Ka Leo O Hawaii

Issue date: 12/6/07 Section: Mixed Plate

Media Credit: Courtesy of National Deneke Memorial Brian Deneke

Media Credit: Courtesy of Back in black AC/DC

You may try to study this weekend, but after checking your e-mail 20 times and watching endless amounts of YouTube videos, you'll realize you will be more successful at studying if you tear away from your screen. Here are some events that should take that wasted time and unwaste it.

Friday, Dec. 7. First Friday, Chinatown, 5 to 9 p.m.
Info: http://www.firstfridayhawaii.com/

The new staple of artsy tradition called "First Friday" continues this Friday. For those new to the scene, First Friday is a gallery walk in the heart of Chinatown in downtown Honolulu. It's official hours are from 5 to 9 p.m., but the scene dies down later, with clubs like Next Door open to keep the drinking-legal, dance-aholic kids coming.

The gallery walk is not the stuff of elementary school field trips, but is rather a funky, fresh twist on getting cultured. First Friday has become the burgeoning scene of many art displays, new fashion, a wide range of musical performances, good food and just a good place to meet aficionados who share your tastes.

Brave the parking and the homeless, and the streets of First Friday will be worth it. Chinatown Boardroom is profiled this month on the First Friday Web site. It's a "surf boutique/art gallery" that sells everything from limited edition and specialty books to jewelry to a new surfboard.

Chinatown Boardroom 1160 Nu‘uanu Ave.
When: Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Most stores stay open later on First Friday.


Saturday, Dec. 8. The Brian Benefit at Anna Bannana's
When: 2 p.m. to 2 a.m.,
$5 cover charge, all ages
Info: http://www.myspace.com/denekememorialhawaii

The sheer amount of bands playing this show seem intriguing enough. The show, however, carries a larger purpose. It is a memorial concert for Brian Deneke and Yeshua Boerstler.

Deneke is a symbol of punk rock martyrdom. He is believed to have been murdered as a hate crime committed by peers of his because of his passion for punk and punk culture. This Saturday marks the 10th anniversary of his death.

Also named in the memorial show title is Yeshua Boerstler, an 18-year-old punk rock singer from Maui, who died after being assaulted and run over last year. Come to Anna Bannana's to listen to some great music, support awareness, donate to the charity supported by the family of Deneke and to the funeral and legal costs to pursue Boerstler's murderer (all cover charges and donations go to the families' causes). If you can't stay for the whole thing, just stop by, since the show goes on all afternoon, night and into the early morning.

A list of the bands playing, at least tentatively, in no particular order: Black Square, Hell Caminos, Malcognitas, Pimpbot, Stoic, 86 List, Golfcart Rebellion, S-1 Atomic, Smitz, Guttercats, Democratic Fistfights, House of Tragic, Substitoots Release, GreenEyes, White Rose, Linus, She Can Devour, Insurgents, Ex-Superheroes, and a Hollow Union.


Saturday, Dec. 8. Back in Black (AC/DC cover band) at Pipeline Café
Opening band: Buddhist Priest
Doors open at 7 p.m.
Tickets: $20 in advance; $25 at the door; $40 VIP
Info: http://www.backinblack.info/

Some people say the best way to experience your favorite classic rock bands is to watch a cover band play their songs. You've got the costumed effect, same riffs, reminiscent staging and maybe if you squint your eyes, you can pretend it's AC/DC wailing away on stage. So as long as they're not jamming on an air guitar to karaoke tunes while swaying with a Heineken, it's safe to say it will be, at the very least, an interesting experience.

Back in Black, an AC/DC cover band from Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, is making its way to Hawai‘i, stopping first on Maui and then coming to Pipeline Café. The band has shared the stage with such bands as Cheap Trick, Blue Öyster Cult, Living Colour, and the Violent Femmes. You know you want to hear "Thunderstruck" live. At least do it for those first three riffs you learned from "Back in Black."

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