Page 5 - Hawaii Island MidWeek - Nov 30, 2022

NOVEMBER 30, 2022
HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK 5
Ginai: Home On The Farm, Life On A Stage
FROM PAGE 4
ing the mountains hasn’t eased the concerns of this shepherd of animals.
in Mā‘ili, Ginai was taught by her mother at an early age to put in an honest day’s work and to embrace her diverse ethnic heritage of Hawaiian, African American, Native American, Scottish, Irish and French. But the greatest emphasis was placed on the importance of living by the Golden Rule.
“I’ve been worried for my horses for so long,” Ginai confesses. “I sleep by my little enclosed campfire just listen- ing to the sounds of the dogs, because I have incredible ears and I can hear them in the dis- tance bouncing off the valley walls and everything.”
“My mother always brought us up with the les- son of giving, of doing unto those as you would have done unto you,” she recalls. “We watched our mother help ev- eryone, from friends to family to complete strangers, so we had an example set for us early in our lives.”
Rocking out at Tapa Bar earlier this year with guitarist Charlie Longhi (left) and bassist Darrell Aquino of Funk-A- Holics.
PHOTO COURTESY GINAI
Despite the unexpected culling of the herd, Ginai and her family continue to main- tain the farm as best they can, even with the ever-present challenges of dealing with soaring food costs and supply shortages.
“This was a particularly brutal summer with the cost of buying supplemental feed, plus the 30% rise in shipping and other issues. So, it’s been breaking the piggy bank try- ing to find ways to feed all the animals,” she sighs.
Beyond her obvious love for animals and desire to shelter them, the singer re- mains committed to blessing the lives of people as well. In the last decade, she’s not only served as a foster parent to her sister’s daughters and a cousin’s five children, but also as guardian of an elderly man from the Valley Isle.
up on a regular basis so that he could participate in family activities.
his care home operators all the time, but I loved him till he moved on. He needed us, and we were there for him. F“I like to think that I treated him the way that I would want to be treated,” she says.
ever since she was a teenager. In the seventh grade, she cap- tured a talent contest by sing- ing Roberta Flack’s The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. By 16, she joined a group that toured military bases (her fa- ther was in the U.S. Army) and performed ’50s music covers. Following high school grad- uation, she landed in the Bay Area where she played with a nine-piece funk band called Mo Dog.
cent years, she’s turned into more of a jack-of-all-trades type of musician despite be- ing defined as a jazz and R&B singer for much of her career.
Kailua Bay Buddies for three performances at Shorefyre in Waikīkī. The dates are Dec. 30, 31 and Jan. 1, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
“But it’s OK. I don’t trip about stuff like that because IKe Akua provides. It’s just how it works. You put out, you get back.”
In explaining how she first crossed paths with Izuo Yamazaki, Ginai recalls per- forming with Willie K at Maui Memorial Medical Center a few years back and noticing an emotionally distraught man crouched in the corner of the hospital.
Unfortunately, Yamazaki was diagnosed with terminal cancer just a few months after their friendship began. Imme- diately, Ginai cleared out her home office, had a hospital bed installed and sought on- site nursing care so that he could spend his remaining days among loved ones.
ans of Ginai have been treated to her melodi- ous and powerful voice
“When I’m with (bands) Kailua Bay Buddies and Funk-A-holics, I’m playing rock, funk and soul,” explains Ginai, who was a regular per- former at Blue Note Hawai‘i from 2017 to 2019. “So in a sense, I’ve expanded as a sing- er, as a performer, as a musi- cian ... I’ ve been freed, I’ ve been allowed to fly.
Those who prefer catching her performances on social media regularly visit her In- stagram account, @dginai. There, she streams live shows from Peacock in a Ficus Tree Farm, where she sings and bangs on the bongos while being accompanied by key- boardist Alan Okuye.
t may be surprising to some that this long- time performer is just as
comfortable standing before audiences and sparkling in sequined dresses as she is gathering chickens under her wings while glistening in sweat and sporting overalls. But the thing about Ginai is that she knows how to straddle both the urban and the rural quite well.
“When I inquired about him, the staff said that he needed a guardian, someone to take charge of him because he gets bounced around a lot by care homes, and that there’s a little bit of dementia also go- ing on.
“Before he died, he told me, ‘Ginai-san, you take my ashes ... I like go swimming with the fishes,’” she recalls. “When he passed, I had him cremated and flew his remains to Maui.”
“Idon’twanttobeina box,” she continues. “You can no longer define me other than to say that I’m the cream of the crop at whatever I do. I’m not trying to toot my horn, but I’m really good at a lot of stuff.”
In many ways, Ginai has finally hit the high notes in her life. She has her farm, her family and a thriving music career. More importantly, she still has a lot of love to give to all creatures — whether they roam about on two legs or four.
“I’ m a glamour puss! I’ ve got three closets worth of clothes and shoes,” she ad- mits. “But, I’m also a country girl. I don’t have a problem putting on rubber boots or cowboy boots, or getting all muddy and dirty and having my hair be a sweaty mess.”
“So, I volunteered to take guardianship of him.”
Pausing briefly to remem- ber her time with the man she fondly calls “Yama,” and reflecting upon the lesson taught to her so many years ago by her mother, an emo- tional Ginai begins to tear up. There isn’t a day that goes by in which she doesn’t think of him.
After returning to the is- lands, she found success with local swing band Hula Joe & The Hut Jumpers and Hot Club of Hulaville, and captured both Hawaiian Mu- sic and Nā Hōkū Hanohano awards along the way. In re-
Music lovers can still catch her live with Funk-A-holics every fourth Thursday of the month at Tapa Bar at Hilton Hawaiian Village. She also plays a monthly gig with Ha- waiian Soul at the same venue. And, to help ring in the new year, she’s teaming up with
“My life is not centered around making money,” she states. “My life is centered around making joy and hap- piness for animals, for people, for audiences.”
Born in Chicago but raised
Once Yamazaki was on O‘ahu, Ginai found a place for him at a care home. Then, to form bonds between him and her ‘ohana, she’ d pick him
“He was a troubled and lonely man ... and he fought
And you can bet the farm that that’s a life worth living.