Names, instruments, random factoids:
Nate- My name is Nate. I play drums, skate, and work.
Steve- I’m Steve, I go to college, work and play guitar
How can people get in touch with you (to buy your shit, send love/hate mail)?
Steve- They can email me at Steve@whiterosepunk.com or visit us on MySpace at MySpace.com/whiterosepunk If you are interested in snail mail, and I am, please write to P.O. Box 880908, Pukalani, Hi, 96788
Where the hell are you from?
Nate- I'm from the island of Maui.
Steve- I’m from Michigan, originally, but I live on Maui.
Do you like it, hate it, or not give a rat's ass about it? How do you feel about it?
Nate- I like Hawaii a lot even though it has its problems (Not much of a punk scene) We don’t get a lot of concerts from bigger bands and it’s a lot harder to get your band heard over here than if you were in the big America.
Steve- I agree, it is difficult to promote a band if you’re on Maui. There isn’t an underground press that we are part of. I probably should start something but then again, about five people will read it and they all own our CD already. It’s not like we can get in a van and go to LA or something, we have to plan things way out in advance to play Oahu, let alone California. Nevertheless, except for the logistics of playing in a band, I love Hawaii.
What's the funnest hangout spot in Maui?
Nate -Skating ditches.
Steve- I hang out on campus and talk to my professors at school. I’m a dork, I guess.
Is there anything in your hometown that's a "must do"?
Nate- Jump off some waterfalls!
Steve- I’d recommend some of the beaches. I think for anyone to come here, I think they need to read Haunani-Kay Trask’s “Lovely Hula Hands: Corporate Tourism and the Prostitution of Hawaiian Culture.” That way, if they come here, perhaps they will avoid some of the typical tourist
fallacies, like thinking that everyone is here to serve them.
What do I need to make sure to avoid when I come through your town (besides cops)?
Nate-Just Cops!!!
Steve- I’d try and avoid the tourists driving the red convertible cars. They usually don’t know where they are going and are pretty much a menace.
Why are you a band?
Nate- We are a band because it gives a platform to view our ideas in a world that is run by an extremely slanted media. Not to mention its fun!
Steve- I love to play music. I love creating a song and rehearsing it for the first time, the 50th time and the 100th time. I also see the band as an extension of my politically ideals and try to bring something good to the community.
Does your band have any archenemies in the punk scene? If so, who?
Nate -We're nice to everyone.
Steve- I probably have a lot of people who hate me. When you take a stance against things that are popular, you tend to rub people the wrong way. However, I’m okay with that and expect it to some degree.
What role do you feel like your band plays in the scene?
Nate -We play in front of 5-500 hundred people depending on what the show is, and we normally get a pretty good response when we play.
Steve- That’s a good question. I think every band should be asked that. I hope that we fill a void and we aren’t just another shitty band. I think we put a lot of effort into what we create and we put a lot of time into promoting the Hawaii punk scene.
Besides playing punk rock, what do you do?
Steve- I go to school, I try to raise my kids with my wife, and keep active in the community.
Any good tour stories? Any bad ones?
Nate -We've only had one mainland tour so far and was great.
Driving out to the middle of nowhere to play Ridgecrest, Ca. with Elvis Goes Hoggin’ was pretty crazy, but when we finally got there the show was great!
Steve- Yeah, EGH was really fun and the crowd was so cool. They kept asking us, “Why are you guys here, in Ridgecrest?” We played Ridgecrest because Elvis is my friend and I thought Ridgecrest is probably way off the beaten path and isn’t filled with hipsters who are ambivalent. And, I was right. It was an awesome show.
What's the weakest show you've ever played? Why was it so crappy?
Nate- Too many to list! It was crappy because we tried to play new songs that weren’t rehearsed properly or we didn’t practice for a long time or both.
Steve- We’re still learning how to play in a setting where the conditions aren’t perfect. When the monitors are small or non-existent and we can’t hear each other, we tend to have a difficult time. I’d like to see us build our PA bigger with some powerful amps and monitors to handle the volume the band puts out. Nate hits really hard on his drums and Noah’s bass amp is really loud. Because of that, my guitar amp gets cranked and then it’s like a wall of noise. Of course, that’s the way it’s supposed to be, but we also would like to hear our vocals over the din. When we can’t we tend to suck.
Do you ever refuse shows? If so, why?
Steve- Hell yeah. If it is a show that would compromise my integrity, I’m not playing. I don’t like to play battle of the bands either. I save my competitive spirit for athletic events, I’m not interested in pitting my band against another.
If you could get a show with any 3 active bands, who would you play with?
Nate- Green Day, The Aggrolites, and Rage Against the Machine.
Steve- I’d pick The Melvins, Bad Religion or the Wildhearts. All three of them have devoted fans and if we could win them over, I’d be stoked.
How did you get into punk rock?
Nate- Watching an old surf video that had Minor Threat playing the song Minor Threat. Then I bought a bunch of punk compilations.
Steve- My neighbor across the street had the Clash’s first album on English import and I heard that and liked it. I also grew up hearing Ted Nugent, the Stooges and Mc5 in Michigan, so that kind of style is kind of in my blood. I was really blown away when I heard the song, “Fuck Authority” by Raw Power on the MRR compilation, “Welcome to 1984.” My life changed at that moment.
Do you like to live alone, with one person, or with lots of people? Why?
Nate-I live with my lovely wife!
Steve- I live with my wife and kids on a property that has a lot of people living on it. It’s kind of like a commune, except we don’t really share anything. We grow a lot of our vegetables and stuff like that.
