The Rising Melody Songwriters Showcase:

A place for the rest of us.









photo by Kaz Sano

Where: 39 Hotel St., straight up the steps.
When: Every Wednesday, open mike on 1st Wednesdays.
Cost: No cover!
(www.myspace.com/therisingmelodymusic)

I was beginning to think my music fit in almost nowhere in Honolulu. Almost. With the exception of Ong King Arts Center, I hadn't had too many repeat appearances around town for one reason or another. Either my own strange brand of music just didn't fit in, or I had an uncomfortable reception coupled with the inability to hear my own performance through the available monitoring system, or I just didn't feel very much at home in a bar environment, due to my abstinence from alcohol. But then again, my brand of music is extremely alternative, I don't tend to pander to the commercial status quo, and I tend to perform to my own prerecorded or “canned” material. But I figured since my music was original, that it might just make some small difference. The great thing is, that in some circles, it really does make all the difference! And there is no short supply of originality in this town, if you only know where to look!
After hemming and hawing about what to do with my Wednesday night, whether to go hang out at Next Door while Nocturna spun until 11:00 PM —which is great, but I don't drink, and am not a very confident dancer— or just go down to Jazz Minds and check out the Harumi The Hymn and the Deadbeats, I finally decided to keep my promise to Bret Shimabuku and check out the Rising Melody. And as soon as I got there, I found myself surrounded by familiar faces and friends I was about to make! Not only had I found a new venue to for a monthly open mike, but also had inadvertently stumbled into a whole world of local talent, and my next article!
Bret, also known as Biku and his sister Jaena are going into their third year hosting The Rising Melody at thirtyninehotel, and as always, I find myself wishing I had discovered this event sooner! My first exposure to The Rising Melody had one extremely talented person after another taking the stage, including their very own Jaena, who could probably sing over the crowd and her own electrified instrument without the benefit of amplification! Biku also brings it on occasion with his own original brand of conscientious alternative folk composition.
Some of the other acts, one might encounter there include house favorites such as Sabrina Velazquez, Josh Jones, Monkeypod, Millicent Cummings, and harmonica madman Danilo “Nilo” Marone. Kauai Songwriters Contest contender Chase Livingston also was in attendance, as well as the remarkable free verse lyrical stylings of Shayla, front woman of the band Barefoot Samurai.
Along with this admittedly abridged list of performers is the astounding talent of Sebastian Hughes, who will only be around until Summer's end, when he heads off to S.F., to begin college, so I strongly advise that you catch his act now! What's really cool about this place is that you can hang out with all these folks, as well as watch them perform, and in my case, watch and learn! There is performance charisma to go around in this crowd, and if you walk away without learning something about stage presence and the art of performance, you've been enjoying yourself way too much!
I've been so impressed with the assembled talent at The Rising Melody the last few times I've checked this place out, I am recommending it some of the exceptional performers I've met in the past couple of months, such as guitarist and singer Kiana and ukulele virtuosa Taimane Gardner, who I believe will compliment the already burgeoning repertoire of regular musicians. You might also encounter DJ Barefoot Bob, either mixing with the crowd or performing, and see if you can’t get your original music aired on his weekly radio show, which airs on Saturday afternoons from noon till 3 PM on KTUH 90.3 FM.
And ironically, this perfect place I had been seeking —with a comfortable enough environment for the non-drinker— actually is a bar. Or should I say it happens to have a bar? It has such a warm and homey atmosphere that I tend not to notice I am in a bar setting at all! Beyond the loft space at the top of the steps which is the main stage and bar area, there is an open-air terrace with a service bar of its own, and there, one can duck out for some fresh air or to mingle, and order healthy pupus from their appetizer menu, all surrounded by the downtown Honolulu skyline.


Contact Bret Simabuku for a booking or more info: www.myspace.com/therisingmelodymusic or go to www.thirtyninehotel.com

Taimane Gardner, Ukulele Sensation…

Just Trust Me On This One!

By George D’range

Where: Ong King Arts Center, 184 N. King
Sunday nights 9 PM-1:00 AM
Cost: $1.00

Did you ever wish you had caught a really talented musician early in their career? You know the old story, the inside scene was all abuzz over some rising star, and yet somehow it got right by you? And now, tickets are so pricey, and if you had only been there, you could have met actually them after one of their gigs!
Meet Taimane Gardner, lovely, vivacious and extremely talented. She is an incredible young ukulele virtuosa, but to compare her to her contemporaries, like Jake and Bruce Shimabukuro would be not be fair to all concerned, especially since she sites them as teachers and influences. I could use all the trite clichés to describe Taimane at this point in her young career: "rising star", "on fire", or "wunderkind", and all that might be very true, but it's all for the better if you simply go see her play.
There simply is no easy way to convince you to catch her act before she goes stellar, so you’re just going to have to trust me on this one! And I know just the place, at a cover anyone can afford! How's Ong King Arts Center in Chinatown, Sunday night for just a dollar donation sound? Sure, you could catch her at the Royal Hawaiian Luau every Monday after having paid a tidy sum for a sumptuous meal in a retro-tourista environment, —and one Taimane song— completely safe from the random elements of the world and the crowd, but it’s so much more fun to brave Chinatown by night to catch a truly memorable and unpredictable entertainment experience! (Besides, it’s local tradition!)
And local tradition flows through Taimane’s skilled fingers from the renowned instruction of Roy Sakuma, and a whole host of others she lists as teachers, including Brother Nolan, Herb Ohtasan Junior, Aunty Genoa and many others. And most recently, Tai has gotten a taste for Indian music from Shree Saragopan of Quadraphonix.
The first time Taimane played at Ong King there had been a momentary MC vacuum early in the evening, and MC See Ellauri asked me to hold down the fort for an hour or so, whilst he and co-owner Jonathan Heraux tended to other business matters. I did, trying to keep things moving along as best I could. Just as I was running out of folks to pull up on stage, and was about to subject the crowd to my own D’ranged tunes, Jonathan and See came back and I was much relieved to be relieved of duty. But not before I had scoured the audience for the next few acts and slipped See a piece of paper with the name: Taimanne. (OK, I got it wrong the first time, but I would never, ever forget the name!)
To use another trite expression, she blew our minds! And that's saying quite a bit considering she can segue seamlessly between "Stairway to Heaven", Beethoven's "Fur Elise" and flamenco style all on her ukulele! Adding to her interesting blend of tastes, she has begun to jam regularly with the boys of Ong King’s house band, Quadraphonix. Running her instrument through Shree’s guitar effects, her music takes on a whole new dimension, and Taimane easily does for the uke what Indai of Tempo Valley does for the cello.
There is also an uncompromising depth to her original songwriting that I find very appealing. She seems unafraid to tackle social and political topics other mainstream local artists might shy away from. In one televised appearance on Andy Bumatai, she bravely takes on the topic of health care and the elderly being forced to choose between their medications and their groceries in her song, “Clinically Insane”. In another song, “We Are The Chosen”, she compassionately sings about the cost of war to all of us.
But if you're still not convinced, and would like to get a dose of Taimane's music online, there's much to be had! In addition to her website, www.taimane.com, and she has a MySpace page at myspace.com/taimanegardner. She has also made three appearances on Nighttime with Andy Bumatai, which can be viewed on their You Tube channel, www.youtube.com/ntphawaii. Her “Clinically Insane” video is at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Edebn0GWKQ. From there, a quick search of You Tube will reveal such gems as Taimane performing at Don Ho’s aloha ceremony, her stunning performance before John Travolta and Kelly Preston of “Led Zeppelin meets Beethoven”, and a kick-ass version of “Wipeout” recorded right on Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki.
After having done all this, the question won’t be whether or not this young lady has a future in music, but: “Why haven’t I heard of her before?!”

