Cover

PERFORMING ARTS

High performance

It’s a broad category, performing arts. It’s highbrow classical music and lowbrow pub gigs, small dance troupes and large touring companies, college recitals and symphonic virtuosos. And this arts season’s remaining events are all worth a look. Sure, it’s the tail end of the season, but there’s a lot packed into the few months before summer when the culture missionaries take a break.–Kawehi Haug

The New Shanghai Circus
Jan. 12-15
The Incredible Acrobats of China defy gravity to do things that seem humanly impossible. The circus was a big hit the last time it came to town and this time–well, we’re suckers for those contortionists who can fold themselves into briefcases.
Hawaii Theatre
528-0506
[www.hawaiitheatre.com]

Central Asian Jewish Music and Dance
Jan. 14
The New York-based Shashmaqam has been performing music and dance from its native Uzbekistan and Tajikistan since 1983. The music incorporates elements of Persian classical music, Turkish Sufi influences as well as the liturgical repertoire of the Bukharan Jews.
East-West Center, University of Hawai’i-Manoa
944-7111
[www.eastwestcenter.org]

Chamber Music Hawaii
Jan. 16 & 23
CMH continues its season with concerts by the Galliard String Quartet, the Spring Wind Quintet, the Honolulu Brass Quintet and the Tresemble. These local chamber musicians are some of the best around. Additional performances March 13 and 20, April 3 and 10, and May 15 and 22.
Paliku Theatre
WCC and Doris Duke Theatre
489-5038
[www.paliku.com]

Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’ole & Raiatea Helm
Jan. 20
The Hawaii Theatre’s Hana Hou! Hawaiian Music Series kicks off ‘06 with its inaugural ‘New Traditionalists’ concert. The concert highlights young and upcoming Hawaiian musicians. Grammy nominee and multiple Na Hoku Hanahano award-winner Raiatea Helm joins fellow Na Hoku Hanohano award-winner Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’ole for a chicken-skin evening of new-generation Hawaiian.
Hawaii Theatre
528-0506
[www.hawaiitheatre.com]

Spring Festival
Jan. 21
This multicultural dance festival serves three purposes: to portray traditional dance from different countries in their traditional styles, to promote intercultural exchange and to serve as a bridge for relationships between people of different ethnic origins. It only sounds like a dating service. Nearly 100 performers will appear on stage in intricately designed costumes representing nearly 20 ethnic groups in China, Japan, Korea and Hawai’i.
Hawaii Theatre
528-0506
[www.hawaiitheatre.com]

The Three Phantoms in Concert
Jan. 26 & 28-29
Three Broadway performers who have each played the Phantom in the Phantom of the Opera will sing solo numbers from musical faves like Guys and Dolls, Kiss Me Kate and Damn Yankees. The Phantoms are Kevin Gray, Cris Groenendaal and Craig Schulman.
Hawaii Theatre
528-0506
[www.hawaiitheatre.com]

L˙nasa
Jan. 28
Named for the festival honoring the Irish patron deity of the arts, LË™nasa has been called an ‘Irish music dream team.’ Popular in Israel and Japan, the Irish music group promises to win us over too.
LCC Theatre
Leeward Community College
455-0380
[www.lcctheatre.hawaii.edu]

Moonlight Over Spring River
Jan. 28-29
Traditional and new Chinese music performed by some of China’s most celebrated musicians.
East-West Center
University of Hawai’i-Manoa
944-7111
[www.eastwestcenter.org]

Julia Migenes
Jan. 29
We’re told she’s funny. Really funny. Julia Migenes performs ‘Diva on the Verge,’ a one-woman program which combines irreverent humorous monologue with opera. The show is one day only and is a benefit for Paliku Theatre.
Paliku Theatre
Windward Community College
235-7312
[www.paliku.com]

Mardi Gras Follies
Feb. 3-5
This annual party is the best of all flesh fests: Louisiana Mardi Gras, Brazilian carnivale, Sin City’s showgirls with a sprinkling of local talent. It’s a variety show that’s open to anyone with stage presence.
Hawaii Theatre
528-0506
[www.hawaiitheatre.com]

Na Palapalai
Feb. 10
Group of the Year Na Palapalai will do what you love so much as a featured installment in the Hawaii Theatre’s popular Hana Hou! Hawaiian Music Series.
Hawaii Theatre
528-0506
[www.hawaiitheatre.com]

