On Tour Pt. III

I'm off to L.A. in a few hours, but the last trip I took was last weekend to Lake Tahoe and Laguna Beach. We were in Tahoe for a public concert as part of our tour, and then we were off to Laguna Beach for a private wedding.

We got into Reno pretty late, but the hour drive to the hotel was AMAZING. It was almost a full moon out, and the road runs right alongside the lake. At one point we even saw a coyote on the side of the road...I was hoping to have seen a bear, but it never happened. The concert was sold out at the Crystal Bay Club & Casino, and hopefully we'll be back again for another show...It was so good fun.

The morning after the concert, we were off to Laguna Beach for a wedding on a private charter. When we drove up to the plane (right on the runway!), I took one look at the plane and thought I was going to die. I have a huge fear of flying, and we'd have to fly for an hour and a half on a Beechkraft 8-seater propeller plane. Luckily, the weather was pretty nice and the ride wasn't half as bad as I thought it was going to be.


Laguna Beach was awesome. Previously to this trip, Pasadena was my favorite town in California, but now I'd have to say that Laguna, by far, is the best. It's the cutest little town with a bunch of little boutiques and restaurants that run along South Coast Highway. We stayed at The Montage...For the price you pay a night, it definitely wasn't THAT worth it...I guess that's because all of the resorts in Hawaii are just as pretty.

The next afternoon I was on a plane back to Hawaii and here I am, three days later getting on a plane going back to LAX. This weekend we've got concerts in Agoura Hills, San Juan Capistrano and San Diego. I'm home for a week after that, and then it's off to Vegas for a week with the family (and for work, of course!). Hopefully I'll be seeing everyone at upcoming concerts in Hawaii...I'll post some updated locations shortly. Until then...

Keep dancing,
Kim

On Tour Part II

The last few days have been spent working gigs and traveling. After Enoshima Lighthouse, we had two performances at Thumbs Up Club in Yokohama. The people there are CRAZY! I always look forward to Thumbs Up...You can always count on a crowd with personality there...Although I'm sure the huge amounts of alcohol consumption plays a part in that. DJ, Vance K, attended the concert and had a birds eye view from the Green Room.

C&K Performing at Thumbs Up in Yokohama

After Thumbs Up, we headed to Tokyo to perform at Duo Music Exchange in Shibuya. There were a lot of people that attended both Thumbs Up and Duo Music Exchange. At the end of the night, I felt so sad telling those people goodbye. Safu-san (the owner of Thumbs Up) and family attended as guests, and I had a wonderful time getting to know them a little better. His daughter, Arisa, is a University student in Montreal and speaks perfect English. She's already volunteered herself to be my personal tour guide the next time I'm in Japan for pleasure. Cici and his wife, Kanoko, were a huge help in selling our merchandise, and I was just as sad to tell them goodbye as I was with Safu-san and family. Konishiki and Kamasami Kong were also visitors at that show.

Duo Music Exchange in Shibuya, Tokyo

C&K Performing at Duo Music Exchange

Safu-San (the owner of Thumbs Up) with his daughter, Arisa, and wife, Yuko.

Last night we were at Bottom Line in Nagoya. Even though there was only a small crowd, they were very spirited and made the time go by a little faster.

Today we spent the day traveling from Nagoya to Osaka via Shinkansen (aka Bullet Train). I ALWAYS look forward to riding the Shinkansen! I can't believe that something so huge goes so fast. When you're inside the train riding it at full speed, you can't even tell it's moving...It's so smooth and so quiet. Tonight we had our performance at Big Cat in Osaka. I LOVE it there! In addition to being inside a mall, the area is surrounded by little boutiques. They have awesome things and the prices are very reasonable. I wish we could've spent at least a day walking around and exploring, but unfortunately, we're off to Fukuoka tomorrow via ANA. We've got a day off, but I'm planning to spend it relaxing and napping at the hotel.

Our last performance will be on Saturday at Gate's 7 in Fukuoka, then it's off to Guam for an overnight layover and finally back to Honolulu...And hopefully some cooler weather. I've got about days of rest, then I'm off to Reno and Laguna Beach.

I hope everyone is having an awesome week, and you didn't get too wet during Flossie. It's crazy...I missed Flossie by being in Japan and we'll be missing a typhoon here in Japan by just a few days. I can definitely count my blessings.

Keep dancing,
Kim

On Tour Part I

We just had our first show in Yokohama, Japan. It was CRAZY! The people here are great...True party animals...The venue was outdoors at a place called Enoshima Panorama Lighthouse. It's on a small island, just off of the Yokohama coast. The view was AMAZING! It was crazy, hot, but the crowd and the performance made up for all the heat. Here are a few pictures:

The crazy people in Yokohama @ Enoshima Panorama Lighthouse

This is the amazing view from the lighthouse. If you look closely, you can see Mt. Fuji in the distance!

Me, Momi, and Fumiko working hard!!!

Prior to this, we were on Guam for two concerts at the Sheraton Laguna Resort. I had a good time on Guam, due to some newly-made friends, and promoters for future shows on the island. A twelve year old boy, Ryan, opened up the show with a solo ukulele performance. This kid is an ukulele prodigy...Jake ain't got shit on him! Aside from the intense heat on Guam, it was a great trip and I can't wait to work with Shimbros again. They were true professionals.

Ryan, the ukulele prodigy from Guam.

Winding down with the Guam promoters.

We're doing a show at Thumbs Up club in Yokohama tomorrow, then we're off to Tokyo on Monday. Hopefully I'll get around to posting new blogs!

Keep dancing,
Kim

on tour

I'll be on tour for the next 15 days. I'll be leaving for Guam tomorrow afternoon and then I head straight to Japan until the 20th. If anyone needs to get in touch with me, you can email me...My cell phone won't work internationally. I'll be posting blogs while I'm gone, so be sure to check in every once in a while to see how my trip is going!

Keep dancing,
Kim

The Garden Isle

Last week I took two trips to Kauai in three days. Despite the craziness, it was great to see the "family" on Kauai again. They're always a pleasure to work with. On Thursday, we were there for a private corporate function for Kukui'ula. Henry performed with Michael McDonand. I find it funny that most people our age only recognize him from the movie, 40-Year Old Virgin...He's the guy playing music on the DVD playing in the electronics store constantly. It's always a great time with Michael. Then on Saturday, I returned for the day for Koloa Plantaiton Days. It was nice doing a C&K concert again, after almost a year.

It was also Kristin's 21st birthday. Sorry I don't have any pictures up yet, but Kristin still needs to email them to me.

I leave for Guam on Monday, August 6th and I go straight to Japan after that. I'll be back in Hawaii on the 19th, but only for a short few days, then I'm off on tour again. I won't have access to my cell phone, but I will have access to email and internet. I hope I hear from you all soon!

Keep dancing,
Kim