Spotlight ON! Mark Prucha

June 16, 2021 • Addison Ching • Entertainment

This month we shine the Spotlight ON! Mark Prucha.

Mark Prucha comes from Naperville, Illinois, although he took up an interest in Hawaiian steel guitar after traveling to Hawai‘i and hearing it played there. While in Hawai‘i, he met Alan Akaka at a Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival in Waikīkī and was inspired to learn the instrument. Upon returning home, Mark began Hawaiian steel guitar lessons with Alan via Skype.

With Alan's mentoring, Mark was able to begin publicly performing in less than a year. He performed at the 2012 and 2013 Waikīkī Steel Guitar Festival as part of Ke Kula Mele School of Hawaiian Music, and was a featured artist at the 2015 Waikīkī Steel Guitar Festival. Mark also performed regularly at the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association (HSGA) festivals in Joliet, Illinois, and performed with Alan Akaka, Gary Aiko, Kaipo Asing, and L.T. Zinn at Scotty's International Steel Guitar Convention in St. Louis, Missouri.

In 2014, Mark joined Chicago-based Hawaiian band, Hoapili. With Ron Cabanada on ‘ukulele, Keenan Kamae on ‘ukulele, Danny Yamamoto on bass, and Mark on steel guitar, the band performs at various venues throughout the Midwest.

In 2018, Mark became president of the Aloha International Steel Guitar Club in Winchester, Indiana. There he worked to boost the organization's online and social media presence. He also worked with the festival committee to bring Hawaiian steel guitar masters to AISGC festivals in order to give seminars and perform.

Currently, Mark has been arranging/composing music for the steel guitar and hopes to release an album sometime in the future.

This video is from the Saturday Luau of the 2012 Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association (HSGA) Convention in Joliet, Illinois, and is one of Mark's first public performances. He's playing a duet with his instructor, Alan Akaka, with Addison Ching on bass, Ian Ufton on guitar, and Grifford "Kamaka" Tom on ‘ukulele. Also in the picture is steel guitarist Duke Kaleolani Ching, the luau's emcee.

The video can also be seen on YouTube

This feature is a snapshot of the complete tribute that is posted on the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase website. See the complete tribute here.