How often do you see your band members when you're not playing shows?
Nate- A couple times a week.
Steve- yeah, we rehearse at least once a week and I see Noah, my singer/bassist just about every day.
What's are your favorite games?
(Drinking game, video game, road trip game, mind game, whatever)
Nate- Skateboarding!
Steve- There’s a great road trip game that I learned on tour with Dieselhed. You basically take a truck company like Schneider and then every time a Schneider truck comes in the opposite direction, you get a point. If you pass a Schneider truck, you get two points. The game gets a lot more complicated as you go along. If your truck is followed by an ambulance, even 15 minutes since you saw your last truck, you lose all your points.
Do you think that everything is gonna be okay or not? How come?
Who knows what’s gonna happen!
Nate- Just have a positive attitude and make the most of whatever gets thrown at you!
Steve- I wish I had Nate’s optimism, but I’m pretty cynical about these types of things.
Who do you want to say "fuck you" to right now?
Nate- Cant be wasting my time with that!
Steve- I’d rather have them not know, so that they don’t see me coming when I exact my revenge.
Are you more into building things, or destroying things? What things?
Nate -I like to build fires! That’s two for the price of one!
Steve- I sometimes will record an entire song, layering track upon track and then delete it because I hate it. I like the process, but I don’t always keep the results.
Are there any other bands that you love to play with?
Nate-The 86 List, Black Square, Khrinj, Gomega, and the Hellcaminos.
Steve- I liked the Ugly Sticks a lot and most of the bands we played with on tour. There was one band in Orange County that played videogame metal that I didn’t like, but other than that, we were really lucky to get some great bands to play with.
Speaking of love, what things do you love, that inspire you to keep going?
Nate -My wife:)
Steve- My kids and my wife. I also read a lot and that usually gets me pretty inspired to write a song, or do something positive.
And what are the things that make you feel frustrated?
Nate –poverty, hunger, and war.
Steve- It’s not only that, but the reasons behind Poverty, hunger and war. Why do we do these things to each other? What is it about us as people make us become such assholes? I think that I get frustrated easily and often.
Is there anything you'd like to tell people who are just getting into punk?
Nate -She'll treat ya fine!
Steve- I’d say, don’t follow anyone, especially me. Find out what makes you interested in punk rock. For me, I didn’t have a choice; punk rock was the only place I could go. I wasn’t a nerd, a jock, a preppie, a redneck, a stoner, or a gear head; the punks I grew up with knew I wasn’t a cool dude and that I was weird. They just didn’t seem to care about that.
Any (not so famous) last words?
Nate- Have u ever heard the one about...
Steve- Aia ke ola i ka waha, aia ka make i ka waha, or “Life is in your speech, death is in your speech.” Know the strength of your words and choose them with care.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Order of the White Rose Interview (Maui Time Weekly, 2008)
Since 2004, Pukalani-based hardcore punk band Order of the White Rose has been bringing its political message to stages on Maui and beyond. The band is playing a Pacific Cancer Foundation Benefit this Friday, and their latest 7-inch single "Ghosts of the Sidewalk" is available at Requests in Wailuku (all proceeds from sales of this record benefit food banks on Maui and Oahu). We recently caught up with Nate Robertson and Steve Hart (bass and guitar, respectively):
Do you think your unique position (political punk band on Maui) limits you (shortage of venues, geography), or makes for potential to do something that hasn't been done before?
NR I think that both of those positions would be true. On one hand we are sort of cut off from the continental US –it's not like we can jump in a van and go on tour. We don't have the opportunity to play big venues on the weekend in front of crowds that are into type of music we play. On the other hand, Hawaii is possibly the best place to be as far as playing political music goes. There is a growing amount of people concerned with the issues that we find important and address in our music. For instance, we all have seen the super rich coming in and driving real estate prices through the roof and that how this affects all of us. We support the Hawaiian Sovereignty movement and self-determination for the Hawaiian Nation. We are also concerned that for hundreds of years, one company has controlled a majority of stream water and we support the movement to release water back into the streams. The Superferry and the potential for invasive species like the bee mite to decimate our local agriculture are another concern that we share with a majority of Maui residents.
SH I think there is a shortage of venues to play on Maui for any band that plays mainly original music. Even though we address a variety of political issues through our music, I don't think that hurts our chances of playing on Maui. In fact, there is a huge potential to do things that haven't been done before. I am currently working on developing a plan to start an all-ages space similar to the Gilman Street Project. There are details of this plan on our MySpace page. All-ages shows on Maui are the best –they are the best attended and the most enthusiastic, it's too bad that some of the clubs won't have matinee shows for all-ages kids to come in and play. Sunday afternoons would be a perfect time for a club to open up their doors, have a small cover charge and not sell alcohol for a few hours. It's not like they would be hurting their business, it would actually bring in more business and give the under 21 kids a chance to perform and attend shows. This would help our local music scene and encourage more kids to play music.
So how does a band in such a remote spot make its mark on the national scene?
NR We toured the west coast in 2006 and are planning another tour right now. Networking tools like MySpace are extremely helpful in reaching audiences away from Hawaii. Having our music up on iTunes and a variety of other download sites helps too.
SH If we are to make any "mark" at all, we have to make great-sounding records with excellent songs. We are currently writing and re-writing our songs to make our next record sound great. It is important that we use the Internet effectively; we are featured on a variety of Internet radio programs and college radio stations. If any band wants to be played on the radio, they have to send the radio stations a CD and a press kit. If it sounds simple it is because it is. I look for radio programs that feature punk bands and put a CD in an envelope and send it to them. Then, I get emails from people all the time saying they heard us on their local college station or on Pandora. It takes an effort for any band to get their music heard. You don't need a street team, you just need to get off your butt and do it.
