ISSUE 3

Featured Issue

this is the year dreams come true

Robert Washington

boys and girls club of hawaii

Leilani and Quinn chiko’s reopens

Kelly Allen Portis II the art of bucketing

FAVES THIS MONTH ducky and sway

ISSUE 3

201 1

j a n u a r y

Creator

JEANNE WYNNE HERRING

Editor

JEANNE WYNNE HERRING

Table of Cont Jan. 2011 Issue

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Photographer

JEANNE WYNNE HERRING

7

Public Relations

JEANNE WYNNE HERRING

13

Advertising & Marketing

JEANNE WYNNE HERRING

13

Production

JEANNE WYNNE HERRING

13

Technical & Web Development

JEANNE WYNNE HERRING

Multimedia

JEANNE WYNNE HERRING

Writers

JEANNE WYNNE HERRING Scott Cozza

Logo Design Chad Burch

Photography Assistant Godiva

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Robert Washing

Boys & Girls C

Chikos is Back!

Leilani and Q

Kelly Allen Portis

Ducky and Sw

Faves This Mont

Ducky and Sw

First Impression

D. Tafai Silip

Here’s the Deal

by Twan Matt

Mahalo to our supporter

Hula’s Bar & Lei Stand John Tolentino and Jeff Crowell Chef Cassie at Jawaiian Irie Jerk Manoa Valley Theatre Manifest Chiko’s Tavern

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Excellence Happens through endurance, perseverance, hope, love and blessings.

Excellence isn’t given to you, you have to fight for it!

B OYS

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G IRLS

OF

H AWAII

The Boys and Girls Club was created to provide all children with a safe place to be after school, meet new friends, and provide skills that will not only help the children make better choices in their day to day life, but will also provide them with the means of a promising future and plenty hope.

Robert Washington is the Director of the Teen Center at the Boys and Girls Club Charles Spaulding Clubhouse located on the Washington Middle School campus in Honolulu, Hawaii. I met up with Robert at the clubhouse to discuss the Boys and Girls Club

many children’s lives.

YOU STARTED WITH THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB NOT HERE IN HAWAII BUT IN CHICO, CA. IS THAT WHERE YOU’RE FROM? I come from a small town right outside of Chico named Orland. A one horse town.

YOU STARTED WORKING FOR THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB IN CHICO. I started off as an intern through Chico state. I was getting my degree in multicultural and gender studies, and I wanted to work with the youth.

It’s (Chico) a very diverse location. You got kids from all different backgrounds. You have kids from more prevalent background to those who don’t come from that much, and some how they all managed to work together in-spite of ethnic backgrounds, race or genders. They all managed to come together, do activities, and play games.

WHY DID YOU DECIDED YOU WANTED TO WORK WITH CHILDREN? Just because of the back ground I came from. My dad passed away when I was 10 and I didn’t really have a consistent father mentor. My sister was fantastic at kind of assuming that role after my mother had to go into the work force which was new territory for her

(mother.) She was always at work when I was at school. Then I’d come home after school, and she was at work. She was a caregiver. She’d take care of elderly folk. She worked long hours from the

the evening after she gave them dinner and put them in bed.

WHAT KIND OF THINGS DID YOU DO THAT MADE THEM CONSIDERED YOU A THREAT?

My sister, who went away to college, would often check in to make sure I wasn’t messing up too bad, but that didn’t stop me from getting into my fair share of trouble. My grades plummeted, and I didn’t walk in my 8th grade graduation.

We had this thing called the eighth-grade trip where we’d go to Disneyland or whatever. I wasn’t allowed to go because I was considered a threat.

THEY? BUT YOU DIDN’T.

I guess that made me feel better. Because I didn’t have that positive role model at home. Good thing I had my sister there.

I guess this is my way of giving back, thanking her and thanking a couple of other people that really were there for me.

Thanking a couple of teachers that stood up for me and believed I could achieve. I had a couple school counselors that told me I wasn’t college material, and people who thought...in quoting someone...they told me I was a hoodlum. I was like “well that’s fantastic because I don’t’ do half the stuff that my friends do.

hungry because my mom didn’t make a lot of money and we were without consistent income for a while. So, I’d steal things like food.

