IMPERFECTION

manifold

imperfection

winter

1

the

a magazine for the independent age. art. music. fashion. profiles.

$10.00

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imperfection

Napua Camarillo For submissions email Submit@tTheManifoldMag.com

Most of the time this letter practically falls out of my mouth but this time around it’s been a bit harder. Perhaps because imperfection is such a underlying issue in today’s society. These perfect looking women with perfect bodies suffocate my social feeds making me constantly feel like giving up because how could I compete with perfect bodies doing perfect things, drinking perfect coffee and living in this perfect that’s anywhere but here. And while I strive to attain this ideal it boils down to fighting what just isn’t our ultimate truth. We are human and that by definition means we are made imperfect. We literally make mistakes all the live long. But may I just point out that the real perfection lies in the flaws. The best character traits are most likely things that may annoy us in another person. I used to get so worked up about my best friend for being too “spicy” but looking back, that’s her most endearing quality. She’s strong and speaks her mind and although I’d at times ask her to tone it down I’d never want her to erase it from her essence because it would take away the biggest quality that makes her her. It all reminds me of that term in Japanese: Wabi Sabi which is characterized by naturalism, imperfection, and asymmetry of unadorned objects and architectural space, and celebrating the actual beauty that time and care factor into their materials.

The imperfections of this world are deep. They are strong points in existence and long hold as qualities that should be embraced in our inevitable stacking of wisdom and age. Why do we fight it so hard? When I turned thirty I personally didn’t have a crisis of depression. I loved the new chapter. I had a lot of friends who were sad, who had associated the thirties as “dirty” and without youth but really it just feels stronger, smarter, more seasoned...and better at aspects of life I took for granted. Stay woke y’all. And trust that as you gain years you become a better overall person. Hopefully.

The world is dark. There are times especially in our social climate where I feel hopeless and grim but the beauty that I find to keep going lies in the the simple truth that without rain we wouldn’t have rainbows, without sadness we wouldn’t know happiness, without bad we wouldn’t have good. There’s a balance to the world no matter how unbalanced it may seem. So this issue is dedicated to those moments, those stories where nothing went right, those times where we felt hopeless, cause imperfection can truly mean perfection, it’s all in how you look at it.

Thank you as always to everyone who puts their heart and soul into this magazine as much as I do. Mahalo Nui.

Napua Camarillo Editor-in-chief Jasmine Mancos Copy Editor Writers Angela Balslev Emily Urbaniak Kelli O’Brien Jasmine Mancos Al Town Doug Upp Adam Funari Photographers Brooke Dombroski Caleb & Cece Torres Erin Paris Portrait Mami Lathan Welker Shaneika Aguilar Max Fields Erik Patton Karen Lemon Illustrators Sue Kidder Momi Lee Dan Madsen Wencke Chodan Jenn Matthews Manny Aloha

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14 32 8 3 8 2 0 2 >>>>

>>>>

Kimie Miner tells us about her

A quick trip over to Hilo provides

newest album, her love for Ha-

an escape to lazy vibes with the

waii and her favorite pidgin word.

bautiful Lei Lilium.

Husband and wife photo team

Take a little trip to Maui Brewing

Smitz tells us about their new-

from Kona explore the world one

Company with our newest writer

est album out October 13th, a

country at a time.

Al Town.

sophmore release that’s been 10 years in the making.

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64 50 58 70

We go on a Home Invasion to

a beautiful home in Kona that puts those dusty DIY projects to shame.

Our favorite new it girl shows us

Beau Elektro snarls and furrows

that imperfection looks pretty

her way into your heart one goth

damn good. Carly Compton rocks

face at a time.

a healthy size from the inside out.

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b3@k5 has been taking it from the streets to the stores in an exclusive interview with Adam Funari.

f u c k it l i s t All in a day’s pet peeve

Fuck the American Red Cross who can’t tell you exactly how much money from your donations goes to the actual cause.

Fuck 16 year old female bodies in fashion shows tryng to make the rest of us feel like that’s how we should look.

Fuck people who dont understand #takeaknee Fuck the crazy rantings of a lunatic with an ego problem who’s racist, illogical, hypocritcal, insane, unfair, and who’s “leadership” should go down in history for what not to do.

Fuck our society’s uber fascination with celebrities thereby giving stupid fucking people fame and because we pay such close attention to them-- money. Perfect example? The cashmeousside girl has a record deal with Bruno Mars’ label.

Seriously WTF. Fuck getting tagged in photos on social media that have nothing to do with you. Like why?

Fuck people who have a huge following on instagram and act all high makamaka. SIT DOWN BE HUMBLE

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illustration x sue kidder

Emily Lau

Al Town

writer

Writer

Oahu, HI

Maui/Oahu, HI

Manny Aloha Illustrator

Al has given up the flashy life of restauranteuring to actually have time to think. With a penchant for travel (when time and cash affords it), he loves to scoop up his partner in crime, hit the road, and make a story out of it.

NYC/Oahu Manny Aloha is an artist and designer. He spent his formative teenage years skateboarding in New York City’s Brooklyn Banks from 19871991. During that time he invented one of skateboarding’s staple skateboard tricks the “Nose Slide.” He received a BFA in Painting at Penn State, then moved to Brooklyn to master being a Skater Artist Party Dude.

A passion for surfing saved him from this dead end lifestyle. He moved to Honolulu in 2005 to immerse himself in Aloha and waves. His Surf Life comic tracks his experiences. After 10 years living in Honolulu, he momentarily moved to the east coast to explore Atlantic surf dimensions with her heavy currents and fast transitions.

Elisa Gyotoku writer Oahu, HI Elisa Gyotoku has been a writer since she was a child, writing apology letters for bad behavior to her family on a constant. Her passion lies in the accurate and increased media representation of POC and women and she is loathe to discuss herself in the third person but enjoys the challenge from time to time.

Emily Lau grew up on Oʻahu and has a background in writing and music. She is currently a story designer and creative strategist for IN MEDIAS REZ (www.inmediasrez.com) and is passionate about site-specific art, social design, & transformative media.

Doug Upp Writer Maui/Oahu, HI I just one coocoo mahu who like hook upp wit’ u.

So if you rock, rap, write, deejay, dance, design, publish, paint, paddle, parkour, surf, snowboard, or skate...

You like go on one date, o wot?

I not one slut!

I jus’ like to look an’ ack like one, because... well, it’s fun, cuzz! *So, if you t’ink you can (whoa man) handle dis punkee kinda funkay small kine chunky pot junkie lazy-eyed daily cryin’ crazified semi-femme guy* himme upp on the socialz And no shame, put some pics of your face, dicks, and/or feet.

Den maybe we could meet fo’ some sweet tricks, my treat!

Oh, an’ like da song say: Local Boyz No Ka Oi! K?!

Doug Upp IG: @shakatalk FB: Ho Stage Zine

Erin Paris Photographer Oahu, HI Erin Paris is a professional photographer and artist that has been shooting since 2009. She has studied at Rhode Island School of Design and the University of Hawaii but has a passion for self education. She is a Kailua native, loves and frequents New York City and is a long-distance mom to her awesome kid Zen. Her newest project is working on redefining wedding ceremonies as artforms.

Instagram: @erin_paris / @erinparis.hi Web: www.erinparis.com

Lathan Welker photographer Maui/Oahu, HI Lathan Welker is a portrait and editorial photographer born and raised on Maui, and transplanted to Oahu in 2009. Lathan’s work is an exploration of light, the human figure, and apathetic sensuality. Lathan’s life is a mix of building impractical cars, studying politics, and diversifying knowledge.

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the manifold Thank you for your interest in our magazine. We are always looking to give chances to new photographers, writers, and artists. Want to join our team? Send us an email about your interests and how you feel you could contribute to Submit@TheManifoldMag.com. For more details on submissions head over to TheManifoldMag.com/submit Risks are worth taking. Create. Submit. Expose.

contribute

What uncommon qualities in a mate do you find oddy attractive. For most people mainstream beauty is undeniable, there’s science behind why we are more attracted to one person than another but what’s more interesting is the stuff that isn’t typical. Here were ther 13 most interesting responses to this 13 Bullets question---“what do you find oddly attractive?” Illustrations by Momi Lee

Different colored eyes. When they look you in the eye, it’s like they’re looking through you. --BV I like guys with deformities. I dated a guy with one arm that was longer than the other. It was a weird quality that I really enjoyed.--EG

Dimples or birthmarks on the butt. --TR Fucked up teeth. I know it’s weird but there’s something about the character that people have when they have crooked or snaggle teeth. --CN

Thick calves. If I see a hot guy and I look down and he’s got Body hair, chest to belly furriness and big ears. – SK

chicken legs, I dont even think twice about him. -- RM

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My boyfriends big eyes. They remind me of Steve Buscemi.

--ML

Hands. They look purposeful. They look like they serve a purpose besides holding things and opening things. A good set of hands has a their own personality.--- EU

An ugly laugh! --CZ

I like the vertical lines on the sides of a mouth. The ones that crease when she smiles. Don’t know why?-- AT

I like it when

I like imperfections in

women wear

another person. Finding

backless things,

out they had a speech

dress tastefully

impediment when they

and know how to

were younger, being

carry themselves

clumsy, using an asthma

in public. –ST

inhaler. Something as simple as them constantly brushing their hair out of their face because it’s not

I like scars! Especially if there

long enough to tie back.

really gnarly!-- LS

--- MC

Kimie Miner Kimie Miner’s sweet vocals on local hit “Bottom of a Rainbow” reminds us islanders that island living ranks supreme even if it is in lil grass shack. Her new album Proud as the Sun is out soon. Check out our interview with the beautiful Kimie Miner.

Angela Balslev: Firstly, where are you from?

Kimie Miner: Born on Oʻahu and raised on Big Island in Kailua Kona.

AB: When did you start being interested in music so much that you got involved?

KM: Iʻve always sang since I can remember. When I was 19 I opened for Barrington Levy with just my nylon string guitar and one original song, Good Vibes, on part of his west coast tour. After getting off stage that first night, in front of a crowd of thousands, I knew that I wanted to do this for a career.

There was no better feeling than sharing my original music with a crowd in such an exhilarating way.

AB: How has Hawaii influenced your musical identity?

KM: Music is innate. As a Hawaiian, I am conscious of the practical value of music, whose role was key in the passing down of our stories through oral chants and dances. My songs are stories that inspire and entreat me to write and sing. Songwriting is an expression of my experiences, each album - a testament to a time in my life, the feelings I longed to express in those moments, the lessons I learned along the way. Art takes on the artists’ views, their hopes, their fears and if our art is a representation of ourselves, then music, my art form represents me - a Hawaiian woman with a deep love for her home, for its places and people, but also a woman who longs to see the world, to seek out other cultures and their stories, and through her searching, uncovers her true self.

AB: What is it like to produce your music in Hawaii compared to what you have experienced in other areas?

KM: Itʻs amazing to be in the place that I was born, connected to my piko creating the music inspired by my home, by my people, by our experiences. I feel the mana all around me. Itʻs beautiful, energizing, and calming all at once!

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interview x angela balslev photos x brooklyn dombroski

AB: Tell us about your future career goals.

KM: Outside of continuing to share my own music, I am constantly working at growing my new production company, Haku Hawai’i, into the kind of collective of which I, which Hawaii, can be proud.

Haku is a full-service music, audio, and talent production group providing access to the creative output from Hawai‘i’s emerging and leading artists, producers, composers, and musicians. We work with artists who are reaching across genres and driving the evolution of Hawaiian music and Hawaiian sound today.

AB: Beyond who you’ve already collaborated with locally is there anyone else you’d like to work with in the future both from here and in the mainstream?

KM: Iʻd love to write with Allen Stone, Jason Mraz, James Arthur or Jack Johnson. I love Damien Marleyʻs music and message as well. Oh and Oprah Winfrey! Iʻd love to write with her!

AB: Where in Hawaii are your favorite venues to perform? Where are your favorite venues elsewhere?

KM: Blue Note Hawaiʻi is awesome and The Waikiki Shell. I really liked Belly Up in Aspen where I opened for The Green.

AB: Is there a certain song that you LOVE to perform live?

KM: A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke. I did a cover of it on my new album, Proud as the Sun. AB: What were some of your most successful/meaningful experiences while producing in Hawaii?

KM: This last album was probably the most meaningful project Iʻve done so far. I worked with Brian Fennell (remotely online) and Imua Garza on Oʻahu. Both are amazing, talented producers and I really felt like they lifted my songs to a place I couldnʻt have on my own. During this process, at the end of each long day, Iʻd drive home along the east shore of Oʻahu, playing our musical progress, and be transported to another place. This new album Proud as the Sun is a reflection of my growth as a woman and the beginning of a new chapter in my life.

AB: When we say the word feminist what does that mean to you? And would you consider yourself to be one?

KM: I think of girl empowerment. Of equality. I think of the girl bosses that I know who work and achieve great accomplishments. My upcoming album will mark a new chapter in my life and career. I’m older now, more comfortable in my skin as a woman. One of the overarching themes of Proud as the Sun is the strength of women and the beauty found in femininity.

AB: Do you think it’s important to bring an element of Hawaiian culture into your music?

KM: I am a contemporary Hawaiian and my music is a beautiful reflection of that. I look to my past and upbringing to guide me while I navigate through today’s music world. I incorporate Hawaiian language and implements into a contemporary style, one that I feel creates a wholly new sound coming out of Hawaii today. I think at the core of all music we find what is central to the human experience - connection.

