Flyin' Hawaiian Entertainment

12/20/2025

"Everyday is Christmas in my heart and it all begins with you" is my favorite line from "Something to Give" by CHANT - an original Christmas song that has become an Island Classic and still played on the radio airwaves in Hawaii to this day.

Written by Darren Porlas and Vergel Jepas: "Something to Give" debuted at #1 on all the major Hawaii reporter stations including KSSK FM, I-94, 93 FMQ, KRTR 96, FM100 and KINE 105. KISS FM in Los Angeles also played CHANT's Christmas song "Something to Give" and the group received major label interest: most notably from producer Teddy Riley.

CHANT consisted of Darren Porlas, Tanner Henderson, Vergel Jepas, Charles Kupahu Timtim, Ben Taaca, Carl Fidel and Alvin Paguio.

I am playing all of the instruments on this track - with the exception of the acoustic guitars that were played by Ben Taaca and the Soprano Sax performed by David Choy.

"Something to Give" was originally released on a 2 song CD single along with their hit remake of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and it was an overnight success: selling out at Tower Records Keeaumoku on the first weekend it was released - Regional Manager Matt Koenig called me frantically and said "we need 10,000 more units ASAP!"

This version of "Something to Give" is the “Got Groove Remix” from the “Best of Flyin’ Hawaiian Entertainment Vol. 3 because the original "Hands of Time" CD is out of print.

CHANT's award winning album was nominated for Contemporary Album of the Year and Best New Group at the 1999 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards (CHANT performed on the award show telecast).

At the 1999 Hawaii Music Awards, CHANT walked away with R&B Group of the Year and Best Graphics. CHANT appeared twice on MTV's Real World Hawaii and the Miss Hawaii pageant telecast. CHANT also held a 9 month engagement performing at the Esprit Lounge at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel on Thursday and Friday nights where we set new records for alcohol sales and once again brought a local crowd back to Waikiki. CHANT's last performance at Esprit was Millenium New Year's Eve where we rang in the 21st century.

CHANT also got the opportunity to work in the studio with the Japanese super group TUBE and Hawaiian Superstar Kealii Reichel- singing vocals on "The Road That Never Ends" on his Melelana CD. Video footage of that recording session was included in Edgy Lee's film "The Hawaiians" which was featured at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC.

Here is CHANT and I in the studio with Keali'i Reichel www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAQ3dEW5D24

"Everyday is Christmas in my heart and it all begins with you" is my favorite line from "Something to Give" by CHANT - an original Christmas song that has become an Island Classic and still played on

11/07/2025

02/15/2024

I have reached 600 followers! Thank you for your continued support. I could not have done it without each of you. 🙏🤗🎉

09/13/2022

30 years ago on September 11, 1992, Hurricane Iniki devastated the island of Kaua’i. To help in the recovery efforts, the County of Kaua’i commissioned us to create a music video to jumpstart the local economy and bring tourists back to the Garden Isle. Myself and Glenn Medeiros teamed up with David Kawika Talisman and Titus Kinimaka to write the song “Kaua’i Aloha” at the original location of Flyin' Hawaiian Entertainment (at my parent’s house in Salt Lake). We enlisted an All-Star cast of entertainers to help: W***y K, Graham Nash (of Crosby Stills & Nash), Nohelani Cypriano & the Honolulu Boy Choir. Also appearing was Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Stephen Stills and the Honolulu Boy Choir. We recorded the song at the Young Street location of Audio Resource Honolulu. Milan Bertosa was the recording engineer and I produced the song. I played all of the instruments in the arrangement and Ben Vegas played the guitars (and sang Lead Vocals on the version released on the Best of Flyin’ Hawaiian Volume 1). When Graham Nash was recording his lead vocal, he asked Milan: “Who’s playing drums on this track?” Milan pointed at me and my Macintosh Plus computer 🤣When I met Bonnie Raitt at the live concert on Kaua’i, she told me backstage that I wrote a “beautiful song” and that was one of the highest compliments of my musical career. The music video was aired on Entertainment Tonight, CNN, the Travel Channel, United and Hawaiian Airlines in-flight entertainment and before every movie at Consolidated Theatres. It was featured in the Hawaii International Film Festival and won myself and Kawika Talisman a Telly Award (a national advertising award) and a Pele Award (a regional advertising award). This song remains a tribute to the island of Kaua’i and strength of it’s people 🤙🏽

Now here's a classic! Anyone remember this one?

06/28/2022

10 years ago: We had just finished the final recording sessions for the Makaha Sons, and I was walking them outside the studio before I had to start mixing their 20 songs. Before they got into their cars, Uncle Moon casually asked me if I could add some strings and orchestrations to “Poliahu.” I was kinda shocked, but really honored that the Sons wanted me to play on such an important song (which also happened to be my all time favorite Makaha Sons song). This is the final mix and I am really proud of how this rendition of “Poliahu” came out... Please enjoy 🤙🏽

ps. these were probably the final recordings the Makaha Sons made before Uncle John Koko went to Heaven 🙏🏽✝️

In 2008, I recorded the Makaha Sons for a 20 song double CD project for Amuse Soft Entertainment in Japan. John Koko was still recovering from a heart procedure so Uncle Moon laid down some reference

06/28/2022