Night Market brings the focus home to Kakaako this month, with a colorful, eclectic lineup of talented performers, some of them big names, who will rock the main stage and perform up and down Auahi Street. Meet May’s main stage lineup, brought to you by Unsigned, HI Presents:

CAMILE VELASCO:

Camile Velasco was born in Manila, Philippines and raised in Hawaii, where she was surrounded by both reggae and island music. In 2003, Camile auditioned for the third season of “American Idol” and finished in the Top Ten out of 80,000 participating contestants, performing live for over 25 million viewers. Shortly after the completion of the competition in 2004, Camile went with her fellow contestants on a sold out National Tour. Camile was signed to Universal/Motown and has worked with notable artists such as Apl (Black Eyed Peas), Pras (Fugees), Jeru the Damaja and Stephen Marley, Bob Marley’s son.

ERIN SMITH:

Voted Best Female Musician on Maui by “MauiTime” readers four years in a row, charismatic singer/songwriter Erin Smith, who most people might know as the frontwoman of The Throwdowns, comes armed to the stage with her signature red lipsticks, high heels, faux furs, Steven Tyler scarves & guitar. Hailing from Maui, Erin formed The Throwdowns with musical buddies Ola Shaw & Ian Hollingsworth. The band dominated local charts with their anthemic “Kihei Town” and reggae classic “Stay HI” featuring Marty Dread, and have been nominated for three Na Hoku Hanohano Awards. Erin’s solo work allows her to showcase a more indie-rock, vulnerable and torchy sound. Her first solo album, “Best Disaster,” produced by the team that worked on Arcade Fire’s critically acclaimed album “Funeral,” is set to be released this summer.

SUPER GROUPERS:

Super Groupers (Navid Najafi, Scott Ohtoro and Illis It) are a super powered hip-hop collective relatively new to the scene, but already making waves. As a group and individually, its members have collaborated and opened for artists including Aloe Blacc, Aceyalone, Abstract Rude, Exile, DJ Swamp, DJ Krush, Dumbfoundead and many other acts.

AUAHI STREET PERFORMERS, PRESENTED BY OAHU FRINGE FESTIVAL

SPATIAL SCULPTORS:

Spatial Sculptors is an integrated community of movers that explore weight, contact, and communication in relation to each other and our environment. Through improvised dance, they create sentences, paragraphs, stories, and experiences. Spatial Sculptors meet regularly at Alive Ballet Center. More information is available at  http://improvdancehnl.tumblr.com.

YASU:

Born in Ube City, Japan and inspired by the movie “Patch Adams,” Yasu came to the United States to become a professional hospital clown. Earning a degree in theatre arts, he also graduated from the Chavez Studio of Magic, the most prestigious magic school in the world. Yasu has performed all over the U.S. with his Japanese culture-themed magic show, and now he has touched down in Honolulu to surprise and delight us.

ISAAC THE STILT-WALKING CLOWN:

Isaac Ligsay is a senior at the University of Hawaii at Manoa studying Theater. He has appeared in the premier showing of “Our Amazing Adventure” at The Paliku Arts Festival and recently at Ong King Arts Center in “32 Clowns.” Isaac is actively involved with TADA (Theater and Dance Association), an organization that supports student artists in their pursuits of experimentation, innovation and research. He is excited to show off his stilt-walking skills at Honolulu Night Market.

In keeping with April’s “Green” theme, the focus this month is on music with a reggae touch.
Starting this month, Unsigned HI Presents will be curating the music on the main stage! Here are the featured artists to look out for:

Roothub:

RootHub’s voice is deep, gravelly, and smoky, familiar and yet different from anything you’ve likely heard. RootHub spent years traveling between Kauai, LA, and New York, finding and refining his voice and writing dozens of songs, each one a story. One part Kerouac, two parts Dylan, one part Tom Waits, a dash of salt water and you’ve got Root Hub, a modern enigma.

MOJO:

M.O.J.O’s (Music Over Judgement And Oppression) musical roots stem from their childhood days on the islands. Sean Millson, Chris Llarenas, and Wil Tafolo grew up with the music of the islands. Exposed to different music throughout their travels, they incorporate the different genres they love, to create a unique sound that anyone can groove to. They are a reggae band that combines ska, rock, dub, and hip-hop to create a sound that cannot be categorized. Formed in the Washington DC area in 2008, M.O.J.O has performed on both the East and West coasts, in the DC Metro VA area and on the famous Sunset Strip in Hollywood, CA at legendary venues such as The Roxy, Whisky a Go Go and House of Blues. In December 2012, M.O.J.O was named the winner of the Mai Tai Rumble’s Open Mic category, one of the largest “battle of the bands” competitions in Honolulu.