AB: Do you think local music has a chance to hit mainstream?

KM: Yes of course. There is a whole underground world of amazing music being created here that in my opinion rivals some of mainstreams top artists. Hawaiʻi has an untapped market and my goal for Haku Collective is to help represent us, the new generation of Hawaiian music, to the world outside of Hawaiʻi.

AB: Is there anyone specific that you dedicate your music to?

KM: My future children and grandchildren and their childrenʻs children who may one day help continue the legacy of Hawaiʻiʻs music.

Favorite local food?

Rice and shoyu!

Favorite pidgeon word?

Howzit Favorite thing to do when you get back home after being away?

Hiʻu wai. (jump in the ocean to cleanse my mind, body, and spirit) Favorite smell?

Ooh thats a hard one. Gardenia or babies.

Favorite place on any of the islands?

Hana, Maui. Kiholo Bay, Big Island.

Favorite song to play to relax?

Anything by Sade or Eva Cassidy. Oh and I canʻt forget Frank Sinatra and Braddah IZ.

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you got this HOW TO ORDER A DRINK AT A BAR ON A BUSY NIGHT collaborative efforts x napua camarillo, emily urbaniak, kelli o’brien and jasmine mancos

W

ho doesn’t enjoy a night out on the town? After a stressful workweek nothing’s sweeter than a stiff drink from your favorite watering hole. Sometimes however, great minds think alike and maybe your favorite bar is mobbed by an unusual amount of “non-regulars”. If this is the case and you’re approaching the bar on a busy night, here’s a couple tips to make sure you get your drinks with a smile and before the other patrons.

There’s usually a few “hotspots” at the bar - this is a section of the bar that the bartenders frequent, either because, a) they make drinks there or b) it tends to be some sort of behavioral sweet spot and more likely than not you’ve already gravitated towards it. Find this spot.

First, know what drinks you’re going to order before you get to the bar. On a busy night, the last thing the bartender wants to do is help you choose what to drink. Don’t bother asking what “they make best” or “what they like to make”. I’ll save you a lot of time in saying that bartenders want to make you the easiest thing they can: a shot, a beer or sometimes both!

Second, know your audience. Don’t go into a dive bar and ask for a mojito, and don’t enter a high-class bar and ask for their cheapest beer. Read the room. Better yet, if they have a menu, read that and look at their alcohol selections. Bars try to make it easy on you and display their beers and liquors. For example, I’m a tequila drinker. If I can’t see their tequila selection behind the bar, then and only then, will I ask what they have to offer - it’s even better if you can ask if they have your favorite spirit, with one or two backups to speed the process along. Be a grownup and learn what you like.

Next, if you’re with a group of people, have everyone’s order ready. Don’t wait to ask them what they want after the bartender asks you. Have your order ready with full quantity. For example: “I’ll take a Sierra Pale Ale, two shots of Patron, and a Tanqueray and tonic.” Be sure to have your wallet out with payment and for that matter, your IDs as well. On a busy night, most bars will have a bouncer who cards you at the door, but if not have your ID ready because it’s a time saver. Never assume you look old enough. The next twenty-two year old who scoffs before handing me his license will get a healthy dose of bar shaming in the way of “there ya go, lil youngin” for the rest of the night just to alert the other patrons that we’ve got a rookie on our hands. Watch out ladies lest you want beer sloshed out onto those toesies.

Pro tip: tip fat the first round. You may not think so, but the bartender takes note of this right away and you’ll get speed tracked the next time you order. In a sea of people where everyone wants the same thing, this is the best way to stand out. Never flag them down because a good bartender has hawk eyes and is already scanning the room. If you’re that customer who’s frantically waving your hands in the air for attention, I’ll tell you right now, that’s a RED FLAG for an obnoxious and high maintenance customer…. Sorry bro, back of the line…

To recap: Want drinks quick? Find the sweet spot, know what you want, have your card out and a smile on that face. Throw down a fat tip right away to ensure prompt service for the rest of the night. Follow these tips and you’ll be catching a buzz way before all the wannabe bar stars around you.

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Zephyr in the

sky It’s pretty common today to work with your significant other, especially when it comes to blogging but, the account behind this husband and wife photography duo from Kona is oh so much more than the average point and shoot story.

On your website it says that you met as kids on the Big Island of Hawaii, where you fell in love as teens, and got married in 2013. That’s quite a story.

Are there any fun stories you can share with us about growing up together on the Big Island?

interview x napua camarillo images courtesey of zephyr images

Oh my haha. Where to start.. it’s been nearly ten years since we met. There aren’t any specific stories that come to mind but basically our teenage years as a whole were super fun and busy. We met while adventuring with my brother, who would plan these “all nighters” that basically started off at the Hilton, sneaking into the pool and raging the waterslides, then up to Waimea to explore some of the caves or hike at night, and finally ending on Mauna Kea to stargaze and watch the sun come up. This was a typical adventure with my brother. He set the bar pretty high so almost every weekend was spent exploring our island - cliff jumping, night diving with the manta rays, bonfires, spontaneous camp trips, and surf missions.

Some of our favorite memories are working at Basik Acai together throughout our teen years. That place pretty much shaped us. I started working there when

I was 15, just a few weeks after they opened. Caleb would come up to copy my driver’s ed homework, and my boss pretty much fell in love with him and offered him a job. Derek, who owns Basik, pushed me to pursue my hobby of photography as a career. He displayed all of my photos on the ceiling and even set up a little area where I sold my prints and gained business. It was the start of Zephyr Image. We worked there together for three years, right on Ali’i drive just steps away from the ocean. We spent our mornings swimming with the dolphins before work, lunch breaks stand up paddle boarding right out on the bay in front, and usually hung out at Basik after our shift playing guitar, shooting photos with Derek, and collaborating on some sort of creative project with him.

you are at the wrong airport just moments before your flight). Try to brush up on the foreign language you will be visiting as much as you can. Be polite to other cultures and remember that you are the visitor. Use Airbnb whenever possible. Use Turo when traveling within North America. Inform your bank and credit cards of which countries you will be visiting. Be sure to check and see which cards have foreign transaction fees. Air-mile rewards programs rock.

It’s crazy to look back at these two kids who did everything together and constantly pushed each other. From teaching Caleb how to drive, even opening up his first bank account, to saying “I do” and running a life together. We’ve both grown so much, but it’s awesome to have watched each other grow and grow together. We know that doesn’t always happen so we are appreciative of it.

What sort of things have you learned in regards to the culture of the places you’ve traveled? For example, we take our shoes off before we enter a house here - any sort of customs like that?

You’ve been traveling a lot, tell us about your first trip abroad.

Bali: Ask for your check, otherwise they really just don’t bring it, haha.

Outside of Mexico and Canada, my first trip abroad was Bali. I had just turned 18 that year and Caleb decided to propose to me just a few days before I left the country. He must have known I wouldn’t have come home otherwise.

France: Don’t ask for a “to go” box for your leftover food. The French view this as bad hygiene.

I absolutely fell in love with Bali and a month wasn’t nearly enough time for me there. We spent a little time in Seminyak, but had a house in Ubud and in Uluwatu the majority of the time at the Uluwatu Surf Villas.

Before this I had been traveling a lot on my own within the states and even moved to Colorado for a bit by myself when I was 17. But after Bali I knew there was so much of the world I had yet to see and experience, and I couldn’t wait to share the experience with Caleb.

… and the biggest tip/secret of all: buy airfare the week of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Flights are always a third of the price.

A few things that stand out to us when looking back:

Italy: Greet with a kiss on both cheeks (left cheek first). It is also considered rude to not keep your wine topped up... so if you’re trying to take it easy and don’t want your host to continually top it off, keep your glass relatively full.

Switzerland and Denmark: Use eating utensils at all times even if you are eating fruit - something that is difficult for us Hawaiians haha.

Greece: Relax and have a sense of humor.

Can you share with us some “pro tips” you’ve learned in your travels?

Turkey: Remove your shoes before entering a home. And when sitting cross legged, make sure your foot is not pointing towards the other person.

Pack light. Pack ahead of time. Use carry on only. Arrive at the airport well in advance. Pack meals ahead of time as most domestic flights from Hawaii do not provide meals. Double check the airport you are flying out of (it sucks to realize

Morocco: Dress modestly. Refrain from drinking alcohol in public out of respect. When greeting a new friend or sharing a meal together, always have a pot of hot mint tea first thing - and pour the tea extra high.

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Europe: In some countries it is considered rude to tip and other countries highly appreciate it. Make sure you research ahead of time.

Which places were pleasant surprises? And which were less than what you expected?

Immediately Ireland came to our mind as such a pleasant surprise.

We have to admit Ireland has never been at the top of our list, which is pretty long, but the desire to go has always been there. This may be why it was such a pleasant surprise. Or it may be because we decided to go just a few days before we landed in Dublin. But it blew us away. The culture... some of the most fun and friendliest people we have ever met and shared a beer with. Parts of Ireland even reminded us of home. And it was beautiful. The grass was insanely green.

Like someone bumped up the saturation and contrast on that country. And the food... don’t even get us started on the food. Best culinary experience we have ever had. The dairy was the creamiest, most fresh, grass fed dairy we’ve had.

And the meat, bacon, produce.. everything was farm fresh, local, and way too delicious. I was honestly expecting pub food like fish and chips and had no idea we would be eating so well. The Guinness was obviously my highlight, so creamy.

The head on that stout could be scooped with a spoon. And Cece’s highlight was jamming/dancing with the locals at one of the pubs in town, she really had fun with that culture.

We know this may shock some as we’ve heard this place is everyone and their mom’s favorite country but: Italy.

Italy was less than we expected. There are multiple factors as to why this happened, like the fact that we had less time in this country than other of the other ones we’ve seen. Also, it was pretty high on our list so we had somewhat of an expectation. Even so, we still loved Italy so much. We’ve had better Italian food at home (my papa is full Sicilian) and this just means that we were in all of the wrong spots and we have to go back! We also didn’t get to experience the culture as much as we wanted to, which is something that is super important to us wherever we go. But with that being said, the gelato was no doubt one of the best things on this planet. And the Amalfi coast was beautiful. Capri and Positano were just insane.

We also explored Rome at 2 A.M. with no one out on the streets, and it is one of the most epic memories we have. So much history and ruins right in the city that people walk by every day - when it is so late with no one out, the history comes alive. We walked all throughout Rome and admired all of the Bible history and ruins beneath our feet. And even took in sights that are normally filled with tourists but were completely empty at that time. So beautiful.

I’m always curious about stories behind photos. Do you have any extra interesting ones?

After nearly twenty countries, it’s pretty hard to narrow down the highlights and interesting stories behind the thousands of photos that we’ve taken. But here are the ones that stand out to us: Greece - We’ll admit this photo isn’t the prettiest. And we probably didn’t even share this one on our social media. But immediately

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we thought of this selfie taken with the local waiter and his mother who prepared our food.

I’m not even sure how we stumbled upon this family restaurant but we left with our minds blown and hearts completely touched. The people we met in Greece, particularly in Rhodes were extremely honest. Like nothing we have ever experienced. We even were talked out of renting a car by the salesman - instead he discouraged us from giving him business in order to make the best of our time. This was unlike any honesty we had ever experienced and it was like this everywhere.

So when we came upon this restaurant we were already touched by this culture. And then we meet the friendliest man we have ever met. We asked him to bring us his local favorite dishes and surprise us. And he did. His mama made us all of the local favorite dishes. He sat with us and told us all about their culture and history. We visited with him the entire time. Then he brought us out the local Mystique, gave us gifts, and even gifted us most of the food. We were so touched by their generosity that we gave a very large tip - enough to pay for what the food would have normally cost us and then some.

When he opened the bill and saw our tip he started crying. And tried to give us our money back. Then we started crying. I can’t describe the emotion that was in the air, but it was intense. Then he brought his mama out and she gave us those big mama bear, full of love hugs.

She couldn’t speak English, but that definitely didn’t even put a damper on the bond we had shared with them. And we just had to pull out our phone to take a selfie with this incredible mother and son duo.

They left an impression on our hearts that we will never forget.

Ireland - I love this photo. We had just explored Bantry this day. And I was really wanting to drink a Black Velvet in a local pub, while listening to some local jams and sing alongs. Well, as we were driving back into the city center, the town was dead. Absolutely shut down. I was buuuuummed. We were just about to head back home, and we saw a hipster guy - beard, flannel and all - walking with a cute girl down the street.

I thought they had to be going somewhere fun. So I told Caleb to follow them (when in doubt, follow the hipsters). And I mean the town was shut down - literally quiet with nothing open. But sure enough a couple blocks down, they walked into a hardware store. We were so confused but decided to follow them into the hardware store anyways (we’re not always this creepy).

Anyways, you walk in through the hardware store and enter into a pub through a back door. A very, very lively pub. And once you walk through the pub you enter into another pub, a slightly larger one. And then you enter through that backdoor into a beer garden. And just around the corner of that beer garden there is another small room with another bar and stage. IT WAS PERFECT. More than what I was hoping to find.

In the very back room, this family was on stage jamming out. Mother, father, and their two children, probably ten and fourteen. They were so good! The mother and daughter were tearing it up on the violin while the father and son were jamming on the guitar. They took every Amer-

ican song and made it fifty times better. Everyone was singing along, dancing, and absolutely jamming out. And the best part was that this family played until about 1 A.M... on a school night. I mean come on.