What subject provides the most fodder for your lyrics?
NR A lot of our music lately has focused on indigenous people and groups around the world. We are influenced by the literature of the Native Hawaiians, Native Americans, and the Mayans in the Chiapas region of Mexico.
SH Our first record, "War Machine," addressed the Iraq war through a variety of perspectives. I don't think we wanted to do that again. Currently, we're focusing on what is happening right now through imperialism and colonialism in Hawaii and elsewhere in the world. Almost every day, I receive an email asking about our band. Every email starts out with, "There's punk rock in Hawaii?" Because of this, I feel that it's very important that we address what is happening to the people of Hawaii. Some of the most left-leaning punk rockers out there in the world have no idea that Hawaii was illegally overthrown or annexed. It's not written about in world history books. So, it's our duty to write about these issues. We also recently released a 7-inch single called "Ghosts of the Sidewalk." All the proceeds of the 7-inch benefits the food banks of Maui and Oahu. It's available as a download on iTunes and can be found at Requests in Wailuku.
Are you getting a lot of inspiration from current events?
NR Yes. This president (Bush) has done more harm than any other in my life time, including president Reagan. He seems hell-bent on spreading the U.S Empire through any means necessary while cutting the social programs here in America. Look at the how the Patriot Act was forced upon America and tell me our freedom isn't being taken away piece by piece. We are quickly moving towards a fascist dictatorship.
SH I'm not so much inspired by it, I refuse to become a person who is solely reactive to the national political discourse. It is up to us to be proactive and dictate to them what We the People want, not react to what they do or say. They work for us, not the other way around!
Here's what I don't understand, If we (the collective "we" of America) are the Government, and the Republican Party says that they hate the government, does that mean they hate the collective "we?" It certainly seems so. Thomas Frank's book, "The Wrecking Crew" documents the dismantling of FDR's New Deal by the Republican Party in minute detail and I recommend it to everyone. The Republican Party has waged a war on America for the past 30 years.
All that being said, I'm not just going to write songs reacting to their insipid political platforms –that would make for some bad music and I'm not interested in doing that.
What are your influences?
NR I got into punk music from watching skateboard videos when I was a kid. Bands like Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Black Flag, Bad Religion, Propaghandi, The Gorilla Biscuits, and many more.
SH I think we're influenced by any band that is committed to their music and message. It's important for any punk rock band to listen to bands outside of their genre. It's too easy to try and sound like someone else. What music did the Sex Pistols listen to? Or the Ramones? It wasn't like they listened to punk rock. I like to go to the wells they drew from; The MC5, The Stooges, The Ronettes, along with a variety of musical styles that developed since the advent of punk. Every musical genre is fair game.
http://www.mauitime.com/Articles-i-2008-10-09-185905.112113_The_music_issue.html
Do you think your unique position (political punk band on Maui) limits you (shortage of venues, geography), or makes for potential to do something that hasn't been done before?
NR I think that both of those positions would be true. On one hand we are sort of cut off from the continental US –it's not like we can jump in a van and go on tour. We don't have the opportunity to play big venues on the weekend in front of crowds that are into type of music we play. On the other hand, Hawaii is possibly the best place to be as far as playing political music goes. There is a growing amount of people concerned with the issues that we find important and address in our music. For instance, we all have seen the super rich coming in and driving real estate prices through the roof and that how this affects all of us. We support the Hawaiian Sovereignty movement and self-determination for the Hawaiian Nation. We are also concerned that for hundreds of years, one company has controlled a majority of stream water and we support the movement to release water back into the streams. The Superferry and the potential for invasive species like the bee mite to decimate our local agriculture are another concern that we share with a majority of Maui residents.
SH I think there is a shortage of venues to play on Maui for any band that plays mainly original music. Even though we address a variety of political issues through our music, I don't think that hurts our chances of playing on Maui. In fact, there is a huge potential to do things that haven't been done before. I am currently working on developing a plan to start an all-ages space similar to the Gilman Street Project. There are details of this plan on our MySpace page. All-ages shows on Maui are the best –they are the best attended and the most enthusiastic, it's too bad that some of the clubs won't have matinee shows for all-ages kids to come in and play. Sunday afternoons would be a perfect time for a club to open up their doors, have a small cover charge and not sell alcohol for a few hours. It's not like they would be hurting their business, it would actually bring in more business and give the under 21 kids a chance to perform and attend shows. This would help our local music scene and encourage more kids to play music.
So how does a band in such a remote spot make its mark on the national scene?
NR We toured the west coast in 2006 and are planning another tour right now. Networking tools like MySpace are extremely helpful in reaching audiences away from Hawaii. Having our music up on iTunes and a variety of other download sites helps too.
SH If we are to make any "mark" at all, we have to make great-sounding records with excellent songs. We are currently writing and re-writing our songs to make our next record sound great. It is important that we use the Internet effectively; we are featured on a variety of Internet radio programs and college radio stations. If any band wants to be played on the radio, they have to send the radio stations a CD and a press kit. If it sounds simple it is because it is. I look for radio programs that feature punk bands and put a CD in an envelope and send it to them. Then, I get emails from people all the time saying they heard us on their local college station or on Pandora. It takes an effort for any band to get their music heard. You don't need a street team, you just need to get off your butt and do it.
What subject provides the most fodder for your lyrics?
