A protégé of Hawaiian slack key guitar legends Bobby Moderow Jr. and Uncle Sonny Chillingworth, Makana has dedicated his life to perpetuating as well as evolving the traditional Hawaiian art form. From this tradition Makana has evolved his own dynamic, high-octane style, coined "Slack Rock"--slack key infused with elements of bluegrass, rock, blues and raga. He was a contributor to the 2007 Grammy-nominated Hawaiian Slack Key Kings Vol. I and 2009 Hawaiian Slack Key Kings Vol II and is considered one of the "greatest living players" (Esquire Magazine) whose "instrumental brilliance bears comparison with the work of such groundbreaking acoustic guitarists as John Fahey and Michael Hedges" (Maui News). The New York Times described him as "dazzling."