Do It: Dirty Heads, DeShannon Higa, ‘Aqueous,’ Donald Margulies

FRIDAY

>> Dirty Heads brings their SoCal reggae-pop vibe to The Republik

Dirty Heads brings its fun-loving, reggae-pop vibe to The Republik on Friday.

The band has been an established presence in Southern California since its 2008 debut “Any Port in a Storm.” All six of its albums have reached the Billboard charts, with 2014’s “Sound of Change” making a splash nationally, reaching No. 8 on the Billboard 200.

The five-piece band consists of Jared Watson (vocals), Dustin Bushnell (vocals/guitar), Jon Olazabal (percussion), Matt Ochoa (drums) and David Foral (bass). They’ve drawn much of their inspiration from Sublime, sometimes getting mistaken for the ska/punk band from L.A. They share an easy-going, sunny style with hints of hip-hop and acoustic.

>> Trumpet master DeShannon Higa debuts first album

Trumpet/flugelhorn master DeShannon Higa will release his long-awaited debut album “Words Cannot Express” Friday at a release party at Harbor Church.

Higa is one of Honolulu’s most versatile musicians, performing everything from jazz to Latin to hip hop with top local and visiting artists. He’s appeared on recordings with Raiatea Helm and Fiji, performed with acclaimed visiting musicians like Burt Bacharach, Diana Krall, Al Jarreau and Wynton Marsalis, and recorded with Bop Tribal, a band he co-founded.

Higa’s new album includes his own compositions as well as arrangements of Hawaiian tunes, like “Kaulana Na Pua.” The recording was called “brilliant” by the Star-Advertiser’s John Berger, who said, “Higa’s compositions soar on the contrasting textures of trumpet and flugelhorn. They also display Higa’s command of an intriguing range of modern musical genres.”

FRIDAY-DEC. 31

>> ‘Aqueous’ installation opens in Kapolei

Take a walk on the light side with “Aqueous,” a large-scale, interactive art installation by former Hawaii resident Jen Lewin.

The installation, which will be mounted on the Kapolei Commons’ community event space from now till year’s end, consists of circular pathways that visitors are invited to walk on. During the daytime, the pathways will change colors according to the light from the sky and the viewing angle of the observers. At night, the pathways will be illuminated in different colors and patterns.

“Wherever we have taken it — and we’ve been to really different cultures — it’s immediately liked by babies up to grandparents,” said Lewin in a statement. “There’s a quality of delight and playfulness that people really respond to.”

Lewin, who was raised on Maui and graduated from Punahou in 1992, now works out of New York. Much of her work has been inspired by the natural beauty of Hawaii, particularly in its interplay between clouds and water. She has created several large-scale installations and taken them around the world, with “Aqueous” going to Singapore, Australia, Burning Man in Nevada and South by Southwest in Texas.

SATURDAY-NOV. 25

>> Donald Margulies play reflects the impact of war

Most dramas about war-related trauma deal with soldiers and their experiences. “Time Stands Still,” a play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies (“Dinner With Friends”), addresses the impact of war on observers and society at large.

The play presents two journalists, Sarah and James, lovers who are back at home in Brooklyn after covering the war in Iraq. Sarah, a photographer, was severely wounded in a bombing; James, a reporter, is dealing with feelings of guilt from leaving Iraq before Sarah was injured.

Then Richard, a photo editor who’s worked with Sarah, visits with his much younger girlfriend, Mandy. Though Mandy is “embryonic” and oblivious, her affectionate relationship with Richard provides a contrast with the conflicted nature of Sarah’s relationship with James.

“We read these stories about the war, but I don’t think we think about the people who are on the front lines who are bringing these stories to us,” said Hawaii Pacific University’s Alex Munro, the director. “The characters talk about seeing someone die in front of them. They’ve had flashbacks, some sort of PTSD from the experience, but it affects them differently.”

Mandy serves as “the audience surrogate,” Munro said. She questions what she can do about their problems, having lived a relatively comfortable life.

“Time Stands Still” was nominated for two Tony Awards in 2010, with the New York Times praising its dialogue for its “bright wit and intelligence.”

HPU’s production stars veteran local actors Therese Olival as Sarah, Rob Duval as James, and Eli Kent Mills Foster as Richard, with newcomer Cierra Wall getting high praise from Munro for her portrayal of Mandy.