Wendell Ing - Illusion Interview
Honolulu was a sleepy hot tropical town when I grew up. There was not even a smidgen of freeway on the island. When I was seven my dad took me to an auction. There was an upright for sale for $200. I was entranced. “Dad will you buy it for me? I promise I will play it.” After some reluctance, he agreed. After all I was the first born child in this Chinese family. As a result, I was happy as a bug. He never had to remind me to practice. It also got me out of lawn mowing the grass every week. I took classical lessons all the way through high school; as I grew older, I made pin money playing for church services as a teenager. Every day after school, we’d hit the beach. Take off our shoes, drive to Sandy Beach or Makapuu and go body surfing. This was in the early 60’s so for live music, we’d attend the Show of Stars at the Civic, or larger concerts at Honolulu Stadium.
Saw everyone from Paul Anka to Fabian at the Civic. We’d buy singles and play them at our parties, first in high school then in college. Illusion was the first group I was in on Hawaii. This was post-college by now, about 1972. Prior, I had been in bands on the east coast, playing blues and original music. The original group was Hank Leandro on vocals and acoustic guitar, Butch O’Sullivan on vocals and bass, and myself on keyboards and vocals. When we first got together we discovered that our musical tastes overlapped to a large degree. We also were all into the top weekly hits. In general, Butch was most into country. Hank into pop. Me into originals. The 70’s were popping with so many great songs. We rehearsed weekly, and always learned new tunes including chart toppers for the next week. As time went by, all of us enjoyed writing original songs as well. As a new group, we landed some plum gigs as an opening act. We first opened for Loggins & Messina at the Honolululu Civic, and the for Journey at the UH Ampitheater.
We snagged a multi-year gig at the Sugar Mill Lounge in Waikiki where we played 6 nights a week in the mid-seventies. At the Sugar Mill, Dennis Maeda, an electric guitar player started hanging around and sitting in. A very entertaining guy, he loved to make jokes and had a more jazzy style. Eventually we said,”Hey come on you might as well join the group you’re always here anyway.” While playing there we met Peter Coraggio, owner of the Sinergia music studio, and Wayne Carvalho, his sound engineer. Peter, ebullient and enthusiastic, Wayne, more reserved with gentle humor. It was an innovative studio, with one of the early synthesizers installed in it. In the same building, up above, Keola and Kapono Beamer had a music space. Peter and Wayne were extremely encouraging, not only of our sound but also of our doing originals. We had recorded a number of commercials before, as well as a recording of The Lake at Commercial Studios which ended up also on the first Homegrown album. But none of us had experience making an entire album.
As it developed, the album featured original songs by Hank, Butch and myself. No covers. We did want to make our own statement. About the haphazard rampant development in Hawaii, environmental disasters here at home, and the drug revolution. So the album was not all mainstream sweetness and light. It had songs like Leandro’s Not Yet about the rampant overdevelopment of Waikiki. Environmental songs like “The Lake” about the chemical pollution killing the fish of Salt Lake, Songs referencing LSD like “Traveling Bones” and pot like “Gone, Gone, Gone.” To us it was important to tell it like it was, not hide our heads in the sand about environmental, or cultural problems. As I recall, Peter Coraggio was the one who suggested Jo Anne Jordan for the photographer. I think it was her concept to use photos of us lying down at the polluted Salt Lake and her striking psychedelic artwork. Illusion never toured on the mainland, only playing on Oahu during its run.
The group expired naturally in 1976 as everyone moved on to other things. Of the other members, Butch still plays actively in Waikiki, mainly as a solo artist. Hank went into selling real estate. Dennis played music for a number of years but then unfortunately passed away. I went on to play with C&K for a couple years, touring around the mainland. Then I moved back, playing in Waikiki for a couple more years, before being a lawyer for fifteen. Then luckily a rewarding new beginning, as a high school music teacher for another 20. Meanwhile, I also released a bunch of CD’s and won Na Hoku Hanohano awards with Diana Aki. Currently I just finished composing the music for a new children’s musical, Wordsworth (premiered UHH 2022), and enjoy playing live around town a couple times a month. Interesting fact: I play music in my dreams. Every. Single. Night. Short Bio for your background information Classically trained from the age of 7, he played the organ for Honolulu churches as a teenager.
After matriculating with a B.A. in English from Princeton and J.D. from NYU Law School, he turned to a career in music, playing in bands since the 1970’s, primarily with Illusion and C&K. After a 15 year stint as a lawyer in the 80ʻs and early 90ʻs, he started a new beginning, switching to teaching music at Hilo High for another 20. Voted Best School Teacher in 1998 by readers of the Hawaii Tribune-Herald. Since then, he has served as musical director for a number of plays at UH-Hilo Theater, Hilo High School (PALC) and Kilauea Drama and Entertainment Network (KDEN). His original music recordings have been nominated for Na Hoku Hanohano Awards four times, and he has won Hoku Awards with Diana Aki for her debut album, Moments With You. His environmental protest song, The Lake, was featured on the first Homegrown album. His songs have also been recorded by the Cazimero Brothers, Cecilio & Kapono, and Diana Aki. He performs live occasionally, as a solo artist or with his group, The Ing Crowd.
