Aloha!
We have been so busy in-store, I haven’t done too much to this page (obviously)…
Well, where to begin? Hmmm…Hi! I’m Laura Ahuna, Spencer’s wife, and supporter of all things musical! Spencer is very unassuming, keeping a low profile, but he really is one of the most knowledgeable guitarists you will meet. His lifelong passion for music and repairing guitars shows through in everything he does.
We are both born and raised in Hawaii, and have been partners in life and love since 2005. Spencer’s parents are both famous Hawaiian music musicians, but he waited until high school to find his own musical groove. His first guitar was a Fender Squier; he brought it home and took it completely apart! After successfully putting it back together, he and his guitars have been mostly inseparable. After high school, when he wasn’t surfing, Spencer worked with Brandon at Pacific Music Connection here in Hilo.
After I graduated from the University of Hawaii at Hilo with a BA in Psychology, a BA in Performing Arts and a Minor in Japanese Studies, we moved to Los Angeles in late 2008 where Spencer attended the Musician’s Institute ON Hollywood Blvd. He graduated from MI in 2010 from the Guitar Program. Among various musical jobs, Spencer worked at Guitar Center on Sunset Blvd. He encountered famous musicians daily—so interesting to see those folks buying their own strings! After too many hours stuck in LA traffic, we decided to make our way back home to Hilo.
We move back in 2013, and the musical stars began to align: Ace Loughmiller reached out to Spencer with a question: “Do you want to be in the best Top 40 Band in Hawaii?” with a YES (and a lot of hard work) BEYOND PARADISE the band was born on July 12, 2014. Beyond Paradise is an 8-piece band, with over 12 hours of performance-ready music. They have just entered their 9th year playing together. They have played for celebrity weddings and huge corporate events, including Nike and Intel and dozens more. I think they are well past 140 gigs together. Please check out their website www.beyondparadisetheband.com for more info!
A week after Hurricane Iselle hit our neighborhood, we got married on August 16, 2014— the first wedding gig for the band! This is worth noting because one month later, we were SO HAPPY to be contestants on a small nationally syndicated show, called WHEEL OF FORTUNE. Maybe you’ve heard of it? {We will put the video up here soon}…and WE WON! We won a honeymoon vacation and some cash— that we used to open BIG ISLAND GUITARS! Thanks Wheel of Fortune!
More info to come! Mahalo for reading up to this point.
