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| Welcome to Crazytown ...And the Beat Goes On: Interview with Jason Tom Finding G Spot Interview with S-1 Atomic Interview with Dave Noodle Welcome to Crazytown! |
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If you were any more relaxed, YOU’D BE DEAD! The Orchid Room Wellness Center & Clinic opened in Crazytown on March 1st. When you’re sick of tourists, when the architecture is boring you to death, and when you can’t find anything to eat for under 30 bucks, come on over to C-town! Crazytown is like an intricate puzzle box: there’re so many ways to turn it to find what you’re looking for. The Wellness Center offers 12 different types of Therapeutic Massage, Acupuncture, Herbal & Nutritional Consultation, and Moxa Therapy. Open Tues–Sat, 9am–7pm, the Center offers a remedy for your hangover, all kinds of pain relief, stress reduction, and detox. Totally Broke? The O-Room also has a Walk-In Clinic on Sundays & Mondays from 12noon–5pm with a Sliding-Scale charge from $15–$50. Also, Drunken Sailor Gift Certificates are sold here in packs of FOUR. Come to Crazytown – the Drunken Sailor District! Call The Orchid Room at (808) 566-8008 for more info. |
oNG KIng ARTs CeNtER’s is Chinatowns art nurturing, soul clapping, heart blossoming space. Its mission is to make a sustainable art community. It is a space for creative risk taking, and artistic mastery.... ...This is a place of expression, a place to reveal, a freedom to grow, to create and thrive. Every SuNDay night 9pm-1am the stage is OPEN. You have a something to say? Music? Say it, is sing it, share listen, inspire and be inspired. First Fridays is the big one night of the month that is just all out. FFriday begins at 5pm-9pm with a new art opening, then from 9pm-2am is a bang out, all out, show of theatre, music, dance, sLam poetry, acrobatics, all happing on the same stage. Live, happening, get in and bust out. MOnday - ThUrsDay classes begin at 7pm. These classes include, Qi-Gong, Bellydance, Ecstatic Dance, and Swing Dance. Try something. Rent the space for your own show, or celebration. KAVA Bar, MAte Bar, BYOB, fresh lyrical significance. www.ongking.com info or bookings: 306-7823, or 428-3233 |
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Bad Sushi! Inc. Bringing sick fashion and art to Chinatown! Featuring: Bad Sushi! Logo wear: beanies, tanks, tees, and more! Glam Geisha, Asian Equation, Rock Star Pants (Ethnic Designer Wear). Hosting our Far East Fashion Collection! We're bringing Hindu back! Sexy Saris, bindis, Hindu tanks, tee's and handbags, jewelry and accessories. Garden of Eden %100 Organic Cotton Healing Wear. FREE TIBET! tanks, tee's, beanies, stickers......Tibetan singing bowls, prayer wheels, malas, etc. Featuring Hawaii's hottest female house DJ, DJ Miki Mixtup on First Fridays. Open till' midnight! Join us for our One Year Anniversary Party Wednesday June 6, 2007! SHOP LOCAL! |
Yo, APB, also known as the A’ala Park Boardshop recently relocated to Chinatown after a glorious 5 years at its former location across from the Skateboard Park. Yes, gone are the Television Set and Drink Sales. Yet gone, as well, are the derelicts, prostitutes, and all around scumbags that would campus our doorsteps constantly. No longer able to accommodate the video watching, Gatorade swilling, sweaty hordes that would sprawl on our floors during business hours, the new and improved APB hosts improved interior layout, a relaxed and friendlier staff and all the creature comforts that a skateboard enthusiast could ask for (workstation to fix your stick, eateries just a step away, convenient covered parking off of Nimitz, and a doorstep bus line to boot). Now most people would think opening a retail establishment in Crazytown is a huge risk but the way we see it we’d be crazy not to. |
"...And the Beat Goes On"
By Ellice Flores
HAWAII - Jason Tom began imitating sounds, vocals, and instruments to Michael Jackson's "Bad" at the age of four. Since then, he has found beat boxing as a passion for creative expression. Tom would beatbox when no one was around. "There would be 'wow' reactions when people would over hear me," 24-year-old Tom said. "I had no clue that what I did was called beatbox until my early high school years."
Although the Honolulu native has been beat boxing for almost 20 years, he didn't started performing in front of audiences until about three years ago. Tom's good friend, Jess Navarette inspired him to share his talent in front of others. "I credit him as the first one to notice that what I did was cool an made me realize it was something unique," Tom said. He and Navarette have known each other since elementary school. "I think it is incredible how he evolved from high school. He sounds like a real beat machine," Navarette said. "He's a crowd pleaser, which is very important part in entertainment, but he also demonstrates excellent use of vocals, beat variations, and sound effects. As long as he continues to grow with his skill, I believe he will be known for his talent."
Tom has lent out his talent to younger ones. Last year he helped out at the after school program at Central Middle School. This event was very exciting for him because he always wanted to me a motivational speaker that goes around to elementary, middle, and high schools to speak to kids and young adults. "After our performance I turned it into a full Q&A session and the kids had many great questions to ask," Tom said. "They made me feel like a celebrity even though I'm still an unknown to most of the world as a performer."
At this event, Tom collaborated with his good friend Andy Tran. Tran believes that Tom stands out from other beat boxers because he wasn't inspired by hip-hop. "I think Jason has a very unique style in beatbox because he wasn't inspired by hip-hop music and most beat boxers are inspired by hip-hop," Tran said.