DJ Nocturna Presents: Camera Obscura, The “Dark Chamber”…

By George D’range

(Published in the April Issue of The 808 Scene Zine)

This article was written under a full moon…
In the beginning there was only darkness: Black, mysterious, and seductive. It became known as the nighttime, that special time when we can get away with the most mischief and mayhem. But as we all know, partying all night is an exhausting affair, even for the most stoic devotee of darkness. So of course, daytime had to be created to even things out, and give night clubbers and vampires a chance to rest! And so, DJ Nocturna said: “Let there be a Feast of Friends!" -every Saturday night from 6 to 9 On 90.3 KTUH FM- a kind of broadcast Sabbath for the dark at heart. But of course, there also needs to be a social gathering, a thematic event for her Gothic coven to connect, dance to goth and darkwave music, and otherwise hook-up with other likeminded worshipers of the night. Someplace nice and DARK… And so, the Goddess of darkness said: “Let there be a Dark Mask Ball!”
Enter Camera Obscura, held the First Saturday of every month at Next Door at 43 North Hotel Street. Camera Obscura is Latin for "dark chamber", and March 1st kicked off the latest season of this monthly costume-thematic event, held on first Saturdays. So I donned my own dark mask, put on my fangs, and fastened on my cape to see what it's all about.
Adorned in their Faustian finery, coming out from their dark dwellings from around the city, Nocturna's shadow army converges, confounding the otherwise 'regular' people milling about Chinatown. It's not hard to discern the clientele of Bar 35 from that of Next Door. The people going into Next Door look a little scary, like characters out of "Eyes Wide Shut" or "The Story of 'O'", whereas the Bar 35 people just look a bit scared. But it's all a part of the thematic fun that is the difference that makes Camera Obscura a cut above the average rave or happening. Well, that, and the mature and courteous nature of Nocturna's throng of loyal friends. As pointed out by Kawehi Haug in TGIF, this is a discreet, no-touch dance crowd, definitely not for random strangers looking to get their freak on with other people they don't even know. But in order to truly appreciate Camera Obscura, one really has to experience it first hand.
As I immersed myself in this world of night, I was greeted by Nocturna's regular friendly doorman Ray, and walked into the candle-lit and cavernous atmosphere of the antique landmark building. The evening kicked off with the dark, 80s retro grooves of DJ Modboy, who was followed by the impeccable tastes of our host Nocturna, and the expert goth belly dancing of Michael Azure. There was also a dark mask contest during the fray with prizes for the darkest mask and most original mask coutesy of Millennium Hawaii. Tarot readings by Jill and Greg from Prosperity Corner were given, and the evening culminated in the high energy dance mixes of DJ Gary O.

Though I am not one normally known for getting my dance on, the mix was just too much to resist! I think I have rediscovered the dance sound that has always had me in it's grip, and by the time Nocturna served up the dance dub of Soft Cell's "Sex Dwarf", I was already completely lost to the dark wave beat as I lip-synced lyrics learned long ago in a nearly forgotten era! For a brief time I was there again, and it would have been very easy to forget that I actually had an article to write!

The Dark Mask Ball was the theme for just the first Camera Obscura event of this year. April's event was "A Night of Bast", an evening dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Bast or Bastet, a deity with the head of a cat, and the body of a beautiful woman, protector of cats, women and children and patron goddess of love, birth, music and dance. Appropriately, it was a fundraiser for Joey's Feline Friends, a no-kill shelter for homeless, abused and physically challenged cats. As with the Dark Mask Ball, showing up in costume true to the theme of the night gets you two bucks off the cover at the door. And the Night of Bast called for costumes resembling Bast, cats, and all things Egyptian.
May's theme will be a Victorian Ball, so break out your old corsets and stovepipe hats from the 1850s, and get ready to go retro… on the darker side! If you think you might be as dark -if not darker- than Nocturna, please point your browser to: myspace.com/djnocturna -or- myspace.com/808cameraobscura, and add to friends!

Grand Slam: Hawaii's Best and Brightest Poets Get Their Chance to Shine!

By George D'range

(Published: The March 2008 issue of The 808 Scene Zine)

Team Hawaii, Adult Division: Kealoha, Stri Longanecker, Travis T, Lyz Soto, Dar'ron Cambra
and Tui "Tui-Z" Scanlan peeking out in the foreground.