I hung out with the bad crowd. You know, the guys that be doing drugs and bringing pocket knives to school. Every once in a

I tried not to. Every once in a while something might happen, and...you gotta help your friends out I guess.

had a big mouth. I couldn’t keep quiet. I was always making fun of someone. Belittling them. Making them feel bad about themselves.

SO, WHERE DID THE EPIPHANY COME FROM THAT “MAYBE I AM WORTH SOMETHING AND MAYBE I CAN DO BETTER?�

I think most of it came from just wanting to live up to my dad’s expectations. This guy Christopher Malone, who was the assistant director for the Educational Opportunity Program, got me to think about where I’m going to go in my life, and if I want to succeed I always tried to remember lessons that I’ve got to get some work done. There’s a my dad taught me when I was younger, time and a place for everything, and now is so I didn’t do things that were too bad. the time to focus.

Even when I was stealing things it was more like necessity. Like, I was really SO, YOU CHOSE TO WORK WITH

CHILDREN, AND THAT LEAD YOU We didn’t have all the bells and whistles HOW TO THE BOYS AND GIRLS that the one in Chico had, but to me that CLUB? didn’t really make all that much of a difference. It was all about the people who It was kinda like...through good faith. Just were here. All about the relationship that luck that we had a Boys and Girls Club the staff will have with the kids. That’s in Chico. We didn’t have one in Orland. really what makes the difference. But, Its very principles and ideology is exactly when I walked in, what I noticed was that what I really wanted to deal with. I don’t there wasn’t that many kids here. They know exactly where the initial thought really didn’t have much of a system in came from to work with youth and help place. But over time we managed to get them maximize their potential. it more up to speed, and actually get the kids who are coming to have membership I initially started off teaching capoeira, and be part of the club. From there, we and then I got myself really immersed in developed more programs. But at the time the Club. I was there every day. I learned it wasn’t going as well as it could have everyone’s name, and I was working gone. So, obviously it’s picked up. mostly with teens like I am now. I was there for them to hear their problems. Played WHAT SORT OF PROGRAMS DID some board games, and played some video YOU BRING INTO THE CLUB? games. You know, just be a positive adult in their lives. A lot of time we take that for Right around the time I was hired on, granted when we are kids. we hired on an athletic director, and he brought on some great athletic programs: YOU STARTED OUT AS AN INTERN

AT CHICO... stuff like that. They were things that was going on at the time but didn’t really have ...and then as a volunteer. I started the same structure that it has now. Now developing programs with the staff there there are leagues that are created. Practices in the Teen Center. Then, near the end of and tryouts for teams. my college career, (maybe about after a year or so of being a volunteer and intern) Then when I came in there wasn’t a teen I noticed there was a position available in center. There was a facility for a teen Hawaii as the Teen Center Director. I had center, but it was being used as storage. been to Hawaii a few years earlier, and So, it was kinda like this big space that just I immediately fell in love with it. I told wasn’t being utilized. So, when I came in myself “one day I’d like to move back,� they told me to create a set of programs and this was my opportunity not only to and focus them around character and move to out to Hawaii, but to do what I leadership development. The Boys and wanted to do with the rest of my life which Girls Club of America has this program was to work with kids. So, it was a win called Keystone which is a variation of win situation. what we have out here which is the Leaders in Training Program. That’s a program WHAT DID YOU DISCOVER ABOUT that has several different emphases. One THE SPAULDING CLUBHOUSE? of them is academic achievement, career

development and community service. So, I “what is an example of a gateway drug�, immediately started building that program and it will list off a question like a b or c. Well have a big dice and you roll the up as fast and as strong as I could. dice and it lands on that questions. If you From there, they just branch off into other answer that question correctly, you get to programs. Like, we have Public Speaking move a space. So, it’s like a live action Today in partnership with Toastmasters. We board game. You get free Jack in the Box

or Zippy’s or some kind of healthy foods.

Management, which is part of the Boys and Girls Club of America’s curriculum. Then It’s all about making it fun. How can we there’s the Career Exploration Program. To make this entertaining for the kids and make that program even better, I partnered make them want to learn this stuff? up with Educational Talent Search which was the same program I was in when I was HAVE THE KIDS BEEN USING THESE younger to help me prepare for college. SKILLS? So, we partnered up with a guy named Kurt Oshida from Windward Community College. He comes out, and he works

and major work best for them and their interests.