Tom's musical influences include a variety of musicians. His number one influence is the King of Pop. "Michael Jackson is my biggest influence because his music offers an ample amount of sounds, vocals sounds, white noise, rhythm, beats, and a great variety of music," Tom said. "It would be a dream come true to work on a project with him because he's such a creative genius." Other influences include jazz musician Bobby McFerrin, Bay Area beat boxer Elaine Chao, rapper Jin Au-Yeung, and ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro, whom Tom was able to do a collaboration with. "What I like about his style is that he's a true instrumentalist," Tom said. "He also helped push the boundaries and broke the stereotypes about the limits of the ukulele."
Tom's greatest ambition is to take the world by storm with his beat boxing. At first he began showcasing his skills around the Kapio'lani Community College (KCC) campus, where he has established himself as an authentic beatbox performer. He has placed in three consecutive KCC talent shows.
One of Tom's most memorable talent performances was the Spring 2006 talent show. He dedicated this performance to Professors Robin and Linda Fujikawa, who had lost their 18-year-old son Gen. "I vowed to his mother, Linda, that I would dedicate my next performance to her and the family. The talent show was that next performance and Robin was in attendance," Tom said "Although the original lyrics I created overnight was simple, there were deeper meaning behind it. Even my attire had special message to dear ones."
Linda Fujikawa was forever grateful of Tom's dedication performance. "Jason is a very precious and special treasure. He truly is a human being of compassion, exceptional talent, and intelligence," Fujikawa said. "I was very moved when Jason dedicated his talent show performance to us last year. Jason has taken care to guide us with gentle kindness after the death of our beloved son, Gen."
After making a name for himself at KCC, Tom then began to target open microphone circuits around the island, such as Mai Tai Bar at Ala Moana Shopping Center, Studio 1 in Chinatown, Volcano Joe's near University Avenue, and First Thursday's Hawaii Slam at Hawaiian Hut. "Those open mic performances exposed me to opportunities to build as an artist and performer," Tom said.
One of Tom's most memorable performances was doing at impromptu performance with ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro on November 4, 2006. Tom wandered into Borders at Ward Center, not knowing Shimabukuro was going to perform there. Tom had met Shimabukuro the previous month at the Hawaiian Hut. "At first Jake didn't recognize me due to my recent haircut and aloha attire, much different from what I wore at the Hawaii Slam," Tom said. "He instantly remembered who I was as soon as I mentioned my name. He then asked whether I wanted to share the stage with him that night. I was caught off guard, but agreed." After Shimabukuro introduced Tom to the audience, he opened up the number to "Blue Roses Falling." He cued Tom to jump on stage near the middle of the number and Tom started produced mouth-drumming beats to match his ukulele strumming. "The crowd instantly gravitated and applauded to our collaborative mesh," Tom said. "Jake gave me a lot of creative freedom, allowing me a solo spot to end our number."
No matter how great a performance goes, Tom is always looking for ways to improve his performing skills. After each show, he reflects and looks on ways to improve his performance. He enjoys the creative process of refining techniques and creating new ones. Tom believes that the best part of performing is getting compliments from the audience. "I enjoy it when a random audience member would come up to tell me how much he or she appreciates what I do. That is priceless," Tom said. "After the show (with Shimabukuro) I had a random Jake fan that asked to take a photo with me. After that a 7-year-old girl name Kaycie asked for my autograph. I signed Kaycie's composition book with a red-orange crayon. How cute is that?"
Tom is a self-taught beat boxer, which makes him unique from other vocal percussionists. Today many beat boxers out there today solely use online tutorials to learn and develop techniques from. Tom never personally needed to use online tutorials. "I believe the best way to learn how to beatbox is to imitate real music without even thinking about it and by becoming the music," Tom said. Even though he is not a big fan of using online tutorials, he does not completely bash it. "It is useful to many upcoming beat boxers, mouth drumming, vocal percussionists of today," Tom said. "Nowadays I don't imitate what I listen to anymore. I just create and build sounds, beats, rhythms, songs from scratch and that gives me an edge for my repertoire." Tom loves creating his performances from scratch because it allows him to mess around with his sound repertoire. All of his routines and free styles are original and not copied from any beat boxer. "I do have beatbox influences, but I don't ever try to copy a beat boxer. I have too much respect for them as a beat boxer myself to do it," Tom said.
Listening to mainstream radio isn't something Tom is a big fan of either. "Mainstream radio only play the same 10 songs. There is so much more great music out there that mainstream radio neglects," Tom said. "Beatboxing has been given mainstream appeal by enthusiasts such as Justin Timberlake and American Idol's Blake Lewis," Tom said. Although Tom does not watch television himself, he believes Lewis being on the hit show gives it mainstream television a much needed variety.
Tom has made a name of himself as an genuine beat boxer around his college campus. As far as taking the beatbox to another level, he feels that Hawaii is not the state to remain in. "My future plans to take it to a level I want to go to is to hit the mainland music circuits such as California, New York, and Chicago," Tom said.
"I think Jason has the potential to be a famous whatever he wants to be because he has the qualities such as dedication, passion, and motivation that will take him wherever he chooses to go in life. And if his goal is to become famous beat boxer, than he shall be," radio disc jockey BB Kim said. BB Kim hosts her own show on 1080 KWAI called "Changing Lives with Words." BB Kim invited Tom onto her radio show on February 25, 2007 and it was re-titled "Changing Lives with Beats" for the live showing.
After his most recent performance with BB Kim, Tom was inspired to have an official "beat-shoebox," a shoe box treated as a memory capsule in which he stores all of his beatbox career-related items such as thank you cards, photos, cash prizes, memorabilia, articles, fan letters of support and more.
"Some of my long term goals with the beatboxing is to release an album and a DVD one day. I promise all of my supporters this, I will make this music career happen," Tom said. For starters, Tom is currently in talks with Soul Kitchen Records, which is a young, independent label. "I feel this will be a great home for me to cook up something delicious to release daily menu specials and such." The online community has been a great promotional scene for the beat boxer. His killer skills can be viewed on You Tube (search 'Jason Tom Beatbox') and also on MySpace (http://myspace.com/tanzhihao).
