Hispano sounds
By John Berger
result from unitySpecial to the Star-Bulletin
The Spanish word malo roughly translates as "sick" or "bad." Arcelio Garcia, founder and leader of the band named Malo, prefers to see the word as an acronym for "unity."
"A friend of mine was asked what the word stands for and (he) said 'Mexican-American Latin Orchestra,' and it's really true. Malo is a big, high-energy, Latin orchestra. Everybody talks about being Mexican or Columbian or Nicaraguan (but) what I sing about is Hispano -- that means everybody," Garcia explained in a telephone conversation last week.
The veteran entertainer ("52 last month") has been part of the Hispano-American music scene for 36 years He is known as one of the innovators who combined Mexican-American rhythms and Hispano percussion instruments with mainstream guitar-based rock to create Latin Rock in the late '60s. He and his 12-piece orchestra play the Aloha Tower with their Thump Records labelmates Tierra on Saturday.
Garcia speaks of unity and diversity from personal experience. He was born in Puerto Rico but grew up in the Bay area; a "kanakarican" branch of the family lives here and on Maui. Although Spanish was his first language, he recalls that as a teen-ager he was more articulate in English (he has long since regained fluency in Spanish).
Tierra joins Malo at Aloha Tower Marketplace.
His musical career began when a friend heard him singing harmony "on the stoop" and invited him to join the Malibus, a local band. Several years and personnel changes later Garcia inherited the bandleader spot. The Malibus became Malo in 1969 with vocalist Garcia, guitarist Jorge Santana and bassist Pablo Tellez as the core.The dawn of the '70s brought Latin Rock to the mainstream pop market. Santana, Malo, Mandrill and El Chicano all did well on the national charts. Malo's 1972 single, "Suavecito," peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart and was huge in Hawaii. Every local top 40 band played it.
"It happened all over the world," Garcia recalls. "After a show we'd go to a club and they'd be playing it. It was an honor."
Malo
Performs with Tierra at "Hottest Dance of the Summer" concert, to mark conclusion of International Firefighter Games
Time: 5 p.m. Saturday
The weeklong 1998 International Firefighter Games end Saturday with the 5 p.m." Hottest Dance of the Summer" concert at Aloha Tower's Pier Bar. Hard-fought firefighter
games come to endThe eighth International Firefighter Games included more than 1,000 firefighters and emergency medical technicians from the mainland United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Germany and Hawaii. They competed in an array of sports and endurance events on Maui and Oahu.
"The World's Toughest Firefighter," had competitors in four timed events that included dragging two 150-foot 3-inch hoses to full extension, rolling them into 50-foot lengths and carrying them 100 feet; and suiting up with airpack, coat and helmet before climbing more than 25 flights of stairs. The winner gets $5,000.
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