Hanale Bishop:

Hanale Bishop is an acoustic guitarist as well as a farmer and owner of Homestead Poi. He is partners at the farm, He Hawaiʻi Au, with his father Daniel Bishop.

STREET PERFORMERS, PRESENTED BY HONOLULU FRINGE FEST:

Ben Sota:

In 2003 Ben Sota founded the Zany Umbrella Circus, one of the few remaining tented circus companies in America.  Ben has produced and directed over 30 shows and tours, performing and teaching all over the United States and the world, at venues including the Kennedy Center and the White House in Washington, D.C., Jordan, Ethiopian and Afghanistan. Ben’s work has been featured on Al Jazeera TV and ABC’s Good Morning America.  Ben currently resides in Honolulu, HI and just finished directing a stage adaptation of La Strada at UH Manoa.

Ben Moffat:

Ben Moffat has performed and taught, nationally and internationally, since 1986. Ben received his MFA in Asian theatre and directing from the UH in 1986 and in 1987 began teaching part time at University of Hawai‘i, Windward Community College. In 2011, he resigned as a professor and now freelances as a performer, storyteller, director, writer and teacher. Co-founder of dance theatre company Monkey Waterfall, Ben is a frequent performer at the Talk Story Festival in Honolulu, and has toured the public libraries in Hawai‘i and Wisconsin with various shows, including his solo storytelling performances using masks, stilts, and puppets.

Jerome James & Activ8 Electro Jazz:

Activ8 Electro Jazz street band is an ensemble of musicians, dancers and personalities that inspire movement of the people! Led by Jerome James from atop a rolling drumset stage, they will get the crowd going with a full horn section, emcees and the most amazing drumming you have ever seen.

Skate teams from 808 Skate, Fitted, APB, In4mation, and BDK will be at the Honolulu Night Market, showing off their tricks and taking on the skate ramp from 7-10 pm. Check them out on Saturday!

Ready for summer yet? See what’s coming, with this month’s swimwear-centric fashion show by Summer Style, featuring cuts from San Lorenzo, Kaimana Beachwear, Red Carter (found exclusively at Collins + 8th), S.Tory Standards and Acacia Swimwear. The models hit the main stage at 9 p.m.

Kakaako plant/flower boutique Paiko has generously offered their time and resources to decorate the stage in a whole new concept celebrating Earth Day: Not only will the stage be decked out with floral accents, for the first time, the models will also be showing off foliage in their hair.  

With Paul Brown Salon styling hair and the Haus of Beautes makeup team, led by Risa Hoshino, the fashion show will be a stunning highlight of Night Market!

Our featured artists this month will use a variety of mediums to support April’s Earth Day theme. From surreal plant portraits and DIY greeting cards to live painting to The Art Truck, a mobile enterprise that sells and promotes art by local, international and student artists, these talented groups and individuals will add even more color and creativity to Kakaako’s streets and galleries during Night Market!

Want to be more than just a spectator? Use Art Cards to participate in DIY arts and crafts projects, art classes and more. Become part of the creative process!

PECULIAR PAPEL:

“What you begin with will not always be what it ends up being,” says artist Xisco Ponce Jr. “Its all about believing in your PROCESS and not what you think you see in your head or on paper. Reality is difficult to bring forth from your mind if you constantly think that it is not possible to put it on paper. If you think of everything as an abstract of forms, lines, and textures, anything is possible to draw.”

Stop by Peculiar Papel’s artist booth for a stationery line of screaming characters overwhelmed by weeds, an intimate portrait of St. Damien in plant form and a unique, surreal collection of un-greeting cards and wall art.

Participate: Draw your own greeting cards with Xisco Ponce Jr. and learn some cool techniques on idea making! Cost: 2 Art Cards.

www.peculiarpapel.com

THE ARTERY:

Keep an eye out for the intricate workings of The Artery, the project of artist Erin M. Based on the concept that art is a necessity like the air we breathe, The Artery features a variety of styles, from tribal styles to intricate anatomical designs and artists like BEAK, Bother, Puff and Erin M.

facebook.com/heartofhonolulu 

RICK MANAYAN:

Punahou senior Rick Manayan will be doing a special, one-night photo installation at Night Market.