Finding G Spot
Interview by Katie Whitman
I had the pleasure of visiting KTUH on Friday evening to see what G Spot was all about. I don’t know what you all are thinking, but I’m talking about G Spot, the DJ of the Underground Sound Show, helping you get your pre-club game on every Friday evening from 6-9pm. The only burning question I was desperate to answer was… is that accent really real? Of course, I learned there was a lot more to G Spot than just his interesting inflections. It should be noted that G Spot did a lot of this interview on the air. I could see how much he loves to talk to his listening audience.
I always wondered if you had a put on voice for the radio, but you totally don’t.
No. It’s my regular voice. Sometimes the microphone brings out a little bit more of the bass. But it’s my normal voice. Born with it.
Where did you come from?
Chicago. Born over there. Started DJing over there
DJing radio or DJing live?
Live at clubs. I didn’t start doing radio until KTUH. I was doing a lot of night clubs. Actually, I started my own little mobile DJ company in middle school. My first gig was a disaster.
What happened?
I was in 7th grade and I always wanted to be a DJ. My whole family, we were all musicians and we all played two or three instruments each. That’s when the house music started in Chicago and I wanted to be a DJ as well. I got the two turn tables. Trying to save up money. I got the equipment. DJed the middle school dance after school one time. I was paid $40. I was like “All right! Forty dollars!”
I brought the equipment down and was around all my peers. Obviously, I didn’t have the best equipment in the world and obviously I wasn’t that skilled in 7th grade. Bottom line was, the amplifier fuses blew up and I didn’t have extra fuses. That happened in the beginning of the night and that was basically the party. Again, it was my own school. The teachers even gave me some crap. I showed up the next day at school. I didn’t run away. I faced my critics. That was my first gig. A big bomb.
But you kept going.
… I came back. I DJed a couple of parties for the middle school. Then I started DJing the high school parties and the basement parties. I started DJing the middle school parties again because I started making money and I was able to buy better equipment.
[Does the rest of the interview on the air for the last 20 minutes of his show.]
I started my own company. I’d DJ the middle school dances and pack up at 10pm and go DJ the high school dances or parties. If some rich kid’s parents were out of town, we’d throw a party in their basement or something like that. Then by sophomore year, I started DJing all that. Had a couple people working for me. Then I started DJing the fraternity parties on college campuses, like DePau University, Northwestern University. Those paid pretty good. A lot of those were on weekdays.
With all that going on, I was able to reinvest in the equipment and the music. Slowly getting better and better.
Man, sounds like you were quite the entrepeneur!
I was trying. It was all music-based though. It wasn’t all business. I would like to say that I had a good ear for music and that was why it kept going. I would play different at the all ages middle school dances. Then the high school dances were all about straight house music. Then the fraternities and the college kids were all into Modern English and stuff like that. It was cool because I liked it all and I would be able to rock it out.
My family was all musicians, so they supported me and allowed me to be out doing this on weekdays when I had school at 7 in the morning the next day. It was cool. I got my masters in engineering, so my grades were good.
When did you come to Hawaii?
About a decade ago, I would say. When I got to my junior year in high school, I started DJing in night clubs. It was kind of cool for me because in Chicago they don’t do any 18 and over [events]. It’s all 21 and older. They paid well. That’s really where I wanted to be as a musician and a DJ. I wanted to play in the night clubs. The house parties, the basement jack parties, the fraternity parties paid well, but I wanted to be in the night club.
I played at Out Takes [currently Red Hair Lady Saloon] on Ontario St. I was 16 or 17 years old. I’d be on weekdays. I didn’t drink alcohol or anything. I’d be there at 9pm, be out of there by 2:15am, be at school by seven in the morning. I would DJ Thursday, Fridays, Wednesdays, and every other Saturday at this club.
They didn’t know I was underage. The manager did and the bouncers, but none of the staff knew. Chicago is a different atmosphere. You only need to know if you need to know. … Now I didn’t really drink, but I remember a couple of times some celebrities would come in and want to toast off with the manager, then he wanted to have a drink with the DJ, which would be me. I would have to because I felt like I was under pressure. In between the mix, I would do a shot of something. I didn’t know what it was. Then I’d go throw up in the bathroom and come back out and mix.
Your question was, when did I get to Hawaii? I’m getting there. After I graduated high school, [I had to consider] should I stay in Chicago and rock it down? I had a lot going on. I could have been gigging in clubs seven nights a week and that’s a lot of liquid cash. … The Marco Polo in me wanted to go somewhere else. University of Miami in Florida was calling me because I played baseball, too. I figured, most of the big DJs play around in different cities. I’ve got a little base here in Chicago, let me branch out to Miami and I’ll travel back and forth. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I figured alright, cool.
So I went down to Miami and the house music scene was not really popping off there. I was getting an engineering degree. It was more like 2 Live Crew, dip baby dip kinda stuff. I had a hard time breaking into that market. Some of the club owners [in Chicago] called some of the club owners they knew in Miami and said peep this cat out, but I didn’t gig out too much. It was mainly because I was getting an engineering degree. I was working really hard. There’s a club on campus, actually, at the University of Miami, called The Rat. Rocked out there a couple of times and I played on Washington Avenue, South Beach and stuff.
Graduated. Came back to Chicago. DJed there for a little bit, then I [wanted to get] my master, doctorate, whatever and University of Hawaii offered me free tuition, guaranteed salary, and so forth, for me to come out here and do my schooling. I had that adventure, that nomadicness in my blood, so I wanted to come out here. It was academics that brought me out here, and the [spirit of exploration].
