FRIDAY
EDM producer set to ‘Shake’ Republik
Baauer, the electronic-dance music producer who created the tune that launched the “Harlem Shake” craze a few years back, waltzes into the Republik Friday.
WHERE:
The Republik, 1349 Kapiolani Blvd.
WHEN:
10 p.m. Friday
COST:
$30-$40
INFO:
flavorus.com or 855-235-2867
Born Henry Rodrigues, Baauer released his beat-heavy tune in May 2012, receiving praise for its strong bass line as well as its sampling of a lion’s growl. A YouTube host known as Filthy Frank posted a short dance video of people flailing around wildly to the tune. (Among the dancers was someone posing as North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, a reference to the song’s opening line, “With the terrorists.”)
The video went viral, inspiring a raft of similar memes from groups like the swim team from Georgia who danced underwater, college football teams from Nebraska and Louisiana, soldiers from Norway, rugby players from New Zealand, soccer players in England, and the staff of CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper, who proclaimed himself “horrified” at the outburst of gyrating bodies.
The videos propelled the tune to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which for the first time had included YouTube data as part of its ranking system. Meanwhile, explanations for popularity of the meme vary, with perhaps the most convincing provided by online magazine TheVerge. Contrasting it with “Gangnam Style,” which has similarities in pulse and overall tone, the magazine said, “If every imitation of ‘Gangnam Style’ inevitably leads you back to the deceptively subtle, near-perfect original, the ‘Harlem Shake’ does the opposite. Every imitation leads you to another imitation, the lower its fidelity the better.” In other words, the worse you dance, the better your meme.
Baauer, meanwhile, has recently launched a new radio show on dancingastronaut.com, where he intends to exhibit new sounds from different regions of the world. Maybe something from Hawaii will make it on air.
FRIDAY
Shimmy over to the museum for the Belly Dance Convention
WHERE:
Honolulu Museum of Art
WHEN:
“Essence,” 5 p.m. Friday; “The Reveal,” 8 p.m. Friday
COST:
$25-$30; $90 VIP admission includes entry to both shows, special seating and cocktail service.
INFO:
honolulumuseum.org or 532-6097
Belly dancers and belly dance students converge at the Honolulu Museum of Art this week for the Hawai‘i Belly Dance Convention, celebrating the movement, culture, history and variety of the ancient entertainment form.
The convention brings some of the nation’s top belly dancers to Hawaii, including Frank Farinaro, a top male belly dancer from Colorado; Petite Jamilla, pictured, who incorporates spoken word and poetry into her performances; and Tiffani Ahdia, winner of several belly dance competitions.
Today, the two-part Shimmy Showcase spotlights the dance in performance. “Essence,” which includes a reception at 5 p.m. and a show at 6:30 p.m., will be a family-friendly event that details the tradition of belly dancing and how it has evolved over the centuries. For something spicier, check out “The Reveal” at 8 p.m., which will feature more edgy, sensual — i.e., sexier — performances for an over-18 crowd.
FRIDAY
Aussie duo Air Supply bring their romantic hits to Blaisdell
WHERE:
Blaisdell Arena
WHEN:
8 p.m. Friday
COST:
$45-$125
INFO:
ticketmaster.com or 866-448-7849
The romantic ballads of Air Supply will waft into Honolulu today, when the longtime Australian duo visits Blaisdell Arena.
Over the last 30 years, Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock have produced a succession of top hits, including classics like 1980’s “All Out of Love” and the chart-topper “The One That You Love” (1981).
The pair met in 1975 while rehearsing for “Jesus Christ Superstar” in Sydney. Bonding over the Beatles – Russell had seen them live at age 14 – and other music, they would go out to perform after shows at clubs and coffee shops, performing original songs written by Russell and featuring Hitchcock’s distinctive tenor voice. Their first record, featuring “Love and Other Bruises” and “If You Knew Me,” reached No. 1 on the Australian charts, giving them the chance to open for Rod Stewart on a worldwide tour, and their 1980 tunes “Lost in Love” and “All Out of Love” made them an international sensation. They were among the first Western groups to tour China at a time when Western pop music was commonly banned.
Air Supply has released 29 albums, with their 1983 ”Greatest Hits” album a five-time platinum seller. The group’s most recent studio album, 2010’s “Mumbo Jumbo,” was seen as a departure from the love songs of the past, and was praised as “one of the group’s most adventurous records, which may also be why it’s one of Air Supply’s best” by allmusic.com’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine.
SATURDAY
Teresa Bright, Hawai‘i Loa to join for benefit concert
WHERE:
Waikalua Loko I‘a, 45-231 Kulauli St., Kaneohe (end of Kulauli Street, past the Bay View Golf Course)
WHEN:
5-9 p.m. Saturday
COST:
$25-$30. Food and beverage available. No alcohol allowed.
INFO:
thepaf.org/moonlight or 664-3027
It will be nearly a full moon on Saturday night, so what better way to spend the evening than at Kanikapila O Mahina, the second installment in the Pacific American Foundation’s Moonlight Concert Series?
Presented on the lawn at the Waikalua Loko I‘a fishpond, the concert will feature Teresa Bright, whose clear vocals and sweet delivery have earned her several Na Hoku Hanohano Awards. She sings everything from Hawaiian to hapa haole songs. Her 2007 album “Hawaiinawa” featured Okinawan songs sung in Hawaiian; her latest was 2008’s “Tropic Rhapsody.”
Bright will be joined by Hawai‘i Loa, featuring the great Eddie Palama on steel guitar, and Castle High School music and dance students.
The concert is a benefit for preservation of the 400-year-old Kaneohe fishpond Waikalua Loko I‘a, which was restored over the last 20 years and is now managed by the Pacific American Foundation.