“The purpose of this installation is to provide a creative space for those who choose to utilize it,” said the artist. “In life, there is a need for creation and expression; if people lack the creative venues they so seek, there will be a lack of expression, and concurrently, a lack of innovative ideas. With my simple photographic gesture, I hope to provide the community with a safe outlet for individuals to express themselves in their truest forms without fear of judgment.”

Participate: Come take a photo expressing your creative self, and it will be included in a larger on-going installation. Cost: 2 Art Cards. 

http://rickmanayan.blogspot.com

808 URBAN:

808 Urban, one of Kakaako’s artistic pillars, is a collective of artists, organizers and volunteers committed to improving the quality of life for our communities through arts programming. Come visit the 808 artists, who will be live-painting on the street in front of the 808 Urban shop, The Refuge, or pop into the shop at 685 Auahi St. to check out the latest student art sale and exhibit that includes handmade recycled earrings.

Participate: Make your own spray can art in a youth-led workshop! Cost: 3 Art Cards.
 
http://808urban.org/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/808-Urban/238121150921?fref=ts

MAMA WISDOM:

Born on the island of Oahu, Mama Wisdom, aka Nikila, is a self taught multimedia artist, designer, and performer inspired by an earth-based wisdom of roots and culture. A mother and community organizer, her work as an advocate for youth, indigenous, environmental, and women’s rights has played an influential role in her style of her creative expression. Weaving underlying stories, traditions, and elements of the sacred indigenous with modern influences of the urban underground. Nikila’s art is dedicated to honoring the maternal personifications of Nature.

Dive into the open portal at Honolulu Night Market, as Mama Wisdom graces us with a live painting session throughout the night!

http://www.mamawisdom1.com/
http://mamawisdom1.bigcartel.com/

STOREKEEPER:

Visit the artist known as Storekeeper at Na Mea Hawai‘i (Ward Warehouse, ewa end) or Lana Lane Studios for original sketches,  pencil drawings and to commission original artwork. Storekeeper can work from a photograph you provide, or to teach individual or group drawing sessions.

Participate: Sit down with Storekeeper for a quickdraw art session as he guides you to the key in unlocking your imagination and creativity. Get ready to be amazed! Cost: 3 Art Cards.

TWO CROWS:

Together, Nick and Carl are the Two Crows, artistic partners whose logo symbolizes a rare unity and collaboration. Witness their freestyle techniques firsthand as they draw designs on the street!

Participate: Join in a drawing session, and your design might be the next one to end up on a board! Cost: 2 Art Cards.

http://twocrowssurfboards.com

JUSTIN TAKAHA WHITE:

“The Arts played a crucial role in my upbringing and have served as the perfect vehicle for self reflection and expression,” says the artist. “My travels throughout the world, combined with a diverse work history, have molded me into a powerful storyteller and cosmopolitan adventure-seeker.”

Participate: Help Justin create a new story that binds us all together! Add on to his on-going scroll drawings, with a final reveal at the end the evening. Cost: 2 Art Cards

www.jtwhitespace.com
 

THE ART TRUCK:

You may have seen these guys at public events like festivals, markets, and trade fairs, or at Eat the Street, Art & Flea and Night Market. The Art Truck is designed to connect the creators of art to the appreciators of art in a mobile format, by selling art by local, international, and student artists at various locations around the island.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Art-Truck-Hawaii/253352078117119
http://www.bigbanyanart.com/pages/art-truck

The next Honolulu Night Market will be on Saturday, April 20th from 6:00 to 11:00 pm. Come on down to Kaka‘ako for your fix of art, music, fashion, food, retail and more – all ages, no cover, only at Hoolulu Night Market.

The skate ramp is back at tonight’s HONOLULU NIGHT MARKET! Check out the BMX and skateboarding line-ups below and don’t forget to bring your own skateboards! From 7-8 pm there will be an open youth skate session and from 9-10 pm it will be adult open skate (3 art cards to get entry). Check it out tonight at the Honolulu Night Market, and mahalo to Mike Kays of BDK SKATE!

