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Justin Morris often performs with various bands on Maui. Courtesy photo<\/p>\n
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With a storied history of presenting live music from the mid-1980s on, Casanova once again has become an Upcountry entertainment venue with the debut of the \u201cSundays in the Country\u201d series.<\/p>\n
Presented by Aloha Growers in collaboration with JMo Productions, on Aug. 31 Casanova will host the popular band Above Snakes Country, performing classics by country greats.<\/p>\n
All sharing a love for classic country and western, Above Snakes features Justin Morris on guitar and vocals, Marty Fera on drums (Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, and Dave Mason), Matt Del Olmo on guitar and vocals, and Tim Hackbarth on bass.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have really great players,\u201d said Morris. \u201cMarty Fera and Tim Hackbarth have toured nationally, and I\u2019ve been playing music with Matt for about 20 years. We occasionally have guests like Barry Sless from the Bay Area, who plays pedal steel with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
As far as their repertoire, \u201cwe\u2019re playing classic honky tonk, like the \u201960s, \u201970s, and \u201980s, Hank Williams Sr. and Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to do some of that stuff because you\u2019ve got so much respect for the guys that did it. But we really try hard to pay respect to the songs.\u201d<\/p>\n
The seeds of the new Casanova series trace back to the old Stella Blues in Kihei, where Scott Johnson of Aloha Growers and Justin Morris of Above Snakes worked.<\/p>\n
\u201cScott and I both used to work with Ray Ennis at Stella Blues,\u201d Morris explained. \u201cWe met Kale (Boverman) through his dad. About six months ago, Kale told us he had been working with Casanova and they want to do a music program. We did our first show and it was well attended. So we\u2019re really excited.\u201d<\/p>\n
All sharing a love for classic country and western, Above Snakes also features Marty Fera on drums (Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, and Dave Mason), Matt Del Olmo on guitar and vocals, and Tim Hackbarth on bass.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have really great players,\u201d said Morris. \u201cMarty Fera and Tim Hackbarth have toured nationally, and I\u2019ve been playing music with Matt for about 20 years. We occasionally have guests like Barry Sless from the Bay Area, who plays pedal steel with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
As far as their repertoire, \u201cwe\u2019re playing classic honky-tonk, like the \u201960s, \u201970s and \u201980s, Hank Williams Sr. and Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson,\u201d Morris said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to do some of that stuff because you\u2019ve got so much respect for the guys that did it, but we really try hard to pay respect to the songs.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the busiest musicians on Maui, this versatile artist shifts between different bands, playing bluegrass with the Brown Chicken Brown Cow String Band, country and western with Above Snakes, Beatles favorites with the Lonely Hearts Beatles and Beyond group, more bluegrass with Crow Foot Stomp, and original rock music with his own Justin Morris and Company band. Before Gretchen Rhodes moved off island he also performed with her band. And he mixes sound for performers at various venues on the island, including the MACC, Ocean Vodka Farm and Mulligan\u2019s on the Blue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI actually enjoy mixing shows, especially when we\u2019re doing something big at the MACC,\u201d he said. \u201cLiving on Maui, you kind of need to be diversified. I used to be in one band that traveled all over the country, and now I\u2019m in five or six bands that don\u2019t travel as much. Brown Chicken Brown Cow String Band and my rock and roll band, Justin Morrison and Company, we tour.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nJustin Morris performs with Gretchen Rhodes. Courtesy photo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Raised in rural West Virginia, music was all around.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was born in West Virginia and Matt was born in Texas, and we grew up in country music with our parents, but we didn\u2019t really embrace it until later in life,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve realized that I love country music, but when I was a kid, it was all about rock and roll. My dad was a coal miner, and instead of going to the mall on the weekend or whatever, we just would cook out and play music and throw horseshoes. Then when I went to college, I got real serious about music and had several bands.\u201d<\/p>\n
First playing on Maui in 2008 with the Brown Chicken Brown Cow String Band, he recalled, \u201cwe would come here to take a break from the road. It also became a really positive place for us because the shows were well attended.\u201d<\/p>\n
They recently played at the Hyatt Regency for the Hua Momona Foundation to a lively crowd. \u201cIt was really cool,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had a really enthusiastic dance crowd that night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now almost ubiquitous on Maui with various bands and sound gigs, he\u2019s looking forward to the Sunday performance. \u201cI\u2019m excited about this Casanova show. There is a whole audience that will come to a Casanova show that we won\u2019t see at any of the other venues.\u201d<\/p>\n
The \u201cSundays in the Country\u201d shows are presented on Sunday afternoons, with Above Snakes Country performing this weekend. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. and the show starts at 1 p.m. Tickets are $20.<\/p>\n
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