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Do It! First Friday, Anuhea, more

FRIDAY, JAN. 4

First Friday in Chinatown features a multimedia show, shining new light on women’s images

Kick off the new year with 2013′s first First Friday. This evening’s edition of the monthly arts walkabout in Chinatown features a sneak peek of “Geisha: Women of Art,” a multimedia arts presentation hosted by Loading Zone Arts.

“We have visual artists, performing artists, DJs — all coming together to put on a show that’s about empowering women,” said Linda Kuo, owner and artistic director of Loading Zone Arts.

“The reason we call it ‘Geisha’ is because geisha are traditionally seen as property of men, of society. … We want to use contemporary art to bring a new light to the traditional female figures and talk about who we are as women.”

Loading Zone Arts, a visual and performing arts venue that launched this summer, will feature a complete program on Jan. 11 and 18. Tonight’s program offers a taste of the show as a preview.

Silhouette artist Chanel Tanaka is one of several artists whose work will be featured.

“She’ll be painting on a canvas and also on a girl’s back, so body-painting,” Kuo said. “It’s very special.

“The story of each girl is different, so depending on what story the model wants to tell, that’s what the painting is going to be about.”

Dancer Heather Roche, who has just finished a tour with Cirque du Soleil, will be a featured performer.

“She does a fan dance, but with a contemporary twist,” said Kuo, a dancer herself who also will perform tonight.

Where: Loading Zone Arts, 47 N. Hotel St.
When: 6 p.m. today
Cost: $2 donation
Info: loadingzonearts.com or 312-4781

– Steven Mark

FRIDAY, JAN. 4

Anuhea heads to the country for a show at Surfer, The Bar

Two years ago, Anuhea took home Na Hoku Hanohano awards for most promising artist and contemporary album for her debut CD “Anuhea.”

She’s justified those accolades in 2012 with a well-received second CD, “For Love,” released in February, and multiple gigs in Hawaii and on the mainland. Anuhea toured in 2012 with SOJA and with Rome, on his first solo tour away from Sublime. And after appearing in Honolulu at the Hawaii Unite Music Festival with Jamaican reggae artist Tarrus Riley in February, she paired up with Riley to release new tunes “Forever Summer” and “The Only Man in the World” in November.

A video of “Mr. Mellow,” one of the tunes on “For Love,” was released on New Year’s Eve.

Anuhea has a performance at Turtle Bay Resort tonight, just a few days after appearing on Kauai for New Year’s Eve.

The Maui-born artist was always artistically inclined (she studied film and TV in high school), and started her professional career singing in coffee shops.

“To be able to sustain my life and pay my bills doing only what I love to do, all that hard work has paid off, so that’s rewarding,” she said in an interview last year. “But my life is also fun. I get to do what I love and I get to touch people’s lives with my music, and that makes me super humbled every time I see somebody who’s so stoked on me.”

Where: Surfer, The Bar, Turtle Bay Resort
When: 9 p.m. today
Cost: $20
Info: www.turtlebaysurf.com or 293-6000

SATURDAY, JAN. 5

Gay-friendly event features DJ Von Kiss

If you didn’t get a chance to celebrate the new year on New Year’s Eve — maybe you had to work instead of party? — here’s a late event for you: “DowneTowne: New Year’s Masquerade” on Saturday.

“It’s the new year, and I wanted to do something special and bring some new talent down, so it’s a like a kickoff,” said promoter Ruby Hong.

Hong, a former Honolulu resident who now lives in Los Angeles, established “DowneTowne” to promote gay-friendly events. In March the monthly event celebrated its fifth anniversary in Honolulu.

Hong said she especially wanted to feature DJ Von Kiss from San Diego, who is widely popular with both gay and straight crowds.

Dancer Zulu Nasty, pictured, a respected dancer in Los Angeles’ underground arts scene, also headlines.

“Her energy is very unique,” Hong said of Zulu Nasty. “Just the way her body moves, it’s very aggressive. It’s very different. You just have to see it.”

Nasty will perform with DJ Von Kiss, and Hong said the performance will likely be a memorable one.

“They know each other, so they mesh well,” she said. “They vibe off each other. The DJ will read the dancer, so she plays the kinds of music Zulu knows, what really gets her going. The chemistry is really powerful.”

Also on the bill is DJ Josh Peace, who’s made well-received appearances here before. Miss Vicky Dora will host.

Where: Bar 35, 35 N. Hotel St.
When: 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday
Cost: $20
Info: www.downetowne.com

MONDAY, JAN. 7

Stand-up comedy on tap at Edge Bar

Local comedian James Mane, founder of comedy promoter Mars Comedy, knows all the trauma involved in stepping on stage to tell a joke.

“It’s a scary thing,” he said. “In the beginning you kind of need someone to hold your hand. You’re up there and basically it’s like, ‘I hope you accept me and all my flaws and insecurities.’”

On Monday, Mane premieres a weekly open mic night for stand-ups at Edge Bar that he’s starting up.

There could be a comic diamond in the rough out on stage that night, whether it’s a new personality or just a new bit that more established comedians are developing.

“Even though I’ve been doing it for four years, I still need a place to basically ‘work out,’” said Mane, whose comedy podcast “Guys with Issues” (accessible via marscomedy.com) caught the attention of folks at Edge Bar and led to the open mic night.

Mane has big dreams for his comedy career — he thinks his open mic night might net him some talent to train and eventually promote — but he is one of those rare entertainers who wouldn’t quit his day job, even if he makes it big. He’s a driver for TheBus and has found his route a gold mine for comedy bits.

“As I’m driving, I notice stuff that’s really weird, and then because my mind is already weird, I just start elaborating on what I saw,” he said. “I keeping a notebook and jot stuff down, and then later on I’ll turn it into a bit.”

Where: Edge Bar, 1661 Kapiolani Blvd.
When: 8 p.m. Monday
Cost: $5
Info: www.marscomedy.com or 779-5579