It's one thing for a writer like me to immerse myself in an event by attending and socially mingling in order to hammer out an assigned article. Actually participating as a competitor among seasoned veterans is another thing altogether! More humbling still is realizing that a large number of your fellow competitors are half my age, and much, much better at this than me. Not only was this article researched in this way, but this topic is so interactive that you, the reader, can also get involved! So start brushing up your rhymes and come to the monthly competition on the first Thursday of every month at the Hawaiian Hut located in the Ala Moana Hotel.
April 19, 7:00 PM at Kaimuki High School Youth Speaks Hawaii will be hosting "The Grand Slam", a competition of the top poets of the year. The adult class of poets will have their own Grand Slam April 3rd who took 1st place at the First Thursdays competition. So, the bad news is that any newcomers will have to wait a year for another Grand Slam. The good news is, once you see what you’re up against, you'll want a year to practice! And any young people (being younger than 18) need only contact The Youth Speaks Hawaii people online, or attend the poetry workshops held every Wednesday, 4:30 to 6:00 PM at The Arts at Mark’s Garage. There are also plans to restart the Youth Speaks slams every third Saturday, at Mark’s.
Hawaii Slam and Youth Speaks are two crucial organizations that put the resource of public, personal expression into the hands of the local community. And the spoken word movement in Hawaii and elsewhere, is a lot stronger than many people may be aware of. In fact, all one has to do is go online, to get a feel for how powerful it has become. Hawaii Slam, Youth Speaks and Girl Fest all have a strong Internet presence, as do many of their sponsors and participants. Perhaps the best place to start would be to go to the Youth Speaks Hawaii Web page, (http://www. youthspeakshawaii.org) where one can contact the organization, and also get a sense of the grand scope of the movement and the immense talent out involved! They are also readily searchable on Myspace. Back in early December I had the opportunity to attend the Youth Speaks 3rd Annual Interscholastic Slam, and it was, without a doubt, one of the most moving and educational experiences of my life.
As I inferred earlier, it's not easy for an aging writer like myself to get taken back to school by such a group of sharp young upstarts, but it was definitely an honor and a privilege I won't ever forget. The brutal honesty and raw emotions of these powerful speakers and their craft took me to places I didn't expect, some places I didn't want to go, but realized we should all visit, because these amazing young people are our future. I vowed never to refer to them as “kids” again!
So I braced myself for the prospect of attending First Thursdays and reciting, to be a fair reporter and to really get good case of stage fright on. This was on the heels of the opening of Girl Fest, where I had been treated some of the nation's best poets! Can you say nervous?
But upon arriving at the Hawaiian Hut, I was greeted by warm handshakes and hugs and the smell of my favorite incense wafting on the air, and a strange thing happened. I was suddenly in room with over 400 friends, or people I had come to think of as friends, and all the fear of judgment and evaluation melted away as poet after poet took the stage and laid bare their souls for all to see. I almost chose to “share” and not compete, (you can do that) but my sense of responsibility over-road my trepidation, and it all turned out to be one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life! I did not even place as a competitor, but it was my first time, and I did not care one bit! In the presence of such immense talent, it would have been easy to simply follow the urge to bow out before even attempting to compete, but despite those feelings, or perhaps because I chose to ignore it, I was hooked!
I will be back, and I will be attending the Grand Slam probably as a casual observer and fan, cheering on my friends and fellow poets, as the adults battle their way towards the National competition held in Madison WI, in August. Youth Speaks will be competing nationally in July, in Washington D.C.

Christina Nelson: Great Gifts Come in Small Packages

By George D’range

(Published, February 2008 issue, The 808 Scene Zine)

The diminutive stature and humble, down-to-earth appearance of Christina Nelson are not to be taken for granted. For this skater girl/folk singer/actress possesses one of the most important attributes any talented artist can have: modesty. In fact, she is not very comfortable with the idea of high-profile fame, or commercial endorsement. She seems to want to keep things at the grass roots level, and has no intention of selling out. What she does she seems to do as much for herself as the friends she writes about, and one gets the distinct impression she does not want to cheapen her art with commercial polish or over-promotion. All this was made clear to me as she unwound after her long month of performing in See Ellauri’s visionary play, “Hip-Hopalypse”.
But the first time I saw her perform, I knew she was the real deal. Her music and sultry vocals went straight for my heart and I was instantly enraptured by her style. “It’s only passion,” she confided to me one night at Ong King Arts Center, as we took a smoke break after one of her most highly charged performances. In this particular instance, her powerful calves were propelling her about eighteen inches off the stage as she strummed her guitar without missing a beat. I have seen Christina perform perhaps a couple of dozen times, having missed only a song or two due to tardiness or negligence, and I always feel somehow deprived at having missed even a small dose of that passion.
Sometimes referred to as “The Ong Queen” by Ong King’s co-proprietor Jonathan Heraux, she is also known as the “house rock star”, and has definitely earned these honors. She is quite simply the embodiment of raw talent and originality that seems to have become a rare commodity in today’s commercial music scene. The late great comedian Bill Hicks pointed out that heart and soul was what was missing from so much modern music, and I’m forced to agree! Like home cooked meals, —minus the love— listening to some of the banal, pre-processed pop music of today can be a bit like sinking one’s teeth into a rubbery frozen dinner that’s been left in the microwave oven too long. By contrast, listening to one of Christina’s home-baked performances is like being cordially invited to enjoy a Thanksgiving Dinner at Alice’s Restaurant with all the trimmings, prepared and served by Alice herself!
There is warmth and informality, an acknowledgement of the human element, and a blatant disregard for any incidental errors, be they pilot or equipment related. In fact, there is an outright disdain for the amplification equipment! “I hate technology!” Christina once quipped as the uncooperative microphone stand continued to sag down, like a sad metal phallus. This drew laughs from her regular audience, we of the initiated who know of the sexually ambiguous nature of many of Christina’s songs.
Recently, her music has gained another dimension entirely, with the recent acquisition of a piano at Ong King, an instrument procured by and set aside for Christina’s shows. “The eighty-eight string guitar”, as comedic folk legend Tom Lehrer once referred to it, is actually a very logical addition to Christina’s repertoire, which also includes the ukulele and mandolin. She is also no stranger to the rock bass, and was once the bass player for a local metal band called “Mindshed”. But it is the addition of the piano to Christina’s act has led Alice down a whole new rabbit hole, filled with an even richer emotional landscape of dreams.
It was during one such performance that I first got the idea to write about her, so I emailed her, praising her performance, and proposing a meeting to hash out the details of this article. Even her response was a mind-blowing example of her humble prose:
“Last night was an explosion. Turning the heart lament into healing musical explosives blasting the infectious walls from my wounds so they can heal properly. That's all...”
That’s it, huh? That’s ALL? Take a bow, girl! I don’t believe I’ve ever heard the Creative process put so eloquently. Once again, her final comment is a disclaimer testifying the overall spirit of her endearing humility, which makes her such an approachable and emotionally accessible artist.
Ironically, Christina has a very low profile on the World Wide Web, and she’d like to keep it that way, with the exception of a few online videos, which can be seen on the Youtube profile: youtube.com/OngKingLive. If anyone out there has videos of her they’d like to post, they are encouraged to contact the Youtube profile or write to: OngKingLive@musician.org, but please, no unauthorized fan pages! After all, she just wants to keep it real…

