Hawaii's Underground : Local Music | Art | Tattoos | Independent Businesses
A Printed and Online Publication

How do you define 808 Scene Zine?

The 808 Scene Zine showcases Hawaii's local musicians and artists with a focus on the local music scene. I intend this publication to be an outlet for all those creative, intelligent, and talented individuals in Hawaii's underground to speak their minds or see their work published.

We had thirteen different writers and photographers in our first four issues.

We printed issue #15 and are working on issue #16 as of May 7, 2007! We've been doing our thing for a year and three months and we're still going strong.

What made you decide to start it?

I started going out to a lot of shows a few months ago and I discovered a music scene I hadn't even known existed, even though I've lived in Honolulu for nearly four years. I started writing reviews and posting them as bulletins and blogs on MySpace.com. The bands were so grateful that I was writing about the music scene and I was so impressed with the talent I was encountering, that I decided to make a printed newsletter to make people aware of what they were missing!

Who is it aimed at?

The writing is geared towards those interested in watching live music, and also towards the musicians themselves. One column, called "The Ten Commandments of Band Performance," written by music veteran Mark Willman, advises bands on what they need to do to put on an entertaining, successful, and professional show.

I also interview national acts (Alien Ant Farm, As I Lay Dying) and collect advice on how to make it in the music industry.

I would like to expand to include stories about tattoo artists, skateboarders, artists, poets - anything underground, anything counter-culture, anything worthwhile that the public doesn't typically know about.

When I hand out the newsletters and say "It's about the local music scene," you'd be amazed at how many people respond "Hawaii HAS a music scene?"

Can anyone write for it?

YES! We want to hear from you! If you've got something interesting to say, or interesting to look at, we'll put it out there. Send submissions to the808scenezine@gmail.com

How do musicians get a mention, alternatively how do you choose what you put in?

All you gotta do is ask! If you're a musician/DJ/band/group and want me to write about you, e-mail Katie at the808scenezine@gmail.com.

Where do you distribute the hard copies or how can people get a copy other than online?

We print 1,000 issues and we hand them out at First Thursdays Poetry Slam (600+ attendance), First Friday's Art Walk in Chinatown, and live shows. Then we leave them in coffee shops like Sure Shot Cafe and Coffee Talk, music stores, music studios, tattoo parlours, Diamond Head Video, book stores. The number of places we leave them depend on the number of issues we have left after we hand them out at those first two events!

First Thursdays
First Fridays Art Walk in Chinatown
Goodguys Music and Sound
Diamond Head Video (Kalakaua, Cooke St, Pearlridge)
Cafe 2600
Sure Shot Cafe
Glaziers Cafe
Coffee Talk
Stylus
Toogruvz
In4mation (Ward)
T&C Surf (Ward)
Island Guitars (Ward)
The Liquor Collection (Ward)
Borders (Ward)
Blue Hawaii Surf (Ala Moana Mall)
Sam Goody's (Ala Moana Mall)
Sera's Surf Shop (Ala Moana Mall)
Rockstarz Tattooz and Piercingz (Waikiki)
Queen of Pain Tattoo (Waikiki)
Easy Music Center
Vibe Asylum
rRed Elephant
Bethel Street Gallery
39 Hotel
Jelly's (Aiea)
Hot Licks Guitar (Aiea)
Exclusive Music Studios (Aiea)
Prototype (Pearlridge Mall)
Coconut Grove Music (Kailua)
Hungry Ear Records (Kailua)
Morning Brew (Kailua)
Hawaii Music Supply (Kaneohe)
808 Tattoo (Kaneohe)