Rigoletto
Feb. 10, 12 & 14
Hawaii Opera Theatre goes all-Italian this year. First up, Rigoletto, the tragic tale of a hunchback jester who ends up destroying everyone he loves.
Blaisdell Concert Hall
596-7858
[www.hawaiiopera.org]

Ka Po’e Hula
Feb. 17 & 18
San Francisco hula halau Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu returns to the Hawaii Theatre to do a best of show–their most popular numbers from the past 20 years.
Hawaii Theatre
528-0506
[www.hawaiitheatre.com]

Il Trittico
Feb. 24, 26 & 28
A series of three one-act Puccini operas. The first is Il Taborro about–what else–love, suspicion and doom. HOT does it again.

Blaisdell Concert Hall
596-7858
[www.hawaiiopera.org]

Nrityagram Dance Ensemble
Feb. 25
There’s only one dance village in the world (in India), and its ensemble brings its highly disciplined repertoire to Honolulu for one night only. We’re told that the dancers perform 28 different eye movements that each mean something. They use the rest of their bodies too.

LCC Theatre
Leeward Community College
455-0380
[www.lcctheatre.hawaii.edu]

Spanish Harlem Orchestra
March 3
The winners of the 2005 Grammy for best salsa album. Hot! Hot! Hot!
LCC Theatre
Leeward Community College
455-0380
[www.lcctheatre.hawaii.edu]

The Brothers Cazimero
March 10
They need no introduction. Catch them at the beautiful Hawaii Theatre.
Hawaii Theatre
528-0506
[www.hawaiitheatre.com]

Tosca
March 10, 12 & 14
HOT’s third performance of its all-Italian season. Giacomo Puccini’s tale of a woman caught between the political captive she loves and the villainous police chief who bargains for her body.
Blaisdell Concert Hall
596-7858
[www.hawaiiopera.org]

Garth Fagan Dance
March 11
Broadway’s Lion King choreographer combines modern dance, ballet and Afro-Caribbean elementsÖhakuna matata.
LCC Theatre
Leeward Community College
455-0380
[www.lcctheatre.hawaii.edu]

Annual Dance Concert
March 17-18, 24-25
The Hawai’i premiere of an Alwin Nikolais piece performed by University of Hawai’i-Manoa dance faculty.
Kennedy Theatre
University of Hawai’i-Manoa
956-2591
[www.Hawaii.edu/kennedy]

The Mysterious and Unknown Rituals of the Philippines
March 18
The official national folk dance group of the Philippines perform dances from various regions in the Philippines. The company features 25 dancers and musicians and performs extensively around the world.
East-West Center
University of Hawai’i-Manoa
944-7111
[www.eastwestcenter.org]

Matato’a
March 24
Think of them as the Rapa Nuian Ozomatli. This group combines traditional Polynesian song and dance with Latino, reggae and rock beats all while dressed in traditional fibers, feathers and body paint.
LCC Theatre
Leeward Community College
455-0380
[www.lcctheatre.hawaii.edu]

Society of Seven & Lani Misalucha
April 7
SOS and Lani sold out last year. Buy tickets while they’re there. They go on sale Jan. 17.
Hawaii Theatre
528-0506
[www.hawaiitheatre.com]

Fugate/Bahiri Ballet NY
April 8
Husband and wife dance team Medhi Bahiri and Judith Fugate take the stuffiness out of ballet with their energetic and charismatic take on the traditional dance.
LCC Theatre
Leeward Community College
455-0380
[www.lcctheatre.hawaii.edu]

The Makaha Sons
April 14
It’s the Makaha Sons. Enough said.
Hawaii Theatre
528-0506
[www.hawaiitheatre.com]

Electric Blue
April 21-23
Contemporary Dance Theatre presents their latest work. It explores water myths of world cultures in an effort to revive reverence for the ocean. The piece will be performed not only in the Hawaii Theatre, but also on a number of public beaches.
Hawaii Theatre
528-0506
[www.hawaiitheatre.com] [www.iona360.com]

LCC Guitar Concert
April 23
LCC guitar students, in their annual recital, perform works by Joplin, Mozart, Machado and others under the direction of Peter Kun Frary.
LCC Theatre
Leeward Community College
455-0380
[www.lcctheatre.hawaii.edu]