The 4th Annual GiRL FeST Hawaii, 2007: Opening Night

By George D’range

(Published, December issue, The 808 Scene Zine)

Girl Fest is an event organized around a group of very talented women and men whose common cause is the fight to ”prevent violence against women and girls through education and art.” It is a collection of artists, dancers, musicians, poets, writers and films presented from across the nation, but is mainly based in the Bay Area, New York City, and Hawaii, and the proceeds of the annual festivities go to the cause.
For those of you who were lucky enough to take place in any of the week’s events, you know how socially important this yearly fundraiser is. For those of you unfamiliar, you’re going to want to make time next year for you, your friends and family to attend this very special event. Some guys out there might think they’d be uncomfortable and suspicious that this might be a kind of Vagina Monologues affair. But that’s not it at all. It’s not just about anonymous victims of rape and abuse. This is about our mothers and our sisters, our aunties and nieces, and our friends and neighbors. The more men attend, the more it says about us as people, and the progress we are capable of making. As Kealoha, a local poetry slam trail blazer and founder of Hawaii Slam, summed up so eloquently with a stirring poem about abuse and equality, the misconceptions about feminism, and the aforementioned connection we all share with the women we love and respect so much in our everyday lives. Find him at: www.kealohapoetry.com.
But this is also about all those talented and dedicated souls who make this event worth attending! This year’s festivities were dedicated to former coordinator Alex T. Handler, who passed away in July of this year. There are many other crucial people who deserve honorable mention, but I regret due to article constraints, some may go unmentioned. I will do my best to rectify this through web references and in my unabridged version.
The night opened with the Taiko Center of The Pacific. Currently under the direction of Gabriel Ishida, this highly disciplined style of Japanese drumming is part dance, part rhythmic performance. Each performance has a story and a dedicated ceremony from which the tune was derived. Taiko is a complicated art form, so for more information on this group of performers, please visit: www.taikoarts.com.
The spoken word and poetry slam segment of the evening involved the amazing talents of several performers who all have a high profile on the internet, so I will give each a short review, followed by their URLs.
When youth speaks Hawaii took the stage, their words were so powerful, it hit me with the unrelenting force of a Gatling gun! It is very fortunate that I was also invited to cover the 3rd annual Interscholastic Youth Speaks Hawaii Slam competition, so that I might have a chance to get to know these great young people and their work better. I will therefore reserve further judgment until that time, but I can say that I don’t anticipate being any less impressed! (www.youthspeakshawaii.org)
Mindy Nettifee moved things along in her oddly slow paced and methodical style, lulling us all into a false sense of security! After delivering some of the funnier poetry of the evening, she decided to move on to “some serious stuff”, such as a poem called, “Dear Guardian Angel”, which began, “Dear Guardian Angel: BACK OFF!” You get the idea. Mindy’ myspace page is: myspace.com/thecultofmindy.
Amber Tamblyn is better known as TV’s Joan of Arcadia, but there is much more than meets the eye about this multi-faceted performer. She is at once emotionally accessible, wickedly funny, well balanced, and delivers pointedly cathartic slams, which lent a wonderfully complementary chemistry to her fellow performers. myspace.com/ambertablyn
Andrea Gibson comes on like a freight train masquerading as a VW. Although Andrea admits to spitting in her furor as she recites, this reviewer would scarcely be able to differentiate the saliva flying from Andrea’s lips from my own emotional reaction to her concerto of venomous verbal justice. In person, I found Andrea to be a delightfully amiable and friendly individual. It was a pleasure to make her acquaintance, and you too can do so at: myspace/andreagibson
Derrick Brown was described in Rolling Stone Magazine as being the “Darker side of Jude Law. Whatever that means, Derrick is both a bit surreal, and hysterically brilliant. He was followed by comic Ali Wong, who probably grows tired of any comparisons to Margaret Cho, other than to say she is gut wrenchingly funny! Closing out the evening was the musical talent of Emily Wells, who also accompanied Derrick during his set. myspace.com/brownpoetry
Ali Wong: www.ALIWONG.com
Emily Wells: myspace.com/emilywells

The 4th Annual GiRL FeST Hawaii, 2007: Opening Night at The Hawaiian Hut

By George D’range

(Unpublished)

