Remove ImagesPicks of the Week
October 30, 2008
Thursday (Oct. 30), 9:30pm, Gian Don's, Kihei
For this week's picks I chose to leave out Halloween events. There are just too damned many killer parties from which to choose that night. Since this particular masquerade ball occurs the evening before Halloween, I figured including this Nightlife Music event as a pick was a no-brainer. Plus it's about time I gave swank restaurant/bar/night club Gian Don's its due. Tonight they bring in San Francisco Bay Area DJ David Harness, whose house music/classic garage spinning has earned him quite a reputation over the past decade or so. Harness derives influence from such brilliant artists as Stevie Wonder, Barry White, the Blue Notes, P-Funk and the Isley Brothers, all of whose innovation and soul has no doubt crept into the music of Harness. Tonight's bill also features Del Sol, Pio Marasco, and Gretchen Rhodes. Added benefit: a chance to give your costume a trial run; to make sure those six-inch spiked heels are more durable than they look. Besides, I can't think of a better weekend to turn into a bender. $15.
Los Muertos
Exhibit runs through Nov. 2, Duck Soup, Maui Base Yard, Puunene
Halloween week shares a day with its south of the border counterpart, Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). While on the surface the two holidays appear similar, they actually starkly contrast one another. Halloween, for example, embraces the Western concept of death, with which we tend to associate the darker aspects of the human psyche, namely fear. The Dia de los Muertos tradition stems from pre-Columbian days. Like the Australian Aboriginies, ancient Aztecs viewed death as another phase of life; that to die is to awaken from a dream. Dia de los Muertos aims to celebrate and honor the dead, to recognize death as a part of life. The occasion seems to have spawned some of incredibly vibrant and imaginative art. Much like the holiday itself, it tends to juxtapose things we associate with death – skeletons, namely – with some of the things we tend to associate with vitality: flowers, for example. Maui artist Deybra Fair is currently displaying a mini-exhibit at Duck Soup in Puunene that serves as a 3-D homage to the holiday as well as a nod to phenomenal surrealist Frida Kahlo. Her work will be on display until Nov. 2.
Sound logic
Saturday (Oct. 23), 9pm, Charley's, Paia
I'm not going to parse words on this one. Plain and simple, this show is a must. You have Bronx native DJ Logic, whose take on the turntable shuns sampling in favor of genre-bending grooves. This is evident in his work with John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Medeski, Martin & Wood and the John Popper Project. Logic is bringing his experimental sound to the isles as part of a national tour. He shares the stage with percussionist and jam band veteran Bill Kreutzmann, who is best known for his work with the Grateful Dead. Kreutzmann plays on Maui occasionally, and always puts on a killer show. Then there's "swamp-funk-hoodoo-slide-guitar-choogler" Papa Mali, whose sound is incredibly versatile without ever straying very far from its voodoo swamp blues roots. You can almost feel the Delta air, thick, sweaty and heavy, oozing through the speakers throughout the duration of his tunes (which you can check out at www.papamali.com, and I strongly recommend that you do). I have a sense that this label-transcending show will be a breeding ground for sweet vibes and tasty grooves alike. Good times for all. $25 advance/$30 door.
Got it covered
Tuesday (Nov. 4), 6pm, Island wide
Tuesday is going to be a long day. Perhaps the fate of the entire planet rests on this day (but probably not). The results of this election may send us spiraling into a post-apocalyptic Mad Max nightmare. They may help keep the bus out of the ditch (for now). They may mark the close of an era defined by sheer douchebaggery. Or not. In any case, this is one of the most important elections in decades, both locally and nationally. As the day unfolds, we here at MTW will be getting the lowdown. We will be staking out at polling places. Whatever happens, we will be Twittering the hell out of this election by way of our mobile devices. You can read these Twitter posts by texting "follow mauitime" to 40404 or visiting www.twitter.com. Or catch our posts live at akaku.org or on Akaku Channels 52, 53, and 54. Alongside Akaku we will also be providing up to the minute stats. You can even contribute your own election day Twitters to Akaku by subscribing to Akaku's Maui Nui Election Twitter feed. Political die-hards can join us at Akaku's studios at 333 Dairy Road for an election day party. Bonus: keep an eye out for our first-ever Election Day Drinking Game Guide. Our best idea yet: a rusty nail for every state McCain and Palin win; a surfer on acid for every state Obama and Biden grab. Yeah, sounds potentially deadly. We're still working out the kinks.