France -(last photo on this page) We love this photo. In short, Caleb and I went wine tasting. The man who was telling us about the wine told us our favorite one was named after some lord, who they originally started making this specific wine for over nine hundred years ago. Then he pointed to this old abandoned castle in the hills and said the lord had lived there. For some reason we became fixated on going to that castle. Like right now - the glasses of wine may have influenced this decision haha. But we basically drove around for over an hour trying to find the entrance to this castle. Finally, with Google Maps help, we found a road that took us to the closest entry point. We then had to hike over a mile on this trail to get up to this abandoned castle. And we finally sat on the castle ruins, looked out at the quaint town, and watched the light disappear just in time for sunset. Then we hiked back in the dark and never once regretted this decision. It was also the first castle we had ever seen.

What’s a typical day when you’re back home on the Big Isle?

Wake up. Turn on the espresso machine. Decide on a breve or cup of tea. Daily Bible reading. Make breakfast. Feed Kitty Girl. Emails. Water the plants and garden. Edit photos. Book some sort of travel accommodations or airfare. Work out. Prepare dinner. Water the garden again. Feed Kitty Girl again. Maybe a little popcorn and Netflix or hang out with friends.

Depending on the swell we’ll surf first thing in the morning or midday. And some days we switch it up by editing at a coffee shop.

You’ve no doubt seen Big Island change throughout your life. Tell us what you’re excited about and what you could do without.

We always have this joke that Hawaii seems to be ten years behind the mainland and Big Island seems to be ten years behind the rest of Hawaii. Lets just say, there were plenty of ups and downs to growing up on this island as an artist. I started my business when I was sixteen because the photographer community did not exist. Not to mention how scarce a network of other like minded young entrepreneurs/artists was.

But this isn’t the story anymore! The artist/entrepreneur community on our island is expanding every year and it makes us freaking hyped. The Big Island will always be somewhat behind with the times - which we find refreshing in a sense - but never as behind as it has been in the past. Our island is definitely expanding and growing in all of the right ways. And the locals are more open to traveling and leaving their home, to other places than LA and Las Vegas now, and this makes us pretty stoked too.

The biggest thing that scares us however is watching the other type of development unfold right before our eyes. Both being native Hawaiian and just growing up here for that matter, it seriously bums us out as we watch yet another beach road become paved, gated, and succumb to rules. There’s nothing better than off roading to your favorite beach, surf spot, and camping spot. 4x4 access only roads = no permits and less tourists.

As photographers and bloggers, how do you feel about “blowing up” so-tospeak locations in Hawaii? I’ve seen it happen time and time again and I’m so afraid that we locals have nothing left that’s a secret anymore. What are your feelings about that?

Personally, we are more than happy to share our local favorites with travel-

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ers coming abroad who will really appreciate the experience and who put the time and research into towards finding these spots.

This may be because we personally find ourselves as “travelers” most of the year versus “locals” when we are actually home. We are appreciative towards all of the locals who have taken us in worldwide to show us their secret spots.

On the other hand, the Big Island is not nearly as developed as most of its sister islands. So a lot of our local spots remain the same. I feel our island is pretty underrated which helps as well.

It doesn’t receive as much hype on social media as its sister islands. So if things were different, we may not be as stoked on sharing the secret spots haha.

I’ve seen pictures of your home and I don’t want to get too into that just yet, because I want to save your home for our “home invasion” section, but tell us about what coming home feels like. Do you have rituals?

There’s so much to look forward to when coming home. With our travel schedule and lifestyle, a lot of people are unaware that we are actually pretty hands on in raising Caleb’s family.

Coming home for us means stepping back into “parenthood” in a sense. Which we wouldn’t change for the world. These kids mean everything to us.

Other than being with the family, we look forward to cultivating the next crop in our garden, surfing every day (or twice a day for Caleb), meal prepping, stepping back into our work out routine, and spending time with our friends.

What do you do first thing?

Drive to Kona Mountain Coffee from the airport. Pick up an iced Kona coffee - bold cold brew. Drive home. Snuggle the heck out of our cat.

What’s the future of blogging?

Vlogging?

What’s the first thing you do in a new place (that you travel to)?

Head to the nearest coffee shop, if it isn’t too rural. Otherwise eating authentic food is most likely our first go to off the plane.

Where will you travel to next?

We are heading back to Ireland to explore the Northern Region this time around. Also Iceland, because why not?

What’s the absolute dream gig?

Photographing the jobs that are meaningful to us.

What sort of things do you want in the future?

To remain content with our simple life. And to only have what is absolutely necessary, which isn’t much.

What things concern you?

Our favorite person in the world is a red headed cat. And she just turned twelve. This concerns us because we want her to live forever.

What helps when you’re feeling homesick?

Establishing a bit of our “normal routine” while traveling abroad, whether it be for work or pleasure. This can be as simple as morning coffee/tea together, emails and editing, and maintaining our spirituality daily while we are away. And if the ocean is nearby, of course a daily surf session helps.

What’s your favorite beverage?

Where do you eat first after a long trip away?

Cece : Tea // Caleb : Coffee

Cooked meals at home are missed the most. Also Hayashi’s sushi, Umeke’s poke bowls, and Original Thai.

What’s in your bag that you couldn’t live without, excluding electronics?

What’s your favorite thing about your home and why?

Our passports.

The slow paced lifestyle of the Big Island is hard to beat. It’s easy to keep life simple here in the Hawaiian Islands. Nothing makes us more happy than stepping back into our routine after traveling abroad for a while.

Also, we love how diverse our island is. One drive through the Big Island has you feeling like you’ve just passed through eleven different countries.

Rapid fire:

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Netflix binge watching.

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heady island hops From Maui to Oahu: an adult drinking experience at Maui Brewing Company

T

he whole idea was to go to the four locations Maui Brewing Company has occupied, drink beer, and let it all degenerate into a fun drunken romp. Instead, I learned things.

My buddy Owen used to work for Maui Brewing, so I asked if he wanted to join me and my girl. He now sells real estate, and goes home to make beer - oh, and babies. At stop number one, we saw him and his lovely, spritely lady — with their lovely, spritely offspring — bound up the regal walkway of the Kihei brewery.

They were all late, which was great for us; my girlfriend and I arrived just ten minutes before, ten minutes late ourselves. They wore cheap domestic beer gear to piss me off. Larissa was in a Busch visor, Owen with an admittedly rad vintage Budweiser shirt. Thankfully, Coco wasn’t subject to the lark. She was just an ornery two year-old.

Jeannie and I, vegetarians, sat picking at sad nachos from the barbecue truck outside. We greeted our friends with a flight of beer. Owen grimaced as he tasted the Hotter Blonde, their Haiku chili pepper brewed version of the Bikini Blonde. A lingering kind of spicy, not

for everyone. “Yeah, I’m ruined now for ten minutes,” he said. He gave a little background: When the company was still small, it would run out of beer to fill the cans, and those ‘low-fill’ pours would be canned, unlabeled, for staff consumption.

It was free beer, but also roulette.

Maui Brewing was started for the best reason: something was missing. Garrett and Melanie Marrero (the owners) noticed, in the early aughts, that beer on Maui was all made somewhere else. He had a background in finance, and they saw an opportunity. They took over a small local haunt in Kahana in 2005 that had brewing equipment onsite, and went from 320 barrels their first year to near the state limit of 60,000 today. Particularly noteworthy is that this isn’t on big-city Oahu; it’s Maui.

In ’07, they moved the equipment to a 99% off-the-grid brewery/cannery and tasting room in a Lahaina warehouse — where Owen worked. A year later, they pulled up the gnarly carpet of the Kahana pub in a big renovation, and opened up the space considerably. They kept growing.

text x al town

illustrations x wencke chodan

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Meanwhile, in Bend, Oregon, Tony Ren was running a resort that featured ‘authentic’ luaus.

Maui Brewing supplied the beer, and one of those kegs of Coconut Porter would often get enjoyed in-house, by the makers of the imu. After taking the fam for a visit to Maui, Tony’s wife made a solid case for a move since he already had a connection. This was when Ren moved into Maui Brewing Co., literally. He slept in the office for a month, waking up mornings to the smell of that Coconut Porter; he is, I’m convinced, a good guy. Now, he’s the GM for the Kahana location.

Ren is intimately familiar with all of the company’s operations and future plans. When Owen and I sidled up to him at the bar, he got just a couple minutes into sharing before we had to scoot off for the tour. I made a peace

sign with my fingers to point at him, then at my eyes, and back to him, to confirm my plan to chat with him at his Kahana spot down the line. I’d been daydrinking.

Sara Becker was our guide, and aside from having extensive knowledge, she also had five years of acting school, and could use a daytime television show. For the average bear just wanting to try some samples and check out the tanks, I was blindsided with a glut of information to take away from her twenty minute performance across the factory floor.

This is a big facility. 42,000 square feet of building sit on five acres, with the capacity to keep 1.26 million cans of beer in the fermenters they currently have on site — and six more coming. The equipment is all geared towards making the beer go out at top quality and faster, so less is compromised by the elements in the process: an automated centrifuge is used to filter and clarify, meaning less oxygen, more consistency, and higher yields; the canner itself does 384 a minute, also limiting oxygen; even the cans come from nearby Oahu, which means less time in shipping delays. And agreed, it’s a fairly new operation, but everything looked impressively slick, spic and span. It’s state of the art scale you don’t imagine on a small island in the middle of the Pacific.

They also care about the environment, a lot. There are 2500 solar panels on site, with twelve industrial Tesla power packs waiting to be hooked up. This makes them the only other brewery than Sierra Nevada to have Teslas in the country, and once they’re online, MBC will be one of the first breweries in the U.S. to be entirely off the grid.

Becker also told us they are investing in a CO2 reclamation unit from Denmark, which will cut their carbon footprint by fifty percent.

Oh yeah, and their spent grains are used for local livestock feed.

(Special secret: there are beautiful copper stills there in the factory, too. They’ll be used next year for single malt whiskey and gin. It’s going to be three to five years of aging and barrels for the whiskey — unless they decide to do a run of white dog for the public — but the gin, that’s more likely a next year thing, instilled with local flavors like lavender and eucalyptus.

After tasting all the flagship beers at the tail end of the tour, I didn’t risk going back into the 32 tap bar room. I was already a little snockered and needed Jeannie to drive. We sat frustrated in ridiculous traffic all the way to Lahaina, with Owen and his girls following behind us, and apparently Coco took that time — the whole time — to

31 When Maui Brew Co. moved their warehouse operation to Kihei, Kohola took over the space and some of the equipment. Buck helms the bar here, a handsome, distinguished old friend of Owen’s from the company who is a decades long home brewer. We got Red Sand Ales and looked around at the comparatively smaller space, where Maui Brewing created all their beer for seven years. Last year, the little brother Kohola won a pilsner bronze medal in the Great American Beer Fest. Buck tells me he himself made it to the second round one time, with an ale he made on his apartment balcony. After another beer, Owen looked antsy and revealed that he had to run.

Run run. Three miles, in the summer afternoon heat, to train with his team for the Hana Relay. He was smiley and pink in the cheeks, but seriously pumped about it. I looked at Jeannie, and we laughed and laughed.

A week later, without Owen, we went to the Kahana location to find Tony Ren. It turned out he was in a meeting, so we had a drink at the bar — which has a strip of ice running the length of it to put your beer on. Nice touch. When Ren got out, he looked like it had been a long day, but was nice enough to sit and chat for a while. He ordered a Pueo Pale Ale. Ren explained that Hawaii has a set cap for craft brewery beer production. In 2013, that number was 30,000 barrels; these days, it’s up to sixty. Since their move of production to the larger Kihei spot in 2014, Maui Brewing closed in on that limit, and are ready to expand again if the stars line up for legislative approval. With the space on their Kihei lot, they could gear up for 100,000. So far, it’s hard to argue against the company’s wise moves in reading the zeitgeist of the beer world. With all the benefits to the local economy, and the budding connections with Hawaii’s gastro scene, it may be a very lucrative kind of kismet for all.

Which brings Jeannie and I to our last stop: the fancy new brewpub in Waikiki. The Oahu venture is the first in their partnership with T.S. Restaurants, of Kimo’s, Duke’s, and Hula Grill fame. It is smack dab in the center of the Kalakaua strip, in such a sprawling second floor location that our server Kylie joked about wishing she had a pedometer, to track herself all day from the kitchen to the tables. It turns out her boyfriend is also a home brewer, and is very pleased

about her new job. There is live music every day at happy hour, which is their busiest time, and the menu is very kind to locavores and vegetarians. The beer is even found in the fish batter and the loco moco gravy, though our server let us know that some people don’t even come for the beer. Strange.

It’s clear that one of the synergistic effects of this union between MBC and TS is a welcoming to people of all walks. I see groups of locals, foreigners, mid-Western families, highfalutin couples, gimme caps, and hipsters — all in the same place at five in the afternoon.

When I set out on this project, I thought I’d be writing mostly about the journey. Usually, heading out for the purpose of drinking leads to something worth recording. In this case, I ended up dealing with a bunch of adults who take their jobs seriously, who care about what the customers are supping, and watch how they’re affecting the environment around them. This wasn’t a pub crawl. I followed their story like a how-to guide, for socially responsible entrepreneurs who see a niche to fill, about a product they love...and who want to grow it quickly and elegantly, without a compromise in quality. Plus, I learned a ton about craft beer, and though this isn’t Portland or San Francisco, there are people here with a real passion for it.