Another big thing I might have touched over. I was talking about when I was seventeen and I was getting paid a lot of cash and loot and stuff. When I went down to Miami, I had some money in the bank accounts back in Chicago. When I was in Miami, one of my own blood went through all my bank accounts and all my money. … It was like being back at the middle school dance, having to start all over again.
The attitude I had when I came out to Hawaii was – when I went to Miami, it was so hard to break ground there with the dance music and the house music because Luke Skywalker had it down with his booty busting bottle drop contest and all that nastiness going on. It was really hard to break ground down there. Freestyles popping off . Now Miami is one of the music capitals of that specific genres that I was in, in the world. When I came out to Hawaii, I had an eye of the tiger type of look. I also had that music missionary type of attitude because I wanted to help spread it out because I wasn’t able to do that in Miami as much as I wanted to. Just came out here. Started coming out doing parties and DJing and so forth. And then here you have it. My first time doing radio was here on KTUH.
Did you start that right away?
No, I didn’t start that right away. What I did in Miami, when I first when to Miami, and what I did in Hawaii was I didn’t bring any music with me. No music, no DJ equipment, no records or anything for the first – If you can clock this radio world – first semester. I wanted to make a friend base that was not in the club scene. I have great friends in the club scene and people I’ve known for decades, but I wanted to have a firm base of friends outside the club scene that liked me for me, rather than liking me because I’m on some DJ thing.
Or some reputation?
Exactly. Or let’s learn his name and maybe I can try to get in free. I was trying to be wise about my social life. [So I didn’t] get into the scene right off the bat. It was hard. It was very hard. I have to discipline myself. I didn’t really go to clubs and stuff. For three for four months, I got friends who were not into that. I have friends from that to this day.
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So how long have you been doing your show?
I would say 10 years.
Really? You have been doing your radio show on KTUH for 10 years?
Yeah. It took me a while doing school. It took me a while to get my masters. I’m still taking classes and stuff. I don’t know if I’m going to get my doctorate. It’s a lot of work. I’m still holding this down.
… My degree is in transportation and engineering and it’s a really hot subject right now. A lot of the papers I wrote, a couple of them won awards. My thesis dealt with a lot of problems that Hawaii is having and now they’re really looking at it. My professor really wants me to come back and start to take it a little more serious. The thing I wrote about was substandard underground underpasses – at an intersection, you can shoot underneath or over. You cut out a lot of the intersections. I won a couple of awards around it. I actually won a financial award, but I donated it to the University of Hawaii’s Transportation and Engineering student organization.
10 years as a radio DJ. You’re doing the Get Fresh shows at Indigo?
I do Get Fresh every Friday at Indigo. I do the Love Festival every year. When your magazine hits the street, that week I’ll be doing Jurassic 5 at Next Door, June 2nd. June 15th, I’ll be doing Charles Feelgood at Lotus. A number of other things, Anton Glam is playing Friday June 8th at Get Fresh Indigo. I do a lot of shows. I’ll do two shows in the same night. One scene won’t know that I’m doing a show over here and one scene won’t know I’m doing a show over there. I’ll do everything from rock to rap to hip hop to dance hall reggae to trance to rave. I’m kinda all over the board. I just love all kinds of music. I just love entertainment pretty much.
Do you really like performing as a DJ in front of people or do you prefer just providing a background?
Both, depends on the mood. Sometimes if the party is bumping and doing really well, I’ll get a lot of energy and I’ll get more into it and I’ll start to perform more. The room’s gotta have energy for me. I think the people, including the staff at the venue and everything, are key in making the party, the event, the concert, the festival successful. They have to have the right energy, excitement. A lot of things have to be good elements. Yeah, of course you need a great DJ playing there and of course you need a friendly staff. Not put people in a bad mood from the first minute in the door.
It is performing and it is providing music. If the place is slow, I still like to play music for people. If I’m doing an 80’s night, I’ll do requests. If it’s more underground or so forth, that crowd tends to know not to make requests.
All your years in clubs, you must have seen some pretty crazy shit go down.
Yeah. Sexual stuff. Fights. I’ve seen a lot of crazy stuff. A lot of stuff you don’t see, you just hear about it later. Hear about it from the staff or other people. It’s also being a Dj or being a promoter, it’s really nice to hear that somebody, a couple, met at your party or a couple met at your event. Or the first time they made out, you were DJing. That kind of stuff is cool. And you don’t ever see that, but maybe, hopefully you’ll hear about 2 or 3 years later from that group when they want to have their little go out session, reminisce.
Seen a lot of stuff? Yeah I’ve seen a lot of stuff. I’ve seen people steal from people. I’ve seen girls leave with some other dude. I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen the good side of humans and I’ve seen the bad side.
It sounds like you didn’t really get deep into all the stuff that the crowd was doing so much. Being in the club scene so much, it seems like some people would get sucked into the lifestyle, around alcohol and drugs all the time.
That’s a very good question. I think the only time I talked about the alcohol thing was when I was DJing underage and I would have to do a show with the owner or a celebrity and then I’d go throw up in the bathroom because I wasn’t used to drinking. I was never much of a drinker or drug user. I’d be going out, honestly, believe it or a not, a typical Friday 5 or 6 years ago: I’d do my radio show. I’d be at the W Hotel by 10:00pm. I’d have to change, eat, get my equipment and music for the W. Then I would leave the W around 12:30am, then I’d go to The Maze nightclub in Waikiki. I would DJ there till like 3 in the morning. Then I’d DJ at the after hours spot at four in the morning. I was always bouncing around. Now the drug issue and the alcohol issue, I never drank. Drugs no. Never did that either. I think that’s one of the reasons why I’ve been able to be in the scene with such longevity as I have. I’ve seen people come around and they got rawed out on drugs, then their gone in a year or two or something. DJs, promoters, club owners. Ad it’s just a matter of time. I’ve seen it coming. There’s a dark side to club life. There really is. I’ve been around long enough to see it. You can see some nice cute girl start hanging around with this cat and you’re like “Oh god.” Four month later she’s doing drugs every weekend. Blah, blah, blah. Starting to look kinda shaked up. I’ve seen that happen a lot and it’s not a pleasant thing. I would be out all night and I wouldn’t drink one sip of alcohol. I wouldn’t drink caffeine either. It’s only recently that Red Bull came out, so I would drink Red Bull. How the hell could I be getting my degree in school and DJing clubs if I’m doing drugs? I couldn’t. That wasn’t going to hold me back.