For those of unfamiliar with Girl Fest, it is an event organized around a very special group of women and men whose common cause is the fight to ”prevent violence against women and girls through education and art.” It is a collection of artists, dancers, musicians, poets, writers and films presented from across the nation, but is mainly based in the Bay Area of California, New York City, and Hawaii, and the proceeds of the annual festivities go to the cause.
This year’s festivities opened with a gala night at The Hawaiian Hut, and featured poets, writers, and musicians both local and national. For those of you who were lucky enough to take place in any of the week’s events, you know how emotionally charged and socially important this yearly fundraiser can be. For those of you unfamiliar, who have not yet had the chance to catch Girl Fest on any of it’s previous 2 times, you’re going to want to make time next year for you and your friends and family, and not miss at least some of the goings on at this very special event. Some guys out there might be shy about sharing the audience with a largely female crowd, in what they may suspect to be a kind of “Vagina Monologues” affair. But this is not simply about the anonymous, faceless victims of rape and abuse you read about. As the artists involved in this event would remind us, this is about our mothers and our sisters, our aunties and nieces, our female friends and neighbors, and yes, even about our abused male friends. It is about ending domestic violence as a disease upon our culture and our society. The more men attend, the more it says about our humanity, and the progress we are capable of making.
But enough preaching of the cause! This is also about all those talented and dedicated souls who make this event worth attending! This year’s festivities were dedicated to former coordinator Alex T. Handler, who passed away in July of this year. There are many other crucial people who deserve honorable mention, but I will save these honorable mentions for the end of the article, so that we might move things along here.
The night opened with the Taiko Center of The Pacific. Currently under the masterful direction of Gabriel Ishida, this highly disciplined style of Japanese drumming is part dance, part rhythmic performance, with overtones of that remind one of martial arts. So stunning is the prowess of the Taiko performer, I pity the poor soul who runs afoul of one these masters, armed with their bachi. (Drumsticks) Each performance has a story and a dedicated ceremony from which the ikkyoku, or tune was derived. Taiko has an extensive lexicon, and history, so for more information on this artform, and this group of performers, please visit: http://users.lmi.net/taikousa/dictionary.html and www.taikoarts.com.
The spoken word and poetry slam segment of the evening involved both the insanely talented words presented by Youth Speaks, and the panel of celebrated writers, Kealoha, Mindy Nettifee, Amber Tablyn, Andrea Gibson, and Derrick Brown with musical accompaniment by Emily Wells.
When youth speaks Hawaii took the stage, I felt as if I was run over by a verbal steamroller. These young people are so immensely talented, and their words so powerful, it hit me with the unrelenting force of a Gatling gun! It is very fortunate that I was also invited to cover the 3rd annual Interscholastic Youth Speaks Hawaii Slam competition, so that I might have a chance to get to know these great young people and their work better. I will therefore reserve further judgment until that time, but I can say that I don’t anticipate being any less impressed!
Kealoha, local poetry slam trail blazer and founder of Hawaii Slam, among other things, got things started with a stirring poem about abuse and equality, and the aforementioned connection me all share the women who may be among those we are trying to protect.
Mindy Nettifee moved things along in her oddly slow paced and methodical style, beginning with a poem about the blues, and mouthing the bass line from “Stand by Me”, lulling us all into a false sense of security! She then kept the audience on its toes with her nonstop jabs at life’s little foibles and peeves, turning them into hilarious anecdotes of poetic justice! After delivering one such poem entitled, “Seven Things I Never Told My Sister”, she then announced that she was going to do “some serious stuff”. Her idea of this began with a poem called, “Dear Guardian Angel”, whish began, “Dear Guardian Angel: BACK OFF!” You get the idea. Mindy can be found at: myspace.com/thecultofmindy.
Amber Tamblyn is better known as TV’s Joan of Arcadia, a Golden Globe and Emmy nominee, among other things, but there is much more than meets the eye about this multi-faceted performer. As well as being an actor and poet she is also a writer, with several books under her belt, all with titles of which she claims not to know the meaning. She is at once emotionally accessible, wickedly funny, well balanced, and delivers pointedly cathartic slams, which lent a wonderfully complementary chemistry to her fellow performers. Like mirror moves on a chessboard, Amber seemed to match Mindy blow for blow, and laugh for laugh! An example of Amber’s quirky sense of turning angst into mirth was reflected in a poem entitled “Hate: A Love Poem”. For more on Amber’s colorful background and family, I strongly recommend doing a Google search on her background. Also look up Bonnie Tablyn, while you’re at it. Amber can be found at: myspace.com/ambertablyn.
Andrea Gibson: It’s hard for me to be objective about Andrea Gibson. Although Andrea admits to spitting in her furor as she Slams, this reviewer would consider it an honor to be in the front row as the poetry begins to flow, saliva mist or no. I would scarcely be able to differentiate the spit flying from Andrea’s lips from my own emotional reaction to her concerto of venomous verbal justice. I’m only glad to not be on the receiving end of Andrea Gibson’s indignant derision, and ironically enough, —perhaps because of the cathartic nature of her work— I found Andrea to be a delightfully amiable, accommodating and friendly person. It was a pleasure to make her acquaintance, and I can’t wait for the next time I get to see her recite her unique brand of socially significant poetry again!
Derrick Brown was described in Rolling Stone Magazine as being the “Darker side of Jude Law. He didn’t seem really comfortable with this, but nonetheless flattered. As I watched Derrick, I decided that a more accurate description would be that he is like a funnier version of Steve Carrel. After the show, I actually took a gamble, and ventured to mention this to Derrick, who perked up and remarked that it was one of the highest compliments he ever had! (I knew there was something I liked about this guy!) Mindy chipped in that he was much better looking than Steve, which I decided to concede to her female opinion in that matter. At one point during Derrick’s performance, The Multi-talented Emily Wells joined in as accompaniment, I believe for a poem entitled Kirasawa Champagne. I might be mistaken about that, as it was an evening of many interesting surprises, and outstanding entertainment! Whatever the case, he, Mindy and Amber made a great Combination, and were a counterweight to Andrea Gibson’s heavy-duty social commentary.
Derrick was followed by comic Ali Wong, who probably grows tired of any comparisons to Margaret Cho, other than to say she is gut wrenchingly funny! Besides, I found Ali to be very much the master her own approach to female comedy, and making any comparisons at all to other comics would be, in my estimation, just unfair. Between the humorous approach of the celebrity slam panel, and Ali’s stand up routine, I found myself in a relaxed state afterwards, my body coursing with endorphins from the deep belly rolls of laughter from these very clever and funny performers.
In addition to accompanying Derrick Brown during his set, Emily returned to the stage to close out the evening with her very interesting and eclectic style. as an artist, I have to respect and admire Emily as a musician who held out with the music companies in order to maintain creative control over her art. She is a living statement of artistic and personal empowerment, and seriously of kicks ass on the violin, too!
As previously mentioned, there are many people who make Girl Fest and Youth Speaks Hawaii possible, so without making this into an acceptance speech, I would like to give some credits, and few of my own shout-outs. A big salute goes out to the tireless efforts of Lyz Soto, Kathy Xian, Darron Cambra, Kealoha and TravisT, and all the other Girl Fest coordinators, volunteers and mentors of Youth Speaks, who deserve credit for their good work with the youth of Hawaii. My own personal thanks go out to Katie Whitman at The 808 Scene Zine, who was also a workshop teacher during Girl Fest, for giving me a shot at getting published, and Darron again for the Youth Speaks assignment, and for all his help in getting me connected. Also special shout-outs go to local scene moguls “SeE” and Jonathan at Ong King, and DJ Nocturna, just because.