So, there in Waikiki, with the sunset on its way, I did proceed to drink too much, and turned pink myself. I had nowhere else to be.

We listened to the young crooner butcher Sublime, watched the light go sideways, and enjoyed some more cold ones made right here at home.

{

“This makes them the only brew-

ery other than Sierra Nevada to have Teslas in the country, and once theyre online, MBC will be one of the first breweries in the U.S. to be entirely off the grid . ”

{

remind them that her red baba was pretty important. At their place, Owen happily jumped in with us to hit our next stop: Kohola.

inspiration: those lazy hilo vibes that smell like rain and gardenia and the returning trends of decades before

modeled x lei lilium @_yoursoluckyijust

photographed x napua camarillo

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35

37

smitz

interview x doug upp photos x erin paris

Prepping for this interview, setting up that night, talking with SMITZ, then finally transcribing and piecing this all together, I felt grounded in one state of mind: all over the place. From the boys all hailing from classic or low-key local bands over the years, to SMITZ’s own evolution to their current line-up. Moving from the overtly topical punk rock overtones of their first album Cretin Crossover, to the progressive reggae undertones of empowerment in their October 2017 release, Skullduggerous. Even the conspicuously-recorded guitarist in the video for their latest single “Leap of Passion” has been replaced. Everything was everywhere, so I knew where I stood. Plus I had a lotta help and guidance from my gal pal, Kathy with a K. There were a lot of digressions worth mentioning with glossed-over details. I chose to keep the tribute to former long-time guitarist Kalani, as well as a refrain about basslines rumbling punanis; while losing tales of Tiny Tadani and Boom Kanani. I also removed references to balls dropping, bitch titties, doo-doo holes, chiisai chinpos, gloryholes, Joe Agogo’s proximity to Slo-Blows, self-promo on KTUH, handies from JC, micropenis torque and Prince Alberts, pimping accidents and prostitution in Amsterdam, reverse birth in Hollow Earth, Freddie Dracula and Filipino Boiz, Brazilian Butts, Bait Bus and the beauty of Black Square’s Brian Kim, the ethos of wearing the same shirts and hoodies everyday, Hell Caminos rockin’ muumuus, tattoo artist Momi Lee playing triangle/xylophone/diggeridoo in the band, and the crustaceous connection of catching crabs from a Red Lobster waiter. Minus all that, it’s still pretty cute.

Doug Upp: What other bands are you in?

Dave: [tapping his left wrist with his right hand] It’s like “dat-dat-dat-dat-dat.”

Dave Garvin: Right now I’m in Superfuct and SMITZ.

Doug: It’s too consistent, then you need more, then it feels like it fell asleep.

Doug: And you do what in each band?

Dave: Okay, funny story: One time I bought a vibrating cock ring with my girlfriend. We were at Long’s on King Street, right? And there was police right behind me, for some reason. There was like three or four police officers, and I was like, “Fuck, whatever, I’m gonna buy it anyways.” And the cops were behind me, I’m pretty sure they were laughing their asses off. The guy selling it to me, was this black guy named ___, and he was gay as fuck. He started touching my wrist [Dave starts tapping his wrist again], he’s like, “Dude, this thing that you’re buying right now? That’s all it does.” He’s like *tap-tap…* He’s talking about the vibrations, right? And I’m like, “Dude. This is weird, dude. Just sell it to me. I’m trying to get out of here.”

Dave: Lead Guitar.

Jonny Random: I’m in like, a couple bands, but none of them really play. I’m in SMITZ, and then this Operation Ivy cover band called Junkies Running Dry, and this other band called Royal Wounds.

Taylor Rice: I was in a few other bands, but now I’m just in Black Square and SMITZ. Doug: And what do you do in each band?

Taylor: Bass. I don’t need fuckin’ shit other than that, cuz like I said before: the only instrument that rumbles the punanis is fuckin’ bass guitar. It takes a lot of meditation, it takes a lot of chutzpah!… Those baselines are well-thought out. They rumble punanis and they drop panties and fuckin’ that’s what I’m all about. Everyone fuckin’ knows that. You’d do well to learn that yourself.

Dave: It’s foundational.

Doug: No, I’m totally into bass, ya.

Dave: Bass to the face!

Taylor: He loves big bottoms that’s why!

Dave: Big bottom girrrrlllsss!

Doug: I like the vibration, because it’s momentary, then it goes away. Like I don’t like vibrating cock ring cause it goes numb.

Taylor: He wanted to put it on you. He was gonna tell you, “Do you want me to show you how you put it on?”

Doug: I wanna pull it off!

Dave: Whenever me & my girlfriend go in there, we walk in and [he’s] working, I’m like, “What’s up ___?” And my girlfriend’s like, “Oh my god, I can’t believe he remembers you.”

Doug: He’s probably wondering if you’re wearing it, and if it’s on. Do kegels right now.

Everybody do kegels!

Taylor: What is that?

Dave: It’s when you squeeze your inner— Doug: Like when you’re tryna stop your pee.

Dave: It’s when you’re about to bust a nut, and you clamp it! Clamp it and stop. That’s kegels.

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like, “We gotta fuckin’ move on.”

Taylor: I’ve gotten a few hayjays like that where like they clamp down on it, and it’s like “BOOM!” Doug: You can just stop it?

Dave: Ya, you clamp and you think the most flat thought.

Taylor: Why do you even know that?

Doug: Tell me something about Nic. Taylor: So Nic [Sticcs], at one point in time, saved our fuckin’ band. We lost our drummer, and Nic, we always loved his drumming. And he fuckin’ saved our band, ‘cause we went for a while where me and [Jonny] are like, “What the fuck are we gonna do?”

Dave: Nic played in Whiskey Shitz with me in 2004-2005. He played with me in Ex-Superheroes, which is like 2002-2004. And Nic wasn’t even a drummer. He was the lead singer.

Jonny: He went into all these other bands. False Crack…

Taylor: …Blue Ribbons… So our band is pretty eclectic. There’s punk, ska, reggae, there’s rock. Some songs we can’t even classify very easily. So we knew that Nic was into that shit.

Hardcore punk rock. He was also into reggae, which Jon is a huge reggae fan. Whether it be roots or dancehall…So when he joined our band, he was a perfect fit. So he saved it, ya…

Jonny: Luckily [Nic] loves Sugar Minott, he loves The Specials, and he loves Minor Threat. He loves all the shit that we’re about, so it was the only choice we had.

Doug: How did you wind up in the band?

Dave: Jon asked me.

Jonny: Basically our old guitar player quit the band, because he was too busy with his other shit. We asked Dave to join the band and he’s a very, very talented guitar player. We’ll definitely fuckin’ fuck with Dave. You know? The thing is he joined the band right when we’re done with our second album… trying to move onto the third album.

Dave: So basically I’m replacing Kalani, and I have to figure it out.

Jonny: Kalani is the only member other than me [who’d] been in the band for twelve years.

He was with the band from the very beginning.

Doug: Do you have a message for Kalani since he’s no longer with the band… How was that for you when he left?

Jonny: Kalani is basically like Eddie Van Halen meets Tom Armstrong.

Taylor: /slash/ meets Slash.

Jonny: He’s a very talented guitar player, and to me I thought he was my musical soulmate.

But he left the band, and now I’m trying to push this shit into Two-Thousand-Twenty. You know? …It was super hard. If you were in a relationship with a girl or guy for twelve years, that would be very hard for you to leave… But at a certain point he quit the band, and I was

Taylor: We played as a 3-piece for almost a year and a half. We played just as me, Jon and Nic, the cutie pie that’s not here right now. It worked, but we always wanted that butter on top that bread. That was always the metaphor we used.

Dave: Am I not that butter now?

Taylor: You are now, exactly you fucker. But for a year and a half, we didn’t have that butter. We had a piece of bread, that we toasted pretty well, but it didn’t have butter on top of it. It didn’t have butter or jelly. Nic would be the bread. I would be the toasting. Jon would be the butter. [Dave’s] the jelly that you put on top that shit to make it even fucking more, fucking…..

Jonny: Yeah. I would agree with that. Dave is like the jelly that makes it creamy in your mouth. Whereas it’s already delicious, but now it’s creamy on top of delicious.

Doug: He made me a little creamy too.

Dave: I just joined the band, and I saw how many dope aspects there are, and it inspired me to get even sicker. I felt like it took my guitar playing to levels so above. That’s why I’m so stoked to play. And for me to try and learn Kalani’s parts, they’re hard parts. Kalani and me have similar playing styles, but we both have different attacks. For me to learn his attacks, expands my repertoire.

Doug: Which part for you is the hardest right now?

Dave: Well Kalani had a lot of solos, so for me to replicate his solo, and still keep his steez - to show that I’m not stealing his thing on the record - but when I play live, put the things that he wanted to aspect in on it, and then put my little flavor on top of it. I’m not tryna steal it, but I’m paying tribute. It’s about being respectful.

Doug: So is there a plan? A lot of bands put out CDs, they put all this work into it, do a few shows, and then it’s kinda done. Are you gonna do that? Like do you have promotion plans?

Jonny: It could be that. We wanna tour on this record. Hopefully. I want to. I don’t know about the rest of the guys.

Taylor: It’s in the works. We’re planning on it. Maybe like a West Coast thing.

Doug: Are you guys rich, because you’re all musicians and you play all the time, so you can afford it?

Taylor: Probably the brokest musicians you’re gonna meet.

Jonny: That’s why being a band for twelve years is not easy in Hawaii. If you fucking play music in Hawaii, it’s either because you love living in Hawaii or you love [playing live music], or it’s the mixture of the both.

You’re not gonna make money.

Dave: You don’t get paid! So basically for twelve years, you’re twelve years without a salary. Like for me, I have to request off from my job that’s good, just to play for free. If I had worked that day I could have made triple the amount. But for me, it’s not about that.

Jonny: Oh we’ll make like fifty bucks. And that… money goes is into our new album. That’s why when we recorded our last album Skullduggerous, we were debt free for about four or five months. Which was like a lot of session recording, which woulda came out to like seventeen hundred dollars. You know it was all free, because I fucking made sure that money was in the bank. I’m the one who writes… most of the songs.

And I’m the one who makes sure the money is there when it comes time to record our new album. Or press

a thousand copies of our $2300 album. I’m the fucking guy who is the financial advisor, to all this shit, you know?

And he told us, the tour guide, that this was Lover’s Leap and that really stuck with me. And that’s probably one of the best songs on our record.

Doug: So bands do get payed, but you’re not making your living as a musician?

Doug: So you say it’s not as political, but are you still politically-minded?

Jonny: No way. We’re not playing like fuckin’ “Drop Baby Drop.”

Jonny: I don’t have my ear to the concrete to see what is happening in the streets. But my mind is on the bigger picture. Beyond politics like, “You’re left-wing, I’m right-wing. What the fuck separates us, what makes us different.” Break it down to human issues. The first record was when George Bush was President, and it was a hot climate. Now it’s still hot with Donald Trump. But at the end of the day I’ve become so jaded to this climate, what the fuck is the political shit? It’s about us being human beings, and being appreciative of what we have and being good to each other.

Taylor: I been in bands where we played for money. It was great and all, but this band has never been about that. It’s more what we’re tryna put forth with a message. Sometimes we play shows for a good amount of people. Sometimes we play for like three people. But if there’s three people there that are stoked as fuck, that means the world to us. Much more than getting a hundred bucks per person or some shit.

Doug: Did you call [the new album] Skullduggerous because my name’s Doug, and you’re gonna skullfuck me?

Jonny: The story behind Skullduggerous is our [old drummer Brennan] was getting married in Waimea Valley in 2012. We went to Borders and they had this CD on sale for a dollar. It was called Children’s Pidgin Stories… from the ’60’s, it’s super old, Kent Bowman I think. The quote that we use on the single called “Leap of Passion,” he used to say, “Strokin’ down the beach fucking broking his brains with skullduggerous calculations.” I was like, “I gotta fucking use that!”

Skullduggerous means ‘sleight of hand’, like ‘trickery’.

Doug: So what is the theme of Skullduggerous? Is it similar to Cretin Crossover?

Jonny: It’s pretty different from that album I would say, because there was a lot of punk rock on the first album. This album there’s a little bit less punk rock and more reggae influence.

Dave: The songs are more progressive. I think it sounds dope, personally… from listening to the first and second, you can hear it. Maturity.

Doug: Is the lyrical content [of Skullduggerous] similar to the first one, because [Cretin Crossover] is kinda political?

Jonny: I don’t think there’s one song that’s really political. It’s a culmination of life experiences.

Looking at things from the outside in. We have a song on the new record called “Leap of Passion,” about people jumping off Makapu’u Lighthouse, because their ex broke-up with them.

Dave: So it’s about suicide? It seems like a positive song.

Jonny: It is about suicide, but there’s a positive spin, where I’m like, “They might have done that too, but I don’t wanna see you go.” If you read it for the lyrics, it’s a really emotional record. “Leap of Passion” is about being blinded by heartbreak and just like, “You know what, I got nothing to lose. I’m in a leap of passion. My passion is defeat. I’m just jumping off the rock.” I went on a ghost tour in 2008.

