Hot Picks
‘Ukulele yuletide
This Christmas season, who needs to celebrate once again with The Nutcracker when Jake Shimabukuro is in town? The ‘ukulele virtuoso and international celebrity will be performing his show Under a Christmas Moon for three nights at the oh-so-hip Honolulu Design Center. (Is the building orange? Yellow? Both?!) Helping him out will be his brother Bruce and the ‘Ukulele Essence Band, and special guests Noel Okimoto and Dean Taba with Jake for a trio concert.
Things have evolved over the years for our Fingers of Fury institution–Pure Heart seems like a long time ago. The signature eyeglasses were chucked, hair care products were implemented, and he became a Japanese superstar. Fans can now join the endearingly named fan club Ö Jklub. Super kawaii! Thus, it’s a nice gesture for Jake to give his home state an affordable bit of holiday cheer. And reportedly, he will arrive bearing gifts for the audience.
As if that wasn’t enough, all-you-can-eat pupu will be provided to give shopping-depleted constitutions sustenance. Sneak off to the wine bar for a sip or two during the intermission and this may turn out to be a new, fun, classy, local yuletide tradition. –Ryan Senaga
Peace in the park
So there had to be at least one requisite Christmas concert promoting peace here. Why not make it the free one, accessible to all?
The second annual Peace on Earth Christmas Concert promises a cornucopia of local musical talent. Just a few of the names to headline are singer and emcee of the event, Al Waterson, father-and-son slack key guitar duo Dennis and David Kamakahi, a youth ‘ukelele ensemble, Hawai’i’s top country singer Don ‘Geezer’ Humphries and The Carmen Haugen Quartet. There may also be a surprise artist performing.
Staying true to its title of a peace concert, among the songs to be performed is ‘Cease Fire, A Christmas Song.’ The piece was the winner of The Literacy Award for Song Lyrics from The State Legislature and The Matsunaga Institute of Peace’s ‘Expressions of Peace’ competition that was held Sept. 21 on inaugural Peace Day Hawai’i.
Patrons are advised to bring their own mat, blanket, umbrella, food and drink (nowhere did it say a 40 of Mickey’s Ice in a paper bag isn’t allowed). –Margot Seeto
Guitar heroes
Battles of the bands are a necessary evil in the rock ‘n’ roll world, an exercise that is at once a degrading parade and a genuine shot at possible glory. Pretty much all of our most lauded bands in Hawai’i, be they hardcore or Jawaiian, have entered and/or won a battle of the bands somewhere along the line.
The 808 Scene Zine has put together another Honolulu Battle of the Bands for Winter 2007, with part two being this Thursday at the Loft in Chinatown. One of the great things about these musical melees is that while there are sure to be some stinkers, the showcase provides an opportunity for live music fans to gather the scope of the new music being made on O’ahu. There will always be a well-known local act that makes one wonder, ‘Why are they even bothering?’ and a dark horse outfit that will blow minds but will probably not win.
That’s the fun of these battles. The musical experience is almost entirely subjective, so while the winner might deserve it, so does everyone else. The real winner is the attendee, who gets to take in a cross section of new Honolulu music for a nominal cover, with the added benefit of seeing the bands pour their hearts out for what might not be any prize other than knowing that they are the winner. That’s rock ‘n’ roll.
Battle of the Bands is a special feature of the weekly rock outfit Thursdays Rocks (yes, that’s an ’s’ at the end of Thursday). The likes of House of Tragic and The Hell Caminos will compete against seven other bands, with the winners of this week’s battle competing against last week’s winners during the winter finals on Thursday, Dec. 27. –Jamie Winpenny
Maxymum talent
Mezzo Soprano Kala Maxym’s resume is almost as impressive as her voice. A graduate of Barnard College (magna cum laude, no less) and formerly employed by the U.S. Department of Justice before fully committing herself to music and singing full time, Maxym has sung and performed in opera companies in Chicago, Aspen, Boston and Pamplona, Spain. Oh yeah, she was also a finalist in Hawai’i Public Radio’s 2006 Art Song Contest. But let’s not let this litany of achievements overshadow Maxym’s voice–a voice as equally comfortable with the emotionalism of Verdi, Vivaldi and Rachmaninoff as it is with exploring the ominous shadows of Philip Glass.
Now that voice is coming to Honolulu. HPR’s Atherton Performing Arts Studio will host Maxym and accompanying pianist, Eric Schank, for a song recital of works by composers as eclectic and varied as the singer’s own history, including Pinkham, Delius, Weill, Grieg, Montsalvatge and a name familiar to local music buffs, Neil McKay. So music fans, grab your tickets, dust off your formal wear (i.e. your best pair of slippahs and an Aloha shirt you won’t mind tucking into your pants, fellas), and get your ears ready for an evening of song, courtesy of a remarkable talent. –Matthew Martin