We had this weight room. We have people who are personal trainers come in and work with the kids and teach them proper weight lifting techniques.

I think in their day to day life I have seen some changes. I have a couple examples of young men and women. Actually our Leaders in Training Program president came from a very troubling situation. !

out with the wrong crowd. But she began

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time she joined the leadership program here. Then she became a great, positive role model. She started developing her own program to help mentor the kids on the Game Room side (the 7 - 12 year old.)

She was the “go to� person not just for her peers but for staff, too. That is one example. I have 10 to 20 other examples just like that Then, for the other kids that come from that same environment, this is a good place for them to hangout and connect with others.

Of course, on top of the great activities that are educational and help them on the long term, you gotta get something to hook them. So, I brought in the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. We have pool tournaments and things that are more fun. The kids don’t want another school.

Especially after school. It’s all about HOW DOES THE KIDS FIND OUT making programs fun and entertaining.

ABOUT THESE PROGRAMS? We also have our SMART (Skills Mastering and Resistant Training) Moves (program) that teaches the kids about drug and alcohol awareness, and about risky behaviors, peer pressure, etc. We’ll create games. Like I’ll print out a bunch of terminology questions,

Just by coming to the club. They come in because they hear there’s a basketball tournament or there’s something going on. Like, we might hold a dance or a teen barbecue or something, and they’ll come in for that because their friend who is a

member of the club told them about it. #

that we have a tech lab and a DJ academy,

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or whatever They stick around. It’s primarily through word of mouth. With the popularity of social networking like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and texting even, the kids get the word out really quick.

They’ll be on Facebook, “I’m going to Boys and Girls Club dance this Friday Who’s going?� All of a sudden you have 20 or 100 of their friends who didn’t know what the Boys and Girls Club was.

for their efforts in the community.

ARE THERE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT ARE HAPPENING, IN ADDITION TO THE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM? The DJ Academy, hip hop dance class, capoeira and a fantastic improv class where the kids learn some drama skills.

CAN VOLUNTEERS COME OUT AND SPEAK WITH YOU IF THEY HAVE IDEAS FOR PROGRAMS?

Yes. If they go to our website (www.bgch.

SO ANY KID CAN JOIN THE BOYS '

AND GIRLS CLUB? out the volunteer application. They can bring that back to me, and we can sit down It doesn’t matter the back ground, 7 to and talk about what we can do.

17, and our fee is really reasonable. One dollar for the whole year. We want to make I’m looking for someone to help me with it as accessible as possible. If that dollar a cooking class. We have this kitchen that is an issue to raise we have a scholarship isn’t being utilize. We can get someone opportunity. You can help us out with to teach (the members) how to make mac paperwork or whatever, and work that and cheese and some smoothies and stuff dollar off. and open a snack bar. Teach the kids some business skills and some customer service For all the youth that really excel we skills while we’re at it, it can be a great have a national Boys and Girls program program. called Youth of the Year. So, they have an opportunity to win on a club house level, We are always in need of volunteers, but regional level and on the national level. we need more female volunteers to add With that, there are a lot of scholarships a stronger woman’s presence to develop involved. more programs for girls and attract more girls to the club.

On the local level, we partner with The Mamoru and Aiko Takitani Foundation. We can always use some extra eyes and They help provide a few scholarship. ears and a positive mentor for younger Jack Tyrrell and Co., in honor Rainee kids and teenagers.

Barkhorn Charitable Trust, (awarded by First Hawaiian Bank) help provide some bonds and things. It’s a great experience for the kids to get to express what they’ve been through and how the club has helped them.

They get to be rewarded and acknowledge

Robert took me to view a poster he and his members created.

This poster focused on four different sections representing the past, present, future and dreams.

He had the children talk about where they were in the past before the Boys and Girls Club, how the club has helped them and what they plan to do with the education they were provided by the Club.

Charles Spaulding Clubhouse was built in the 1970s and named after the founder of

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O UR H OME

E IS

R EBUILT

CHIKOS OPENS WITH A NEW LOOK AND MORE LOVE

by Jeanne Wynne Herring

About a year and a half ago, so many received devastating

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messaging, email, phone calls and Twitter with the messengers choking back their tears.