We all pointed our cameras, there’s thirty of us, and we all caught orbs on the Makapu’u Lighthouse.

Doug: There was that lyric: “Everyone you meet is so jaded. They all speak their minds, but they can’t be persuaded.” What do you mean?

Jonny: Basically everybody’s so steadfast in their mindset, you could speak a counter-argument [and] they’re not even gonna hear it. There’s no middle ground between the left and the right. That is the Cretin Crossover right there. When I was a child, people were raised to be good to each other. You’re instilled these morals from your parents, if you have that type of infrastructure in your life. As years go on, you start to degrade your morals and there’s no middle ground because everybody doesn’t give a fuck about each other. [They’re] jaded to the fact that there might be truth on the right. There might be truth on the left. Nobody’s willing to hear each other out. This is the political climate we live in.

Doug: Did you do the full purge of all your Facebook friends that don’t agree with you?

Jonny: No Taylor: I would say he’s pretty open-minded. I don’t think he would do that. Even if he totally disagrees with some shit. I don’t see him as being that dude that’s like, “Fuck you! I’m gonna delete you.” What is that gonna solve?

Dave: Kinda dumb to purge your friends just for their political views. We’re all a democracy here, so you have the right to choose your side. That’s what I don’t understand.

Taylor: If you’re unwilling to listen to the other side, how are you ever gonna formulate your own argument against it? It’s actually healthy… Sometimes let them go off on a rant, even if it’s some crazy-ass shit, and you pick it to pieces right after that.

Doug: I thought I was so clever when I came up with, “How can you undermine someone, unless you understand them?”… Do you think it’s punk rock to be outspoken politically any more? I remember ten or twenty years ago I used to see all the punk kids at all these stupid protest parades… not stupid, but whatever… I remember 86 List on the back of a flatbed truck… I still go to some of those things, I don’t know if people are involved in other ways, but I don’t see punk rock presence at any of these outspoken events anymore. Does it matter?

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Jonny: How they misconstrue that as being sexist and misogynistic is beyond me. I’m trying to empower women. Anybody!

Doug: So is “Booty Shorts” gonna be a video?

Jonny: That’s what we’re planning. We’re tryna get at least five chicks with each letter of the band’s name on their ass. We’re planning on doing it big.

I’ll probably be the one to edit it.

David: Say, “What bands influence SMITZ?” Doug: What bands influence SMITZ? Jonny: The Rudiments, Fugazi, Minor Threat, The Adolescents, Kalapana, Bad Manners… The new album has a Bad Manners cover on there, called “Jezebel.” Our record label is Audio Bento Records.

Taylor: I would say that’s a testament to how much we do it DIY. That is Jon’s record label. He created it himself. And we do all our shit on our own.

A lotta people talk about DIY shit, but this is really, truly that. We made that decision before Cretin Crossover came out. He was like, “We’re gonna do it all on our own. We’re gonna pay for it up front. And I wanna call the record label Audio Bento, and it’s my shit…” I wanted it to be Nani No Mo Hea Records… I got overruled on that one, but I like “Nani No Mo Hea.” Which if you really want that song, I’m pretty sure it’s still on myspace. What’re the lyrics?

Jonny: It goes:

Jonny: Maybe in Hawaii people are just complacent. I feel like we’re in that 2017 era where people are, “You know what?

Donald Trump’s our president. We’re just gonna sit in this muck.”

But I think it is punk rock to be outspoken against the government, no matter what time it is.

Doug: Is there gonna be another music video?

Jonny: Ya we’re tryna to make another music video for the song “Booty Shorts.”

Taylor: We should talk about “Booty Shorts.” That’s one thing we should talk about, because that’s one of the most polarizing songs we had. People didn’t get what it was about.

Jonny: I was trying to write the most ridiculous song I could, about something that I really liked. I like walking down the street and seeing chicks in yoga shorts, which are basically booty shorts. I would love to see the accentuation of their booty protruding through the god-given restraints of those clothes.

Taylor: He’s an ass man. Quote me on that. But what we realized

with this song, a lot of people slut shame. Like, “You’re wearing those shorts, you’re a fuckin’ slut.” We don’t agree with that because you should be able to be comfortable wearing whatever the fuck you want. If you’re a dude and you wanna wear a muumuu, fuckin’ do that. If you’re a girl and you wanna wear booty shorts, do whatever you want. You shouldn’t be labeled as something and told off… “Booty Shorts” became a song that was polarizing, ‘cause people thought it was a song about how much we love asses. Like another “I like big butts and I cannot lie.” That’s not what it was.

It was more about, “You should be comfortable whether you’re a male or female. Wear whatever you want, and you shouldn’t have to be afraid of a label someone’s gonna give you.”

Jonny: “Booty Shorts” really divides the crowd in half. Some people fuckin’ hate that song. They think I’m being chauvinistic.

They think I’m being sexist. The lyrics are: Some say, “They make you look like a slut.”

I say, “You gotta fuckin’ flaunt that butt!”

With the outline of your crack just stickin’ out Somebody’s got some fuckin’ complaint to think about.

I come from Alakea. My nani get no mo hea Lookin’ for a boto with style and flair I went to Hotel Street to get some skeet-skeet So much gravy in my mouth that it drips to my feet.

Waianae sluts, you know they ain’t got shit.

I collect so much Benjy’s from lickin’ their tips.

Frank DeLima had a real wild ride.

When my mahu boner tore up his insides.

Taylor: That’s where it came from. Back in the day, we’d sit in my room and put beats on Garage Band. “Boom ba-chick! Boom-boom chick!” And he just did this flow that was funny as fuck… I was like, “Dude, Nani No Mo Hea Records.” But he went with Audio Bento, and I was like, “That’s more legit.”

But I voted for Nani No Mo Hea. Doug: When you’re in your muumuu, that should be your name. My friend’s name is Shirley Nomoboto.

Taylor: For real though, it almost describes our band. Because like I said, we mix it up a lot. We have a lot of different styles that we do. And a bento is basically a mixed plate of shit.

Jonny: That’s like what SMITZ is.

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imperfection doest look so bad

image x @portrait_mami modeled x ciera

the manifold

dream state dream state dream state a dreamlike state on the big island of hawai’i with a twin lens camera called tim. photos x napua camarillo

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Home Invasion is a regular column dedicated to unique and charming homes from Hawaii and beyond.

Do you have an interesting abode?

Send your photo submissions to Submit@TheManifoldMag.com

i n v a s i o n

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NAME: Ana Castillo AGE:39 LOCATION: Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii # OF YEARS YOU’VE LIVED THERE: 18 WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT WHERE YOU LIVE GEOGRAPHICALLY? I love that we live on a farm in a fairly remote area of South Kona, with some of the Big Island’s best beaches just a ten minute drive away. Our farm is surrounded by jungle and provides us with an abundance of fresh tropical fruit including mango, avocado, papaya, passion fruit, lychee, macadamia nuts and Kona coffee for our daily cup! I also tend a large organic garden and collect eggs from wild chickens who roam freely all over our property.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE AREA IN YOUR HOME? Our kitchen. It’s the place where we all gather to cook, eat and catch up on our day. It was created with an eclectic mix of materials and appliances, many of them salvaged or found on Craigslist or at yard sales.

The counter is a 2” thick slab of locally milled lychee wood and the floor is reclaimed cypress. We periodically whitewash the under-counter cabinets giving them a plastered look, while the cabinet doors are cypress (leftover from the floor) with hand hewn wooden latches. It’s a nice contrast and reminds me of a Greek farmhouse.

Bulk grains and fruit are kept in a “pie safe” screened pantry, while open shelves hold plates and bowls. Wooden crates house coffee and tea supplies and mugs and there’s even a shelf for our fermentation crocks. The corrugated metal wall above the counter has been very functional as a place to hang our large collection of cast iron pans as well as metal IKEA rails with S-hooks for utensils. The Viking refrigerator and dishwasher were Craigslist scores, while the vintage enamel kitchen sink was found on our farm buried under brush!

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO UPGRADE OR CHANGE? I like to keep things fresh by continuously updating my furnish-

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ings and accessories with new pieces from my travels and local thrifted finds.

It’s also become a tradition that every time my birthday rolls around, my husband gifts me with an upgrade of my choice for our house. This year, it was a revamped laundry room, complete with a built-in plywood folding counter, broom closet and enclosed storage shelves. Next year I think I would like to expand our front lan WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF “HOME”?

To me, home is a sanctuary where you can slow down and totally be yourself. It’s also a place to create memories with friends and family and those you love.

FAVORITE PIECE OF FURNITURE? Currently it’s our king-size bed and headboard that my husband recently built for us out of up-cycled shipping palettes and scrap wood. It’s simple and straightforward and has a great, natural patina.

WHAT DOES YOUR DREAM HOME HAVE THAT YOUR CURRENT HOME DOESN’T? Stone walls with an open layout and polished cement floors.

Oh and a swimming pool!

HOW DO YOU FEEL YOUR HOME IS UNIQUE? I feel that the defining element which makes our home unique is the four hundred square foot tent with dramatic twenty foot high ceilings that is our living room. The Scandia-modern simplicity of the white canvas walls and cement gray floors serve as a nice backdrop for the layered, vintage/ bohemian mix of textiles and artifacts we have collected.

While we didn’t set out to build a unique space, I would love to think that our home inspires others to do more with less and to live sustainably and authentically with style.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ESTHETIC? My aesthetic is a mix of modern and rustic. I like the contrast of simple, functional and minimalist with a bit of

“Home is a sanctuary where you can slow down and totally be yourself.” vintage/bohemian as well as some harder edge industrial elements. I’m drawn to a white, neutral and natural palette with pops of subtle color. I have a strong connection to nature and always try to incorporate it into my interior decor - a single banana leaf in a glass vase, potted plants in stone or concrete pots, wooden stumps collected from our farm as side tables and sheepskin and linen textiles for softness.

WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO SHOP FOR YOUR HOME? For over a decade, I have been a global buyer and design assistant at Jeanne Marie Imports , the Big Island’s premier design destination and showroom. One of the biggest perks of my job has been the opportunity to source pieces for my own home during frequent buying trips to Bali and Morocco.

I am also very fortunate to be able to work with my uber talented husband whose skill set ranges from masonry to woodworking. He is a master up-cycler and regularly collects and stockpiles a wide variety of salvaged building materials (glass, stone, marble, metal and wood) in his workshop. He can pretty much make anything I design! We love to collaborate so much that we recently launched our own design studio and website, The Castillo Collective, as a platform to document and share our latest design projects.

Both my husband and I are California natives and try to get back to the Bay Area and LA a few times a year to see family and friends and check out our favorite design shops!

www.jeannemarieimports.com www.thecastillocollective.com

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inside with

carly compton

photos x lathan welker

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“

“Recently, I was driving my daughter to school and she said to me, out of the blue, ‘Mama?’ I said, ‘Yes, baby?’ She said, ‘I’m the ugliest girl I know.’

And I said, ‘Huh?’ And she was like, ‘Yeah, I look like a boy with long hair.’

And my brain went to, ‘Oh my god, you’re six. Why? Where is this coming from? Who said this? Can I kick a 6-year-old’s ass, like what?’

But I didn’t say anything. Instead I went home and I made a Powerpoint presentation for her. And in that presentation were androgynous rockstars and artists that live their truth, are probably made fun of every day of their life, and carry on, wave their flag and inspire the rest of us. And these are artists like Michael Jackson and David Bowie and Freddie Mercury and Annie Lennox and Prince and Janis Joplin and George Michael, Elton John, so many artists — her eyes glazed over. But then I said, ‘You know, I really want to know why you feel this way about yourself.’ And she said, ‘Well I look like a boy,’ and I said, ‘Well what do you think I look like?’ And she said, ‘Well you’re beautiful.’ And I was like, ‘Well, thanks. But when people make fun of me, that’s what they use. They say I look like a boy or I’m too masculine or I have too many opinions, my body is too strong.’

And I said to her, ‘Do you see me growing my hair?’ She said, ‘No, mama.’

I said, ‘Do you see me changing my body?’ ‘No, mama.’ ‘Do you see me changing the way I present myself to the world?’ ‘No, mama.’ ‘Do you see me selling out arenas all over the world?’ ‘Yes, Mama.’ ‘OK! So, baby girl. We don’t change. We take the gravel and the shell and we make a pearl. And we help other people to change so they can see more kinds of beauty.’

---P!nk

L: body suit x forever 21 R: body suit x ----- pants x refuge, choker x necessary objects available at Niu Boutique in Wahiawa Following page: L: body suit x Forever 21, R: hat x ----, dress x -----, belt model’s own, all available at Niu Boutique

”

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From the streets to the stores: Hawaii’s own BEAKS (B3@k5) - a professional artist with an affinity for the streets talks about becoming a professional artist, while holding on to his principles and values. He continues to spread winged aloha as far as the (birds’) eyes can see.

interview x adam funari photos courtesey of B3@k5

65 From the streets to the stores: Hawaii’s own BEAKS (B3@k5) - a professional artist with an affinity for the streets talks about becoming a professional artist, while holding on to his principles and values. He continues to spread winged aloha as far as the (birds’) eyes can see.

Let’s just fly right in. How did you get introduced to graffiti?