You asked me, is that your stage voice or is that just the way you talk. That’s just the way I talk. Most people that hear me think I’m high. Right? I understand that. There was a time in Chicago when I got beat up by the police because they pulled me and some of my buddies over and thought I was high because of the way I was talking. They hit me a couple of times in the head with their clubs and stuff.
…
I’ve seen first hand, within my own family, the dark side of drugs. It sucks. I never understood addiction. I’m not addicted to anything, except life and obviously I like girls. I’m addicted to girls. So I’ve steered clear of [drugs] because I had that experience at a young age. You have to understand, I was never going to the club scene wanting to get the drink on, or 2) to get high, or 3) to get laid. I was going there for the music and that is still why I am there today. I don’t need to talk to somebody when I’m at a club. I’m not being a snob. I’m guarded and I’m shy. I’m there listening to the music. I’m not there to talk to this pretty girl that’s got fake contacts on and weaves in her hair. That might be why half the people are there. That’s cool, I understand that.
… There were a lot of times when I was out in the clubs doing my own thing and the only thing you would see in my hand was a bottle of water. I thought that, when the rave scene was vibrant – I don’t know if this is a bunch of bullshit or what – I thought I was setting a good example. By 1) being a good DJ and being a good promoter and 2) being a good student. A lot of people don’t know this, that I was a student and still am. Back then, in the beginning of the Honolulu nightlife scene, they did know that. I always thought that I was being a good example, I guess.
… There’s definitely a dark side to [club life], but there’s definitely a good side to it, too. People are meeting each other, meeting their future lover or whatever. There’s a good side to it. You meet friends there. … As a promoter, you have to understand some of those dark sides and provide the safest environment possible for the people that go to it. And the DJ. And you know that if there is a fight at a bar or a club, the first persons that will break it up, security won’t be there, it will be the staff and the DJ. The bouncer will jump over. They’re a little hip to what’s going on. Some of the veterans of the scene will help out, too.
What do you see for your future?
I’m always planning on stuff. I always want to rock the dance floor. I always want to get out there. As far as my career in Hawaii, to be honest to you, I wish it wasn’t the case, but I’ve already hit the top of where I can go. To be honest with you I’ve already been voted best DJ in Hawaii twice by publications – 1998, 1999. And I’m honored and thrilled and still wave those flags with honor. I’ve DJed 4 to 5 clubs in one night in Hawaii. I’ve done radio. I’ve done three different radio shows at the same time on three different stations. I’ve DJed on the Millenium in Hawaii which was broadcast around the world by the British Broadcasting Corporation, so millions of people. In the crowd, there was over 25,000 people dancing. I don’t think I will ever, and I hope I’m wrong, I don’t think I will ever DJ for a crowd bigger than 25,000 people in Hawaii. I don’t necessarily think that I can accomplish more than that. I’m trying to figure out all these ways to advance. I’m always trying to advance. You come out with a mix tape that’s green, I’m gonna come out with a blue one. You beat juggle three times, I’m gonna beat juggle four times with my feet. I’m always trying to advance. It’s not necessarily a competitive thing. It’s the advancement of the scene and the music and the culture.
One thing, and I think this is very important, I’m a DJ and I never wanted to be a promoter. Nationally and internationally, more people know me as a DJ. Unfortunately I’m in Hawaii and that makes traveling much harder. I want to put more into my DJing career – record music and doing production. I used to do that a long time ago. If I put as much effort into my DJing career as I do into the promotions I do…. There’s only so much time in the day. I can only do so much. I wish I had a stop watch so I could stop and put more time into DJing. … I used to travel a lot more to other cities. I’ve DJed Canada numerous times. Brazil, Japan, Australia, Bangkok, London, Ireland, Mexico. I want to travel more as a DJ. It’s a very competitive market. It’s harder now. I would like to do that.
I love Hawaii. Hawaii has been very good to me. I’ve been able to accomplish many dreams in Hawaii as a DJ and a promoter. I try to always give back. I love playing here, but I’d like to play a lot more elsewhere, too, to try to advance my career. Just like a band want to go play in L.A., so do I as a DJ. I already do, but I want to do it more, more, more, more, more.
Interview with S-1 Atomic
Interview by Katie Whitman, Photos by Kesha
S1 Atomic, the band formerly known as The Manhattan Project, is this close [make gesture of thumb and index finger VERY close together] to releasing their first album, Three Strikes. The punk, pop, ska, free spirited, experimental, fun loving, sort of pirate-like (at least they like to think so) band has a little bit of tidying to do in the recording studio, then the CD will be off to the presses. Off to the presses, that is, if you lend a hand! On June 15th at Anna Bannana’s, S1 Atomic will be Exposed! to help raise money for their album. They will be joined by the 86 List, White Rose, Black Square, Smitz, Dolls Till Daylight, and The Substitoots for a full seven hours (5pm-2am) of ass kicking music. They will be so thankful that you showed up to give them your 5 bucks that you’ll get a free 4 song S1 Atomic demo CD at the door. Now that’s a whole lot of giving.
