HAWAIIAN HOUSE PARTY / Punk promoter Jason Miller has a history with Asian Man Records founder Mike Park. While in the California-based band Skankin’ Pickle, Park says that Miller, then a young kid living across the street, used to come by peek into the garage to watch them practice. Miller never stopped listening and forayed his love of punk into a job putting on shows in Hawaii. Now, the fan-turned-friend brings Park back to the Islands to play a house party this weekend.

“I’ve been there 12 times, I’ve probably played seven,” says Park of Hawaii. “You think about rock ’n‘ roll in general: It’s not something that caters to people of color, whether it be Asian American, African American, Hispanic. If you’re touring, going to the Midwest, if you’re lucky, there will be one Asian kid there and I’ll single him out. Playing in Hawaii is great. I’ve been to Asia–Japan and Korea. It’s definitely interesting to be in the majority as opposed the minority.”

Park’s racial awareness and concerns about social justice have always been prevalent in his music. He’s also known for his membership in The Chinkees (being uncomfortable with the name while recognizing its tongue-in-cheek nature is intentional) and his national Plea for Peace Tour, which funded a youth center in Stockton, Calif.

After over 20 years in the music scene, as he still chooses to run his record label independently and with a focus on signing anti-racist, anti-sexist and generally anti-prejudice bands. All this from his headquarters out of his parents’ garage.

“We built a shed in the back,” Park says with a laugh, to explain how he’s been able accommodate the expansion of the label. But he’s also expanded his fanbase.

“As I was getting older, I was releasing bands that were older and realized I needed to stay in touch with the next generation of punk,” he said. “We’ve really gotten a good crop of younger bands who all understand what we’re trying to do and are rooted in the DIY punk ethic.” He points to bands like Andrew Jackson Jihad, described as “folk-punk” from Phoenix, Ariz., that keep Asian Man Records forging ahead.

As for his own music, Park has been veering away from the hard and traveling along the acoustic path for the past few years, releasing the likes of For the <3 of Music, North Hangkook Falling and Beans and Toast. He’s also working on a children’s album, inspired by his two kids, ages 1 and 2, which is due out next year.

“Maybe that’s just the parent in me thinking they’re geniuses, but I feel like they already have kind of a knack for music,” he said. “They’re gravitating toward instruments when I pull them out. My daughter likes the drums and I think my son likes the piano… They can be The Carpenters.”

At this weekend’s house party, whether Park will gently sing, “I don’t need a racist friend” or declare, “I can’t be your Asian prodigy,” he says that the “underlying idea of writing songs for some kind of advocacy is always there.”

Be like Mike and prepare to bond with opening bands Iron Made in China (members from Golfcart Rebellion and Black Square), Mark Allred from Upstanding Youth, and Megum Pie, all in musical unity. And since the show is all-ages, you probably won’t need to peek into the garage.