NR A lot of our music lately has focused on indigenous people and groups around the world. We are influenced by the literature of the Native Hawaiians, Native Americans, and the Mayans in the Chiapas region of Mexico.
SH Our first record, "War Machine," addressed the Iraq war through a variety of perspectives. I don't think we wanted to do that again. Currently, we're focusing on what is happening right now through imperialism and colonialism in Hawaii and elsewhere in the world. Almost every day, I receive an email asking about our band. Every email starts out with, "There's punk rock in Hawaii?" Because of this, I feel that it's very important that we address what is happening to the people of Hawaii. Some of the most left-leaning punk rockers out there in the world have no idea that Hawaii was illegally overthrown or annexed. It's not written about in world history books. So, it's our duty to write about these issues. We also recently released a 7-inch single called "Ghosts of the Sidewalk." All the proceeds of the 7-inch benefits the food banks of Maui and Oahu. It's available as a download on iTunes and can be found at Requests in Wailuku.
Are you getting a lot of inspiration from current events?
NR Yes. This president (Bush) has done more harm than any other in my life time, including president Reagan. He seems hell-bent on spreading the U.S Empire through any means necessary while cutting the social programs here in America. Look at the how the Patriot Act was forced upon America and tell me our freedom isn't being taken away piece by piece. We are quickly moving towards a fascist dictatorship.
SH I'm not so much inspired by it, I refuse to become a person who is solely reactive to the national political discourse. It is up to us to be proactive and dictate to them what We the People want, not react to what they do or say. They work for us, not the other way around!
Here's what I don't understand, If we (the collective "we" of America) are the Government, and the Republican Party says that they hate the government, does that mean they hate the collective "we?" It certainly seems so. Thomas Frank's book, "The Wrecking Crew" documents the dismantling of FDR's New Deal by the Republican Party in minute detail and I recommend it to everyone. The Republican Party has waged a war on America for the past 30 years.
All that being said, I'm not just going to write songs reacting to their insipid political platforms –that would make for some bad music and I'm not interested in doing that.
What are your influences?
NR I got into punk music from watching skateboard videos when I was a kid. Bands like Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Black Flag, Bad Religion, Propaghandi, The Gorilla Biscuits, and many more.
SH I think we're influenced by any band that is committed to their music and message. It's important for any punk rock band to listen to bands outside of their genre. It's too easy to try and sound like someone else. What music did the Sex Pistols listen to? Or the Ramones? It wasn't like they listened to punk rock. I like to go to the wells they drew from; The MC5, The Stooges, The Ronettes, along with a variety of musical styles that developed since the advent of punk. Every musical genre is fair game.
http://www.mauitime.com/Articles-i-2008-10-09-185905.112113_The_music_issue.html
Friday, December 18, 2009
Sherpa
Back in 1998 or so, I was spending time in Michigan and staying at my friend's house. When I was carrying all my luggage into his apartment, he said, "You're like a Sherpa," and I thought, "Wow, that would make a great name for a band." Soon thereafter, I was back in San Francisco, roadying for The Mermen (Who have a great new album coming out) At the same time the band, "Fantomas," was just beginning to form and I was inspired to write some short, weird songs while discussing Fantomas with Mike. I was also listening to the film composer, "Manabe," who wrote these great, short film pieces. Also, the record store, "Amoeba" had just opened in the Haight and had a lot of Kraftwerk and OMD CDs on sale, so I was heavy into that too. Anyway, my friend gave me a little Casio keyboard and a Shure SM58 and told me to go record. The first tape I came up with is the "Lost Tapes, Pt. One." I tried to write a bunch of little compositions keeping all of the aforementioned influences, calling the project, "Sherpa." I came up with about 38 songs, made a cover at Kinkos (Drawn by my friend, Mike Peoples in New Orleans, way back in 88) and dubbed off about 20 copies of the tape. I then sold them on the Secret Chiefs 3 southwest tour -each tape had a different "secret song" on it and I encouraged people who bought the tape to try and exchange songs with each other. I don't believe that ever happend.
The second recording is "Lost Tapes Part Two." This contains far more experimental recordings, some of them dating back to 1991, through 2007. My influences were far more vast than the previous recordings, but still kept a certain "Sherpaness" to them.
The "Nasturtium" recordings are more recent, recorded within 2006-2009. These too have are fairly experimental, mixing surf guitar, ambience and African percussion. Anyway, I've uploaded them to Mediafire, and they are all free to download. Enjoy!
Cover by Michael Peoples
The Lost Tapes Pt. 1
The Lost Tapes Pt. 2
Nasturtium
Pinky
Also, please leave a comment if you like what you heard...
The second recording is "Lost Tapes Part Two." This contains far more experimental recordings, some of them dating back to 1991, through 2007. My influences were far more vast than the previous recordings, but still kept a certain "Sherpaness" to them.
The "Nasturtium" recordings are more recent, recorded within 2006-2009. These too have are fairly experimental, mixing surf guitar, ambience and African percussion. Anyway, I've uploaded them to Mediafire, and they are all free to download. Enjoy!
Cover by Michael Peoples
The Lost Tapes Pt. 1
The Lost Tapes Pt. 2
Nasturtium
Pinky
Also, please leave a comment if you like what you heard...
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Help Support the Proposed Superstore ban On Maui
Everyone's signature can help! Off-Island, or Hawaii residents. Help us protect Maui's small businesses by signing this petition
Petition
The Maui County Council is currently considering a bill prohibiting new or expanded Superstores on Maui.
