FRIDAY

>> From grunge to country music, artist finds place on the charts

Aaron Lewis has taken a long and twisting road, finally arriving in the country — or at least nearby.

He grew up listening to country and folk music, but his first instinct as a musician was to rebel, resulting in his founding the post-grunge band Staind. The band scored a major hit in 2001 with the moody album “Break the Cycle,” a five-time platinum-selling record including the Billboard Top 10 single “It’s Been a While.” Staind had a long run as a top-selling band. Albums “Dysfunction” (1999), “14 Shades of Grey” (2003) and “Chapter V” (2005) all went platinum, and all hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

As the aughts drew to a close, however, Lewis was having second thoughts about the self-torment inflicted by grunge. It “got taxing after a while, singing about the things that I was singing about night in and night out, and reliving where those songs came from every night in order to sing them correctly,” he told theboot.com.

Lewis went back to country in 2010, when he recorded a solo album, “The Road.” The album featured guest spots by Hank Williams Jr., George Jones and Charlie Daniels, and won over listeners, reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Country albums chart.

His latest album, “Sinner,” released last year, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country chart and No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart. It also reflects a rebellious streak while delivering full-on country craftsmanship. In the album’s top single, “That Ain’t Country,” Lewis criticizes the “good times and happy endings” of contemporary country music, preferring instead the outlaw attitude of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Daniels, all of whom earn mention in the tune.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

>> Hawaii-inspired sets and elements transform “Nutcracker”

“The Nutcracker” returns for the holidays with Ballet Hawaii’s Hawaii-themed production.

Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet got its local makeover last season, with spectacular sets representing Hawaii landscapes and dances inspired by the flora and fauna of the islands. Local designers Kini Zamora and Anne Namba designed many of the costumes for the ballet, which was reset from the original 19th-century Europe to an actual event, the 1858 Christmas Eve party at Washington Place.

The dancing itself promises to be spectacular, with principal dancers from mainland ballet companies filling many of the primary roles. Local favorites Megan Fairchild (Sugar Plum Fairy) and Joaquin DeLuz (Cavalier) from the New York City Ballet return, along with Anthony Huxley (Pueo, Chinese fisherman, Nutcracker), whom the New York Times recently praised “for his line and poetic sensibility.” Principal dancers from Pacific Northwest Ballet and Carolina Ballet will also perform.

Choreographer Septime Webre, who brought many entertaining works here as director of the Washington Ballet, will have local performers putting their best foot forward as well. Especially enjoyable in last year’s production was the clownfish dance, an acrobatic take on the Russian dance performed by keiki, and local entertainer Derek Daniels hamming it up as the larger-than-life Momma Moana. The Christmas tree is not the only thing that grows to gargantuan heights in this “Nutcracker.”

FRIDAY-MONDAY

>> Shakuhachi fest to feature diverse styles

Shakuhachi lovers get to toot their horn, so to speak, this weekend at the Shakuhachi Festival of the Pacific.

The four-day event kicks off this evening with a Masters’ Concert, which will feature virtuoso performers and teachers displaying diverse styles of the traditional Japanese bamboo flute. The five-holed, bamboo instrument is prized for its organic, zen-like tone, which folks might recognize as background for Buddhist ceremonies as well as samurai movies.

“What’s interesting about it is that it’s like singing, everybody has a different style, a different approach, a different breath,” said Christopher Blasdel, an internationally known performer who now teaches at the University of Hawaii-Manoa. “In addition, the shakuhachi world is divided up into different schools, and each school is stylistically quite different.”

Local performers include Steven Casano, who studied shakuhachi at the University of Hawaii music department, and Robert Herr, who has produced some original works for shakuhachi. Renowned Australian player Riley Lee will join in, along with Yozan Kaminaga, who leads a pop band in Japan and has a “pyrotechnic” style, Blasdel said.

Local taiko master Kenny Endo will join with Blasdel in a new work based on a Hawaiian prayer that is performed every time the Hokule‘a sets sail. “It’s a prayer for protection and guidance,” Blasdel said. “It will be in English, Japanese and Hawaiian.”

The shakuhachi festival continues through Monday with lessons and workshops for beginning to advanced players.

SATURDAY

>> Nahko Bear returns on the heels of his debut solo album

Nahko Bear, who with his musical collective Medicine for the People blended a socially conscious message with hip-hop and world music, returns to Honolulu this week.

The former Big Island resident recently released his debut solo album “My Name is Bear,” a tribute to his Apache/Mohawk ancestry and a reflection of his life’s journey after first meeting his Native American mother and grandmother 10 years ago. He’s also part Filipino, Chamorro and Puerto Rican, but was adopted and grew up in Portland, Ore.

Many of the songs on “My Name is Bear” were composed before he teamed up with Medicine for the People. It features the meditative single “Dragonfly,” which suggests a journey of self-discovery, while another song, “Hamakua,” refers to his experience trying to recover from lost love while living on Hawaii island, where he has a farm. Travels to Alaska and Louisiana and meetings with his Native American relatives in Portland also inform the work.