What does the band say about Life, The Universe, and Everything? Well, let’s see…
You are now on record.
What’s going on? You’ve got a CD, so you’ve already recorded?
Cody: Yeah, we recorded at Low Brow Studios with Dimitri. He’s amazing. We recorded it before Jesse was in the band – when we had Brian from Golfcart Rebellion with us. [Brian] just laid down the scratch tracks and he was in there for our first show, but he was just too busy. He couldn’t come to rehearsal to record it. We figured that he probably didn’t have enough time to dedicate to this band if he was so serious about the other one. Then we found this guy.
Jesse: Yeah, so they recorded the majority of it. It was already recorded. We’re just trying to pay for it little by little. We’re actually gonna go back in and record a few tracks – some of the songs that I sing on…. We’re paying for it little by little and we kinda got this manager-slash-producer guy, Loneshark Rob. Super cool guy. He liked our music and he wanted to help us out, so he fronted the money for the album.
C: Yeah, super cool. He just coming up to me at shows and he was like, “I really liked your show, man.” I didn’t believe him. Then one day he walked up to me at Anna Bannana’s and he was like “Dude, what did we talk about last time?!” and I was like “What? What are you talking about?” He was like “Do you need money or not? What’s up?” Uh, yeah, we do.
J: He set us up the fundraiser show going on at Anna Bannana’s on June 15th.
C: Who’s playing that?
J: Oh, Dolls Till Daylight, 86 List, The Smitz and Substitoots. I think 10 bands.
C: Most of Josh’s bands. The whole Josh crew.
J: Hopefully this performance with raise for the last bit for the CD. We’re aiming for August to put out the CD.
C: The flyers that are coming out are going to be stickers for it. So collect them. They’re gonna be huge someday. … The record is going to be called Three Strikes. The song “Three Strikes” is having to do with the Three Strikes Law. No matter what your age, if you commit three crimes that are to a degree of seriousness that it goes on your permanent record – no matter when you committed those crimes, on your third one, you’re going away. We’re kind of anti-that, seeing as how kids are going to be kids. People in your environment, especially when you’re a kid, have a lot of stress on you. I don’t think that it’s right to put even teenagers in – if they’re gonna be teenagers they’re gonna be teenagers, if they’re gonna be adults, they’re gonna be adults. You should treat them as one or the other. They have rights here and they don’t have rights here.
J: It’s a good title track in the album because everyone in the band has done stupid shit, whether we got away with it or we got a hit. I think it’s definitely a good title track for the album. I think it hits everybody in the right spot.
Did you know somebody who got three strikes and they were gone?
C: No Nick heard about it in the newspaper and he was talking to me about it and similar stuff has happened in California where I’m from. That is the law in California.
J: I had a buddy who actually got three and was thrown into juvie for a little bit because of it. When I first joined the band and started playing Three Strikes, I thought, “Oh, I like your song.” A lot of the lyrics in the song hit me hard because of my buddy. Stupid shit that we did together and he got caught and didn’t rat me out for. It kind hit me pretty good and it is, it is one of my favorite songs.
C: I like my bass line. [laughs]
Who wrote the song?
C+J: Everybody.
Who wrote the lyrics?
C+J: Everybody.
C: We’re good collaborators in that we always respect each other and what everybody brings to the table. I mean, I’m more negative than everybody else in the sense that I like what I like, and I like traditional punk rock. Nick’s kinda the one that always pushes, you know, we need to do something different. We need to step it up and make it a little bit different. So he’s a good innovator. Jesse always brings in really good stuff. His stuff has a pop edge to it but still remains hardcore punk.
J: I think the good thing about us is that the three of us all bring a little something different. Sometimes one of us will bring a song to the table and we say this is how it is, I want to do it like that. Or sometimes, and I do it a lot, I just have the skeleton of it or just the backbone and I go “Put something in it. You guys throw something in it.” I think all of do bring a little something different. I mean like, Cody is more like punk rock. Nick is experimental. He likes to do a lot of hardcore stuff. I think sometimes I like to do – I’m super melodic sometimes I think. But those three sounds. They always get spun around and changed up from everybody come up with something. I think the sound had changed a little bit.
C: Yeah. We went from almost a Rancid-y kind of sound, definitely Rancid inspired, to a more modern hardcore like an Anti-Flag/Rise Against.
J: Some songs are a big mixing pool of everyone’s sounds or ideas. Or some songs are more like – Cody will bring a song and that will be more of a punk rock sound… All of us are super different and super individual but when it comes together, it sounds really good and it all mixes well. I remember Nick saying when I first joined the band, I had had a song called Little Joe and I brought it in. He was going, “Oh, I don’t know what this guy is about yet and how is writing style is. What do I do if I don’t like the song? Do I have to tell this guy to kinda fuck off because I don’t like his song?” I mean, everyone kinda took it and we just did it and it works. I think it always works.
C: And it remains that way still because we are always really receptive of what ever we bring in because I think we are all realize at a certain level that if you give respect to your friends, your bandmates and let them flow freely – nothing’s ever going to evolve and nothing is going to flow freely because there is that fear of expressing yourself there. A lot of bands don’t realize that that doesn’t have to be there. They don’t have to be a certain way. They don’t have to be afraid that it’s not punk rock or it’s not this or that. Whatever sounds good is what sounds good. We always happen to go the more punk rock way because that’s our roots. It always ends up being something unique and something that sounds like it should come from us.
We have a couple of jokey songs, like we have the pirate song. It’s not really about anything. It’s about Jesse’s birthday. We stole a boat and jumped off of it going full speed.
For real for real?
C: We rented out two boats on his birthday. Jessica (Veronica Daylight), her friends rented a boat. Me and Nick jumped over the side and stole that boat then went off into Kaneohe Bay driving it as fast as it would go. We were taking turns jumping off of the side. Then we brought it back and then we caught a shark, so we were pretty much pirates.