Okay, in eighth grade I met these two people from New York, Robbie and Alice. Alice didn’t talk about graff, it was her heavy New York accent that I tripped out on. Robbie was a suave dude with flavor and style, and his hair was all curled up in the middle. He was cool. He had the funkiest drawings too of this wizard, it really opened my eyes to the possibilities [that] graffiti could be! He was doing the stuff that was on the trains in the city. I never really knew what he wrote, but I was in awe of his letter structure and his characters. He would show me his stuff, but I had a hard time comprehending the letters then. I was just drawing comic book characters at the time. I later saw that book Subway Art, but the elements of hip hop, breakdancing, and graffiti was first introduced by these New Yorkers.

Were you writing at this time or did that come later?

A little later. When I was sixteen I was hanging out with some local Mexican and Filipino kids that just started to write, and they used to comment all the time and tease me about my laugh, so I came up with the name “Mister Giggles,” but it was too long to write. So I chose a real toy name, “NUTTY!” I remember running across the highway in Pearl City this one time, we ran under this bridge at three PM, there was tons of traffic, and we were weaving through all the cars. It was like Human Frogger! Get nuts! Get NUTTY! [laughs] When people talk about getting nuts, getting nutty... Let’s just say I learned [that] there is a difference between getting nuts and being... way mental!

Would you say your style is more of a New York flavor, considering you were first introduced by New Yorkers?

My style definitely revolves around street art but, the roots is in graffiti. I mean graffiti kept popping up throughout my life. You know what, to this day, I still don’t know how to do that New York letter structure. Its called ‘Wild Style,’ I jokingly call my style ‘Mild Style.’ I have never been able to comprehend those letter styles.

I think for me, graffiti is more about personal ego, your name, and getting it out there.

Street art has a wider range of expression(s). For me it was characters, I chose the bird, and I’ll sign it with my name, but that doesn’t really make me a graffiti artist, in my opinion. That’s why I try to dodge those labels between a street artist or a graffiti writer.

For me they are one in the same, it only changes the reference based on who sees it or tries to define it. There are less rules. I love letters and typography, but I don’t have the comprehension of Wild Style. Plus, when I was learning about all of this, I thought all the graffiti artists’ pieces were done all in one pass, perfect everytime, and I just didn’t think I could do that. It was only when I started learning how to spray that I learned about layers. Like, you can go back over something to fix it.

See, it’s the lack of knowledge that puts you in the [perspective] of not being able to do anything. Only when you get over that idea is when you are able to do something that you had no idea you could do. You have to give yourself a chance to try! It’s not going to be perfect in one pass.

So, what’s your take on imperfection vs perfection?

Being yourself with guidance from others, pushing each other, when you see the impossi-

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Never compromise the quality of your vision.” ­

ble come to life - isn’t that what we all live for?

I don’t have that type of personality where I want to surf perfect waves all to myself and then brag about how good it was on shore to my other friends, “Yeah dude fuck OMFG! I just surfed this perfect wave all by myself.” And I’m like, “What do you want me to say to that? Right on dude, that’s so rad!?” Is that wperfect or imperfect? Don’t lose yourself in the pursuit of perfection. What’s a perfect wave anyways? A perfect wave for you, and what’s a perfect wave for me, might be totally different. It’s in the eye of the beholder.

You didn’t even share the experience, you’re just telling me about the experience. I broke myself off of the idea of perfection, it’s an insane attitude. If we share an experience, that is perfect! Being aware of our own imperfections, you get perfection.

Graff vs street art - what’s the difference?

To me, street art is derived from a post graff era. From graffiti, to sprays, to posters.

Graffiti is not a teenage act of rebellion, it’s just to get up, to be seen. All this came from a post political movement. Not sure how it got into New York, with kids writing their names with their boroughs number. To mimic that I made Beak03, born on the third, so that’s the three for my number. I went to college and my friends moved to the mainland... Fast forward to 2003, I started managing a Starbucks in Waikiki, and hanging out with my friends MOREL, DETR/VICIOUS. Like this one time they took me to a spot, and I didn’t understand why we are going to paint a ditch when no one’s gonna see it. So they take me to this spot, and they didn’t teach me anything, true graffiti guys! [laughs] Rather than teaching me to buff the wall, like when you first get a virgin wall, you buff it, with paint, to create a surface for the spray paint. It helps cover all the moss on the wall, and that helps give a clean line. I had all this confidence to do it well, but they didn’t even help me get started… it wasn’t good LOL. Those fuckers, ha! I still like to give them a hard time about it even today. Yeah, I am a street artist, not a graffiti artist. I prefer no hard rules in my art.

The streets are for the birds then! How did they come to be?

The bird idea came to me, just like in life... You know that saying, “It’s for the birds.” It was a way to acknowledge good and bad and be able to keep a humor through it all in order to move forward­, that’s it. That’s it. They are like a mentality I try to keep. It’s my way of getting through something difficult. Acknowledge what’s happening in life, good or bad, and just get through it, let it go, and continue. Birds represent freedom from where we are at. Combine the freedom with the view that they get. I have always wanted that.

Plus, from an artist perspective, I am just fascinated by all the different types of them.

What’s funny, is that I have seen Hollister, American Eagle, and all these other birds coming out every fucking where, like in 2001... I thought I had something unique and then I wanted to change it. It baffled me, I didn’t want to have my stuff look like theirs. So that’s where I added my own flavor to make them stand out against the big brands. I do have commercial and even fine art out there under the name JKS, that does not look like the artist B3@k5 at all. I did a patch for Ditch Life, and a put some birds flying over the ocean, mountains and a ditch. I used birds flying for that, but they are very different than the big brands’ logo birds. Actually, they are not logos at all.

I never related anyones birds to yours.

It was ridiculous! LOL! So I had to come up with a even more unique looking characters.

Or Karakterz as I like to say.

Well you did it! Graffiti battles and birds travel! How far have the birds gone?

I was dating this German girl back in 2003, and I had a chance to go to Europe for a month. I got to visit Germany, Rome, and Amsterdam. It was really Amsterdam that opened my eyes to street art and what you can really do with it. The idea that there were

no rules in street art really won me over, because at that time, back home in Hawaii, there were all these battles going on like with LOGIC, CLITO, LOOK, ASHEN, TONK, and ASALT... and I wanted to be separate from that.

People should be able to crush the system, not each other! Just guys going over each other, but, I understand having to regulate certain principles of respect amongst us or in the streets. Society is based on all of us respecting this invisible line in order to exist cohesively with each other. So, when I took [the] trip to Europe to visit my girlfriend, people in Amsterdam were really crushing everything. Not because of beef, they just crushed things in all ways possible. I didn’t know at the time but, I saw the artist Faile.

His art mystified me! He had a [stencil of a] boy giving CPR to a rabbit. And it was all stencil work. I was like what??? Look at that shit!

You’ve been up for a while now, how have your bird characters evolved?

I started out with the birds and they were really primitively drawn on stickers. Then I started adding the googly eyes, so they look down on the streets from above. I used to go out and do what I called “visual littering,” like just putting up so many stickers in one spot, then I started realizing it was better to place them more spread out, and in certain spots where they will have meaning and run for a while. I felt that, that much overkill is more like uncontrolled graffiti, if there is such a thing.

You know who has the evolution of my birds is Mike Keany. I have to give him credit, and for a lot of us artists, before a lot of us even had the internet, he was photographing and putting all this work out on his website, he was putting up shots of all my stickers, he would just find them. CLITO (ed: not sure if it’s supposed to be CLITO or Clito, both spellings are used throughout. I assume it’s CLITO because it’s BEAK) told me about him.

He has probably the best collection of my work and tons of others people’s work on his site. He would search on his way to work and then spend his weekends hunting pieces.

In fact, that’s how UNOMAS and FAYN reached out to me on AOL, was through his site. [laughs] This was all back in 2006­, you can check out the evolution for yourself at 23hq. com/dubside and search BEAK03.

I also had an alias called FELT ever since BEAK was first up. It was street poetry, you can can find pieces of FELT on Mike’s website too. I still run FELT sometimes, when I have messages worth writing or random reminders to relay.

When I go out to get ups, I have don’t have the intent of crushing, I try to complement what’s there. I think street art stays up longer than graffiti. I don’t want to go out and just go over everyone’s stuff. That doesn’t do it for me. Again, crush the system, not each other! I just try to please the eyes and the senses and stay up.

Is a tag street art or graffiti?

I love this question! This is an important question. What it is, is that people have to realize that the evolution of art we see on the streets, is derived from tagging. That’s the best way I can put it. You can’t have a child use crayons and not draw on your wall. Until they know better, where to draw and where to place the crayons, and where [to] put their drawings, that’s what it is. You can never have this type of street art without the tags.

And when you see those tags, there are two different types of mentalities in my opinion.

The toys who don’t know better, and the ones that just don’t give a shit! And when I say that, it’s because it is meant for us not to like it. It’s meant to disturb the comfortable and it does cause angst for a lot of people towards tags. And the bad feelings people have towards taggers, [they] usually have a surface understanding of what they are looking at. There are people that can tag and make it look beautiful, unfortunately half of them are not skilled, but the ones that can, and have studied some typography, can place it without offending you or destroying people’s property. It’s really hard to do something without permission and have it [be] accepted.

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What do you rep, and what’s the evolution of BEAK? Are you crewed up?

work gets exploited.

I really wanted to stay more away from the crews - at that time there was a lot of drama, I didn’t want to be in the battles and dramas, and I didn’t want to get in and have to rep their political bullshit. So I started M.O.K. - ‘My Own Karakter,’ or ‘Marks On Kloudz’ under Beak03.

As a very small, small brand owner, I can see the value in hiring an artist like you. You can accomplish a lot of things, really fucking cheap. I can’t even imagine what you could do at a big company like T&C, (wtf is T&C? Put whatever it is, like [a local surf shop] in these [ ]) for example.

We are all characters, and if you get in it, [it] means you’re a character and you have your own stuff, and that way we didn’t have to worry about anyone’s rep getting in the way, we could just jam together, like when you play in a band. There was no worry about ego, and we all bumped each other. I later joined AF because I was painting with so many of them, I felt I would be disrespectful after declining a few times. But, because I was neutral for so long, I am still able to paint with anyone from any crew­. Like, because [of that] I was able to paint with a lot of dope writers without the limits of graff or crew) dramas.

And you don’t compromise quality! I just want to [expand on] what you said “I can accomplish a lot of things, really fucking cheap yeah, but I won’t compromise the quality of the work.”

Paint battle, or does it get violent?

Depends on the person and the personalities. A lot is on­line... But I don’t want to be having to defend what I say all the time, so I stay out of it as much as I can. I really try to respect others in ways I’d like to be. Of course, not everyone lives by such principles. So, one might have to get involved in situations most artists don’t have to deal with by establishing or sticking up for one’s work or rep, by re­claiming spots or maintaining your name on the streets.

Well, now what? You’re a self­employed artist, living the dream. What’s it like?

Not sure about living the dream just yet but, I do side gig hustle for now, and I am going to make it or die flying! I don’t want to stay safe, it’s about taking the active steps to get there. I also haven’t had the type of spotlight to be recognized as a type of artist who could represent Hawaii to the rest of the world, in a way that I feel want to be to be representing Hawaii. I almost feel like I have to move away first to gain the notoriety. And that might be a next step.

Recently you started working with brands, are people and companies starting to see value in your work?

I am working on taking the starving out of artist! Being a versatile artist... one of my shows was in fashion with a friend Shawna Cooke from Canada. I painted and did stencils on her purses that she designed for these fashion shows she would throw. I also just had a solo art show last month at IN4MATION [in Honolulu], and we dropped a new t-shirt and some stickers for their First Friday art walk in Chinatown.

I have designed some t-shirts, stickers and patches for Ditch Life, and we just had a big group surf and skate art show along with a skate jam. Soulgraffix sponsors me with making graphics for screens and other things for their shirts and stickers. Recent additions with XRVhi.com and Umi Toys Hawaii as well. Over the years, I’ve had shows at Prototype in Ala Moana and Pearlridge, which were really good.

Having shows really gets you in the eyes of people that won’t see your work in the streets, then they learn about you, and they see it up, and tell their friends, and that just creates a loop. This is all just me as an artist. It completes the story.

What’s the future of B3@K5?

There is more to it then one thing. I do fine art also under the name JKS. I try to work with brands that I have good intentions. It has to be a win­-win with the outcomes of my art and who I work with. I wouldn’t want to design a cigarette box when I don’t want cigarettes. To me that would be selling out, working to exist, but I want to [avoid] that route by getting my work out there in the way I do. It’s hard to find people to work with that share the same views I do.

Everyone’s looking for the fast route to make money, and that’s when your

I considered doing some designs for some bigger brands, but we’ll see. Working with big brands like that, it’s a different ballgame. The path to success is not easily available, and we are really products of our environments. For example, I could move to Paris, and all the sudden, I could be blowing up, it could be a really easy path. Its funny how that works.

What pushed you and who influenced you?

Locally, the guys who I first noticed was of course KATCH 1, MEAN, PHYTO, TONK, ASALT. These are names I saw around the island. Later on, when I was working at Starbucks, MOREL and DETR/VICIOUS, who only later on did I know who w ­ as ­who, and how much of a hammer these guys were. And a really heavy big influence was Dr. Seuss. I didn’t realized it until someone pointed it out, but yeah, his design principles. When I look at my own stuff, my early birds, it’s in there. I used to just draw Spiderman, but then I flipped out, I had no original ideas! So instead of being able to draw others’ stuff, I had to do my own characters. There is a fine line between being introduced to a lot to things that are inspirational, and not just re­doing them in your own way. Part of designing is to educate yourself on what has been done so you can you do it differently.

