Source: Maui Time, Maui News, Best of Maui, Maui Activities

Picks%20of%20the%20Week

by Kate Bradshaw

January 29, 2009

Ozo good

Friday (Jan. 30), 7:30pm, Castle Theater, MACC

Unless you count layovers at LAX, I have spent all of three nights in California. One of those was in L.A. As my friend’s car closed in on the So Cal sprawl I realized that I recognized most of the city’s streets and suburbs from Frank Zappa lyrics, as Zappa routinely made fun of the city. And if it wasn’t “Plastic People,” “Billy the Mountain” or “San Ber’dino” that clued me into the existence of the city’s various features, it was The Big Lebowski (the only reason, thankfully, I’ve heard of In-N-Out Burger). As one of the six transplants on Maui that’s not from California it’s no surprise that I’m also one of the few people that hasn’t had much exposure to Ozomatli. This ultra-eclectic L.A.-based band is said to be somewhat of an encapsulation of the City of Angels, at least in the sense that they embrace sounds from every locale and every genre, from raga to reggae, from merengue to funk. They have served as cultural ambassadors and they’ve won a couple Grammys. I’m told that they put on an absolutely killer show the last time they were here, and this time they’ve reunited with conscious rapper Chali 2na. Call 242-7469 for tickets. $25/$30 day of show.

Tough times, great tunes

Saturday (Jan. 31), 3pm, Lahaina Civic Center

My cousin has a theory: the worse the economy, the better the music. A number of factors would undoubtedly contribute to this, including the fact that staring ruin in the face inspires us to write about things that aren’t petty. Indeed, the factors that led to the economic collapse are far better song lyric fodder than some random songwriter’s breakup. The bands in tonight’s lineup have been shunning such trifling subject matter for some time, and have the monikers to prove it. California surf punk outfit Agent Orange and Haiku-based hardcore punk band Order of the White Rose both derive their names from dark historical times. The first obviously gets its name from the Monsanto product used during the Vietnam War to clear jungle foliage, which caused severe genetic mutation in those exposed to it. The second band gets its name from a group of university students in WWII-era Germany who peacefully resisted Nazism. Other bands in this all-ages show’s lineup include D.I. and Old Habits Die Hard. Tickets available at Lahaina Skate Company, 967Ko in Kahului, Charley’s in Paia, through Ticketmaster or by calling 214-5152. $25/$35.

Smokin’ grass 

Saturday (Jan. 31), 10pm, Casanova, Makawao

Upcountry is probably one of the best spots to check out a band like Haiku Hillbillys (who intentionally misspell “Hillbillys”), especially Makawao, given its history and cowboy aesthetic. Their sound in a nutshell: they borrow heavily from the outskirts of country, the outskirts that almost verge on bluegrass, moaning fiddle and all. Yet they are bluesy and hard-driven. The Dylan influence (more Modern Times than Blonde on Blonde) is apparent, and so is their musicianship. Guitarist and vocalist Randall Rospond and lead guitar player Tom Conway (of Gypsy Pacific Fame) use the elements at their fingertips to conjure a tasty folk/gypsy/grass sound you won’t find in any other act on-island. Rospond and the boys are some of the hardest working musicians on Maui; Saturday’s Casanova gig is an opportune time to show them some love. Rospond and Conway will also play an early evening show at Flatbread Wednesday, which will of course be a bit more mellow than the Saturday show. $10.

Food for thought

Wednesday (Feb. 4), 5 & 7:30pm, Castle Theater, MACC

The fact that more people appear to be paying attention to what they eat, where it comes from and the environmental impact of the purchases they make is kind of a double-edged sword. On one hand, it appears to reflect a conscious evolution, the collective realization of our limited resources and the grave harm that results from valuing profit over our basic need fulfillment. On the other, more douchely hand, given humanity’s track record, this shift may be borne of selfish motives; the desire of some for profit and of others to appear “with it.” Yet when a mass of people begins to embrace sensible bandwagons like the sustainable food movement, out of blind conformity or otherwise, perhaps it’s best not to look a gift horse in the mouth. This week’s Candlelight Cinema flick is a documentary called Food Fight that shows the origins of the sustainable food movement (okay, so it’s California chefs) that has so sweepingly impacted the way we read food labels and how much we have to fricking pay just to feel good about what we put on the table. $12.