RAMP SCHEDULE:

BMX 6PM-7PM
Daniel Chambers
Brock DeFontaine
Cedric Ahsing
Royce Ingano

7PM-8PM Open Youth Skate Session = 3 Art Cards (parents must sign release form)

SKATEBOARDERS 8PM-9PM
Alf Kondo
Ian Okui
Chris Gray
Heimana Reynolds
Brian Johnson
Chad Hiyakamoto
Noak Doak
Kekai Sakoda
Andrew McMinn
Mike Hebbing

9PM-10PM Open Adult Skate Session = 3 Art Cards (must sign release form)

The Honolulu Night Market crowd will be treated to not one, not two, but three fashion shows tomorrow night in Kaka‘ako. Kicking things off, UH’s APDM program (Apparel Product Design and Merchandising) will show off their designs during a SPECTRUM fashion show, followed by resort and swimwear fashion by Tiare Thomas of Haus of Beautes, which will include the debut of Salt Liko, a new line co-created by Thomas and designer Matt Bruening with graphic designers/cultural consultants Kuhao Zane and Brandy-Alia Serikaku. To cap it all off, there will be a final streetwear show by Tiare Thomas.

Check it all out tomorrow on the main stage at the Honolulu Night Market!

• 6:45 p.m. SPECTRUM featuring designs by the University of Hawaii Apparel Product Design and Merchandising students
• 7:30 p.m. resort and swimwear styled by Tiare Thomas of Haus of Beautes
• 9:15 p.m. streetwear styled by Tiare Thomas of Haus of Beautes

On the Main Stage this month, we have another exciting lineup to keep your attention throughout the night! Kicking off with Honolulu’s talented multi-genre mixmaster, DJ Mr. Nick at 6 p.m., the night gets off to a lively start with the University of Hawaii’s Fashion Department taking the stage at 6:45 p.m. to show off some of their work. Right after, Haus of Beaute featuring Tiare Thomas will showcase their style with another fashion show, followed by Na Hoku Hanohano nominees/Hard Rock Rising champs Sing the Body, a street fashion show and the incredibly passionate Taimane Gardner as a finale. After the party is the Afterparty, from 11:00 am to 2:00 am at CoXist Studios – free for all 21+ attendees.

The Main Stage lineup:

6:00pm ::: DJ mr.nick (www.djMrNick.com)
6:45pm ::: SPECTRUM Fashion Show featuring designs by the University of Hawaii Apparel Product Design and Merchandising students
7:30pm ::: Fashion Show: resort + swimwear styled by Tiare Thomas of Haus of Beautes feat. DJ Anit
8:00pm ::: Sing The Body (www.Alt-HI.com)
9:15pm ::: Fashion Show: streetwear styled by Tiare Thomas of Haus of Beautes feat. DJ Anit
10:00pm ::: Taimane Gardner (www.Taimane.com)

Free 21+ Afterparty @ CoXist Studio
11:00pm – 2:00am (www.coxistudio.com)

On Auahi Street, outside the main Night Market lot, Fringe Fest provides more entertainers for your amazement and delight.

Activ8 Electro Jazz:

Activ8 electro jazz street band is an ensemble of musicians, dancers and personalities that inspire movement of the people! Led by Jerome James from atop a rolling drumset stage, they will surely get the crowd going with a full horn section, emcees and the most amazing drumming you have ever seen.

Stilt walker Ben Moffat:

Ben Moffat has performed and taught, nationally and internationally, since 1986. Ben received his MFA in Asian theatre and directing from the UH in 1986 and in 1987 began teaching part time at University of Hawai‘i, Windward Community College. In 2011, he resigned as a professor and now freelances as a performer, storyteller, director, writer and teacher. Co-founder of dance theatre company Monkey Waterfall, Ben is a frequent performer at the Talk Story Festival in Honolulu, and has toured the public libraries in Hawai‘i and Wisconsin with various shows, including his solo storytelling performances using masks, stilts, and puppets.

Dancers Unlimited:

Dancers Unlimited is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. They provide professional dance education and performance opportunities to dancers in Hawaii, and bring local an international dancers together each year to celebrate National Dance Week Hawaii. As a young and vibrant company, Dancers Unlimited has presented original work at various Downtown festivals, The Contemporary Museum, Hawaii State Arts Museum, Hawaii Theatre, Arts at Marks Garage, Trump Waikiki, Loading Zone and many other venues.