FRIDAY
>> June Millington is still rockin’ and walkin’
June Millington’s place in history is well established. Born in the Philippines, her father an American officer and her mother a member of a prominent Filipino family, she and sister Jean grew up in Sacramento, Calif., coming of age as rock music was changing the world. She and Jean started playing rock ’n’ roll as teens; they established the band Fanny in 1970. The band was one of the first major-label rock acts to be comprised solely of women, and they could really rock, with a tune, “Charity Ball,” that reached the Billboard charts; worldwide concert tours; and backup gigs with major stars such as Slade and Jethro Tull.
CONCERT: JUNE MILLINGTON
Where: Hawaiian Brian’s
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Cost: Free
Info: 946-1343, hawaiianbrians.com
Also: Millington talks story at noon Friday at HPU, Multipurpose Room 1, Aloha Tower. Free.
Millington got started by picking out tunes on the ukulele, transitioning easily to guitar — “It’s only two more strings” she said — and then being inspired after seeing Jimi Hendrix in San Francisco’s Fillmore theater. “The top of my head blew off,” she said. “It was just such an unstoppable energy.”
The party’s far from over. Millington, who appears at Hawaiian Brian’s Friday, has established a nonprofit music studio and education center, the Institute for Musical Arts, in Massachusetts, which offers a music camp for girls. It’s a gift that she didn’t have when she was growing up, she said, when there wasn’t much formal training available.
She’s also been in the studio, recording an album by her new band, “Fanny Walked the Earth,” including Jean and longtime friend and former Fanny drummer Brie Howard Darling.
“We’re still walking the earth, we’re still making music, we’re recording and we’re passing the torch through this new album,” June Millington said. “So rather than people reading about us — ‘Oh, they used to be in a band, like, 50 years ago’ — they can actually see us go out and slam.”
She’ll play and talk story in appearances Friday. The concert, a fundraiser for the IMA (by donation), features a hard-rocking assortment of Honolulu women.
>> Museum of Art marks 90 years with a party
The Honolulu Museum of Art has its 90th-birthday this month, and admirers are invited to come out to Art After Dark Friday to celebrate.
CELEBRATE: HMA’S 90TH BIRTHDAY
Where: Honolulu Museum of Art
When: 6 p.m. Friday
Cost: $25; free for members
Info: 532-6097, honolulumuseum.org
This month’s party focuses on “Parallax,” a multimedia presentation by internationally recognized Pakistani artist Shahzia Sikander. The exhibit consists of a 15-minute, 45-foot-wide video created out of hundreds of digitally animated images of Sikander’s watercolor, gouache and ink paintings, set to music and sound by Chinese composer Du Yun. The subject of the work is the Strait of Hormuz — the tense region in the Middle East through which one-fifth of the world’s oil passes.
DJ Kuya and DJ Vaughn will spin, while VJ Vizual Cortex will make a spectacle out of the museum’s central courtyard with his video projections. Visitors can also decorate birthday cards and dedicate them to their favorite museums.
The museum opened April 8, 1927, and was known as the Honolulu Academy of Art for 85 years before it was renamed in 2012.
>> Kaleo brings its Nordic sound to the islands
Kaleo is kind of a cool indicator of the reach of Hawaiian culture. The four-piece band is originally from Iceland, but gave itself a Hawaiian name.
“We liked the name and the meaning (“sound” or “voice”), and it got stuck very fast,” said frontman JJ Julius Son in an interview with cascadetickets.com. “The fact that it comes from Hawaii is just a good excuse for us to go there one day, I hope.”
CONCERT: KALEO
Where: The Republik
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Cost: $34.50
Info: 941-7469, jointherepublik.com
The band gets its wish Friday at The Republik, where it will put its retro mix of rock, folk and blues to the test.
The band, consisting of Jullius Son, drummer David Antonsson, bassist Daniel Kristjansson and guitarist Rubin Pollock, first got together in Reykjavik in 2012, and three years later moved to Austin, Texas. They’ve performed in more than 45 states and have proved they know what American audiences like, receiving acclaim from NPR and the Huffington Post.
Their band released its second album, “A/B,” on the Atlantic label last year. It helps that they sing in English and that tunes such as hit “All the Pretty Girls” are melodic and immediately accessible, suitable for playing on a sunny afternoon in Hawaii or anywhere else.
SATURDAY
>> Spam Jam helps celebrate a local favorite in Waikiki
Time to pig out on Hawaii’s favorite processed meat product at the Waikiki Spam Jam on Saturday, celebrating its 15th anniversary this year.
Nineteen vendors will be offering Spam concoctions, ranging from ABC Stores’ Spam Tempura fries ($6) to Wai‘olu’s Beef Wellington with Spam Porcini Duvelle ($5). It’s enough to make you pull a Python (as in Monty) and order Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, baked beans, Spam, Spam, Spam and Spam.
CELEBRATE: SPAM JAM
Where: Kalakaua Ave. between Lewers St. & Kaiulani Ave.
When: 4-10 p.m. Saturday
Cost: Free
Info: spamjamhawaii.com
Once you’ve had your fill of the canned filet, grab a spot at one of the three stages that will offer entertainment throughout the evening. Performances begin at 4:15 p.m., with each set lasting 45 minutes to an hour. Among the musical acts will be Blayne Asing, Maunalua, Jeff Rasmussen with Robi Kahakalau, Henry Kapono, Honoka and Azita, EMKE, ManoaDNA and Taimane. Hula halau will perform in front of the Hyatt Waikiki.
Lane closures will begin along Kalakaua Avenue starting at 12:30 p.m., and all lanes from Seaside to Liliuokalani avenues will be closed by 1:30 p.m. Where to park? Several Waikiki hotels are offering a special rate of $6 for four hours. Visit spamjamhawaii.com for details.