Hallowe'en with Maui Underground at the Pioneer Inn
With Halloween almost around the corner, Lahaina-bound revelers should make a point of heading to the Pioneer Inn where Greg diPiazza will showcase his new band Maui Underground. In the past, Greg has led several bands here, including Manchild, Volcano Jones, and Twisted Fisherman. His latest endeavor focuses on trance dance music fusing live instrumentation with programmed material.
Their hip, new CD, "Maui Underground," combines original material with a few unique covers of classic songs. Singing lead vocals and playing guitar, harmonica and keyboards Greg is joined on the CD by Dustin Hengl on muted trumpet and keys and percussionist Tato Melgar.
The album was spawned during some recording sessions in L.A. working with John Denver's widow, Cassandra Delaney Denver. "I wanted her to not do so much country stuff and I thought trance music was so cool, so I recorded the first two songs for her," Greg recalls. "But she wanted to just do the John Denver-type music, so when I got back, I finished the album here."
Some of the recording's highlights include the bluesy jam groove of Nobody, a trippy bossa nova reconstruction of Cream's Tales of Brave Ulysses, the elegant instrumental Rule of Love and the hypnotic, closing cover of the Classic IV hit Spooky, which is completely transformed with Indian percussion, chant, and Greg's weathered, Bryan Ferry-like vocals.
"I'm a fan of world music, I like all types of music and on this album I'm expressing a lot of different ethnic roots," Greg explains. "I just tried to do an album that represents what I like to listen to."
One of the most unusual cuts, the moody reggae-tinged "Reach," opens with an ancient Hawaiian chant. "It's from the Bishop Museum and it's actually one of the first recorded chants in Hawaii," Greg explains. Besides playing the Pioneer gig, Maui Underground will also perform at Kimo's on Nov. 5. In early December, they fly to L.A. to play for a Latin Grammys after-party. "It takes a lot of work to set this up," says Greg. "It's so intricate to play because you have to follow tracks, so we're spending a lot of time in studio breaking each song down. We'll really showcase it at the Pioneer Inn."Also read the Maui Times article about Greg diPiazza: Following Artistic Dreams