I used to worry about appeasing the graff guys, but after awhile, I started realizing that it is for the people and the streets. There are no hard and fast rules - there are dues, but most importantly, do your research of artists and spots.

Techniques are up to you and the influences you seek. I got into this a little later and refined my own ways at the time, rather than being motivated through my youthful endeavors. The streets are Y/Ours. So everyone­put it up, give respect to where it goes so that it will either contrast or complement the spot.­ #urbanfurnishings and any shots you find or discover, post it with #beaklove!

Closing thoughts for the flock?

The streets are yours, be respectful, and bring aloha. Love, B3@k5.

Cheeloha!

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m o r

f

Salt

to

Stardust photography x shaneika aguilar styled x angel deal hair x vanessa li modeled x beau elektro interview x joe agogo Beau Tetra, 23, vegan, lead vocalist of upcoming LA metal band Deaf Boutique and fashion designer of Brutal Butterfly, is an ambitious musician and fashionista, pursuing both careers on the boulevards of Hollywood. She began her music career as a teenager, fronting vocals in garage bands in her hometown of Ewa Beach, and later in the downtown Chinatown music scene of Honolulu, where she also owns goth boutique Chaos Inc. She’s currently living in West Hollywood, working with several metal music producers, and is about to launch her clothing label at the end of this year. I had the pleasure of an impromptu interview, chatting with her over the phone at a noisy bar - Proof Public House, in Chinatown Honolulu - with friends and strangers constantly interrupting on my end. It was an hour of that, dropped calls and redials, but she was very sweet and patient, and even invited me to come visit her.

Joe A Go Go: Aloha, Beau.

Beau: Hello.

J: I’m calling to ask you a few questions about the pursuit of your music career in LA. B: Music and fashion!

J: Right! Exciting. I’m going to ask you about your

71

sheer black shirt x tik tok, orange bathing suit x seafolly,

music first. So who or what initially inspired you to pursue music?

B: My dad, he used to always play classic rock shit, and he always sang karaoke.

J: Was your dad a musician too?

B: No, he’s not a musician, he’s an artist. He’s a painter. So I started painting first, and then I just loved anything to do with art... and then I just started singing and making music.

J: Is he a professional artist?

B: He doesn’t do it anymore. My mom does it all the time. My mother is actually the professional. She has a career in it... but my dad taught my mom how to paint.

J: So you come from a creative background, your parents are artistic people. How are they doing today?

B: Well, they split up when I was born. My mom’s currently pursuing her career in painting, she paints a lot of scenery, tiger-like animals, flowers and shit... she has a lot of paintings. My dad doesn’t paint anymore...

J: So your dad was a big influence on you with all his singing?

B: My dad and I would always sing together. When I was a little little kid, we’d sing like, Led Zeppelin, Grateful Dead, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Depeche Mode... We went to go see a lot of those bands in concert.

We snuck into The Who, we snuck into Pearl Jam and U2.

J: The Who? Ace! You guys snuck into the Aloha Stadium?

B: Yeah. (laughs) J: Nice. I actually snuck my daughter into three different movies at the Multiplex Theaters once.

B: I used to do that with my dad all the time! (laughs) J: Anyway, so what bands influenced you to start a career in music?

B: My biggest influence was Led Zeppelin and Ozzy... cause I could sing like them. Also, The Who, The Beatles and The Zombies too.

J: Cool. What else in your musical journey has influenced you?

Though you seem close to your parents, did you go through a rebellious phase as a teen or experience anything traumatizing?

B: Yeah, there was a lot of drugs in my teens. I used to run away a lot... I was experiencing depression, and I really wanted to like, express my emotions through other passions, and putting it into things. So I wrote books and books of songs.

J: What kind of drugs? At what age, and how were you introduced?

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previous page: leggings x nasty gal, bunny ears x bcbg this page: leather jacket x punk rave following page: fringe shorts x dolls kill, shoes x jeffrey campbell

B: All kinds of drugs. At a young age of ten. It was my environment.

J: What kind of environment and where was that?

B: I grew up in the gutter, in this old plantation house in Ewa. We had no hot water. I grew up really really poor.

J: I see. So writing songs was a way for you to escape your environment and pour out your creativity?

B: Yeah, when I was in my teens, I started to experiment with hallucinogenics and that inspired me a lot to get more into my dreams.

J: So psychedelics altered your mindset and inspired you to pursue music?

B: Yeah, at around fifteen.

J: What were you like at that age?

B: I was crazy AF, doing hallucinogenics, running away and listening to a lot of metal... a lot of metal and dubstep.

J: Inspired by a lot of dubstep and metal?

B: What really inspired me was knowing I could get out of where I was from, and just getting away. I always dreamt about owning my own businesses and creating music, so I kept pushing it and kept writing. Along the way, I got into electronic music. By eighteen, I started producing music. My friend Miko was a big influence. He produces and DJs house, electro house, deep house. He later introduced me to Gino, who also produces house music. I worked with them both and they taught me a lot. I worked with Gino for awhile, then I got into my band Kill Thrill.

J: After working with DJs, how did you like working with a band?

B: I like it a lot because it has taught me a lot about myself. I work better with people. It has taught me how people see things differently and have different ideas, so you have to listen,

be patient, understand and not take over the whole thing.

J: So what musicians or bands inspire you now?

B: Die Antwood, Lacuna Coil, Kavinsky, New Years Day, Endless Moment, Attila, Capture the Clown, Marilyn Manson of course, a lot of metal.

J: Okay, so tell me what you’re up to these days in LA? B: I’m in a band called Deaf Boutique, and we’re currently... working with several different metal producers. I also do the fashion thing, I make crazy cool vegan jackets.

J: So, I’m assuming you’re vegan and you have a commitment to making not only awesome fashion but keeping it vegan friendly.

B: Yes, I’m definitely vegan. I love being vegan. I use vegan leather and latex.

J: Brilliant. So tell us, now that you’re out there living away from the islands, what do you feel is the difference?

B: You can get a lot more done out here, you can meet a lot more people, a lot more quicker than being stuck on an island. Don’t get me wrong, if everything was settled, I’d definitely be back in Hawaii. Out here I meet and network with a lot of different people, like manufacturers, cheaper web designers, people who get things done, people don’t flake out here, really.

J: Tell us about how you started your clothing label.

B: Well, I own a clothing shop in Hawaii named Chaos, and I just always wanted to have a private line because I could never any find jackets that I really liked. Also owning a store in Hawaii pushed me to open up other things, but I’m still working on it and I’m pushing to launch [my line] at the end of this year. It’s called Brutal Butterfly.

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J: By the way, what kind of feedback are you getting from out there, being that you’re from Hawaii and pursuing your careers?

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B: Well, people don’t believe me sometimes, they don’t believe I’m from Hawaii. I’m like, yes, I am! I’ll show you my passport, I’ll show you my flat feet and my suntan/sunburn... It’s cool out here though, everyone’s got their own thing going on, it feels great and I keep myself busy.

J: What’s your environment like now? Do you have roommates?

B: I have a roommate, her name is Ivy, I met her through Mike Delirium while she was visiting Hawaii.

She’s a really great roommate, she’s really cool, she’s easy going and she’s gothic too. We also have a cat named Banksy, so we’re like a gothic little household family.

J: Banksy like the graf artist?

B: Yeah.

J: Sounds like you’ve got the perfect home. Do you stay in or go out a lot?

B: I occasionally go out with my roommate, we go to underground bondage clubs, concerts gigs or Disneyland. But I mostly like to stay focused, smoke weed or do psychedelics, and work on my music and clothing line.

J: You seem to enjoy the progress out there, but do you miss Hawaii?

B: Yes, I miss my friends and family, the nature, the beauty of the island.

J: What do you mainly hope to achieve in LA with your music and fashion?

B: I want achieve enough to bring awareness to planet, about how we harm the environment and the animals.

I want to help the animals from being enslaved.

J: Do you ever plan on bringing your music and fashion back here one day?

B: Of course, of course.

crop top x blance de blance, bikini bottoms x mikoh, shoes x converse

photo series x maxfield smith

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81

wa b i - s a b i (japanese)

A way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural c y c l e o f g r o w t h a n d d e c a y.

the manifold

88 Blocks

text x emily lau photos x erin paris

“The experiment is: how can you create a connection between people and places in such a way that it makes them take ownership of that place, and become engaged in how itʻs shaped,” says Adele Balderston. Weʻre sitting in her living room discussing The Living Archive, the latest iteration of her 88 Block Walks tour, which is a curated urban walk that connects her interests in geography, art, and activism. The fifth in a series she has been creating since 2014, four other walks have preceded it, all a little different in approach. She began with Walk #1: Streams by examining the underground stream channels of Kakaʻako with architect and artist Sean Connelly, moved on to Walk #2: Voices by exploring oral histories of early 20th century life in the area, and led Walk #3, a tour of pop-up parklets in Kakaʻako and Walk #4: Papers in the Park, which was centered around Mother Waldron Park.

For Walk #5: The Living Archive the journey is a little different, centering around three main monologues.

We begin on Cooke street in a warehouse and are taken down the street in the night. Stopping every once in a while to congregate on sidewalks, we hear historic tidbits and theatrical monologues performed by live actors,

with black and white archival images projected onto the buildings as a backdrop. History is not just coming from a textbook, but from the mouth of an actor, an important voice in this journey into the archives we are taking. “Welcome to Kakaʻako!” he shouts, transporting us to the 1920s.

Not one to shy away from a good challenge, Adele first came up with the idea for 88 Block Walks while writing her masterʻs thesis in geography. Her advisor urged her to find a positive aspect on the issue of gentrification so she began to look into “more active strategies.”

Interested in the changes happening in Kakaʻako, she began playing with the experiment that became 88 Block Walks, which she thinks could maybe one day be turned into a toolkit for resisting gentrification in general.

Place-based storytelling has been a part of Adeleʻs life for a long time. In 2008, while living in New York she worked for what is now called Soundwalk Collective, an audio tour company that created

high quality, cinematic sound narratives centered around specific New York City neighborhoods.

One of her responsibilities was to make sure any changes happening in the city were reflected in the audio narrative in case buildings had changed—and if they were, the sound designers would have to re-record parts with the narrator. “Things that started out as largely true, somewhat fictional, would become more and more fictional over time as the neighborhood changed,” Adele says during our interview.

With Walk #5: The Living Archive, Adele plays with truth and fiction on purpose by creating fictional historic characters based on actual stories she gathered during her research; each actor or actress representing the 1920s, 1940s, or 1960s, so that we, as listeners of history, can observe the changes and transitions through time. In the second monologue of three, a woman from the 1940s, played

by Michelle Umipeg, stands on a grassy lawn off of Queen street and explains her housing predicament during World War II: “I know my mother would like a bigger house but the rent here is so low, only $11 a month, so we stay. All ten of us. It is a bit crowded but the younger children spend most of their time outside and the rest of us are working or studying.”

In hearing other peopleʻs experiences of Kakaʻako, fictional or not, I begin to think of my own relationship to Kakaʻako, which is Adeleʻs wish—for people to begin to think about their own emotional connections to place. Growing up, I didnʻt venture to Kakaʻako very often, but I do have a few strong memories. When I was 10 years old, I remember

being extremely nervous playing classical music in a three-piano recital at a retail space in the area.

And Iʻll never forget the very first concert I went to as a teenager, to see The Strokes perform at Pipeline Cafe on Pohukaina Street. That building is now the UFC Gym, which is strange to think about whenever I go by.

Witnessing all of the development that has happened in just the last few years, I feel first-hand the pulse of the area changing, and I know the infrastructure will continue to shape our lives. As more memories of Kakʻako accumulate, not just for me, but for everyone that has come through the area, I wonder, yes: where will the stories go, and how will they be connected to the physical place that created them?

The last monologue has just finished and, under the moonlight in a neighborhood alleyway, before we head back to Cooke street to end the tour, Adele, our time-traveling tour guide says,“Communities are difficult to plan, they come out of a shared history: memories, families, the social fabric that fills the cracks between the earth and the built environment.” This social fabric she speaks of almost has a mind of its own, informed by the the voices, lives, and stories of its people—the unsung, the ephemeral—and I begin to imagine the reclaiming of space, not just in Kakaʻako, but in all places that are in danger of being overrun by urban development.

I imagine a place that embraces its imperfections, still holds on to its history, reveals its many layers, and only becomes richer over time.

“Communities are difficult to plan, they come out of a shared history: memories, families, the social fabric that fills the cracks between the earth and the built environment.”

83

WE GOTTA DROP THE

F-BOMB

Feminism today and yesterday with a sarcastic twist

I know that ever since Taylor Swift made feminism into something cool enough to put on t-shirts, everyone’s been clamoring to take the label on. But hear me out: feminism is outdated and simply no longer necessary in this day and age.

Okay, so in the 1950s, women totally needed feminism.

