An acoustic guitar isn’t just an acoustic guitar, at least not in the hands of a ki ho’alu (slack-key) player like Cyril Pahinui. As part of the Third Annual Southern California Slack-Key Festival on January 24 in Redondo Beach, Pahinui stopped by Amoeba Hollywood and played a few sweet island songs to a crowd that he would warmly call his “friends.” Little matter that the lyrics of these songs were mostly indecipherable, Cyril couldn’t have been cooler or more emblematic of the island way of life. His slack-key guitar playing was so fluid that it just proves the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Using the fingerpicking technique that his father—the legendary Gabby “Pops” Pahinui—helped preserve as a live tradition in the 1940s, the two-time Grammy winner’s baritone voice is always very full of mood. As each song tells a story, Pahinui paid homage to his father with one number, and to his drinking days in Nanakuli in another, saying that with 17 grandchildren those days are well behind him. He brought out a Japanese Hula dancer for a song, and his wife, Chelle, for another. It was a real treat to catch Pahinui like that on a blue-skied day after the Southern California storms. And it was a bigger treat to watch up close and personal the easy way his thumb and fingers can turn that acoustic guitar into something more...plural. Very cool.


And for those who dig the great Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What A Wonderful World,” it was Pops Pahinui that he dedicates the song to at the beginning—“Kay, this one’s for Gabby.”

Before Jay Reatard passed away earlier this month, he did a trifecta Amoeba instore tour, hitting all three of our stores in the month of August. At the San Francisco stop, he took the time to tell us what was in his bag! There's one shocker (or is it?) -- he chose ABBA! Check it out below:

Musician Jay Reatard was reportedly found dead today in his house. He passed away last night at just 29 years of age. The death is now being investigated as a homicide. More information will be posted as it is known.

Reatard recently played a mini-tour of all three Amoeba stores on August 18, 22 & 23, 2009. To see pics of him in action from Berkeley, click here; San Francisco, click here; and Hollywood, click here.

We’ve been having a lot of fun “holiday shopping” at Amoeba Hollywood lately. But instead of standing pat with standard box-sets and collections, we’ve been imagining what we’d want as a collection, using a broader parallel of titles and themes, and, well, we started putting together our own fun Gift Boxes!

These aren’t your average ordinary “best of...” sets or, you know, “the complete series”...no, these are the box sets we wish people made. Sets like our ZOMBIES! DVD Pack, which gleefully includes not only Dawn of the Dead, but also Shaun of the Dead (plus 28 Days Later and Zombie! the movie), all packaged up nicely in a little “to go”-style box for only $30 (everything is hand-picked from our awesome used selection to keep the budgets down).

We also made up some Blu-ray Starter Kits with horror classics, football films, Stanley Kubrick, Brad Pitt and more, for all those folks who got a Blu-ray player last year (or have one under the tree this year!), to kick-start their collection. At only $50, these thematic sets are a total steal. We have music packs—World, Jazz, Classical—to give a sampling of different sections in our store; boxes for kids, Christmas music, and even some larger collectible packs for people who like The Beatles or Elvis. These might include a t-shirt or a poster, or some funky collectible item we’ve had in our stash to make the ULTIMATE pack for a true fan.

We're patiently waiting the arrival of our store decal. Stay tuned for how we might use our QR code.

Read more about Google's Favorite Places here.