Chiko’s Tavern was everyone’s second home. This is where we celebrated together, cried together and just to be together. This is where we ended up after a show, an audition or a party. This is where I went to work in the middle of the afternoon. It was a great

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Chiko’s is special. The people are special, the food, the drinks and the feelings are special. Memories were made there, and memories were shared there. People fell in love at Chiko’s, people broke up at Chiko’s, people got back together at Chiko’s. Friendships were always made at Chiko’s, and the family continued to grow at Chiko’s.

Chiko’s is special. The idea of losing such a gift was heartbreaking.

But, the New Year brings our home back.

Our mom and dad, Lelani and Quinn, have been working tirelessly to pick up the pieces and rebuild the bar they had worked so long and hard to establish. They never thought that their childhood dream

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the phoenix, Chikos has emerged out of the ashes beautiful and majestic.

I had the pleasure of hanging out with Leilani and Quinn just before /

HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD CHICKOS? We started the endeavor to start a business in the Spring of 2001. We found this space in September of 2001. From there, we got the ball rolling, and opened the business in February of 2002.

February of 02 to Sept. 09 we were in operation until the

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was in L.A., I left Hawaii in Feb 2008 to apprentice with a friend’s event company and was able to work with some big label liquor companies. It was a pretty cool experience, If any place knows how to throw big events it is LA. I was some really great ex poser. Virtual all my friends and the wealthy clients were not throwing as many parties as they once where, saying that they felt the economic crunch

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to come home anyway so i did and we have been trying to hold a positive out look and look at it as a blessing in disguise. But, it has been a really long haul, we thought we would be open sooner. We were thinking probably June of this year, and we are now in December.

HOW DID CHICKO’S COME TO BE? Leilani and I grew up together. We have known each other since we were 11. When we discovered we were both gay, we started exploring options.

Back then there were only a few places that allowed underaged people to enter. One of those being Fusions, and they charged $20, and gave you a wrist band. If you kept the wrist band on, they’d give you $7 back, and give you two free sodas. You would think that it would be a better idea to give the wristbands to those who were of age they

would have no reason to want to take it off. We thought to ourselves we needed to start our own club, and we started a place called Closet.

We went our separate ways, and I went to San Fransisco. We reunited again, and she was working for her mom’s bar.

I got laid off from my job. (I was working for the Visitors Bureau.) So, i was sitting there at the bar with a beer and cocktail napkins, and said “we need to do something for ourselves.� It was one of the moments when you are faced with the need to evolve from the situation we were in. It forced us to this path. The door just opened, and it just took on this energy.

Executive Summary that my target markets were theater, hula... Basically I wanted to encompass everyone that was open, and how do you say, full of life and talent. That was basically what I wanted this place to

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and good people. That’s who I wanted here, and that is who came.

WHEN I FIRST CAME HERE, THAT IS THE FEELING AND ENERGY THAT I GOT. THAT IS NOT A TANGIBLE THING, IT IS A CONCEPT, WELL IT IS MORE THAN A CONCEPT. HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THAT?

A core network of friends. We were able to tackle that because... I think... I don’t really From these little cocktail napkins, it went know how to answer that question. I think it from the idea of a cafe to a cafe and bar to is because we loved that kind of music, and a bar. Then I said I want indoor/outdoor, we loved the people that loved that music, and I said I want that San Fran feeling. and it grew. It is like a tree that grew. We ran into a place where we struggled with Then we walked, literally, all of Honolulu keeping us from being labeled, a “Gay

and Lesbian� bar. I didn’t advertise in any >

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of the rags, and I tried to explain to them San Fran, but eventual we found this place, why during those beginning years. Not and we approached the owner. The lease just because of budget restrictions, but we on that building was not being renewed, were trying to let it take on a heart beat

of its own. Which it did, and when we

We hit it off with the landlord, and the rest straight crowd then it transitioned into a is kind of history. We started on a shoe young professional straight crowd. Then with us being gay, our friends started to string budget and lots of loans. come, and then started the transition. Some WHAT IS INTERESTING ABOUT stayed, and some didn’t. That is how it CHICKO’S IS THAT IT BECAME started to breed into that emotion that you THE KIND OF PLACE THAT IS LIKE mentioned, that I wrote down into that CHEERS FOR THE GAYS, LESBIANS Executive Summary. I thought Honolulu is AND THEATER PEOPLE. very much a metropolitan city, but it does lack a lot of the metropolitan mentality. I

think if even two straight people that come and business plan that I wrote out for the in here that have not been exposed to the landlord you would see right there in the colorful world of theater and gay, to see