These stores are an economic disaster most places, but in a place like Maui they are especially destructive to the economy, environment, infrastructure, and island way of life that makes Maui the paradise it is. Big-box stores would force more local businesses to close, and prevent others from opening. In these tough economic times we need to protect our people and businesses and find more sustainable ways to look at development, and there is nothing "Sustainable" about a Superstore.
We hope that all Maui residents, small business owners, and those who love Maui will sign our petition and let the Council know that they are in support of a BAN ON SUPERSTORES on Maui, Molokai, and Lanai.
The Council will be discussing and voting on this bill at their March 20th meeting. We do not have much time, so please:
1.........Sign our petition
2..........Write a comment for the Council in the "comment" section
3..........Copy the URL and send to friends and associates on Maui.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and for your concern for the issue. With your help we can Protect Maui from Superstores.
Petition
The Maui County Council is currently considering a bill prohibiting new or expanded Superstores on Maui.
These stores are an economic disaster most places, but in a place like Maui they are especially destructive to the economy, environment, infrastructure, and island way of life that makes Maui the paradise it is. Big-box stores would force more local businesses to close, and prevent others from opening. In these tough economic times we need to protect our people and businesses and find more sustainable ways to look at development, and there is nothing "Sustainable" about a Superstore.
We hope that all Maui residents, small business owners, and those who love Maui will sign our petition and let the Council know that they are in support of a BAN ON SUPERSTORES on Maui, Molokai, and Lanai.
The Council will be discussing and voting on this bill at their March 20th meeting. We do not have much time, so please:
1.........Sign our petition
2..........Write a comment for the Council in the "comment" section
3..........Copy the URL and send to friends and associates on Maui.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and for your concern for the issue. With your help we can Protect Maui from Superstores.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Raw Power
This is from my old fanzine, "licentia et pax, somewhere around 1986, or possibly 1985. Raw Power was, and is, one of my favorite bands. Maybe, we can get them to Hawaii this year!
Hey Everett Dowling!
Your ugly houses look so UGH!
Everett Dowling wants to keep local people locked out of his private resort. It's a new "Sun City" for Maui. Private resorts are not what aloha is all about.
Everett Dowling wants to keep local people locked out of his private resort. It's a new "Sun City" for Maui. Private resorts are not what aloha is all about.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Bang on the Drum
There was a band called "Scream" from Washington DC, who had a song entitled, "Banging the Drum." I got to see Scream play in New Orleans in the late 80's. It was a good show, Dave Grohl was playing drums for them at the time. But this really isn't about Scream.
William Winant, percussionist, photo by me.
I've always liked a lot of percussion sounds, with big drums and minimal instrumentation. Working with William Winant as his percussion tech also introduced me to a whole plethora of other percussion instruments. I learned how to take apart and set up a six foot marimba in under three minutes. As a roadie, that was kind of cool.
Photo by Marina MillerFor the next White Rose record, I've been talking to Nate the drummer about doing a couple of songs where it is just drums with maybe a little bit of the band, and with some shouted lyrics. For example, the Safaris have a song called "Mystic Island Drums," which is an amazing song. It has huge jungle drums and a surf guitar playing a minimal chord progression. I'd like for one of our songs to be like this.My first "podcast" had a song from the band "Black Tusk." They too have songs with huge tom-tom drum sounds. Their use of heaviness and drums is amazing and kind of reminds me of Sepultura. Another one of my favorite bands is Bow Wow Wow. They are probably my biggest musical influence. I just love that band. So, in tribute to these band and their music, I've put together a small group of songs that are a springboard for a few songs off the next White Rose album. Hopefully, we'll be able to create something powerful like these songs.
Percussion
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
No More Makena, No More Aloha
I went on a research trip this weekend to view Makena and this is what I found. I think it puts the issues into proper perspective.
Friday, December 12, 2008
HC&S
Monday, December 1, 2008
Christmas Declares War On Hawai'i
Thousands of Christmas trees are presently in Hawaii or are soon on their way. I’ve written about Christmas before, but the danger of importing Christmas trees is still a huge threat to Hawaii. Perhaps the Department of Agriculture doesn’t read my blogs. Nevertheless, in today’s Star Bulletin, “Trees in four containers from Oregon were infested with slugs and denied entry to the state," said Leslie Iseke, plant import specialist in the state Department of Agriculture Plant Quarantine Division.
Four containers!
I’ve worked in nurseries that sold cut Christmas Trees since the late 80’s. When I worked for Sloat nurseries in California, I unpacked every semi-trailer for the 11 nurseries owned by Sloat. That is over 100,000 trees unpacked and carried in the two years I worked there. When I first moved to Maui, I worked for Lowes in the garden department. During the Christmas season, I was promoted to garden department manager. Because of this, I found myself inside the trailer, pulling out Noble and Douglass fir trees for 12 hours a day.
Christmas trees are cut at a tree farm and then wrapped up tightly with a string tied around the base of the tree. They are measured and tagged and packed into large refrigerated containers. The largest trees are placed on the bottom of the container with the smaller and lighter trees stacked on top. The largest trees, much to my dismay, are also placed near the front of the container. This means that if a customer wants an 11 foot tree, the employee has to take a bunch of smaller trees out of the truck and literally dig their way to the bottom of the pile and try to pull the behemoth out of the pile. A friend of mine tore the muscles in his back trying to do this. It is a very difficult and annoying job.
