Also, I was under the false impression before they began that it was going to be a Queen cover band, so I was super disappointed with that.

Hahaha: Someone did Clones of the Queen a big favor by adding an opening act to the show. No disrespect to the local talent, as they’re certainly on their way to bigger things and it was a big night for them — but The Cure needed no help to fill a venue the size of Blaisdell Arena, or to give Hawaii an unforgettable milestone event.

New album from Stephen Agustin and The Fourth Wall strikes timeless chords.

Hawaii was always going to be a tricky state to cover, detached from the mainland by some 2000 miles its music scene is naturally very insular. Of course I found the usual Ukulele music, but in my eyes no one plays the Uke as wonderfully as Elsa Rae. I also found a lot of hip hop, reggae, a little bit of indie and of course my Hawaii representative Welwing. The first and only instrumental entry into the State Of Music project, Welwing is a one man show headed by Matthew McVickar, a mainland exile doing his thing in the Pacific Ocean.

Incase you didn’t get to watch and learn about all of the producers battling we compiled all the videos shot & produced by Hypoetical, big ups.  Enjoy and hope to see you out on Friday Ni…

‘ I present to you a Hawaii punk mix, which was put together by our comrade Harry, an ex-pat Hawaii punk currently living in Los Angeles, CA. He's been in a lot of bands since his teens, and is currently playing in Hands Like Bricks, Harry and the Hendersons and Black Fag (The Absolutely Fabulous Tribute to Black Flag) in L.A. and Eddie Murphy's Law when he visits the 808. ‘Harry made a mix for a friend who was curious about the scene over here. It kinda goes all over spectrum through genres and decades, with lots of old school stuff and a few current jams as well. Some bands on here have a discography of demos and albums, some only got to record one or two songs for a comp, so you get a really broad idea of the music scene over the years. Harry also wrote some great notes to go with it, which you'll find when you open the zip file.’

Great photos from Hallowbaloo this year, including the Baths show that I opened!

Sabrina asked local bands about their experience with Kickstarter, including me for the ‘Gate’ EP project funded on the site.

Christa Wittmier reviewing my first Lapwing show at Kaleidoscope back in 2009.

Two Portlanders who blog about their experience in Honolulu covered our Clones of the Queen/At Sea show. Very nice!

My friend Niko Rivas interviewed me and wrote up this great column on my Lapwing EP.

‘At Sea (Honolulu, HI) @ thirtyninehotel, Honolulu, HI. 12th, July 2011.’ ‘Not merely a reunion, but a reinvention, as the band rearranges their instrumentation and song writing style, switching from long-form drone inspired post-rock epics to a more concise semi-pop-structure featuring former cellist (now guitarist/singer), Yvonne Harada on vocals.’

“The tracks on Clones’ Gate EP are composed of dark, spacious, myriad textures, but if songs were colors, they would be lavender instead of black.”

Sabrina profiles the weekly music showcase. Ross: “But Kaleidoscope may have some form of a legacy. I think it’s helped organize and increase the quality of music, to a point where I feel like a number of our bands are at a stage where they can crossover. We’ve played some role in that. And a role as well in the transformation of Chinatown. I know for absolute certain that we’ve been at the heart of some indelible moments in peoples lives. And that is a hell of a thing.”

This success story is almost entirely the result of efforts by my friend Mike Pooley, who works at Mountain Apple Company and is about to go free-lance to offer his digital marketing services to the world! “These efforts are a great example of how an artist can capitalize on viral buzz. By linking to their free-download offer from the YouTube video, Mountain Apple Company harnessed the video’s exposure to increase their fan base. Their store is beautiful & well-designed, and their marketing efforts drove direct-to-fan sales around the globe.”

Christa covers last week's COTQ/Red Rockets improv music/performance art collab at thirtyninehotel. “Five or six people were crowded around a man sitting with a television over his head, suspended from the ceiling. Just his face was showing, so they were taking that opportunity to cover his face with glow-in-the-dark paint.”

Profile of friend Dominic Amorin's noise music netlabel.

A video by Jordan Blackmon, bassist for Toro Y Moi.

Photos by Tracy Chan. “The South Carolina-based ‘chillwave’ musician and his band brought their signature brand of funky, groovy, electronic shoegaze jams to a sold-out show at NextDoor Saturday night. Opening were local acts Clones of the Queen and Painted Highways. Although the club was packed and sweaty, people really got into the music, some dancing and some just swaying with eyes closed.”

Photos by Brian Tseng.

Gary Chun again! “Chaz Bundick and his crew manned their spaceship last night at Nextdoor, and took the good ship Toro y Moi and an audience of eager passengers to a nearby galaxy of sound and rhythm, forward thrusters go.”

Friend and ally Gary Chun gives COTQ and the Toro Y Moi show another shoutout in the Honolulu Pulse picks. Too kind. “Arguably the busiest indie rock band in Honolulu, Clones of the Queen had six shows lined up this month, and will be concluding their run this weekend and Thursday. Band member Matthew McVickar (also known as solo act Lapwing) is promoting his first club concert, and he got a great first mainland act in Toro Y Moi, the retro-pop-funk band led by Chaz Bundick. He and the band, along with fellow indie noteworthy band Painted Highways, will open for Bundick and company Saturday night at NextDoor starting at 9. Tickets are $20.”

“The chillwave-cum-funk master gets a job he likes in Honolulu.”

Honolulu expat Alex Hungtai put up this mix a little while ago. Good collection of gospel, old rock-n-roll, funk, some hip-hop and jazz. Fi is very lo. A great glimpse into the inspiration behind the new Dirty Beaches album.

My friends' band interviewed by Sabrina Velazquez about their upcoming recording. I am excited to hear that recording.

A new all-ages venue. Struggling financially, of course, but this is awesome. Idea: offer to do a weekly solo show.