FRIDAY
>> Hawaii-bred group Crimson Apple debuts EP
Crimson Apple, a band of sisters who got their start in Hawaii, celebrates a homecoming on Friday at Hawaiian Brian’s.
The Bensons – Colby (lead vocals/keyboard), Shelby (guitar/vocals), Carthi (bass/vocals) and Faith (drums) – began playing in their family’s home studio in Kailua. After some well-received performances in the islands, they moved to Los Angeles in 2015 to promote their careers.
“When we first started, it was kind of like starting over,” Shelby Benson in a phone call from L.A. “Nobody knew who we were. We had to do open mics to get our name out there.”
Soon enough, however, Disney noticed them and booked them at Disneyland, and then they were noticed by the Amuse Group, which is “the biggest management entertainment company in Japan.” The band signed with Amuse, which has produced two videos for them and a new EP, “Somebody,” which will be showcased Friday. They’ve also done a tour that’s taken them to high schools nationwide.
The group has always impressed with its musical talent, and now they’ve added visuals too, with a slick production of the song “Can’t Get Out of Bed.” The video shows the group, mostly dressed in red, lounging around in a posh mansion. The group came up with their own vision for the video, while Amuse found a director and production company. “We’ve always wanted to have this strong concept with our music and the band,” Benson said.
Since moving from Hawaii, the group has become more pop-oriented, Benson said. “I think we would describe ourselves as ‘dark pop alternative,’” Benson said. “We love that Colby has those powerhouse vocals and we try to utilize those to make people feel something.”
CRIMSON APPLE
“Somebody” EP Pre-release Homecoming Show
>> Where: Hawaiian Brian’s
>> When: 8 p.m. Friday
>> Cost: $8-$12
>> Info: hawaiianbrians.com
FRIDAY-MAY 30
>> Pop, soul and jazz artists hit Blue Note
A nice variety of music is coming to Blue Note Hawaii this week.
>> Gino Vannelli who performs Friday and Saturday, was a pop sensation back in the late ’70s and early ’80s, embodying a soft romantic sound with his Grammy-nominated signature tune “I Just Want to Stop.” With his huge mane of hair, now streaked with gray, he seemed fated to stay in that mode, but he also embraces jazz and classical music, with his 2003 album “Canto” featuring classical songs sung in Italian, Spanish and French, as well as English.
>> On Tuesday, Pink Martini returns to town for two nights. Thomas Lauderdale’s group produces an international pastiche of music, with singer China Forbes singing in a multitude of languages. Their repertoire stretches from Europe to Asia to the Middle East to the Americas, all presented with a gloriously tongue-in-cheek attitude but with musicianship to burn.
>> On May 30, the great vocalist Lisa Fischer returns for a single night with her band, Grand Baton. Fischer was an undersung star in pop music, singing backup for the Rolling Stones, Luther Vandross and other leading acts, until the Oscar-winning film “20 Feet From Stardom” revealed her gift to the public at large.
BLUE NOTE HAWAII
>> Where: Outrigger Waikiki
>> When: Gino Vannelli, 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; Pink Martini, 6:30 and 9 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday; Lisa Fischer, 6:30 and 9 p.m. May 30
>> Cost: $45-$95
>> Info: 777-4890, bluenotehawaii.com
SATURDAY
>> Hoku Awards gala returns
The biggest event of the year for Hawaii’s record industry happens on Saturday when the Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts announces the winners of the 42nd Na Hoku Hanohano Awards at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. The Hoku Awards are Hawaii’s regional equivalent of the Grammys and have recognized excellence in Hawaii’s music since 1978.
Topping the list of finalists this year in terms of “history in the making” is two-time Grammy Award-winner Kalani Pe‘a, pictured. A win in any one of six categories would make him the only artist ever to win a Grammy Award and a Hoku Award in one year — and then do it again.
Pe‘a is joined by Keauhou, Na Hoa and Na Wai Eha and Mark Yamanaka in the Album of the Year category. He and Yamanaka are up against three other previous Hoku winners — Nathan Aweau, Sean Na‘auao and the late Cyril Pahinui — for Male Vocalist of the Year.
Coming full circle, it’s Keauhou, Na Hoa and Na Wai Eha, and Ekolu and Waipuna in the Group of the Year category.
— John Berger, Star-Advertiser
42ND NA HOKU HANOHANO AWARDS
Presented by the Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts
>> Where: Hawai‘i Convention Center
>> When: 4:30 p.m. (doors open)
>> Cost: $150-$250
>> Info: 593-9424, nahokuhanohano.org
TUESDAY
>> Demetri Martin brings his smart comedy to The Republik
Demetri Martin could be considered one of the more cerebral comics out there, except that he applies his brain power to inane things.
He did an entire show based on the existential phrase “If I,” getting laughs with lines like “If I eat another brownie, I will have explosive diarrhea.” And after a painful experience with some fresh-off-the-grill fajitas, he came to the realization that the roof of the mouth was actually the “ceiling” of the mouth, wondering whether “whoever named this was using the attic of their mouth at all.”
Whereas many comics use voices or physical comedy to beef up their bits, Martin uses music and art. He’ll often deliver his short-form jokes to music – he plays guitar, piano and harmonica – as if to give you something to listen to while you figure out his humor. Otherwise there might be some uncomfortable pauses when he explains that “About 75 percent of German shepherds are dogs – the other 25 percent are German shepherds.”
Or he’ll use sketches as visual aids, like his bar graph of “things that pray,” which has two bars of equal height. “People and mantises, so it’s kind of a tie,” he explained on “Late Night With Stephen Colbert.”
Martin makes the rounds on the talk-show circuit and cable comedy shows, and he’s had two Netflix specials, “Live (At the Time)” and “Demetri Martin: The Overthinker.” That last title reflects his background as a Yale graduate who dropped out of law school to pursue comedy.
DEMETRI MARTIN
Wandering Mind Tour
>> Where: The Republik
>> When: 7 and 10 p.m. Tuesday
>> Cost: $29-$39 ($139 VIP)
>> Info: 941-7469, jointherepublik.com
For additional events, visit staradvertiser.com/calendar.
