The Bombucha Brass (left to right): Robert Shinoda (banjo), Noel Okimoto (drums), Scott Villiger (clarinet), Allen Won (bass sax), DeShannon Higa (trumpet), and Tim Tsukiyama (tenor sax).
To fight for fair wages and staffing, on Sept. 24, 1,800 hotel workers went out on strike against the Hilton Hawaiian Village. They include housekeepers, restaurant and banquet workers, maintenance staff, front desk staff, bell personnel, and others, joining 4,000 hotel workers on strike against Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt hotels in San Diego and San Francisco.
On Oct. 7, in support of the Unite Here Local 5 Hotel Workers Union in Hawaii, the Musicians’ Association sent the DeShannon Higa Bombucha Brass Sextet to encourage picket line workers and bring positive energy and spirit to picketers and hotel guests alike during these trying and often contentious times.
From the Fall 2024 issue, Ke Ola O Na Mele