Lau Hawaiian Collective named among Minnesota Public Radio’s top 9 Minnesota Arts Stories in 2013

Nathaniel Minor, Minnesota Public Radio News (Arts and Culture), December 23, 2013
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Without a doubt, the ongoing Minnesota Orchestra lockout and the departure of beloved music director Osmo Vänskä headlined arts news in Minnesota this year. But beyond that, our reporters found many other compelling stories that deserve another look.

1) A little Hawaii, when we needed it most It was that point in the winter when Christmas seemed like a distant memory, but you were sure spring would never arrive. Then reporter Dan Olson brought us the warm sounds of the Lau Hawaiian Collective, a five-piece band from St. Paul.

“The education for me in doing this piece was the trove of Hawaiian music tapped by the Rose Ensemble which inspired the collective’s formation. And did you know Hawaii once had cowboys? Thus the cowboy ballad influence,” Olson said.