TODAY
>> Comedian JP Sears slices and dices spirituality
Hold your mantras! JP Sears is coming to the islands to blow them up beyond all common sense.
The standup comedian blends a serious demeanor with smart-alecky commentary on New Age tropes like yoga, spirituality, vegetarianism and mindfulness. His YouTube videos on “Ultra Spirituality,” which “has nothing to do with being spiritual, and has everything to do with looking spiritual,” have become ultra popular, with one video on “If Meat Eaters Acted Like Vegans” garnering nearly 12 million views.
In fact, Sears is a professional life coach who started out making serious videos about how to deal with issues like career challenges, then started making funny videos that went viral. “I wanted to do it because it was a creative tickle that I wanted to itch. It became a very nice bonus that the world received it well,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
He’s since branched out into areas like relationships, offering up “man scripts” for men trying to avoid fighting with their girlfriends or wives. Like when she complains about him not taking out the garbage? “I apologize for disrespecting the divine goddess that you are.”
He recently gave a shoutout to Hawaii with the video “Hawaii Chakras – Everything You Need to Know,” where he talks about sunburned tourists, maladjusted new transplants to Maui, and comparing his accomplishments to Duke Kahanamoku’s. “I haven’t done anything even close in comparison to him,” he says, “but the crappier I feel about myself the more inspired I am.”
Sears performs at HB Social Club today, then the Kahilu Theater on Hawaii island on Friday; the Maui Arts & Cultural Center on Saturday; and Kauai Community College on Sunday. Visit awakenwithjp.com/events for more.
JP SEARS
>> Where: HB Social Club
>> When: 7 p.m.
>> Cost: $39.50-$88.50
>> Info: 808ne.ws/jpsears
FRIDAY
>> “Sedaka is back!” at the Hawaii Theatre
Tomorrow night is “Sing-Along With Sedaka Night” at the Hawaii Theatre. No one will ever sing Neil Sedaka’s hits better than he does, but when Sedaka starts singing “Do-do-do-down-doobie-do-down-down…” or “Do-ba-bop-bop-oh-do-bop-she-down-down…” — from “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” and “Next Door To An Angel” — it’s almost impossible to keep from singing along.
And why not? Hawaii has loved Sedaka and his music for more than 60 years.
Sedaka first hit the Hot 100 with “The Diary” in the final weeks of 1958 — “How I’d like to look/Into that little book/The one that has the lock and key…” Over the next three years Sedaka had Top 10 hits with “Oh! Carol,” “Stairway To Heaven,” Calendar Girl” and “Little Devil.”
Next came “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do,” Sedaka’s first No. 1 hit, which topped the Hot 100 in the summer of 1962.
Sedaka had an only-in-Hawaii hit when KPOI disc jockey “Uncle Tom” Moffatt got a promo copy of “Little Devil” and decided that the “B” side of the record, “I Must Be Dreaming,” was a better fit for Hawaii audiences. Hawaii fell in love with it, and “I Must Be Dreaming” is certain to be one of the magic moments for many fans tomorrow night.
Sedaka enjoyed renewed pop chart popularity in the 1970s. “Laughter In The Rain” and “Bad Blood” topped the Hot 100 in 1975.
Sedaka also got a “shout out” from the Captain & Tennille in 1975 when they released another song he’d written and first recorded in ’73, “Love Will Keep Us Together.” As the song fades out they sing “Sedaka is back!”
Sedaka will tell you that has never really been away, but its great to have him back at the Hawaii Theatre once more.
— John Berger, Star-Advertiser
“SING-SLONG WITH SEDAKA NIGHT”
>> Where: Hawaii Theatre
>> When: 8 p.m.
>> Cost: $78-$98
>> Info: 528-0506, hawaiitheatre.com
FRIDAY
>> Reggae supergroup The Green realizes its musical dreams
Homegrown Hawaii reggae supergroup The Green celebrates its 10th anniversary on Friday at The Republik.
They’ll take their fans back to their beginnings on Oahu by playing their eponymous debut album in its entirety. Propelled by the single “Love I,” the album set a record with 69 straight weeks on Billboard’s Reggae Chart and was named iTunes Best Reggae Album of 2010.
They’ve followed that up with albums that showed they were no flash in the pan, with all four of their next albums “Ways & Means” (2011), “Hawaii 13” (2013), “Marching Orders” (2017) and this year’s “Black & White” reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Reggae Charts.
“The Green’s engaging melodies and lush, nuanced harmonies, led by (lead singer Caleb) Keolanui’s exquisite timbre, has made them a sought-after act far beyond Hawaii’s spectacular shores,” Billboard.com said in a story about the group’s performance in New York City in 2018, one of many sold-out concerts the group have given on the mainland. Locally, The Green has opened for both of Bruno Mars’ tour performances at Aloha Stadium as well as at local clubs.
The group first got together in 2009 after first playing for other bands. Consisting of Keolanui, Ikaika Antone on keyboards and vocals, drummer Jordan Espinoza, Brad Watanabe on bass and guitar, and JP Kennedy and Zion Thompson on guitars and vocals, it’s known for a cooperative work ethic, with many members writing songs and trading off on vocals midsong.
THE GREEN
>> Where: The Republik
>> When: 8 p.m.
>> Cost: $30
>> Info: 941-7469, jointherepublik.com
SUNDAY
>> Celebrating the New Year with ABBA tunes
Kick off your New Year’s Eve festivities with the cheerful tunes of ABBA, brought to life at the Hawaii Theatre by four singers who have mastered the group’s bright harmonies.
Katalin Kiss, Andrea Koziol, Stephanie Martin and Lis Soderberg are singers from Jeans & Classics, a Canadian-based organization that recreates the music of favorite pop and rock bands of yesteryear. They perform all your favorites from the Swedish disco-era group: “Dancing Queen,” “Mamma Mia!,” “Take a Chance on Me” and others. With a rock band and the orchestral power of the the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra backing them up, the concert will send you singing and dancing into the night.
The music starts at 7:30 p.m. but the symphony also is offering special pre-concert events: Choose orchestra-section seating and a pre-show reception from 5:30-7 p.m. at HASR Bistro with upscale pupus and drinks for $200; or get treated to orchestra seating and a 5:30 p.m. champagne reception at Hawaii Theatre for $150. Concert-only tickets are $40 to$95.
JEANS & CLASSICS
>> Where: Hawaii Theatre
>> When: 8 p.m.
>> Cost: $40-$200
>> Info: 528-0506, hawaiitheatre.com, hawaiisymphonyorchestra.org
