Name: Kaho`okeleholu Hannahs

Age: 26

Occupation:
CNHA, & Part Time Alcohol Chemist

Hobbies: Smiling & softball

Contribution to the group:
Lead & background vocals
Upright bass
Electric bass
Kazoo
Resident uglee-fellar of `Ale`a
:)

Musical Experience:
Piano at age 10
Trombone at age 10
Bass at age 11

Quote to live by:
"Holy Smokes!"
"You're only good until you get caught!"

Kale the man, not the vegetable.....

Kaho‘okeleholu “Kale” Hannahs, born on February 14, 1978 , is ‘Ale‘a's resident bassist. He is also a composer of contemporary Hawaiian music and the bleeding heart of the group. A 1996 graduate of the Kamehameha Schools, Kale is also a 2002 graduate of the University of Hawai ‘i, having majored in Hawaiian Studies with an emphasis in history. His hobbies include softball and hanging out with friends.

By day, Kale works as a project coordinator at the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement. There, he coordinates community development training to native communities throughout the Pacific. His previous experience includes working as a facilitator and audio-visual director for Winner's Camp, a leadership training organization.

Music has always resonated with Kale. “There was always something magical about music,” Kale reflects. “Whether I was just nodding my head, banging the chair, or even trying to sing along, music was always there.”

Recognizing his burgeoning talent, Kale's parents sometimes videotaped their rising star. Back then, Kale's modest choreography consisted of jumping up and down on his bed, strumming his ‘ukulele, while screaming utter gibberish at the top of his lungs. “Rock and roll, rock and roll, rock and roll” were the radical lyrics of his first chart-topping hit.

While Kale's childhood videos may not have been befitting of MTV, VH-1, or even oVeRdRiVe Live, they were indicative of things to come.

Like Chad and Gonzo, Kale took the obligatory piano lessons without much interest or success. While a fifth grader at Hanahau‘oli on O‘ahu, Kale began studying trombone. Then for reasons unknown even to him, Kale enrolled in orchestra class during the summer between his fifth and sixth grade years. In the sixth grade, Kale waffled between the trombone and bass like a certified schizophrenic. The juggling act, however, was short lived, and by the seventh grade Kale was forced to choose between the two.

Ever the planner, Kale weighed his choices carefully. “Supposedly, there were more scholarships available for bass players since they were considered a dying breed,” Kale explains. And so bass it was – in intermediate school, high school, and the prestigious Hawai‘i Youth Symphony. While he enjoyed being an “orch dork,” Kale eventually decided to broaden his musical horizons. At the urging of Dale “Papa” Noble, Kale auditioned for Concert Glee during his junior year at Kamehameha. Thus began the chapter of Kale's vocal career. Kale made his public debut in a Kalihi church where he performed with a couple of his high school buddies.

No one was coordinated enough to play and sing at the same time, Kale candidly admits. For this performance, Kale opted to sing rather than play the bass. Having survived the experience unscathed, Kale would later admit it was both interesting and fulfilling. With the aid of 20/20 hindsight, the entertainer laments, “I often miss those times.”

Kale has come a long way since his first performance in Kalihi. Aside from now being able to play his bass and sing at the same time, Kale has begun experimenting with the guitar as well. He claims he is proficient enough to play just about any song on the guitar, but then quickly caveats, “so long it has only two chords in it – C and G.”

Kale's guitar aptitude is surpassed only by Gonzo's prowess on steel guitar and Chad 's proficiency on upright bass.

Despite the trials and tribulations, Kale is convinced he made the right strategic move in choosing the bass as his instrument of choice. When asked whether the rumors were true about scholarships for bass players, Kale responds with a resounding yes. The bass saw him through college which, parenthetically, was financed through scholarships.

As for the collective group, Kale says that ‘Ale‘a started off as an idea. “We are just a bunch of dorks who take pleasure in a lot of simple things. We also play the kind of music that we like, and we like traditional Hawaiian music. I knew that I was fortunate to have joined up with talented and grounded guys like Chad and Ryan.”

Like his fellow band members, Kale feels honored to be part of this dynamic project called ‘Ale‘a.