J: All of our songs are really personally influenced. Everything is super true from all of our experiences. Cody writes songs like Bird on a Wire and those are all personal experiences. Everyone writes stuff that effects them. I really like our songwriting. I think it’s different. It doesn’t stray too far away from what people want to hear and what they expect from us.
C: The music side is more open to critiquing. I think you should change this, this needs to double up here. But the lyrical side of it, especially if it means something to somebody, is never called into question.
J: You know who helps me out a lot? Derek. I bring a lot of songs that are just skeletons. I have this idea and it goes like this. Maybe I have something different in my mind, but it always seems like Derek, when he throws something in – he doesn’t even say stuff all the time, he just plays something different to try it, and I go “Oh, I like that so much better.”
C: [Derek] is good at that. Positive criticism without verbal communication.
J: He’s just such a good drummer, he can hear what I’m trying to do and go “What about this?” and I go “Oh, perfect!” Like my mind couldn’t even contemplate what [he] just did. I can’t even explain it.
C: He is amazing. We’re so luck to have a member of 86 List with us. They’re a big building block for us. Josh was one of the original members of the band. Derek is coming…
[86 List practice ends and Derek comes out and joins the rest of us in front of Vibe Asylum. We enter into a more formal interview situation.]
How long have you been playing music in general?
C: A year in May [for S1 Atomic]. Me personally, I picked up a base when I was 13 because it looked easier than a guitar.
Derek: [Addressing Cody] How long is that?
C: I’m 21, so 8 years.
J: Mmmm.. 10 years. Actually, I didn’t start playing guitar until I was 17. My first band I was just singing. So I’ve only been playing guitar for 5 years, but I’ve been in music for about 15.
[To Derek] Did you always play the drums?
D: I bought a guitar first because I couldn’t afford drums, but within two months I had a drum set.
J: He’s actually a pretty good guitarist. Sometimes if someone takes a smoke during practice he’ll pick up a guitar. He’s pretty good. I’d like Derek to come play guitar on one song but everyone is like no. Even Derek is like no.
D: If you have a band and play an instrument, I think it’s cheesy to switch. How long has Nick been playing?
C: I think Nick picked it up after high school and he’s 23 now.
How long have you been working on your CD?
J: We haven’t worked on it in over a year.
C: Yeah, we recorded everything and we’ve just been paying Dimitri back little by little.
J: They already had everything recorded before I joined the band.
C: Everything was done, but since Jesse joined the band, the style has changed dramatically. It’s better I think. A lot better.
Is that why you’re going back in to record some more? To capture the style?
C: Just try to make it better than what it was.
J: Especially because we play a lot of stuff different that it was played on the album.
C: We hadn’t heard it in almost a year.
D: We made that mistake of recording an album too soon. We recorded the album before we really even knew our songs. We had our songs down, okay, we’re happy with them now. But as time goes on and you play show after show after show, you kind of evolve the songs. I think a band should wait to record. Don’t get all excited and record an album because you’ve been out for a month. I think you should just wait and play your songs and learn them better. There are always going to be changes. Even though little changes don’t mean anything to anyone else in the world, but to you they will mean more than you think.
C: Yeah, because you’re going to be listening to your own record and you’re gonna be like “Ah! I don’t do that anymore!” or “Whoa, that’s weird.” There’s thoughts of just scrapping this record and going back and rerecording the entire thing, but I think the band has changed enough to where we can embrace this record for what it is and just move on from there. We’ll take the whole new style and just put it on a new album. But this one’s still good, It’s really good. Dimitri did a fucking good job. The best on the island in my opinion. Anybody who wants to go and record a record, even if they’re a month old, go to Dimitri.
J: That’s how that record is going. On [June] 16th at Anna Bannana’s, six bands are gone play.
C: It’s going to be the best show we’ve ever had, ever. And I will guarantee that. And you get a free CD – a free four track demo CD, when you come there to check out the show.
AND stickers?
C: Sticker flyers with all of your favorite bands’ names on them.
J: We’re trying to work on some t-shirts.
C: Next Saturday, I’m going up to the North Shore to screen print them. Morgan from Kainoa’s is going to do it. What else?
Why the name change? Are there way too many Manhattan Projects?
C: Go on myspace and you’ll see why. Truth is there’s one on Interpunk that have copyrights and stuff that those kids don’t know about either. They don’t even exist any more I’m pretty sure, but the copyrights remain that of the label that they were on.
D: We had a big two month stretch without a name.
J: We went to the Battle of the Bands and we were in the middle of name changes. We changed it at the last show.
D: We still even there weren’t quite sure. We changed it on Monday Night Live on KTUH.
J: We were actually in the control room and we were like “We really gotta do this. We really gotta decide on a name.”
D: We went into the booth for the interview and we changed it while we were waiting.
J: Everyone was being quiet and we were like – [Jesse starts pantomiming, pointing as if to the other band members and mouthing the words “S1 Atomic?” and giving the thumbs up.]
What were the other names in the running?
C: I was pushing for the FM Agency for a long time.
D: But I we wanted to keep the meaning of the Manhattan Project, the building of the bomb. It was S1 Project, but some people wanted the S1 Committee. I didn’t want S1 Committee because it sounded like a bunch of dry old men. So we kept the S1 and through in the Atomic for what it was.
J: S1 Committee and S1 Project were the code names for the Manhattan Project. We just kind of rolled it around a little bit.
So what is the significance to you? Why is Manhattan Project so significant?
C: At least for me, I’m anti-war, so it’s kind of an ironic anti-war statement. The Manhattan Project is what ended World War II and we are all for ending this war. In that roundabout kind of way, it makes sense. At least that’s what I think about it.
