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With Passion or Not At All

by Christa Wittmier | Dec 26, 2012

Social Lite / Wait, we’re all still here? Hi! Now that that’s done, I guess it’s time to tackle another year. As morose as it sounds, I’d be happy if things ended with a definitive bang. Being born on a solstice, I used to think that meant something special. The sun sets perfectly between those unexplained structures like Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids only twice a year. I grew up having dreams of being lifted to the galaxy by a heavy pillar of light, feeling weightless. It was awesome. Now it’s like, whatever. I guess someday there will be a time to fly around the atmosphere, but for now it’s time to pull my head from the clouds and work.

I’m not going to lie: 2012 was a tough year. As someone so obsessed with archiving the present (so we can hang on to the past), it’s hard to let go of my blog. I still have that urge to photograph every moment, even if it’s of a gecko on my wall. I find myself narrating everything in my head when I’m flicking through my iPhone and deleting photos. Instagram slightly soothes the impulses, but there’s just nothing that takes the place of those ridiculously long entries I religiously posted every week. As short as life is, though, the blog was just something I had to let go. I feel a weird inner aching peace, but for now it’s what feels right. It’s impossible to sink your soul into something once the fire inside you for it goes out. And it’s not like it’s the end of the world, right? Ha.

So yeah, these past weeks with everyone home have been so full of life–it’s seriously the best time of year. I can’t get over how awesome and crowded Broadcast Wednesday at Nextdoor was last week for Blackbird Blackbird. Just when I worry there might not be a scene here for the ever-developing styles of post-pop chill-wave, a show like this blows my mind. Thanks to the determination of crews like Spells Hawaii and Jet Setter Joe Agogo, these obscure (to Hawaii) but un-missable acts will have their chance to unleash the zeitgeist upon us.

Looking ahead to 2013, I’m really excited to see what tricks singer Maria Remos has up her sleeve. As hard as music is to pigeonhole (I HOPE you heard the new A$AP Rocky or Big Boi?), Remos keeps ahead of her time, dancing effortlessly between jazz, soul, hip hop and reggae. She recently moved back after spending five years blessing the eardrums of San Francisco, and Honolulu is lucky to get exposed to her vision of bringing the core of hip hop to happy hour. Mondays at The Dragon Upstairs will be a tribute to all of the music sampled in hip hop over the past ten years, as well as a showcase of Remos’s siren-like improvisational vocals with friends old and new. The first event, on Jan. 7, is a tribute to RZA. You can catch her with Braxton Olita and Anton Glamb at Broadcast tonight, which is a rare treat. Get out there and discover this awesomeness. We’re alive to do it!

Check it out
[soundcloud.com]

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