Aloha!

Tui Scanlan and Ong King Arts Center Presents: The Devil and Billy Markham

By George D’range

Photos by Ronnen Zilberman

“I will crucify you all!” proclaimed director Tui Scanlan, when I asked him to comment on his up-and-coming production of Shel Silverstein’s The Devil and Billy Markham, currently showing at Ong King Arts Center. Tui also plays the Devil himself and adapted this bawdy poem for the stage. And despite any fond childhood memories one might have about Shel Silverstein’s work (The Giving Tree), this is a decidedly adult tale, originally published in Playboy Magazine.
The Devil and Billy Markham can probably be best described as one part Faust, one part Dante’s Inferno, with a liberal sprinkling of Larry Flynt thrown in for humor and raunchiness. The basic premise is of two-time loser Billy Markham, (Newcomer Sylvan Gaskin) gambling with the Devil on Music Row in Nashville in a high-stakes, winner-takes-all sucker’s game. The dice are loaded, the desired roll is thirteen, and the stakes are of course fame and fortune or Billy’s soul, to be paid I full, immediately upon losing. As messed-up as that may sound, it only goes from bad to worse, as Satan continues to tempt, taunt and torment Billy with more gambling prospects, further denigrating the already damned Billy Markham. In the process, Billy gambles away everything, or rather everyone he ever loved for the chance at freedom from Hades. When at last Billy finally gets Satan’s goat, one would expect this Nashville nobody to have learned his lesson. No such luck, because Billy has none, you see.
Billy is continuously tempted in the earthly realm, and even dares to cross cue sticks with the Almighty himself, on a wager of course. Without revealing anymore than I already have about this increasingly vulgar and hilarious comedy of sins, I can tell you that it actually continues to get worse before it gets better. Actually, scratch that, it doesn’t get better, at least not for Billy and his arch-nemesis, Old Scratch. If you like the idea of seeing the Devil get screwed, (in the figurative sense) you might just enjoy this tale, but if you are easily offended, it might be best to keep your distance. Mr. Scanlan takes his role in this play very seriously you see, and will most likely suffer no religiously biased comments from the peanut gallery. When it comes to salacious and irreverent comedy, Tui Scanlan is dead fucking serious. But as the expression goes, “Better the Devil you know…”

The Devil and Tui Scanlan

Think you’re bad? Think you’re dark? Meet Tui Scanlan, AKA the antagonist in his own production. Truth be told, not to undermine the other players that make this production possible, Tui makes the play, Tui is the play. At about 6’4”. wearing a size 18 shoe, he makes for an intimidating figure, and If I didn’t know him, I really wouldn’t want to run afoul of him. But there is a subtle constant smirk on his face that tell you that a different punch is coming, and you will fall down… laughing. This combined with an almost innate sense for this kind of villainous, yet jovial role makes for a great M.C., which essentially the Devil’s bit in this comedy. This role requires a generous helping of kolohe, and he even went so far as to infer that he did not so much choose the role, as the role chose him.
It also helps that the director is no stranger to this tale. As I myself am no stranger to this cast and crew, it was never my intention to critique or review, as much as to give some background and program information on this production, and allow the theater-going public to make up their own minds about it. So let us begin with the most unclean instigator of this Faustian feast, Little Horn himself,
Actually, to those who know him, Tui’s a hell of a nice guy, if a bit Machiavellian in his tastes, and he elected to present this play as his thesis in stage performance in college, although for various reasons, the deans decided he could not both present and perform in this particular play. They also said he could not submit this presentation in Nationals, which Tui decided to do against their “better” judgment, and took second place. He asserts that he could not take first due to the aforementioned raunchy nature of the material. This irony of Tui’s success is that he expelled for his insubordination, although he had also placed first for best performance in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.
And the actual selection of this play turned out to be a fluke, as when the dealine was drawing near, Tui’s girlfriend at the time returned from the local bookstore with a copy of a book entitled, Oh Hell in hand, the contents of which were two poems, including Shel Silverstein’s The Devil and Billy Markham.
During Christian “See” Ellauri’s production, Hip-hopalypse, there was talk around Ong King that Tui would be presenting the next play, so I went online and found a transcript of the poem in order to get caught up with the scene, hoping to get an inside scoop on the production. I have to admit, it’s been a wild ride, and Hell has never been so much fun! Watching the seedling of sneak previews and the open rehearsal grow into the confident, slathering three-headed hound of Gehenna has been an experience in itself, and makes me anxious to participate in underground, guerrilla theater or performance art. And make no mistake, this is true underground theater, not unlike Taurie Goddess’ Cruel Theater, but with less audience participation, or deliberate emotional discomfiture.

The Hounds of Hell

While this play admittedly cast mostly of newcomers, a few of the ensemble have previous experience in performance of some kind, such as Harumi “The Hymn” Ueda, (portraying the role of God in Billy Markham), played the role of “Dune” in Hip-Hopalypse. It is clear from my experience with these people that they were all cast for their individual charismatic personalities to fit the roles for which they were chosen. Sylvan Gaskin is a hard working and dedicated jack-of-all-trades, who always appears slightly world-weary, but it’s only fatigue, and behind that is also an extremely humorous and thoughtful person. Ashley Yamaguchi and Ayme Ueda were also well chosen for the respective roles of Billy’s true love, and Ayme as his daughter. One of the theatrical bright spots in this performance comes from an unexpected source in the personage of John Leon Guerrero, who gives a great performance as Scuzzy Sleazo, a gambler’s pimp, or “promoter” as the character sells himself. This is role key in recruiting Billy for the job of shooting pool with the Lord.
But as I said before, it is probably best to decide for yourself if this play is up your alley, so a sneak preview can be had at http://www.youtube.com/OngKingLive. Unfortunately, it was necessary to cut a date or two from the original schedule, so by the time this is published there will be only two dates remaining: Friday November 9th & Saturday the 10th. This may be a controversial and obscene bit of theater, but if you like to see the Devil get boned, and his horns dulled instead of honed, you may well enjoy the Hell out of this play’s resolution.

