Do It: The Story So Far, Mele on the Marina, Ghibli film fest

FRIDAY

>> The Story So Far brings its not-untroubled punk act to Honolulu

The Story So Far, a band from the San Francisco Bay Area suburbs that has helped revive the pop punk sound, performs at Hawaiian Brian’s on Friday.

Inspired by bands like Green Day and The Descendents, the Walnut Creek, Calif.-based band formed in 2007. In 2013, they earned the cover of the “100 Bands You Need to Know” issue of Alternative Press.

All three of their albums have reached the Billboard Independent Albums and Alternative Albums charts.

True to the punk culture, they’ve run into some trouble, as well. The group was banned from a Toronto club after lead vocalist Parker Cannon kicked a woman off the stage when she tried to take a selfie with the band. (The woman has since taken some responsibility for the situation, saying a phone malfunction caused her to be up on stage longer than expected.) And some of their songs have been characterized as demeaning to women. Their response? You don’t have to listen.

In addition to Cannon, the band consists of bassist Kelen Capener, drummer Ryan Torf and guitarists William Levy and Kevin Geyer.

SATURDAY

>> Music will buoy the scene in Hawaii Kai this summer

Music on the waterfront in Hawaii is always a wonderful thing, whether it’s at a beach in Waikiki or the North Shore or at Aloha Tower Marketplace. Now the Hawaii Kai Marina, perhaps the closest thing to an “urban oasis” on Oahu, gets into the act with the Hawaii Towne Center’s Mele on the Marina Festival.

The free festival will celebrate music and Hawaiian culture with monthly performances through August. The first performance is Saturday, beginning at 3 p.m, when slack-key guitarist Dayton Watanabe takes the stage. Watanabe not only plays traditional slack-key songs but also does tunes by rockers like Eric Clapton and John Mayall. He’ll be followed by Halau Hula ‘O Kawaiho‘omalu, under the direction of Kumu Hula Ku Souza, at 5 p.m.

Headlining the performance will be longtime island favorites Makaha Sons, pictured, who in their more than 30-year history have played before national leaders and in some of the nation’s great concert halls, taking the stage at 6 p.m.

Future festival events will feature the popular husband-wife duo Kupaoa on July 29 and pioneering island contemporary group Kapena on Aug. 26.

SUNDAY-MONDAY

>> Ghibli film fest shows anime gems

Studio Ghibli, a famous film studio in Japan known for its anime, was formed by filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata along with producer Toshio Suzuki. The studio has been been nominated for five Academy Awards, with “Spirited Away,” a story about a girl separated from her parents and trapped in the spirit world, winning the 2003 Oscar for Best Animated Film.

Over the next six months, Regal’s Dole Cannery and Kapolei Commons theaters are hosting a Studio Ghibli Fest, featuring one film a month. The festival begins this weekend with “My Neighbor Totoro,” the story of two girls dealing with their ill mother and their adventures with a mysterious creature of the forest. The work is described as providing “heart-rending and miraculously acute insight into the subtle, silent psychological interactions of a family on the precipice of tragedy” by TimeOut London, which named it No. 1 on its 50 greatest animated films list.

Other films scheduled are: July 23-24, “Kiki’s Delivery Service”; Aug. 27-28, “Castle In the Sky”; Sept. 24-25, “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”; Oct. 29-30, “Spirited Away”; and Nov. 26-27, “Howl’s Moving Castle.”

Each film will be screened twice, at 12:55 p.m. on the fourth Sunday of each month (with English dialogue) and at 7 p.m. the following Monday (in Japanese with English subtitles).

WEDNESDAY

>> Changes normal for metamorphic band The Maine

Alt-rock band The Maine has developed a reputation for innovation and evolution.

The Tempe, Ariz.,-based band, which plays The Republik on Wednesday, began with a light touch, singing fun songs about girls and romance on its debut 2008 album, “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop.” That earned the band a place on the Warped Tour. The group went to a moodier tone for its next album, “Black & White,” which earned 2010 Album of the Year honors from Alternative Press, which also named them Best Live Band.

The band’s third album, 2011’s “Pioneer,” was called “its most stripped-down and mature yet” by Allmusic.com and put the band on the Billboard 200 chart for the first time. Two subsequent albums had sharply contrasting themes and tones, as one might expect from the titles “Forever Halloween” and “American Candy.” The band’s most recent album, “Lovely Little Lonely,” was released in April.

After gaining a following online, the band signed with the Fearless label, then with Warner Bros., and finally formed label 8123, which refers to the address of a garage where they hung out at as youngsters.

“We get bored rather quickly and we like to keep occupied,” lead singer John O’Callaghan told billboard.com. “Sometimes we thrive on chaos and the idea that, ‘This next decision, this (determines) what the next two years of our lives are gonna be.’”

O’Callaghan is joined by lead guitarist Jared Monaco, rhythm guitarist Kennedy Brock, bassist Garrett Nickelsen and drummer Pat Kirch. They started playing together as high school students.