Spring Footholds
May 3-7
The annual spring concert showcasing the latest choreography and performance by University of Hawai’i-Manoa undergraduate and graduate dance students.
Kennedy Theatre
University of Hawai’i-Manoa
956-2591
[www.Hawaii.edu/kennedy]

Ho’okena
May 19
Manu Boyd’s group at the Hawaii Theatre.
Hawaii Theatre
528-0506
[www.hawaiitheatre.com]

Exhibitionism

What’s impressive about the exhibition lineup for Spring 2006 is the cultural diversity it represents. We can look forward to works from Bhutan to South Africa, with several other stops along the way, including the Philippines, Japan and the Pacific region. Looking around the world is one way of seeing a reflection of the multi-cultural environment within which we live and create everyday. The recent re-opening of the Academy of Arts’ Western art galleries provides a fresh view of one strand of our collective history. But we also have reason to celebrate the artwork that is produced here and now, at home in the islands.–Marcia Morse

Ho’oulu i Ka Nani (Breadfruit Quilts of Hawai’i)
Through Feb. 4

Kapa Moe
Through April 9
Two exhibitions that should really be seen in tandem are the breadfruit quilts at the Mission Houses Museum and the kapa moe or sleep coverings at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. The kapa moe, made of the beaten inner bark of wauke (paper mulberry), consist of several layers of the fiber material sewn together along one edge: Think of them as the indigenous form of quilt. The Academy’s collection includes several striking examples. The stitched quilts of woven fabric are notable for their stylized adaptation of local flora: the breadfruit has particular importance because of its role as a food staple, medicine and building material.

Mission Houses Museum
531-0481
[www.missionhouses.org]

Honolulu Academy of Arts
532-8701
[www.honoluluacademy.org]

Extreme Fiber
Jan. 29-March 10
A basic definition of fiber is ‘a thread or structure or object resembling a thread.’ From that essential filament, complex forms may emerge through weaving, sewing, knotting and various forms of embellishment. The Hawai’i Handweavers’ Hui puts the concept to the test in an exhibition of work ranging from the traditional to the very contemporary, challenging viewers to unravel the mysteries of their materials and their making.
Hawai’i Pacific University Art Gallery
544-0200

Hygienic Dress League
Feb. 2-25
We’re not sure if this has anything to do with fiber per se, but you’ve got to love the title, and it does purport to offer fun and slightly disturbing commentary on fashion, the extremes of clothing the body and the pursuit of ever-elusive ideal beauty. As with most exhibitions at Marks, expect a wake-up and a shake-up of sensibilities.
The ARTS at Marks Garage
521-2903
[www.artsatmarks.com]

Garden of Spirits
Jan. 18-March 3
John Tanji Koga leads off the season of several important solo exhibitions with a new group of sculptures in unadorned white plaster. Installed in the gallery of the Japanese Cultural Center, together they comprise a ‘garden of spirits,’ a space of sanctuary in which to reflect and remember.
Japanese Cultural Center
945-7633
[www.jcch.com]

Sculpture and Works on Paper
Feb. 10-June 6
Internationally celebrated ceramic sculptor Jun Kaneko returns to the islands for a solo exhibition at The Contemporary Museum’s bank space downtown. Viewers may be familiar with his work, commissioned by the State Foundation, sited at the entrance to the aquarium, or with the quartet of monolithic forms that grace the courtyard at the Academy of Arts.
The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center
526-0232
[www.tcmhi.org]

David Kuraoka
March 30-June 18
Ceramic sculptor David Kuraoka, who divides his time between teaching duties at San Francisco State University and his home studio on Kaua’i, also returns this spring for an exhibition that will showcase a variety of work, including pit-fired vessel forms, cast bronzes and a wall mural.
Honolulu Academy of Arts
532-8701
[www.honoluluacademy.org]

Contemporary Photography from Iran
Jan. 26-April 9
This exhibition, the first survey of contemporary photography from Iran seen in the U.S., should be a welcome counterbalance to current geopolitics. Twenty noted artists, several of whom have lived abroad before returning to Iran, now document their own culture with new and revealing perspectives.
Honolulu Academy of Arts
532-8701
[www.honoluluacademy.org]