The Devil and Billy Markham
Nov. 9 & 10, 8:00 PM, $10 at the door only.
Ong King Arts Center, 184 N. King St.

First Fridays @ Ong King Arts Center

Article by George D’range

(Published, abridged November issue, The 808 Scene Zine)

It’s a scene not to missed; worth the price of admission to see some of the most unusual and talented acts in town. This last First Friday hosted a very interesting group of performers, including the house act, the band “Quadraphonix”, among many other eye-popping and thought provoking arts and artists.
First Fridays at Ong King, not unlike any of the other galleries in town —save the fact that it’s not mostly landscapes and nudes— is a fest for the eyes; This month the walls of my favorite venue boasted the art of Ryan Greenly, and Eugene Kristopher “Ukarest” Menor. These two artists both clashed and complimented each other in a way that is classic Ong King, and I myself saw many pieces by both artists I would love to own, were I not such a broke suckah! It was a feast of color and imagery on media both familiar and unlikely. From a hip-hop crucifixion picture in black ink and gold paint on corrugated cardboard (framed, of course) to a full wall graffiti mural, Ukarest has mad skills, and offers a prolific and wide collection. Ryan Greenly’s work is almost beyond description, so an example of my personal favorite will be offered in addition to what I can tell you. Ryan seems to like to take pieces of scrap wood, nail odd pieces together, and give glimpses into an odd and interesting imagination, reminiscent of the pop art of the early seventies with a twenty-first century flare that I find irresistible.
But then again, I have kind of weird tastes, and as I sat smoking a cig on the back porch, one Ong King regular remarked, “We’re all weird!” So I paraphrased Frank Zappa and Fred Frith, and responded to her, “Yeah, but we don’t think what we do is weird, and that’s the difference.” And that really is the defining difference of this special place. It actually is all good. I later remarked, while shooting a film of the guest book, ‘This is a free-though zone, not a thought-free zone. Many others have tried and failed.” This elicited an agreeable chuckle from DJ Joulz, so I knew it would have to go in the article.
But I’d like to give the M.C. and co-owner, See of Ong King the opportunity to say it for himself:
oNG KIng ARTs CeNtER’s is Chinatown’s art nurturing,
soul clapping, heart blossoming space. Its mission is
to make a sustainable art community. It is a space for
creative risk taking, and artistic mastery.... ...This
is a place of expression, a place to reveal, a freedom
to grow, to create and thrive. Every SuNDay night
9pm-1am the stage is OPEN. You have a something to
say? Music? Say it, sing it, share, listen, inspire
and be inspired. First Fridays is the big one night of
the month that is just all out. FFriday begins at
5pm-9pm with a new art opening, then from 9pm-2am is a
bang out, all out, show of theatre, music, dance, sLam
poetry, acrobatics, all happing on the same stage.
Live, happening, get in and bust out.
MOnday - ThUrsDay classes begin at 7pm. These classes
include, Qi-Gong, Bellydance, Ecstatic Dance, and
Swing Dance. Try something. Rent the space for your
own show, or celebration. KAVA Bar, MAte Bar, BYOB…
And that’s Ong King in a nutshell. A place for the different, those who look at a mainstream art gallery or coffeehouse and sigh, those who wish they could simply meet more folks like themselves.
And on the topic of the unusual, the mixture of entertainment at Ong King also leaves no stone unturned. Although you most likely won’t run across many punk acts at Ong King, that won’t stop you from meeting punks, performance artists, and against-the-grain folk singers, poetry slammers and the like. This First Friday had a wild mix of stage talent, J.P. & WuT were scheduled to be up first, but J.P couldn’t make it so WuT went on first, after a warm-up spin by D.J. Joulz. Delivering his unique style of guitar accompanied by sequenced rhythms controlled by pedal, what then strapped on a harmonica, and went old school with a bit of blues. Followed by WuT was Ari the Clown, a juggler and contortionist. After a humorous juggling act, proceeded to pass his entire body, head to toe, through a squash racquet. We were then treated to Flamenco Spanish dancing by Jamie (or Jaime?) of De La Isla Flamenco, a treat of pure culture and extreme beauty. Giinko Marischino then brought on their interesting variety of performance art and interpretive dance, accented by their impeccable sense of costuming. The ever present, aesthetically pleasing sound of Quadraphinix, who always get the dance floor moving —a band so dedicated, Jonathan, the drummer, and co-owner of Ong King temporarily checked himself out of the hospital to rejoin the fray— kept the groove of the evening moving. Then it was time for some very hip and always sensible rhymes of MC iNTREPiD, one of the players in the recent performance of Hip-hopalypse.
And then came the coup de tat of the evening, a teaser from Tui Scanlan’s up and coming play, Shel Silverstein’s The Devil and Billy Markham. This particular teaser was from the second chapter of this bawdy poem, entitled Billy Markham and the Fly, and it really looks to be a promising play, but as previously hinted at, this is no play for children. This is not The Giving Tree. Tui’s portrayal of the Devil seems as if it were written just for him, and he jests that he was indeed possessed to do this. As in literally. He had actually submitted this play as his thesis in college, (Chapman University, City of Orange, California) which they rejected. However, Tui was undaunted, and the public felt differently when he placed second in national competition. I asked Tui for a brief statement on his new play, and I suspect he was already in character when he exclaimed: “I will crucify you all!”
Well! Sounds like fun to me! I will be covering more on this play in a future article, solely dedicated to that topic.
Other inviting aspects of First Fridays at Ong King include the beautiful women across the road at Bad Sushi, and the presence of Licensed Massage Therapists like Daisy Maltese from the Orchid Room, working the knots out of tired muscles for the bargain rate of one dollar a minute.
Before I had to cut out and catch a bus around midnight, I was very fortunate indeed to catch the words and verse of the notorious Lee Knight, Jr! Now this was a slam poet I could feel from the gut. His poems, more bard-like self-explorations, hit me like a punch, and elicited real emotion. I now know I have to get a hold of this man’s works in print, and it should also be noted that he is a member of Caligula 6.

