Haberdashery / Most Saturdays, they’re gathered like a hipster-happy incarnation of the von Trapp family, all smiles and song on the sidewalk of Kalakaua Avenue. And as far as indie-cool, Haberdashery looks the part. With at least one asymmetrical haircut, a pair or two of thick-framed eyeglasses, a variety of hats and the occasional moustache, the members of the North Shore band exude that essential indie geeky chic. And, yeah, they’ve mastered the art of obligatory self-referential witticisms–describing themselves as “avant-garde dirty-gypsy anti-folk”–but this band is unlike anything you’ve heard.

Most Saturday nights the eight-member group is gathered on a patch of sidewalk in the heart of Waikiki, playing every song like it’s their last for a hatful of meager tips. And Haberdashery is a welcome addition to the longtime street-performer lineup of steel drummers, metallic mimes and fancy basketball-dribblers. Their sound is clean and their songs are catchy with wholesome overtones, thanks largely to lyrics about things like riding bikes and working together. But the act isn’t too cute, and that’s probably because their performances are anchored by solid musical talent on a variety of musical instruments.

“The idea was to try to shy away from as many conventional instruments as possible,” said Haberdashery’s electric bass player Michael EdgarHansen. “I play probably the most common instrument in the band. We have two accordion players–one rhythm and one lead–we’ve got a cellist, we have someone who plays marching band style drum. We’ve got a girl who plays ‘ukulele, we’ve got the melodica, the glockenspiel and something called the omnichord, which is an instrument from the early ’80s that Suzuki made, it’s an electric auto harp.”

As they play, Haberdashery sings together in harmony. And most incredibly, they haven’t even been playing together for one year yet.

“Before, it was sort of just a bunch of people in a room,” said EdgarHansen. “We were playing buckets and grates, anything that made us ask, ‘Is this an instrument?’ No. ‘Could it be?’ Well, yeah.”

That playful, creative spirit comes out in Haberdashery’s music, much of which would be a natural fit on a playlist with bands like Beulah and Wake the President. While they often exude a sort of calm vibrancy, Haberdashery’s band members are influenced by a variety of sounds and genres.

“We’re interested in anything that is kind of pursuing a new territory, trying to take something old and put a new spin on it,” said EdgarHansen. “Were inspired by Gogol Bordello, some more traditional stuff like the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly, plus really anything that is new and kind of unique.”

Haberdashery plays songs that represent everything from the whimsical, sweet and vocal-driven to heavier, thumping waltzes that sound like they could be played outside the funhouse at a circus sideshow. And as the band continues to develop its sound, band members are also focusing on growing as performers.

“There’s a lot of evolution over just the past few months,” said EdgarHansen. “What we’re aiming at now is creating a lot more stage and theatrical elements. Playing on the street gets kind of cutthroat. We’ve had other acts decry us in front the crowds they bring. But it’s been a great place to learn how to perform, too. Because you draw a crowd and if you’re playing poorly, they leave. If you play well, they stay. It’s been really good for people to purge that fear of performing.”

It’s not just the tourists in Waikiki who are taking notice. Haberdashery is joining a roster of local bands to play in the Mercury Rising Twilight Concert outside of Mercury Bar downtown on Friday. They’re also in talks with record label GroundUP Movement.

“I don’t think any of us in the beginning thought that we would be taking it as far as we have so far,” said EdgarHansen. “It’s just sort of clicked to the point where everyone’s enjoying it and we’re getting a lot of really good reception. We’ve been playing more and more shows. And with GroundUP, we were like, ‘you are interested in us? Really? We’re just doing this for fun.’”

And what’s fun for Haberdashery is proof that they’re doing what all great musicians do best–playing their hearts out for the love of music.

“Let’s Go Ride Bikes”

Haberdashery performing Nov 2008 at Kahuku Library.

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