LGBT in another light that is different than what they are stereotyped at or they believe them to be. To be able to walk in here and say to themselves “oh that’s not so bad.” I can see the tension on their face when they walk in the door, and leave saying “oh I had a great time!”

That is just one by one by one. We do our part to help us be equal in their eyes because I feel equal already. That is one thing I like about theater and hula. There is not judgement or segregation.

Here is my one unsaid political agenda that I have within me that I rather speak out about. We are already a minority, and discrimination exists within our own minority, and I think that it is really messed up. I mean, how hard is it already?

There was always this commentary that “there are too many lesbians, Quinn,” or there is too many boys or too many of this or that. I can’t control that. Business is business, and they are people, and why am I hearing this from a minority? I am like, “are we not in this together?”

It is your place, too. Don’t just get up because you think they are militant or something like that or...that’s your perception of it. I mean, Jesus, you all run out of here like little girls.

It hurts me inside to hear all these comments: “there are too many lesbians.” I mean, I am like, we are all fucking gay! What’s the big deal? We are people above the whole designation of sexuality! We are all human beings, so rise above! I mean, are you going to classify us one more layer below? I mean, what is next? What color clothes we wear? Its endless!

I make no exceptions with it, I have always tried to love all. To be friends with all. I mean, it is my nature, and I think if anyone has ever talked to my dad (who is actually outside right now) you would say there is a big similarity.

You know? But, I can’t always be the”liked” guy. I am trying to run a business. It is what it is so...

WITH THE NEW CHICKO’S, ARE YOU PLANNING ON CHANGING THE CONCEPT AT ALL? No, not at all. The look now is based upon function. So we could better serve the customer, and we could have Continued on page 13)

Chiko’s is located on: 930 McCully St Off of South King St. in Honolulu 808-949-5440

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necking of service in one area. We worked with what we had when we came in here for 8 years, and I had pondered what it would be like to transform it. I never thought this would be the way though. It is unfortunate that it had to happen, but if there is one light at the end of the tunnel, that is what it would have to be. We are going to open day time in a couple months, and with the new windows and light, it gives us a new opportunity to use this space to a fuller potential then before.

ARE YOU GOING TO DO PRIVATE PARTIES TOO? Well, yes, we would like to be involved more in events, and maybe down the line, off premise catering or something like that as we grow. There are a lot of things looking up.

SO, LEILANI, QUINN WAS TELLING ME THAT YOU HAVE BEEN BEST FRIENDS SINCE 11 YEARS OLD. HE SAID THAT YOU BOTH CAME UP WITH THIS (CHIKO’S) IDEA. Quinn wanted a coffee shop, and since I didn’t drink coffee our options where kind of limited. So we just explored different options into what to do, and what was out there. Luckily this was open.

SO WHY DID YOU GUYS DECIDE TO START SOMETHING? Just as a project together. Like I said, we were not really sure what was going to open up for us, but it just so happened that this had opened up as an opportunity which was really fortunate.

We had actual gotten a list from a friend of mine of all the places that did not renew their liquor license, and that is how we ended up here. This was one of the venues, and we were very lucky to get into this place and very fortunate.

HOW DID YOU ALL COME UP WITH THE NAME? Chiko is actual a shortened version of Quinn’s moms

name. The Tavern part I don’t know how that came about.

SO WHEN YOU GOT THE CALL ABOUT THE FIRE... _ 5

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WHAT WAS YOU FIRST THOUGHT?

like 6 or 7 o’clock.

Leilani called, and I was in shock. I didn’t know

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stayed for a month to help get the place cleaned up. `

back his tears.