Power and Poetics in Contemporary South African Art
Feb. 24-May 7
Coming to us from another under-seen part of the world, this exhibition features the work of 17 artists from South Africa whose work focuses on the use of the body, personal histories and the construction of personal mythologies. They move beyond the strict confines of gendered- and racial-identity politics to the subtler expressions of feeling and perception.
The Contemporary Museum
526-0232
[www.tcmhi.org]

Life in the Pacific of the 1700s
Feb. 23-May 14
The most significant show of the season brings us home again. This collection of works from the Cook/Forster Collection, until now available only for private study purposes at the University of Gottingen in Germany, includes some 500 objects collected or given as gifts during the voyages (1768-1779) of Captain James Cook. While the circumstances of those voyages remain problematic, the works themselves are testament to the rich cultures and spiritual lives of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific region.
Honolulu Academy of Arts
532-8701
[www.honoluluacademy.org]

Set the stage

From musical kids to men in drag to senior card sharks, theater in Hawai’i has, once again, something for everyone this spring. If you go for the big musical, Army Community Theatre, Castle Performing Arts Company, Diamond Head Theatre and Manoa Valley Theatre serve up their usual fare–the latter two throwing a drama or two into the mix. For thought-provoking straight plays, The Actors’ Group, HPU Theatre, UH-Manoa’s Kennedy Theatre and Leeward Community College Theatre rarely disappoint. Family entertainment is the ticket at Honolulu Theatre for Youth or Palik¸ Theatre. And for a mixed plate of local kine stuffs, it’s Kumu Kahua all the way. Encore!–Becky Maltby

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Now-Feb. 5
Russell Motter directs this drama by the late August Wilson (Two Trains Running) about a man’s search for his wife and the recovery of his roots after seven years of bondage.
The Actors’ Group
Yellowbrick Studio
722-6941, 550-TIKS
[Taghawaii.org],
[honoluluboxoffice.com]

M. Butterfly
Jan. 11-29
David Henry Hwang’s Tony Award-winning drama tells the story of a French diplomat in Beijing, who falls for the delicate charms of a Chinese opera star–the ‘perfect woman.’ Or is she? Based on true events. Lyn Kajiwara Ackerman directs.
Manoa Valley Theatre
2833 E. Manoa Rd.
988-6131
[Manoavalleytheatre.com]

Ulua: The Musical
Jan. 12-Feb. 12
The Lee Cataluna musical deals with life, love and fishing as local boy Kayden Asiu leaves his job, his fiancÈe and his Soloflex to explore life’s options on Maui (see Hot Picks on page 13).
Kumu Kahua
46 Merchant St., Honolulu
536-4441
[Kumukahua.org]

Mulan
Jan. 13-14, 21, 28, Feb. 4, 11, 18
This world premiere of the Chinese legend tells the story of a young woman who disguises herself as a man in order to fight for her country.
Honolulu Theatre for Youth
Tenney Theatre, St. Andrew’s
839-9885
[Htyweb.org]

Enchanted April
Feb. 3-19
DHT’s only non-musical of the season tells the story of four women who venture off to an Italian villa in 1922. Directed by Randl Ask.
Diamond Head Theatre
520 Makapu’u Ave.
733-0274
[Diamondheadtheatre.com]

MacHomer
Sat. Feb. 4
One man, 60 voices from The Simpsons and MacBeth in a hilarious adaptation, which remains 85 percent Shakespeare. The show has toured to rave reviews in Scotland, England, Australia and New Zealand. Starring Canada’s Rick Miller.
LCC Theatre
Leeward Community College
455-0385
[Lcctheatre.hawaii.edu]

Charlotte’s Web
Feb. 18-19
Revisit Fern, Wilbur, Charlotte and Templeton in the classic children’s favorite. Directed by TV news guy Ben Gutierrez.
Paliku Theatre
Windward Community College
235-7433
[Etickethawaii.com]

A Little Night Music
Feb. 22-March 12
Stephen Sondheim’s most cherished musical romance pays tribute to love in all its wondrous, humorous and ironic permutations. Another Tony Award winner, naturally. John Rampage directs.
Manoa Valley Theatre
2833 E. Manoa Rd.
988-6131
[Manoavalleytheatre.com]

