Upcoming event Art After Dark on August 29th at the Honolulu Academy of Arts from 6:00PM to 9:00PM. It's free to academy members (I'm not a member), $10 to non-members (refunded if you join that night). I encourage all of my supporters who has or has never seen me perform live before to come. Yes I will perform as a featured guest, but there's more!

The theme is "Hawaii Ink" for Art After Dark, and the headline act is Hawaiian slack key guitar master Makana. I will be joining Makana, and his band for this not to be missed concert. Makana was impressed by my most recent First Thursdays Hawaiʻi Slam performance at the Hawaiian Hut with Hawaiian Ryan, and DJ Azia (tours with Tempo Valley).

My friend who recently came back to Hawaiʻi from New York for a short stay said that it was the best beatbox performance he had ever seen with such a strong community feel. The judges that night scored my performance with a 9.0 as its lowest as well as its most consistent score. I was prepared to do a complete solo that night with stuff saved that would've potentially tore the hut up to no return. I didn't get to do my complete solo that night, but just jamming with Hawaiian Ryan that night took the cake.

I was inspired early on in my beatbox career in late 2004 by how Hawaiian Ryan, Kealoha, and more would literally tear the house entirely down when First Thursdays Hawaiʻi Slam was at Studio1 (now closed down) in Chinatown. Back then I was blown away by live poetry slam performances at a level I never knew existed before. I often feel that First Thursdays Hawaiʻi Slam hasn't been the same since it moved to the bigger venue Hawaiian Hut with its different atmosphere (a given), but there are still the high moments I look forward to that often have me coming back month after month.

Opps I went off on a tangent. Anyway, Makana, and I rehearsed together yesterday for next Friday's Art After Dark event. All I gotta say is that we're ready to rock it. I hope to see you there!