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When I got the call, the person that was on the I have experienced loss of friends and family, phone was crying, and I was like “what, what? and this was up there with that. It is not like

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losing family, but it was very traumatizing.

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IT WAS LIKE AN OPENING, A REBIRTH. engines and the news crews. It was kinda funny.

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Yes. Maybe...just a few months earlier I was telling Leilani, “wouldn’t it just be nice if we You couldn’t really grasp the scope of the damage could learn, acknowledge all that we did right?� until the next few days when they let you in. But through all the mistakes we made (we did Then you realized, “Holy Cow everything is make a lot of mistakes) but also did a lot of gone.� things right. So, I told her, “lets grab all that we did right, and acknowledge and validate all You know, the majority of the damage was that we did wrong, so we don’t do it again,�

you know?

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;/5 Grab all that we learn and let it propel us to grow That’s how crazy it was. I guess the movie Back not only for ourselves, but everyone around us.

Draft has a lot of realism to it.

A community as well, get them involved, not just one demographic but all. Something I am QUINN, WHERE WERE YOU WHEN YOU very passionate about. I have spent many nights GOT THE CALL ABOUT THE FIRE? thinking about it. Make it happen.

I was in bed in L.A., and it was early in the am...

KELLY ALLEN PORTIS II and the "art of bucketing..."

Months ago, I was heading home after a long night of dancing. As I walked through the busiest part of Kuhio Avenue, where Zanzabar Nightclub, Fusions Nightclub, a sex store and other random shops, restaurants and bars gather, I heard a sound that was so street and so raw.

I stopped in my path and followed the sound to a large crowd of people on the opposite side of the street. Just on the other side of the line of cop cars that routinely park outside the clubs was a young, handsome, curly haired man with two drum sticks, buckets, a couple of pots and other random hardware. Hunched over, he

a freestyler and several on lookers and dancers down a path that was daring and slick.

Immediately my thoughts drifted back in time to my younger days of strolling along Market Street in San Francisco and capturing free shows from various street performers. On one corner, I would hear the sweet solo of a tenor sax, the next would be a boom box blaring sick mixes as a single dancer pops and locks, and

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a crowd of dancers and got us all warmed up for a full night of partying.

Kelly Allen Portis II consistently draws a crowd of young and old partiers just outside of the Waikiki Trade Center which houses Zanzabar Nightclub. Originally from Alameda, a town just outside of Oakland, California, Kelly takes his unique talents and entertains passersby, smokers and those who just haven’t had enough good beats to dance to and vibing for more.

I was honored to get a chance to sit down with Kelly and talk with him about bucket drumming and music. Only 20 years old, he has the musical wisdom and talent of some of the great musicians of the 70s.

WHEN DID YOU MOVE HERE? I moved here June 2nd. I was originally supposed to be here for a three months vacation to get away from the hustle and bustle of the bay area. Within two weeks, I decided I wanted to move out here.

So I talked to my uncle. He said if I was able to get a job and help out with rent I could stay out here.

I went on this job hunt for a good two weeks doing

Waikiki. I didn’t have any luck. I got a call back from a job, and I got three interviews. After the third interview I thought, “alright, I got this,� but I never got a call back from them. I was kinda depressed after that. I thought “I’m going to have to go back home.�

So, one Friday we were walking around Waikiki looking at all the street performers, and he’s (uncle) like, “you can do that,� cause I used to play drums growing up. I was like “I don’t know man.

It doesn’t seem like I can make a lot of money like that.� He said, “you’d be surprised, man.� So, one Sunday he was like, “lets go get some buckets,� really pressuring me to get out there and do it.

So we went to the hardware store, and got some buckets, and I guess the rest is history.

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at any other job in that short amount of time, and I was like, “I can actually do this, and make a living.� So, the next day I went all out! I still had $

" % & that, I thought, “this is where it’s at!� I’ve been doing that since then.

Breaks few and far in between. You get addicted to playing. Going out there and performing.

ON AVERAGE HOW MUCH DO YOU MAKE A NIGHT? It varies. Some nights are horrible. I make like "' ' *

"+ - / 0 Sometimes, more often than not, people made $197. are rapping stuff they wrote. I like when somebody just comes out of nowhere. It WHICH STREET DO YOU MAKE THE will be this goofy looking white kid. He’s MOST? like the hardest rapper out of all these people with fake chains, and looking the I don’t know. I think people are more part but not really saying anything. Yeah generous on Kuhio because they’re drunk. there’s a lot of rappers out here.