Cats
Feb. 23-25, March 3-4, 10-11
Who says they only have nine lives? The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats has purred its way into the theatrical litter box of fame since its debut on Broadway 23 years ago. Let the memory live again as ACT presents the local premiere.
Army Community Theatre
Richardson Theatre, Fort Shafter
438-4480, 438-5230
[Squareone.org/ACT]

The Music Man
Feb. 24-26
Ronald ‘Mr. B’ Bright directs fifth-through-eighth graders in the Meredith Wilson classic, featuring musical staples such as ‘Seventy-six Trombones’ and ”Til There Was You.’
Castle Performing Arts Company
Ronal E. Bright Theatre
233-5626
[k12.hi.us/~cpac/index.html]

Othello
Feb. 24-25, March 4, 11, 18
Y York’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy–an HTY hit four years ago–combines iambic pentameter with hip-hop. Veteran performer BullDog returns as Iago.
Honolulu Theatre for Youth
Tenney Theatre, St. Andrew’s
839-9885
[Htyweb.org]

The Ravanayana
March 3-5, 10-11
The world premiere, written and directed by M.A. Richard, tells the ancient story of Rama and his nemesis Ravana as Bollywood film noir.
Kennedy Theatre
Earle Ernst Lab Theatre
UH-Manoa campus
956-7655
[Hawaii.edu/theatre]

The Songmaker’s Chair
March 16-April 15
Author Albert Wendt’s first full-length play deals with conflict, continuity and change in three generations of an extended Samoan family. The recent world premiere in New Zealand played to sold-out houses.
Kumu Kahua
46 Merchant St., Honolulu
536-4441
[Kumukahua.org]

The Gin Game
March 17-April 16
A man and a woman in a retirement home meet. He teaches her how to play gin. She wins. A lot. Mitch Milan directs HPU Theater Director Joyce Maltby and Don Pomes in this funny and poignant play by D.L. Coburn.
HPU Theatre
Hawaii Loa (Windward campus), 45-045 Kamehameha Hwy.
375-1282
[Hpu.edu].

Hamletism
March 18-19, 24-25
Graduate student Chong Wang creates a contemporary deconstruction of Hamlet, reminiscent of the theatrical ‘happenings’ of the ’60s and ’70s.
Kennedy Theatre
Earle Ernst Lab Theatre
UH-Manoa campus
956-7655
[Hawaii.edu/theatre]/

Drood
March 24-April 9 What happened to Edwin Drood and whodunit? The Tony Award-winning musical mystery by Rupert Holmes lets you decide on the outcome. Directed and choreographed by Greg Zane.
Diamond Head Theatre
520 Makapu’u Ave.
733-0274
[Diamondheadtheatre.com]

Betrayal
March 29-April 16
Told in reverse chronological order, the Harold Pinter drama explores the relationships of a husband, his wife and her lover of seven years who happens to be the husband’s best friend and business colleague. Directed by Liz Kane.
The Actors’ Group
Yellowbrick Studio
722-6941, 550-TIKS
[Taghawaii.org],
[honoluluboxoffice.com]

L’il Abner
March 31-April l 9
Oh, happy day. Karen Meyer directs the musical version of the Al Capp comic strip with music by Gene de Paul and lyrics by Johnny ‘Satin Doll,’ Mercer.
Castle Performing Arts Company
Ronald E. Bright Theatre
233-5626
[k12.hi.us/~cpac/index.html]

A Collection of Short Comedies (by Rich Orloff)
April 6-8, 13-15
The drama program’s annual one-act .
LCC Lab Theatre
455-0549

You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown
April 7-15
It’s a musical Peanuts with Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, Sally and Snoopy. Directed by John Bryan.
Paliku Theatre
Windward Community College,
235-7433
[Etickethawaii.com]

Tales of Old Hawai’i
April 15, 22, 29, May 6, 13, 20, 27
Adapted by BullDog and Nara Springer Cardenas from the stories of Roy Alameida, the interactive play for tiny tots tells ancient Hawaiian legends through storytelling and activities.
Honolulu Theatre for Youth
Tenney Theatre, St. Andrew’s
839-9885
[Htyweb.org]

Rhinoceros
April 21-22, 28-30
Glenn Cannon directs the Hawai’i premiere of this Eugene Ionesco theater-of-the-absurd play, which has people turning into rhinoceroses and a group trying to figure it all. They turn into rhinoceroses too. Full of existential musings, chaos and humor.
Kennedy Theatre
UH-Manoa campus
956-7655
[Hawaii.edu/theatre]

