude and stance in life incredibly refreshing.
It certainly factored into how we ended up creating a mini TV set complete with lights, camera and musical action in a redwood forest.
The passers by found it entertaining, I think. I didn’t dare look at them though; I’d have completely lost my train of thought!

I took that photo at the show Makana did in Santa Cruz, California on the same day we did our Chat. It was fun being a concert photographer for a night!

Ditto this one:

Another little-known fact about Makana?
Even in flip-flops he is by far the fastest walker I have ever met in my life!!!