They have a better appreciation of the music because they don’t have all of their The dancers are funny too. A lot of them conscious thoughts getting in the way. are attempting to dance. You get a lot of So they can just sit there and appreciate older drunk white women and it’s pretty it. But, on the other hand, over there funny.

(Kalakaua) I get a lot of respect from, like, passersby, and a lot of families. Their DO YOU GET A LOT OF GIRLS kids will like the drumming, so they’ll THROWING THEIR NUMBER INTO stop. The kids are all googly eyed and like, YOUR BUCKET? “Wow!� I think thats the best thing about Uh...yes! It’s, like, one of my biggest it. It’s, like, when you get compliments advantages: talking to girls out here. You from adults it’s like...you know...peer

appreciation is one thing. But when you a lot of people. So, when a girl sees that, have a little kid looking up to you. You’re it’s easier for me to talk to her as opposed doing something from cheap buckets, but they are fascinated! It is a great feeling.

I NOTICE YOU GET A LOT OF PEOPLE FREE STLYING WITH YOU: RAPERS, DANCER...

The rappers are funny.

THEY ARE JUST RANDOM PEOPLE THAT SEE YOU? Yeah. I see them as inspiring rappers.

A lot of them are older. I like playing a lot with my younger peers because I know what they are talking about, but a lot of time you got older people. This is like their last hooray. You know what I’m saying.

They are putting it all in this one rap, you know? But, a lot of the times you see some really talented people. Like I’ve seen a lot of people with genuine freestyle talent.

to coming off the street, and going up to her and going, “what’s up baby girl?” You know? But, they’re stopping and giving me attention. They don’t just write me off like every other guy who’s trying to !

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being a street performer.

stopped drumming and focused more on athletics and stuff.

So, I didn’t drum again until my senior year. There was somebody I had grown up with, basically a guitar player, and he wanted to put this rock band thing together for the talent show. He invited SO, YOU HAVE LOTS OF GROUPIES? me to come along with them. That kinda, like, re-sparked my passion in drumming I wouldn’t call them groupies I’d just say because the audience reaction was crazy. “reliable friends” (laughs.) I don’t think It’s a crazy feeling when you’re playing I’m at the level of having groupies yet. in front of a whole bunch of people!

YOU SAID YOU’VE DONE A LOT OF About eight months later he calls me up, and he’s like, “I’m starting a band. You DRUMMING IN THE PAST. want to join?” I was like, “yeah,” and we Yeah. I’ve been drumming on and off for picked up where we left off. We got this a good seven or years. I started in 7th crazy hard core medal band and played grade, and I drummed in band up until a lot of covers. Crazy stuff.

9th grade. After 9th grade, I had a bad We played together for about 6 months. experience with my band teacher, so I Got a lot of local shows, and had a cool

little fan base. But, we didn’t practice like we needed to, and we couldn’t book any new shows. So, the two founding members called it quits, and I was back in drum limbo. A couple of months later, that’s when I decided to come out here.

ever wanted to drum on the street to do it like that because it’s cost effective.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE?

That’s the exciting part! I play guitar, SO, WHAT YOU DO HERE IS TOTALLY drums and piano. So, what I do out here FREESTYLE? is only a tip of the musical iceberg, if that makes any sense.

Sometimes I’ll play along with music as a way to practicing. When you play along I want to become a record producer in with music as a drummer you want to all of the genres. I grew up with my dad make sure that you’re keeping perfect listening to all kinds of records. So, I have time. The drummer’s number one job is an understanding of, I don’t want to say to keep time and to make sure the band good music, but I know good music. I is consistent. I play along with music to have a pretty solid grasp on what makes a basically help me keep time, and it helps great song. I want to be able to keep good me build a better foundation of what I music alive. Now-a-days, all the stuff on want to do, and how to do it. But a lot pop radio is all cookie cutter. It’s all, “we of times, though, I’ll just play. I’ll get a want an artist that looks this way, and we rhythm that I like, that people will enjoy, want a song that sounds like this.� You ! $ know? capture their attention.