Go, Dog, Go!
Apr 21-22, 29, May 6, 13, 20
Do you like my hat? The musical based on the popular book brings the dogs, cars and parties to life with HTY’s favorite performers. Adapted by Allison Gregory and Steven Dietz from the book by P. D. Eastman.
Honolulu Theatre for Youth
Tenney Theatre, St. Andrew’s Cathedral
839-9885
[Htyweb.org]

A Letter to My Mother at the End of the World
April 22-23, 28-29
Kemuel DeMoville, MFA candidate in playwriting, penned this drama, which looks at how television creates distance from reality and tricks us into thinking we’re communicating.
Kennedy Theatre
Earle Ernst Lab Theatre
UH-Manoa campus
956-7655
[Hawaii.edu/theatre]

The Foreigner
May 3-21
Larry Shue’s comedy demonstrates what can happen when a group of devious characters must deal with a stranger who (they think) doesn’t speak English.
Manoa Valley Theatre
2833 E. Manoa Rd.
988-6131
[Manoavalleytheatre.com]

Damn Yankees
30pm
KITV’s Keoki Kerr steps into the batter’s box as Joe Hardy, the diehard Washington Senators fan who sells his soul to the devil to lead his team in victory over the New York Yankees.
Army Community Theatre
Richardson Theatre, Fort Shafter
438-4480, 438-5230
[Squareone.org/ACT]

Another Heaven
May 18-June 18
Eric Anderson won Kumu Kahua’s Hawai’i Prize in 2001 for this true story about racial conflict, ambition and greed in late 19th-century Hawai’i.
Kumu Kahua
46 Merchant St., Honolulu
536-4441
[Kumukahua.org]

La Cage Aux Folles
May 19-June 4
The stage version of The Birdcage tells the story of gay nightclub owners George and Albin and George’s son, who brings his fiancee’s straight-laced parents over for dinner..
Diamond Head Theatre
520 Makapu’u Ave.
733-0274
[Diamondheadtheatre.com]

The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?
May 24-June 11
Edward Albee (Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf?) penned this drama–yes, drama–about a man in love with a goat. It explores themes of obsessive love, repressed sexuality and forbidden desire. Ma-a-a-a-a.
The Actors’ Group
Yellowbrick Studio
722-6941, 550-TIKS
[Taghawaii.org],
[honoluluboxoffice.com]

Pageant
June 28-July 16
Miss Texas, Miss Great Plains, Miss Deep South, Miss Industrial Northeast, Miss West Coast and Miss Bible Belt camp it up in gowns and bathing suits as they compete for the coveted title of Miss Glamouresse.
Manoa Valley Theatre
2833 E. Manoa Rd.
988-6131
[Manoavalleytheatre.com]

Into the Woods
July 14-30
The warped Stephen Sondheim fairy tale brings to life Cinderella, Prince Charming, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Jack and the Beanstalk as a baker and his wife attempt to reverse a curse on their family.
Diamond Head Theatre 520 Makapu’u Ave.
733-0274
[Diamondheadtheatre.com]

Music

The rhythm is going to get you

It’s after us, ladies and gentlemen. It lurches around the next corner. It hides in the alleyways. It takes up space on the sidewalks along Kalakaua Ave., pushing pedestrians to the curb and out into the road. Do not fail to heed this warning–It is going to get you. And we have it from no less an authority than Gloria Esteban. The ‘It’ we are speaking of–rhythm. And it is all around us. This spring is a particular deadly time, with the shores of O’ahu being hit by one musical act after another. U2. The Steve Miller Band. Elvis Costello. UB40. 311. Heed this warning, friends–When your toe starts tapping, when your hips start swaying, when your head starts bopping, it’s time to run and hide. The rhythm is about to get you.–Chris Haire

Keb’Mo
Jan. 13
Mo’ money. Mo’ problems. Right? Wrong. Mo’ money solves everything. Or nearly everything. What the greenbacks can’t fix, mo’ Keb’Mo can. The slide-guitar-slinging, mellow-and-mild bluesman might sing the blues, but he knows how to turn frowns upside down.
Hawaiian Hut at the Ala Moana Hotel
941-5205
[www.alamoanahotel.com]