It is imperative to understand just how tight the trees are packed into the containers in order to comprehend what the Department of Agriculture is doing to protect against invasive species. What the Ag. Dept. does is thus: They open the back of the container and drag out the trees, maybe two rows deep. They take a few trees, cut off the twine and shake the tree. If they find any insects, they are supposed to quarantine the container. However, the larger trees, the ones that actually can contain insects (or bird nests, or a dead squirrel) are not inspected.
When I worked at Lowes, I found a variety of insects, mostly bees or wasps and all were dead. I brought this to the attention of my manager, but was told to keep my mouth shut. Sadly, that is what I did. However, today we have a news report that a variety of slugs –vegetable-eating slugs, were found in the Christmas tree shipping containers and four containers were shipped back (or are at least, scheduled to be shipped back). In the Star Bulletin article, snail/slug specialist Robert Cowie at the University of Hawaii's Center for Conservation Research and Training for identification said, “[the slugs found on the Christmas trees] "will certainly become a pest if they're established here in the vegetable-growing area[s] of Kula, Maui, and places like that," Cowie said. "They've already got some temperate species."
Christmas trees are the Trojan horse for invasive species. For all the talk about a “War on Christmas,” the practice of importing Christmas trees to Hawaii is a threat to our food security. We cannot afford to have vegetable-eating slugs on Maui. Instead of buying a cut Christmas tree, I suggest, (if you must have a tree in order to celebrate) buying a local, live Christmas tree. For instance, the Permaculture Group has 3 native species available as replacements. You can click on this link if you are interested. Plant A Wish
We need to rethink our idea of what Christmas means to Hawaii. Inspecting a few trees every year is not going to protect Hawaii from a potentially devastating horde of invasive species.
Oregon Christmas Tree Regulations
Star Bulletin
Christmas Tree Cultivation, Cutting & Loading (Play with Volume Turned OFF! -You'll Thank Me)
Friday, November 28, 2008
Depleted Uranium in Hawai`i
Leuren Moret exposes the Military in Hawaii
UPDATE December 2, 2008
Here are some links to a variety of opinions on depleted uranium in Hawaii.
My opinion? I don't believe the Hawaiian Islands should be used as target practice for the military, depleted uranium or not.
Army Reaffirms Commitment to Hawaii on Depleted Uranium
No Depleted Uranium In Hawaii
Doubts Remain About Depleted Uranium
Nuclear Free Zone
Hawaiian Islands Contaminated
With Ballistic Uranium
DubbsInfo/Uranium
Sickened Iraq vets cite depleted uranium
"They've Got Bomb" by Crass
They won't destroy the world, no, they're not that crazy.
You're dealing with the town hall. They're not that crazy.
No political solution so why should we bother?
Well whose fucking head do you think they're holding over?
FOUR. THREE. TWO. ONE. FIRE.
They can't wait to use it. They can't wait to use it.
They can't wait to try it out. They can't wait to use it.
They've got a bomb. They've got a bomb
And they can't wait to use it on me.
Twenty odd years now waiting for the flash...
Twenty odd years now waiting for the flash,
All of the oddballs thinking we'll be ash.
Well the four minute warning has run on into years,
Are we waiting for them to confirm our fears?
FOUR. THREE. TWO. ONE. FIRE.
They can't wait to use it. They can't wait to use it.
They can't wait to try it out. They can't wait to use it.
They've got a bomb. They've got a bomb
And they can't wait to use it on me.
They can build them small, call it tactical.
Stop the fallout, make it practical
To smash the misfits who foul up their scene
With the practical, tactical, killing machine.
FOUR. THREE. TWO. ONE. FIRE.
They can't wait to use it. They can't wait to use it.
They can't wait to try it out. They can't wait to use it.
They've got a bomb. They've got a bomb
And they can't wait to use it on me.
Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. I. Me. Me. Me.
Lyrics by Crass from the Feeding of the 5000 album
Here are some links to a variety of opinions on depleted uranium in Hawaii.
My opinion? I don't believe the Hawaiian Islands should be used as target practice for the military, depleted uranium or not.
Army Reaffirms Commitment to Hawaii on Depleted Uranium
No Depleted Uranium In Hawaii
Doubts Remain About Depleted Uranium
Nuclear Free Zone
Hawaiian Islands Contaminated
With Ballistic Uranium
DubbsInfo/Uranium
Sickened Iraq vets cite depleted uranium
"They've Got Bomb" by Crass
They won't destroy the world, no, they're not that crazy.
You're dealing with the town hall. They're not that crazy.
No political solution so why should we bother?
Well whose fucking head do you think they're holding over?
FOUR. THREE. TWO. ONE. FIRE.
They can't wait to use it. They can't wait to use it.
They can't wait to try it out. They can't wait to use it.
They've got a bomb. They've got a bomb
And they can't wait to use it on me.
Twenty odd years now waiting for the flash...
Twenty odd years now waiting for the flash,
All of the oddballs thinking we'll be ash.
Well the four minute warning has run on into years,
Are we waiting for them to confirm our fears?
FOUR. THREE. TWO. ONE. FIRE.
They can't wait to use it. They can't wait to use it.
They can't wait to try it out. They can't wait to use it.
They've got a bomb. They've got a bomb
And they can't wait to use it on me.
They can build them small, call it tactical.
Stop the fallout, make it practical
To smash the misfits who foul up their scene
With the practical, tactical, killing machine.
FOUR. THREE. TWO. ONE. FIRE.
They can't wait to use it. They can't wait to use it.
They can't wait to try it out. They can't wait to use it.
They've got a bomb. They've got a bomb
And they can't wait to use it on me.
Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. I. Me. Me. Me.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The SuperFerry Chronicles
The Superferry Chronicles - Book Launch Celebrations
Tuesday, December 2
4:00 p.m. - Borders at Maui Marketplace, Kahului
7:00 p.m. - Kaunoa Senior Center in Paia
Interisland ferries, at appropriate speeds with appropriate safeguards, could be a blessing for the islands. The Hawaii Superferry has never met these criteria. Not approved by the people of Hawai'i, without an environmental impact statement, the Superferry rode in on a wave of collusion and deception. On Maui, environmental groups blocked passage in the courts, only to be overridden by special legislative session. On Kaua'i, citizens on surfboards blocked the vessel from entering the harbor. Koohan Paik and Jerry Mander tell the full story in The Superferry Chronicles.
Koohan Paik is a Kauai filmmaker, writer, and media-literacy educator. Jerry Mander founded of San Francisco's Public Media Center and International Forum on Globalization, authored the bestselling Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television and In the Absence of the Sacred, and has been called by the New York Times "the patriarch of the antiglobalization movement."
"The idea of boats to connect the Hawaiian Islands is so natural and lovely that it makes one doubly mad to read how in this case it's been perverted into yet one more sad scheme for our paranoid future. Good for the people of Hawai'i who have raised the alarm and to these authors for pulling back the curtain." --Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy
"Koohan Paik and Jerry Mander offer the world a wide interpretation of indigenous sensibility. We in Hawai'i are grateful and stand ready for more effective collaboration. It's time to save this planet! I mua ka lahui o Hawaii-nui-akua. ('Let us all move forward, all people of the world.')" --Dr. Manulani Aluli Meyer, Hawaiian practitioner and educator
The authors will also be speaking at Maui Community College December 1st at 6 p.m. in Science 12A, December 3-5 on Kaua'i, and in Honolulu, Hilo, and Kona in January. Visit www.superferrychronicles.com for details and a downloadable poster.
The Superferry Chronicles
Published by Koa Books, Kihei, Maui
$20 Trade Paperback Original - ISBN 978-0-9773338-8-2
Available now in Borders Kahului & Lihue, Native Books and Revolution Books in Honolulu, and from Koa Books
For more information, contact 808-875-7995, arnie@koabooks.com
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Michelle Malkin and Hawaii
I sometimes wonder what the outsider’s opinion of Hawaii is. We sometimes see it depicted in movies, where kanaka maoli are reduced to background figures or buffoonish clowns. Recently, I’ve been following the talk show pundit, Michelle Malkin and read her opinions of Hawaii. She certainly has no love lost for our islands.
According to “The State of Hawaii Moves to Censor a Cartoon,” an article written by Michelle Malkin, the Hawaiian sovereignty movement is, a “grievance-mongering movement.” Of course, this doesn’t take into account of history, facts or reality. In fact, this is a classic right-wing smear: call your opponent some crazy, vile epithet and you will reduce them to mumbling idiots. For example, there is always the trap, “Hey, have you stopped beating your wife?” If you answer, “I haven’t,” you look like an idiot. If you answer, “no,” you look like an idiot. This is what Malkin is doing. Reducing the Hawaiian Sovereignty movement to “grievance-mongerers” is Ms. Malkin outlining the narrative. We can either respond with epithets ourselves or ignore it and try to set her straight. Of course, she won’t be interested in hearing what we have to say. Her mind is made up.
In a more recent article entitled, “Nuttiness in Hawaii: Ethnic separatists take over palace” by Michelle Malkin, Native Hawaiians are described as secessionists and ethnic separatists. First, the sovereignty movement cannot be described as secessionists, the premise of the movement is that the Hawaiian Kingdom was never overthrown, that it still exists to this day. You cannot secede from something you are not a part of. Secondly, “ethnic separatists?” The kingdom of Hawai`i was not built on separation, it included everyone, including haoles. However, she claims that these separatists “took over a historic palace…” The way she writes it, Iolani Palace is just some palace, like there are hundreds of them scattered throughout Hawaii. Clearly, she doesn’t really understand what has occurred. Instead, she takes large quotes from Malia Zimmerman’s report, and then regurgitates her opinion over the report. She sums up her “report” by saying, “P.C [Political Correctness)] virus isn’t contained to the Mainland.”
Despite what Ms. Malkin’s opinions are about Hawaii and the sovereignty movement, she is just a tip of the iceberg when it comes to people’s opinions about Hawaii. The comments left on her blog are equally as vile, if not surpassing it altogether. The opinions of her readers degenerate into sad name calling. If we, the students of Hawaiian Studies ever want to understand how we are perceived, please read the comments in her blog. One person wrote, “There [In Hawaii] is a separatist movement encouraged by the weak-minded and apologetic-for-all-things western, but western civilization did not achieve its dominance and brilliance through timidity and surrender.” A link from Malkin’s blog led me to this nugget, “Yet another inferior culture having a go at the fallen children of giants.” Levi from Queens
This is what we are up against. We must realize that we have to come together because people like Michelle Malkin, people who have access to powerful media outlets, are out to destroy us and will not relent until we give up. So, don't give up.
Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin on Apartheid in Hawaii
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Noho Hewa
5:30 PM
7:30 PM Maui Community College
Ka Lama Building FREE
Noho Hewa" opens with this excerpt from the poem "Hawaii" by activist Haunani-Kay Trask:
"... Haole plover / plundering the archipelago of our world, / And we, gorging ourselves / on lost shells / blowing a tourist conch / into the wounds / of catastrophe."