Interview with Dave Noodle!
By Lyle Fortunato Matsuura
History Lesson
During the summer of 1998, a few of my bros and I decided that we would make an attempt at forming a punk band. When I say punk, I mean pop punk, and when I say pop punk, I mean ska. We had one goal in mind, and that was to play a show with Unit 101. The key to making it happen was going through one of the only dudes on the island who set up shows, my man Otto. We recorded 4 songs in my living room with two mics on my mom's karaoke machine. The tape was peaking, crackling, snare, and the smosh of my metal zone pedal. We appraoched Otto at a Unit 101 show at Gonah's house in Lanikai, and awkardly asked him if he could give us a show. He gave us his number and said to call and leave a message. We got in touch with him and following monday we went down to his bakery to give him the tape. To our surprise he was floored. Apparently the tape impressed him so much that he offered to put it out on his make shift label Ottocake Records. More importantly, it lead to our first real gig, and more important than that, our first gig with Unit 101 brah! What's the point to this time travel muppishness? That show was also the first time I met, who today is one of my dearest bros. The man, the myth, the new waver before it was ironic and rehashed, closet lagwagon cd owner, the one, the only, Dave Noodle.
The Noodle
Dave Noodle has been a pillar (I'm laughing hysterically as I write this) in the Hawaiian Punk Scene for the last 12 years. Dave Noodle is like Cher's ass. The more time passes, the younger it gets. And yes I ripped that joke off from the Wayne's World special promoting the movie Wayne's World. It's amazing, he been apart of some of the most entertaining bands, the Sticklers, Das Muchachos, Zee Tanner Boyle Quartet, and now Temporary Lovers, yet he can't play a lick of guitar. That is how dedicated Dave Noodle is to punk rock. I emailed Dave these 10 questions to pick his... noodle.
1. Where did the name Dave Noodle come from?
In 1992 my friends and i skated a lot. they were good, i wasnt. So we went to a skate contest at aala park. They tried to enter, but were told they needed a sponsor so I told them to say they were sponsored by Wet Noodle Skateboards. I took on the alias of Dave Noodle.
2. What was it like growing up in New Jersey in the 80's? How was the punk scene different than now?
It was girls with bangs and guys with short hair. The scene was mostly nyc hardcore (underdog, agnostic front, etc.) I would go to hardcore shows, but I was more into the ramones and talking heads. But at that time it wasnt the hip thing.
3. How has Bad Religion change your life?
Hrmmm I got introduced to Bad Religion from some skateboarder friends. They were one of the first bands that wrote melodic punk with a message. Most of the other political stuff wasnt as catchy but you could sing along to br and still get the message.
4. How has Rancid change your life?
They made me more cynical about "punk rock". I never got into the whole mohawk side of things and they just made me realize I am glad I never did.
5. How has Screamo changed your life? What happens when your daughter gets into screamo?
Hrmm it hasnt affected my life in the least, except I can make fun of bands who call themselves screamo. That may be the dumbest genre name of all time. Basically youre saying "I am a whiny bitch and I will scream about it." I highly doubt miya will be into screamo. She is all about Kelly Clarkson and Johnny Cash. If she ever does I guess I will be forced to make fun of her. My mom thought I was weird for liking the cure.
6. Favorite scene moments from the last 10 years?
Hrmmm I think the Sticklers "Last Show" in 2002. When you can get a room full of people singing along to your songs and begging you not to break up, then you know youve made it.
7. Your an ex-marine, who saw action during Dessert Storm. The situation in Iraq is obviously fucked, and it's no secret that at the moment the U.S. is doing damage control. Things are gonna be bad if we stay, things are gonna be bad if we leave. What is your 2 cents?
First off, one is never an "ex-marine". I will forever be a marine, for good or bad. Hahahaha. Ok now to the question.
The Republican Party may very well be the greatest salemen ever. They sold us on the first "Gulf War" as a means to liberate Kuwait. So the 2nd time rolls around and we think "hey the first one was easy, this one will be too." mission accomplished indeed. we are basically fucked now. We have created the greatest recruiting push ever for Islamic Extremists. So yes, we should leave, but what happens when we do? No one over there is going to thank us for leaving, they will still hate us. The tragic part of this is all the people dying over there. Iraqi civilians and American troops. We need to leave, but I dont expect anything good to come from our leaving.
8. Who you voting for in 2008 and why?
Dennis Kucinich. He is pretty much as liberal as I am. He has no chance of winning, but I will vote for him in the primary. The general election who knows? I am more concerned with local politics. Hell, our votes dont matter anyway when it comes to the presidential election. I am more interested in who is going to run for local congress, senate, and such. People need to pay more attention to things in their backyard and not across the ocean.
9. Who is your favorite skateboarder?
Steve caballero. His board was the first board I ever owned. Old school. Nose guard, copers, rails, and truck guards.
10. What's on deck for Temp Love?
Hrmmm a few shows, beer, maybe a cd, and beer.
The local scene in Hawaii has always been unique to any other that I personally have experienced or been apart of. Because it's an island, people leave, which I think is healthy. I was jaded and bitter at 22. My ego almost put me into retirement. At 27, I'm like "Fuckin A' this is awesome, this is what I do. I make songs and share them with this community. And they share their songs with me brah!" Stoked that we have that freedom. Bands come up fast, and break up fast. You see it all the time, a fresh faced new comer with stars in his/her eyes. Fast forward a year, and he/she is running the scene, and border line over it. It's the circle of life. Seasons change. Things die off, and new things grow. But as you get older, you collect more experiences, you progress, your tastes change, you have more stories to tell. Your arsenal for crafting art builds. That what Dave does, arts and crafts. Long live Bad Religion.