All-American Rejects
Jan. 13
Okay, you’ve worked up the nerve to ask that cute kid in algebra class out. You make the call. You ask the question. You are rejected. Of course, that’s not something the guys in the pop-punk outfit All-American Rejects need to worry about. At least not after they blew away the crowd at MTV’s New Year’s Eve bash.
Pipeline Cafe
589-1999
[www.pipelinecafe.net]

Keith Sweat
Jan. 13
Back in the day, Keith Sweat’s name was more than appropriate. He had good looks, good tunes and a good voice. It was no wonder that for a moment in the ’80s, Sweat was the R&B crooner with more numbers in more area codes than anyother. Here’s betting the former New Jack swinger still has a couple of 808s in his little black book.
Neal Blaisdell Arena
[www.blaisdellcenter.com]
[www.ticketmaster.com]

Led Zepplica
Jan. 14
You’re not going to need a whole lotta disbelief to allow yourself to believe that you’ve stepped back in time when Led Zepplica takes the stage, and that’s what separates this rock-solid tribute band from the cover-band chafe. Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham–if you missed them the first time, catch them now.
Pipeline Cafe
589-1999
[www.pipelinecafe.net]

Savoy Brown’s Kim Simmons Unplugged
Feb. 2
Nietzche was wrong. God is not dead. He’s just gone acoustic. Like Eric Clapton–the guitarist declared by some as ‘God,’–equally as adept 6-string samurai Kim Simmons of blues rockers Savoy Brown has pulled the plug out of his Marshall amp and picked up an acoustic guitar. Although he’s no longer plugged into the outlet, here’s betting Simmons still knows how to generate some electricity.
Hawaiian Hut at the Ala Moana Hotel
941-5205
[www.alamoanahotel.com]

Hot Tuna
Feb. 17
The glory days of the Haight-Ashbury scene are little more than the distant memories–er, flashbacks–for the nation’s population of hippie-turned-pension-plan-obsessed-retirees. Boomers, not to mention all the hip hop-loving whippersnappers today, can relive a bit of the past when psychedelic rockers–and acoustic-loving bluesmen–Hot Tuna take the stage.
Hawaiian Hut at the Ala Moana Hotel
941-5205
[www.alamoanahotel.com]

The Toasters
March 3-4
Kids today. They probably think that ska started with No Doubt. Heck, they might even say the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Of course, they’d be wrong. Ska in America goes way back. And the Toasters were right there at the beginning. Catch this legendary good time band and others on the Ska Brawl tour, which will be in town for two nights.
Pipeline Cafe
589-1999
[www.pipelinecafe.net]

UB40
March 15
Although UK reggae outfit UB40 has dabbled in leftist politics, their true contributions are their reggae-inspired covers of such classic hits as ‘Red Red Wine’ and ‘I Can’t Help Falling in Love,’ cover songs which have become classics themselves. Not bad for a band that got its start in the unemployment line.
Waikiki Shell
591-2211
[www.blaisdellcenter.com]
[www.ticketmaster.com]

311
March 25
Former rap-rock staples 311 are riding a wave of positive buzz these days. Not only is their latest single ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ a hard-hittin’, reggae-infused modern rock chart topper, but the band collectively put a hurtin’ on the most despised man in rock–former Creed frontman Scott Stapp–with a very public whipping in a hotel lobby. Praise the Lord.
Waikiki Shell
591-2211
[www.blaisdellcenter.com]
[www.ticketmaster.com]

Elvis Costello and the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra
March 31-April 1
Elvis Costello is a daring man. From his punkish roots to his forays into folk to his partnership with Burt Bacharach, there is no doubt Costello follows an adventurous muse–or at least one with ADD. Proving himself the daredevil once again, Costello partners with an unlikely–or is that likely–partner: the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra.
Blaisdell Concert Hall
591-2211
[www.blaisdellcenter.com]
[www.ticketmaster.com]

Steve Miller Band
April 1
Okay, let’s just go ahead and be done with it–No, this is not a joke. Live concerts have returned to Diamond Head Crater, and yes, the Steve Miller Band is on the bill. Joining him will be as un-yet unnamed group of artists. Right now, who cares? The Space Cowboy is more than enough to entice many ticket buyers.
Diamond Head Crater Celebration
[www.cratercelebration.com]