Weekend Round-Up: Jake Shimabukuro, Soyeon Lee, Seeing America

By Madeline Ziecker

Jake Shimabukuro. Courtesy photo.

Jake Shimabukuro Saturday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the MACC. Tickets are $35 and $45.

Hawaii’s favorite ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro will take the stage with his band members, bassist Dean Taba and  drummer Noel Okimoto, this Saturday night in the Castle Theater.

Shimabukuro gained fame in 2007 when a video of him playing the Beatles’ “As My Guitar Gently Weeps” on ukulele went viral. Since, he has acquired a global following and has raised a lot of attention around the small but mighty ukulele.

Shimabukuro is a show-stopper, an example of what dedication and passion towards any instrument can produce.

Anyone who can play songs as intricate as Queen‘s “Bohemian Rhapsody” on the limited ukulele – flawlessly and in front of a large audience – is destined for greatness.

Pianist Soyeon Lee Sunday, March 4 at 5 p.m. at the MACC. Tickets are $12, $30, and $40.

Acclaimed South Korean pianist Soyeon Lee will give a recital on Sunday evening for the island’s piano lovers.

After winning the 2010 Naumberg Piano Competition, among several other accomplishments, Lee has become one of today’s most sought after performing pianists.

Between performances at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, Lee is currently completing her Doctorate of Musical Arts in New York City.

Tickets can be purchased by calling the MACC Box Office at 242-SHOW or online at MauiArts.org.

First Person: Seeing America with Ensemble Galilei Friday, March 2 at 7:3o p.m. at the MACC. Tickets are $12, $28, and $38.

The First Person: Seeing America project fuses images, spoken word, and live music to tell the story of powerful events that shaped the US.

The show will feature photos of rural America from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection.

Poems and prose will be spoken behind the images by National Public Radio‘s Neal Conan and actress Lily Knight.

To add even more stimulus to the compelling show, live chamber will music performed by Ensemble Galilei.

Tickets can be purchased by calling the MACC Box Office at 242-SHOW or online at MauiArts.org.

Wailuku First Friday. Photo by Madeline Ziecker.

March Wailuku First Friday Town Party Friday, March 2 from 6  to 9 p.m. in and around Wailuku Town. 

This month’s Wailuku First Friday is themed “Zumba Wailuku!” to celebrate the town’s love for health and community with Hawaii Medical Service Association’s Zumba Wailuku.

Free Zumba will take place all night in Wailuku’s Banyan Tree Park. Bryan and Friends will appear on the Maui Thing Stage at 6 p.m.

Wailuku’s town party is known for having some of the best food and drink vendors, as well aslocal artisans who sell everything from unique homemade crafts to freshly strung lei’s.

To conclude the night, Watercress Sports Bar & Grill will host a Wailuku First Friday after party starting at 10 p.m. with no cover charge and drink specials.

Randall Rospond Art Show Opening Friday, March 2 from 4 to 9 p.m. at South Shore Tiki Lounge. 

Maui artist Randall Rospond will present his collection entitled “Liquid Rose Toons” in an exhibit at the South Shore Tiki Lounge which will run through March.

Rospond will be be present to open the exhibit on Friday night before hopping next door to Three’s Bar and Grill at 9:30 p.m. to play in his band, The Haiku Hillbillys, along with guests the Conjugal Visitors.

Greensky Bluegrass Band Saturday, March 3 at 10 p.m. at Charley’s in Paia. Tickets $20 at the door.

Greensky Bluegrass Band. Courtesy Photo.

Greensky Bluegrass Band, hailing from Michigan, will make a stop on Maui Friday night during their continuous tour across the US.

Since the band’s conception, the quintet  has been playing over 100 bluegrass shows a year, stopping at  venues large and small across the country to bring authentic, fun-loving, rowdy bluegrass to audiences.

Kimie & Irie Love Friday, March 2 at 9 p.m. at Casanova in Makawao and Saturday, March 3 at 9 p.m. at Three’s Bar & Grill. Tickets for each show are $10 pre-sale and $15 at the door. 

Big island reggae pop singers Kimie and Irie Love will play two island-style shows together on Maui this weekend.

The singers will meld their talents in the styles of reggae, acoustic soul, and Hawaiian for shows in both North and South Maui, to make sure that multiple sides of the island get a chance to hear their Pacific jams.