Pikake & Pearls: Helen & Randy’s Website

Reception music will be provided by an ad-hoc trio we created for the wedding! Naturally (because it’s ad-hoc) it doesn’t have a name, but it is comprised of some really close friends, whom we’ll introduce below. All we know is, each of these guys is really fun to be around, and we’re looking forward to seeing them altogether on the big day. Oh, I just realized that yes: they have all played together before—when Shawn subbed for me (Randy) at a ABC show, back in 2004. Anyways, here’s some info on each. I’ll put it in order of when I met them. 

Mitchell Wilcox (drums)

I’ve known Mitchell since he was an eighth-grader at Iolani. That’s when he won the “Most Improved Drummer Award.” Since then, Mitchell’s moved on to bigger and brighter things, notably degrees in Music Science & Technology from Stanford University and a brief stint studying drums at Berklee College of Music—where he was housemates for a semester with me and Abe. Mitchell’s a master of writing rhymes and also comes up with some of the most amazing jokes. Here’s a sample:

Q: What does a rapper from the farm do to maintain his street cred?

A: He keeps it rural.

Ok, here’s another one:

Two eggs and a bacon walk into a bar. The bartender says, “Sorry, we don’t serve breakfast here.”

Shawn Conley (bass)

Shawn and I met in 1996 or 1997. We were both learning how to play bass, well, then and now. He got really good really fast, and then just kept getting better and better! It’s been pretty amazing and unbelievable to watch, and being able to bear witness to it has really humbled me in all senses of the word. 

But more funnily, it was Shawn that got me to come out of my shell. One summer in Quebec (where we were both studying bass at the festival Domaine Forget), he talked me into drinking beer. Life hasn’t been the same since. Thanks, Shawn.

Alden Tokuzato

I met Alden through a mutual friend—Abe. He plays guitar with our group Akamai Brain Collective when we perform in Hawaii. Alden is connected to a ton of local musicians, literally all over the country. He introduced me to jazz legend Benny Golson, and also to “Volcano” (Delano) Choy, a trumpeter from Hawaii that splits his time between Pittsburgh and the Big Island. 

Alden’s family, the Tokuzatos, are the owners of the famed Waikane Store along the Windward coast of O’ahu. When not working at the store, Alden can be heard all over O’ahu performing Hawaiian, contemporary/pop, and jazz on either guitar, ukulele, or even bass! His recently released solo album Kaimana Hila was nominated for a Hawaii Music Award. 

Alden might be one of the famous residents of Kaneohe. Every time Helen and I meet him at Zippy’s Kaneohe, he knows literally everybody in the restaurant! Either that, or he calls up all his friends to take over the restaurant, and then calls us to meet him for lunch!