Barefoot Natives Leaving BIG Foot Prints!

by huimusic

A few years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Eric Gilliom at a mutual friend’s house and immediately I could see that he was rich with talent.  At that time he was involved with musical theater with his sister Amy Gilliom performing Rocky Horror Show on Maui but at the party, he picked up the guitar, started to sing and I was blown away.   

Then about a year later I bumped into him on the return flight from Hawaii’s debut as a category at the 2005 Grammy’s.  At that point we had caught up and he was pumped about a new thing he had brewing with his long time friend Willie K. and that they had called themselves Barefoot Natives.  

Slowly I started seeing performance notices of the duo as they took Maui by storm.  I could only imagine what was going on with Barefoot Natives because I also know that Eric and Willie are tremendous stage performers as well as masters of making the audience feel like they are a total part of their music.  

After getting their debut CD sent to me last week, I have listened to their new self titled CD Barefoot Natives a few times now and automatically I would say this is the making of a magical act that will have life long impact on the sounds of Hawaii .  

In a style that I would say is eclectic acoustic crossover with Hawaiian roots, the Barefoot Natives bring new performance skills into the circle of local music.  Their arpeggiated guitar playing as well as overall musicianship and vocals are of the most amazing that I have heard in many years from a Hawaiian based duo.  

The opening track on the CD called Indigenous Nations is a perfect track to get you into the vibe of the rest of the CD.  From there Willie and Eric take you through a flawless weave of song that go in and out of styles that are tied in by traditional and contemporary song writing.  

The song Watching The River Run is an excellent song that gives you a feeling that the music from Barefoot Natives is going to be around for a long time.  The dynamics of the song makes you want to press repeat many times.  

But my favorite track is Back To Honopo……hands down!  It’s an original from Eric’s past CD called Like Chow Fun.  Though it took a few listens for me to re-tune my ear to the new version, the guitar playing and ultra soulful approach of the Barefoot Natives turns this new version of Back to Honopo into my Hot Pick for this CD.  

The majority of the songs were written and performed by Willie and Eric. There are a few guest “natives” on certain tracks. The most notable is an appearance by Willie’s 10 year-old daughter, who provides some vocals on “Fa Mai Ra Oe”.

Other guest musicians include Bass- Jay Molina & Marcus Johnson, Percussion- Chris Thomas, Mark D'Antonio, Drums- Garin Poliahu.  At the engineering helm was Dave Russell, a multiple Grammy winner for his work with Steely Dan.   

As for their current tour schedule, it is getting PACKED!  With performances on every island and on the west coast, the next few months for the Barefoot Natives are going to give them blisters on their feet.  

And finally, the team that’s handling the Barefoot Natives have created one of the most comprehensive websites that I have seen from a Hawaii based act……..EVER!  Without a doubt, you need to go to their website.  I can only do so much through an article but the website will give you a direct vibe on the boys.  Great video section gives you just a glimpse of how amazingly entertaining the Barefoot Natives are.  

So in closing, I have to say that the Barefoot Natives with their new CD has injected a much needed dose of musicianship, writing, excitement, passion and sound into the music industry of Hawaii!  

CHECK OUT THE BAREFOOT NATIVE WEBSITE!