They weren’t allowed to wear pants and the only job they could have was housewife. But now, its 2017 and we can have any job we want. I can be a doctor or a lawyer or anything a man can be. It’s ridiculous to suggest otherwise. Women lead the business world as some of the most successful entrepreneurs - take Whitney Wolfe for example. She co-founded Tinder when she was 24 years old! I mean, I guess she was forced out of her position and won a sexual harassment lawsuit against the company but… that’s probably really uncommon, especially in tech startups. And anyway, she’s fine now, she has Bumble, a similar dating app that makes women message first… for some reason. Well, okay, moving on. Let’s talk about the “pay gap” – it’s so obviously a myth made up by lazy women who also just aren’t good at their jobs.

Jennifer Lawrence is the highest paid actress in the world because she’s earned it! Have you seen American Hustle? She’s incredible! In addition to a great performance, she’s the biggest name [and the most recent Academy Award winner in the cast]. And she was paid the same as her male co-stars. Or… okay, almost the same. Only a little less. But it’s like Amy Pascal said in those leaked Sony emails, if women aren’t willing to ask for more money or walk away, why should they get paid the same? It’s not like we’ve been conditioned our entire lives to be accommodating or anything. And it’s certainly not like anybody’s expecting a man to do the same in order to be paid fairly for doing the same work.

Like I said, it’s not like feminism was a bad idea back in the day, it’s just so unnecessary now. We’ve made so much progress towards bodily autonomy – abortion has been legal since 1973 for god’s sake! I hear so much about “access to reproductive rights” and I’m like, uhhhh what does that even mean? If you can’t make it to your abortion appointment, that’s on you. If you can’t take two days out of your to make multiple visits to the clinic, maybe you just should’ve taken the pill before you decided to have sex! Be responsible and see a gyno at a low cost clinic, it’s not that hard. Just secure transportation, take time off work, find a Planned Parenthood, oh - there might not be any within 100 miles of you because of restrictive state laws so plan on spending the night and springing for lodging… Okay, I’ll admit that some states make it almost impossible to get birth control or

text x diana prints collage x wencke chodan

85 an abortion, but maybe just don’t live in Texas? Or Michigan or Pennsylvania or Ohio, or Utah, or Kentucky… or Virginia… or Indiana… or Mississippi… or Louisiana… and definitely, whatever you do, don’t get pregnant by your rapist in any of those states because they don’t really do exceptions to the rule, from what I’ve heard. You know what? It might be easier to just not have a uterus. Just do that.

So, now that I’m thinking about it, maybe some things are harder as a woman. But we still don’t need feminism in this day and age! In the past, women didn’t have any protections from open sexism.

Now there are countless laws protecting women from say, sexual harassment in the workplace.

Gretchen Carlson got $20 million from Fox News!

And all it took was years of putting up with disgusting remarks and advances from a man who more closely resembled Jabba the Hut than an actual human. And Roger Ailes was forced from the company he founded as a result - all that took was an “underground army of women” banding together and sharing similar experiences, according to fellow victim Megyn Kelly. I mean, I guess that does sound a lot like consciousness raising, a technique used by feminists in the 1970s to find and fight shared oppressions, but that could just be a coincidence. And it’s not like said Sexist Blob went on to a career advising the current President of the United States… or, okay, he did but his old-school views were probably refuted

by President Pussgrab, who is well known to love and respect women – haven’t you heard the way he talks about Ivanka?

Alright, so it looks like we need to clear something up: of course we still need feminism. We have a quasi-sentient moldy sweet potato in the White House who openly treats women like objects. His dead-eyed VP is hell-bent on sending us back to coat hanger abortions. For fuck’s sake, the Congressional hearing on birth control didn’t have a single woman involved! In 2017! We are in danger of being sent back 50, or even 100 years, in gender equality progress.

Embrace the label, and kindly let dummies who still think feminism means hating men of the actual definition (equality for both sexes). Most importantly, do something about it. Volunteer, strike, organize or donate, and get your ass to the polls in 2018.

note this image to the right is an actual vintage ad

all the single ladies text x elisa gyotoku

illustration x jenn matthews

L

ast year, I received a few old photos from my aunty. They were of seven year old me in a wedding dress, my costume for Halloween. Adorned with a veil and satin and lace trimmings, I wondered who this little girl was, as I have become so detached from the idea of marriage both mentally and physically. Gazing at the huge smile on my face, I contemplated what the scene was during this exact moment. Did little me understand what the significance of this costume was? And what impressions did my family hope this fashion choice would leave upon my innocent seven year old soul? Perhaps even more crucial, how many other embarrassing photos of me in this dress were swirling about in the universe unattended?

The constant reminder - by family, friends and society - that marriage is a crucial element of a successful human being, has plagued me from adolescence to... who knows where. Our potential to find partnership somehow remains steadfast on how young we are when we find it. And the older we get, the bigger the hindrance singledom becomes, never mind any professional and independent achievements.

The stigma that single people experience is called “singlism”.

Coined by author Bella DePaulo, singlism is reiterated in all forms of society, from the housing marketplace to tax structure to the legal system - there are more than a thousand federal laws that only benefit people who are legally married. While all folks who dabble in solitary lifestyles experience the institutional downsides of singularity, women in particular are conditioned through their entire lives to aspire to partnership and marriage as a way of survival.

Growing up, I rarely heard relatives pestering my male cousin about the importance of finding a partner, or how important time was when it came to starting a family - those spiteful inquiries were directed at my older sister. I remember how thankful I was for her during those times, not because of my love for family, but because her mere existence shielded me from such monotonous

rubble: her eligibility clock was ticking much louder than mine.

However, as I got older, I was hit with the same garbage about the unlikely path of singledom - and in my twenties, I decided that it was all bullshit.

There are numerous ways in which society, consciously and unconsciously, enforces the traditional roles of women. As young girls we have wedding dress costumes (i.e., me), our toys include houses (which we take care of) and life-sized baby dolls (which we take care of) - these all reiterate the tired notion of women striving for marriage, and belonging in the home. We are advised to wait for men to dictate pinnacle life events, like who to go to prom with or marriage proposals. Seriously ladies: we do not make important decisions for ourselves because society tells us not to!

Even the words we use to describe single women are incredibly insulting than that of single men. Dudes have charming terms like “bachelor” or “available,” with their ability to marry still intact. Chicks have repulsive terms like “spinster” and “old maid” to work with, stressing age in the hunt for a companion as a negative. Once a woman has achieved the status of either of the two, the probability of marriage has taken the nearest exit - consider yourself a crazy cat lady as of now. Long-standing social habits like these essentially instill fear in women, teaching us that independence and singularity are blemishes.

But habits need to be broken! And with the recent surge of feminism and the popularity of this year’s Women’s March, versatility seems to be creeping it’s way into society’s lexicon; turning spinsters into boss bitches, and old maids into head ladies in charge. Singledom and autonomy were once imperfections, but now we wear them as logos of accomplishment and progression.

Being alone isn’t lonely if we’re all standing together. ONWARD SISTERS! <<<does this need to be capitalized? Is a style choice I’m just not getting?

She argues inside herself about how sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still a fuck up and how she talks too much to others to try to learn their opinions As she pauses before pushing open the door She panics Should I be here?

Shouldn't I be somewhere, doing something more professional?

She pushes it back and takes out her book drinks her beer and tries not to fear being touched by anyone including her friends Unexpectedly and She startles easily She starts to worry What am I doing with my life?

Wouldn't it be best to hide away and hope no one ever finds me until I waste away?

She takes a deep breath and another can of beer believe it or not She thinks it can get better today is just a shit show something went wrong and it wounds her deep to not be perfect but She puts on a brace face and tells shifty puns and writes secret poetry and analyzes her anxiety and when another friend is lost because of how She chose to act

Because they are more sane than me.

She thinks She thinks too much at times at times She starts to go insane when she can't fit into clothes that once fit so perfectly something in her says The Demon In her says stave to skinny and she feel every imperfection and tells the The Demon to fuck off because being full is better than bitchy and sad she makes a mistake and forgets to eat breakfast and her day comes crashing down in perfect little pieces so She sits down book in one hand beer in the other and basically balances her brain If I can't be perfect, I must accept what makes me happy.

So there She is again in the midst of all? the sounds seemingly ignoring everyone around but if they really must know they help to block out the demons in her mind and remind Her everything Is perfectly alright.

Perhaps a poem x A.K.

87

“IMPERFECTION”

by MANNY ALOHA ©2017

SURF LIFE

Sugar

Boo, you are NOT stuck. What you need is a good, friendly kick in the ass.

Don’t go back to your old job! You don’t like it. Writing to me about it makes me sure that you don’t want to go back – so don’t! It seems easier said than done but I promise, it’s not. Not liking your job is the hard part.

Spice

I’m Jasmine. Hey, hello, hi. I’m your friend who has had one too many old fashioneds and gives you some sharp advice – what you don’t want to hear but know you gotta do. Got a question, problem, or annoying ex-boyfriend?

I’m great at giving advice, even if I don’t always take it. Drop me an email at submit@themanifoldmag@gmail

In the meantime: Fuck that job that made you unhappy. Find a new moneymaker – it could just mean a new position at a different place. Spend a day off thinking about what could make you happy and give it a shot. You owe yourself that.

If work bums you out, it bums you out.

We’re done with that. Move on.

My boyfriend and I live on Kauai but he travels to Oahu for construction work 3 weeks out of the month. When I ask him how his day is he just says “good.” I’m always telling him things about my day but he’s a bit more tight lipped and well, like a dude. I just want to know more about his day even if it is all bro stuff...

Help!

Alright boo, I think you gotta just bring this one up! It doesn’t sound like he’s doing it to avoid you, more like he just doesn’t know how to talk on the phone. My dad and brother have this same issue, I’m painting with broad strokes but seems like it’s maybe a guy thing.

It sounds like his day just needs to be coaxed out of him a little - tell him all that bro stuff is interesting, because you like knowing how his day goes. His work day probably feels pretty mundane to him, so fill him in on what’s happening with everyone back on Kauai to get the conversation rolling. It’s gonna be more work than chatting with a girlfriend, but just keep asking questions. Eventually he might even get used to it and offer up his day without prompting!

I want to break up with my chick even though I wouldn’t necessarily call her that. I heard she was interested in me a while ago and I finally gave in and we fooled around.

Since then things have gotten kinda crazy. She tells me she loves me and pretty much waits on me hand and foot. BUT then I broke my leg, lost my job, and have been feeling really lame. And she continues to be there for me. But the thing is I still don’t consider her my girlfriend and I don’t want to. I want to end the relationship but I don’t want to be alone and injured. Wtf do I do?

Woooooowwww. You are the absolute worst. You deserve to be alone and injured, and maybe left out in the woods.

What the fuck you do is give this poor girl the kindness of a breakup. She’ll be better off, and will be able to find someone who is worthy of her.

I would also find a therapist – staying with someone you’re not into is not at all normal or ok, and the “waiting on you hand and foot” thing you’re into is giving me major Mommy Issues red flags.

Go now! Set this broad free!

{ { {

we’ll either fix it or burn it down.

Find a new job – or better yet create your new job. Everyone [read: all of my successful friends] has/have a side hustle – walk a pet, babysit, landscape, clean out someone’s garage. Airbnb your house when you’re out of town for the weekend.

Sell shit on Etsy or ebay. Put up your availability and rate on a website like Task Rabbit – people pay for anything, including things that don’t bum you out. I organized a lady’s closet and she was so stoked, she gave me her fancy leftovers.

{ {

{ I’m a little stuck: I scaled back on my work because it was kinda bumming me out. But now I’m feeling the financial strain and at the same time I don’t want to go back to my lame job but I’m stressing a little about my finances. I’m kinda stuck.

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Cut back on shit that feels necessary but isn’t – find out what is less important and save a few bucks that way. And once you’re solidly back in the money saddle, you can go back to getting your nails done or whatever.

This world is our disgusting oyster, let’s eat ‘em up.

Also, have you guys tried Facetiming? It might help him focus on talking to you if he can see you.

the last straw with Nicole Jones

the missionaries downfall

Makes 10 drinks 1 cup Koloa White Rum 1/3 cup El Dorado Overproof Rum 1 cup Honey-Pineapple Shrub 1/2 cup Giffard Peach Liqueur 1/2 cup Chareau Aloe Liqueur 1/2 cup Lime Juice

Diced Fresh Pineapple Mint Leaves Crushed Ice Combine in a blender and blend at a high-speed till you achieve desired slushiness. Pour into your favorite vintage glassware and slap some mint in there, if you have any pineapple left over use it as a garnish. Voila a delicious refreshing tiki drink with a really cool name.

Infuse the vinegar Add clean chopped lemongrass to the vinegar (or your favorite aromatic/spice/herb of choice) Cold maceration Combine chopped pineapple, sugar and honey. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Store covered in your fridge for two days.

Line a colander with cheese cloth and place it over a bowl or container. Add the pineapple to the colander and let the liquid drain.

Once it’s pretty well drained, gather the cheese cloth and wring the bundle to get as munch juice out as you can. Add your vinegar sans lemongrass. Store the shrub in the fridge for at least a couple days it will mellow out.

Pineapple-Honey Shrub 2 cups 1 cup 1 cup 1 cup

chopped fresh pineapple white sugar honey Filipino cane vinegar Lemongrass

Nicole Jones spent the better part of the decade serving Honolulu’s nightlife with drinks eventually becoming one of Chinatown’s few female bar managers (Downbeat Lounge).

She’s steeped extensively in liquor knowledge and she’s now representing Youngs Market liquor distributors.

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@themanifoldmag painted x @o_shart