A&E Wrap-Up | 6-12-15

West Hawaii County Band offers concert

The West Hawaii County Band will celebrate jazz, blues and rock ‘n’ roll with a free concert Friday at Hale Halawai on Alii Drive.

The concert gets underway at 6:30 p.m. and will showcase songwriters George Gershwin, Dave Brubeck, Otis Redding, Carlos Santana and others. It will also feature soloists Binti Bailey, Bill Noble, JP Thoma and Sean Wilkinson. Maestro Lisa Archuletta, a graduate of the Yale School of Music, will direct the concert.

This free performance is part of the band’s monthly concert series sponsored by the Hawaii County Parks and Recreation Department and the West Hawaii County Band Friends, a nonprofit organization.

Hulihee Palace event remembers King Kamehameha I

The Daughters of Hawaii and Calabsh Cousins present Afternoon at Hulihee starting at 4 p.m. Sunday at Hulihee Palace. The event will remember King Kamehameha I, Paiea (1738-1819).

The public is invited to the free gathering to hear the voices of the Merrie Monarchs as well as performing arts by Kumu Hula Etua Lopes and his Halau Na Pua Ui O Hawaii and the Hulihee Palace Band.

Afternoon at Hulihee is part of the palace’s series of free monthly concerts that honor Hawaii’s past monarchs and historical figures; donations are appreciated. Attendees should bring a beach mat or chair as seating is not provided.

Hulihee Palace is open for docent-guided and self-guided tours. Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with the exception of the palace being open 1 to 4 p.m. the Monday following the monthly Kokua Kailua Village stroll. Palace admission for a self-guided tour is $8 for adults, $6 for kamaaina, military and seniors, and $1 for keiki. For details, contact the palace at 329-1877, the palace office at 329-9555 or visit daughtersofhawaii.org.

Caretakers of Hulihee Palace are the Daughters of Hawaii and the Calabash Cousins. The Daughters was founded in 1903 and opens membership to any woman who is directly descended from a person who lived in Hawaii prior to 1880. Helping the Daughters in its efforts since 1986 are the Calabash Cousins; membership is open to all.

Pepper Back Home in Kona Town

Kona trio Pepper will play a one-night concert June 20 at the Kona Brewing Co.

The Back Home in Kona Town concert, presented by Kona Brewing Co. and the Brewhouse Oasis, gets underway at 6 p.m. with opening performances by The Darkroom, The Steppas and Oahu’s Ikena Du Pont &the Pocket Band. Pepper will follow.

Pepper, comprised of guitarist/vocalist Kaleo Wassman, bassist/vocalist Bret Bollinger and drummer Yesod Williams formed in Kailua-Kona in 1997. The trio played mostly house parties and garages before finally shipping out to San Diego, Calif., in 1999 to push their first studio release “Give’n It.”

Tickets are $39 for general admission and $59 for VIP admission. VIP admission includes early entry at 5:15 p.m., two drink tickets, pre-concert pupu reception and concert poster.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.konabrewingco.com.

Thunder From Down Under visits Big Island

Australia’s hottest export, Thunder From Down Under, will take over the stage at Kahilu Theatre on June 23 and 24.

Each sexy performer embodies a different female fantasy and brings it to life, turning your wildest dreams into reality, promoters say. The blokes dance on tabletops, make their way through the crowd and even select a few lucky ladies to join in the fun on stage. Critics, celebrities and fans from around the world rave that Thunder From Down Under is the best male revue show on the Las Vegas Strip.

Shows are slated 8 p.m. June 23 and 24, at the theater in Waimea. Tickets are $61.50 for purple seating; $51.50 for yellow seating and $41.50 for blue seating.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit kahilutheatre.org.