Back in the 70s, you would have people HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA TO like, say, Bob Dylan. People who were USE BUCKETS AND HARDWARD? geniuses of their time, but they didn’t

I wish I could say I thought of it, but star of today. People were judged by their there’s a guy in New York whose name is music before anything else. That’s why Larry Wright. He’s the father of bucket you had people like Aretha Franklin killin drumming. It’s relatively new. He started crazy records back in the 70s because you it in the early 90s. Ever since then it kinda didn’t have this media selling their image. spread around to every major city where The record company sold their music! So, there are street performers. if they had great music it didn’t matter what they looked like. Look at Pink Floyd.

I saw a video of that guy on YouTube, Nobody knows what they looked like, but and he had 10 million views! This was they are one of the highest selling bands ‘bout two years before I came out here, to date. or thought about doing street performing.

I want to be able to make great music This fool! He’s, like, doing crazy shit relevant once again. That’s a big aspiration that I’ve never seen before on! Like, two I just have a lot of passion for music. buckets! I’m just like “what?� Ever sense That’s, like, what I want to do. then, it was in my subconscious that if I

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Ducky and Sway

I had the privilege to photograph two aspiring actors who are not only talented, but beautiful with striking features that give each of them a unique and exciting look.

Ducky is an actor, model and martial artist who is a member of Honolulu’s “Stunt Monkeys�, a group that specializes in martial

Ducky is best known for his role in Jeff Katts’ The Battle of the Minions series as Nisroc.

Sway is a model by trade and has recently broken into acting.

She is beautiful, intellengent, and comical. If you need

or TV production, she is an excellent choice.

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without a hitch. After posing for the obligatory 3/4 head shots, I got into laying out on my piece of cardboard.

It’s funny who ignores you when you’re down and out. I can count on one hand the people I know who avoided me completely because they thought I was a derelict.

Just another faceless person to overcome. An obstacle to by-pass.

That’s all I am.

Kumu Kahua Theatre is one of Honolulu’s best theatres that showcases some of the island’s top talents and locally written plays. Kumu maybe closing its doors in February if the community doesn’t come together and give them support.

Go to their website, www.kumukahu.org to ask how you can help.

Digital Paradise at SOHO!

Congrats to the cast and crew of Diamond Head Theatre's "The Little Women" on a fantastic performance

HERE’S THE DEAL

by Twan Matthews

It’s a new day and a New Year. Can you believe that another year has come and gone? I certainly cannot. You know in this issue it’s all about new beginnings.

I should know.

Just a little over two years ago. I was living in a fairy tale. I thought that life was going quite well for me; only to have the rug pulled out from under me.

What is a girl to do? I am going to tell you. You pick yourself up, and you dust off your Prada pumps, and you keep on going. Failure is not an option. We are

us down. I am a living testimony. Oh man, did I just say that. I am beginning to sound like some Baptist minister who hates any and everything that is not like him.

I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions or promises. Life has taught me that those options are as valuable as buying a sapphire ring from Zales. Yes honey, I

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Just keep going and pushing it through and tell yourself everything is going to be all right. Okay that is not what I really wanted to say. What I really want to say is. “ I DON’T GIVE A F*&% ABOUT ^! #5 { ;

Yes, I know that we can’t control everything. But what you can control is the reaction of when things do not go your way. ^

remember that I am always here writing to all of my people out there. And yes that even means you. !

!;„„_ @…> _…;†55

#

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+;_>;_5555

HAUOLI MAKAHIKI !~‡55555

^

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Happy Birthday Gurl!!!

For five points: what was the month, day, year, hour and the miniute Manifest opened its doors in Chinatown Honolulu?

Hula's CELEBRATES Christmas with Brother Cazimero

2011 is here, and it brings a long a season of growth, challenges, and success.

EH wishes everyone a prosperous year ďŹ lled with joy, fun and fulďŹ lled dreams.

This was all made possible by the good Lord.

To hire Jeanne for photography services, go to her website Jeanne Wynne Herring Photography jeannewynne.com Visit me on FaceBook: Jeanne Wynne Herring Photography Go to excellencehappens.net

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