The poem is a most fitting summary of the film (an uncompleted version was viewed for this review), which explicitly illustrates that the phenomenon of colonialism extends beyond the physical occupation of the land or replacement of the culture.
Trask in fact goes so far as describing the strife facing Hawaiians as ethnic cleansing, adding "ethnic cleansing isn't just something that they do physically to people, it's something that happens in the mind."
To explain this concept, producer and director Anne Keala Kelly uses examples of colonialism in Hawaii -- bombings at Makua, the clumsy handling of burial sites during development, homelessness contrasted with the construction of multimillion-dollar gated communities -- and illuminates them with discourse by numerous Hawaiian academics and activists.
"The destruction of the Hawaiian way of life used to look like a missionary holding a bible. This is what it looks like in the 21st century," says Mikahala Roy of Kulana Huli Honua, as footage of construction rolls on the screen.
In response to homeless Hawaiians being evicted from public beaches, Trask says, "That's just what ethnic cleansing establishes ... You have no place to live. You do not have a home. You're not there."
For those uneducated about the issues "Noho Hewa" addresses, Hawaiian activists can appear to be unduly angry, their causes ridiculously unrealistic. But in taking a stand on the side of the Hawaiian cause, the film does an excellent job of providing context to their perspectives. And it even goes one step further: It conveys knowledge that resonates in the heart as well as the mind.
Hawaii International Film Festival
Six films are nominated for the Hawaii International Film Festival's top award, the Halekulani Golden Orchid Award, in the category of documentary feature. The award recognizes artistic and technical excellence and contributions to cross-cultural understanding. Jurors are actor Cliff Curtis of "Whale Rider," "Fracture," "Sunshine" and "Life Free or Die Hard"; Don King, director of "Beautiful Son"; and Grace Lee, anchor at KGMB 9 TV.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Ghosts Of the Sidewalk
Maui Weekly
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Ghosts of the Sidewalk
Formerly homeless punk rockers help food banks.
The Maui punk rock band, (Order Of The) White Rose, joined forces with O‘ahu’s Hawaiian Express records and released a collectable seven-inch single entitled Ghosts of the Sidewalk in mid-June. All sales proceeds will be donated to the food banks of O‘ahu and Maui.
A former homeless person himself, guitarist Stephen Hart said, “I wanted to take a negative experience and turn it into a positive experience. I would rather be a band that gave back to the community than one who just tries to become famous and pal around with Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan.”
When asked why he chose to use an older format to release the songs, he said, “Seven-inch singles are very collectable and very tactile—they’re fun to hold. Plus, with the large hole, they can be played in the old-style jukeboxes.”
White Rose also hired the cartoonist Brian Walsby (Melvins, 7 Seconds) to draw the front cover, and up-and-coming artist Keith Rosson (Razorcake Magazine) drew the poster for the inside as well as designed the back cover art for the B-side, Seeds of Destruction.
“I look forward to raising awareness that there are a lot of people who are hurting here in Hawai‘i, we are not just a playground for the rich, nor are we to be forgotten. That is what the song Ghosts of the Sidewalk is all about,” Hart said. “I’m really happy to work with Jason Miller of Hawaiian Express Records, too. With his own history of living in a van outside a friends house, a 4-by-10 loft in a garage, and a converted lanai, he was as excited to do this project as I was, and we’re really happy with the way the single looks and sounds. I hope to do more projects with Jason in the future. Maybe we can have a punk rock food drive, too, and have barrels of food to drop off at the food banks at every show we play. That would be remarkable.”
The single is sold for $5 ppd and can be purchased through Hawaiian Express Records: P.O. Box 11871, Honolulu, HI 96828 or www.hwnexp.com.
Stephen Hart can be contacted at Steve@whiterosepunk.com.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Ghosts of the Sidewalk
Formerly homeless punk rockers help food banks.
The Maui punk rock band, (Order Of The) White Rose, joined forces with O‘ahu’s Hawaiian Express records and released a collectable seven-inch single entitled Ghosts of the Sidewalk in mid-June. All sales proceeds will be donated to the food banks of O‘ahu and Maui.
A former homeless person himself, guitarist Stephen Hart said, “I wanted to take a negative experience and turn it into a positive experience. I would rather be a band that gave back to the community than one who just tries to become famous and pal around with Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan.”
When asked why he chose to use an older format to release the songs, he said, “Seven-inch singles are very collectable and very tactile—they’re fun to hold. Plus, with the large hole, they can be played in the old-style jukeboxes.”
White Rose also hired the cartoonist Brian Walsby (Melvins, 7 Seconds) to draw the front cover, and up-and-coming artist Keith Rosson (Razorcake Magazine) drew the poster for the inside as well as designed the back cover art for the B-side, Seeds of Destruction.
“I look forward to raising awareness that there are a lot of people who are hurting here in Hawai‘i, we are not just a playground for the rich, nor are we to be forgotten. That is what the song Ghosts of the Sidewalk is all about,” Hart said. “I’m really happy to work with Jason Miller of Hawaiian Express Records, too. With his own history of living in a van outside a friends house, a 4-by-10 loft in a garage, and a converted lanai, he was as excited to do this project as I was, and we’re really happy with the way the single looks and sounds. I hope to do more projects with Jason in the future. Maybe we can have a punk rock food drive, too, and have barrels of food to drop off at the food banks at every show we play. That would be remarkable.”
The single is sold for $5 ppd and can be purchased through Hawaiian Express Records: P.O. Box 11871, Honolulu, HI 96828 or www.hwnexp.com.
Stephen Hart can be contacted at Steve@whiterosepunk.com.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
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