2011…A Look Back

Well, here we are at the end of another incredible year!

Around this time we tend to reflect back on the previous twelve months to try and get a mental snapshot of achievements that sum up our entire year. It could be a momentous, life-changing event or even a small personal goal that you’ve fulfilled.

There are quite a few things that I’m proud of and thankful for this year. My beautiful and supportive family. I chipped away a bit at my second album. Found out a lot more about both my Hawaiian and Filipino ‘ohana genealogy. Took part in the incredible wa’a (Polynesian voyaging canoes) ceremony. In the last month, even took on a giant travel agency’s ill-advised ad campaign.

I’m particularly most proud of what a few friends and I were able to accomplish over just a couple of weeks in early April.

On March 11, 2011 a devastating 8.9-magnitude tremor, which struck about 400km (250 miles) north-east of Tokyo affected the lives of many people. Easily one of the worst natural disasters in history.

Watching the turmoil unfold trough video footage on the news hit me like a ton of bricks and I knew that there must be something I could do. I wasn’t sure what that “thing” was yet, but there had to be something. I immediately went to Facebook and messaged a handful of friends who I thought might share the same sentiment. Among that list and one of the first to respond were my friends Edgar and Leah Dang at Aloha Warehouse which is a Hawaiiana store right in the heart of San Francisco’s Japan-Town. We had originally planned to do a small acoustic concert inside of the store and I would call a couple friends to join me. We planned to donate whatever proceeds we made to the Red Cross and we really weren’t expecting to raise more than $200 and change.

As the planning continued, more friends and supporters began to surface. Daryl Higashi (HCCNC) was instrumental with rallying the support from some key organizations and political figures including Mayor Ed Lee and Japan Consul General Hiroshi Inomata. Susie Kagami of Hawai’i Music Live was another friend who stepped up to the plate in a huge way. A few other major contributors were Jeanne Cooper (SFGate/Hawai’i Insider) who wrote the press release, Sound Innovations who donated all of the sound equipment, Colortone Digital donating the signage and banners, and Osaki Design who came up with a beautiful logo that truly captured the essence of what we were doing.

Before you knew it, this thing which began as a modest house concert, blossomed into an an amazing 8 hour event featuring 14 bands from Hawai’i and San Francisco crossing many genres from Rock to Hawaiian. We dubbed the event Kōkua Japan (help Japan) San Francisco.

At the same time our event was unfolding, a few friends across the Pacific in Hawai’i (Lynn Piccoli, Pali Kaaihue, and Tony Solis of Pakele Live) were planning their own series of benefit concerts at the Willows. Their advice was not only welcomed but extremely helpful.

When all was said and done, we were able to raise a whopping $20,000 to donate towards the JCCCNC Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund. A far cry from the modest $200 we had originally planned to raise.

The people of Northern Japan can still use our support. Please visit the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund website and consider making a contribution.

Some highlights from the benefit:

  • 14 bands and hula halau from Hawai’i and San Francisco spanning multiple genres of music.
  • An estimated 4000 people attended the 8 hour event.
  • San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee addressed the crowd as well as Japan Consul General Hiroshi Inomata from SF.
  • Proclamation from Hawai’i Governor Neil Abercrombie and Lt. Governor Brian Schlatz.
  • Proclamation from Mayor Ed Lee.

This was the first time I had ever participated in the planning of such an enormous event from the ground up and it taught me an important thing. If you truly believe in something, no matter how big that thing is…nothing can stand in your way!

I’ve already taken that mindset and have applied it to many aspects of my life.

I would like to thank everyone who has followed me on this blog and across all my social media sites. Without you it would cease to be a social forum so I truly appreciate all of your hits, tags, posts, likes, favorites, re-tweets, sharing and comments!

I hope to truly push these social platforms to their limits in the coming year and I could not do that without folks like you!

Mahalo to everyone who has helped me get to where I am today! I’ve learned so much in the past year and hope to continue learning. 2012 is going to be an incredible year. I have a few things already in the works. Although I can’t mention them quite yet, you can be certain that you will be the absolute first to find out about them if you stay tuned right here!

Me ke aloha,

Steven