Lee Knight, Jr. can be found at:
http://www.myspace.com/leeknightjr —or— www.myspace.com/caligula6
Ginko Marischino can be found at:
http://www.myspace.com/maliama —or— groups.myspace.com/giinko
iTREPiD is at: http://www.myspace.com/soulkitchenrecords
WuT is at: http://www.myspace.com/wut
For other references, links and contacts, try the following URLs:
http://www.myspace.com/ongking
http://www.myspace.com/honestpuck
info or bookings: 306-7823, or 428-3233
—or— online @
http://www.ongking.com/

Hip-hopalpse: High Culture Meets “The Bomb”

Review by George D’range

(Published online)

I may not be an authority on hip-hop or rap. In fact, it’s or the most part, not of my generation. The last time I felt truly cool, I was into Jane’s Addiction, when they played at the Aloha Tower, before it was a shopping center. And I have precious little familiarity with the works of William Shakespeare. (Usually I have to watch a Shakespeare play twice and read it, to really absorb it) But the writer/director of Hip-hopalypse, Christian Ellauri (AKA, SEe) does have a mastery of these performance elements, the credentials to prove it, and his presentation of this odd mixture of ingredients is truly visionary.
Understanding and mastering iambic pentameter is difficult enough. Weaving it together with hip-hop, elements of “Stomp” and a surprising metaphysical angle was nothing short of inspired. Topping this tasty philosophical tale of humanity’s swan song are feats of acrobatics, martial arts, and interpretive dance that almost creates a sensory overload. Ah, there’s the rub. I wish I’d seen it more than once! The pace was both dizzying yet engaging, and I got the distinct impression that was part of the design. The troop does warn in the introductory scene, “Try to keep up!”
There are three aspects of this performance in which I do have a level of understanding, if not expertise: drama, post-apocalyptic novels, and metaphysics. These are also critical elements of the instant classic that is “Hip-hopalypse”, In the area of drama, I grew up with an actor (my stepfather), and my sister was a member of the cruel theater acting troop, and star of the play, “Double Above the Knee”., and got her start in the Mid Pacific Program for the Performing Arts, as well as appearing in the U.H. presentation of “The Vagina Monologues”. Post-apocalyptic tales in particular are a specialty of mine, (I’ve read everything from Vonnegut’s “Cat’s Cradle” to Stephen King’s “The Stand” 5 times) and as a Gen-Xer who grew up under the threat of the bomb, I found this to be a riveting setting for a play of this nature.
Even though the play is seeing it’s last performances this week, and this probably won’t be published in time to be a true spoiler, but I will defer to my friend See anyway, by not revealing too much, in case we should be so lucky as to have a future repeat performance. I personally feel he should take this one on tour.
The play opens as society has already crumbled, presumably from a nuclear exchange, with an introductory soliloquy from the former scribe, turned tribe leader, Dante (Tui Scanlan). We are given a very concise, yet head spinning blow-by-blow of the events past and present, which set the stage of the tale. The story centers on a tribe of survivors who must labor under back-breaking, and sometimes fatally hazardous conditions to mine enough coal, in order to refine drinkable water. The workers, as well at their beloved queen (Simone Derow) suffer from radiation sickness, are starving, and often succumb to their labors. Three MCs, bards of sorts, DO, Dune and Dewm (Jonathan Sypert, AKA intREPID, Harumi the HYmn, and Jason TOm) are tapped by Chief Dante to recruit fresh laborers from the wasteland to come and join the coalmining band. (Sorry for all the ebonic lettering folks, it came that way in the program. Not easy with MSWord constantly correcting me!)
As with any tribe, this band is not without it’s warriors, and two agile stick fighters, Essu, (Justin Young) and Juolian (Michael Hamilton) patrol the realm for wandering threats presented by other nomads. And they are out there. And by “out there”, I mean whack. Strange, mutated interlopers with mysterious healing capablilities roam the outland, seeming to survive on nothing but “The fruits of the desert” and the universal mantra: Ohm.
Intrigued? Good, because I may have said too much already, except that folk singer Christina Nelson also plays an integral part in this hip-hopalyptic opus magnum, and with all these elements thrown together, it made for an incredibly interesting and wonderful evening. Easily worth paying the extra five dollars to upgrade to a coach seat, as I have a bad back, and floor seats were ten.
Didn’t get a chance to catch it? Found other ways to spend your evenings, or just plain forgot? Do yourselves a favor, and get in touch with See at Ong King, and ask him to do that funky thing again! (More about how to do that at the end of the article)
And even if that doesn’t happen, definitely do yourself a favor and drop by Sundays from 9 PM to about 1:00 to 1:30ish, when the real party happens for only the price of one dollar’s ($1!) admission. There’s all you can drink Kava for five dollars, and sometimes other tasty treats for sale. OR, for the turbo-charged version of Ong King, hit them up on First Fridays each month for ten dollars’ admission. It’s well worth the money, just to be a part of the coolest place in town.
Many have searched for this seemingly mythical and illusive venue, so I’m going to explain it, and as See reminds us: “Try to keep up!” Where King Street meets River, at the end of China town, go to the Mauka side of King street. Now face Diamondhead. Walk about 15 to 20 paces, keeping your attention focused on the left. The wall of the street is collaged with waves and other psychedelic visions. You’re not seeing things! Well, I can’t speak for you, but I digress… There is a rather plain white sign hanging above the door to a stairwell reading “Ong King Arts Center” Go up the stairs and at the top, hang a hard right. You will see a red sliding door. If you are a Bohemian or free spirit, enter. You are home.

See and his associates can be reached at:
Ong King Arts Center
184 N. King Street
www.ongking.com
see@ongking.com
808-306-7823