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Hawaii Tribune-Herald Island Beat Thursday, February 23, 2017 9 ONE GALLERY an artists’ collective Art & Wine Classes 961-2787 $35 onegalleryhawaii.com Sat, Mon & Tues - Feb. 25, 27 & 28 at 7pm Sun - Feb 26 at 2:30pm & 7pm JACKIE (R) DRAMA NoOmsincaatri on Starring: Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig Directed by: Pablo Larrain JACKIE is an intimate portrait of one of the most important and tragic moments in American history, seen through the eyes of the iconic First Lady, then Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Jackie places us in her world during the days immediately following her husbandʼs assassination. New Yok Observer: “Never embroidered or rehearsed, the way so many biopics are, this is a wonderful movie that feels freshly observed, like an uninvited peek through some forbidden White House keyhole, at the woman we called Jackie.” $8 Gen. - $7 Student/Senior 38 Haili St. • 934-7777 www.hilopalace.com Hilo,” Preston-Pita says. “When I start talking about the concert, they have the biggest smile on their faces. It really takes them down memory lane.” And Lisa is ready to take audiences there, too. “I want to take them back to that time,” she says. “You’re going to get flavor … I call it ‘flavor’… but you’re going to get classics of the ’80s and some newer stuff, too.” Lisa has never stopped writing and continues to release new studio recordings. She explains her latest recordings as “hip-pop,” a mix of dance tracks and ballads — a musical style that reflects a combination of everything she’s learned in the business. “I didn’t understand it when I first started and was pegged to be ‘freestyle,’” she says. “Any category you put me in I’m going to question it because I just like making music.” The youngest of 10 children, Lisa started in the music business at the tender age of 13. No one knew how young she was, she says, when she auditioned for the production team Full Force. It was the mid-’80s when the group’s debut album “Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force” was released, and shortly after, they signed with Columbia Records and debuted the single, “I Wonder If I Take You Home.” That song quickly became a chart topper and eventually went gold. Other hits followed: “Can You Feel the Beat,” “Move Your Body,” “Head to Toe” and “Lost in Emotion.” “All Cried Out,” the first ballad Lisa ever sung, reached gold status as well. “‘I Wonder If I Take You Home’ put me on the map. That was our very first recording,” she recalls. “But my alltime favorite song is ‘All Cried Out.’ It was a one-take vocal. We went into the studio to write this song, I sat there and that’s how it came out. When I do it live today, I like to take it as far as I can.” Though she performs in Hawaii regularly, Lisa, who was raised in the New York City neighborhood known as “Hell’s Kitchen,” rarely makes it to the Big Island. These days, she restricts her performance schedule to the weekends, to spend time during the week at home with her sons, ages 12 and 10. “The last album I wrote, produced and released was called ‘Life ’n Love,’ and it was about how I grew up in this business,” Lisa explains about her second solo album released in 2009. “Now I’m in the studio and I will have new music coming out soon. I take my time and put it out there when I feel it’s ready.” The greatest lesson Lisa says she learned from her ’80s musical fame was to “love what you do and do what you love,” she says. “I always chose never to do things that I wasn’t comfortable with, didn’t like, didn’t think I could give you my best with.” What is it about ’80s music that the fans still identify with today? “It’s original, it takes you back to a nostalgic era where everything was about the music itself,” Lisa says. “It told a story. Nowadays it’s so plastic, I have to say. It’s either a remake or a retake and there’s no originality.” Also performing at the “Crazy for the ’80s” concert is Grammy-nominated international recording artist Shannon, who is best known for her multimillion selling, No. 1 R&B and dance Billboard hit, “Let the Music Play.” Shannon’s voice is one of the founding forces of the freestyle music genre and dance electronica. “If not for ‘Let the Music Play,’ there would be no freestyle dance,” Shannon says. “When that song came out, the whole album was a worldwide smash. At that time it was a new genre of music that people were not familiar with. It kind of killed disco. “I think it was good dance music and it has stood the test of time. I think people relive moments (through this music). And kids are still dancing to it.” Shannon continues to perform worldwide and is on the road most of the year. Last year, she released a new single, “I Got a Purpose.” “I released a song on my own label because I wanted to have control,” she explains. “It made the pre-Grammy nomination list in three categories, including record and song of the year. “I hadn’t written a song for a long time, but I was inspired to write this song. I want people to have fun, enjoy life. I want to keep you happy and dancing. Everybody is getting angry these days. I want everyone to let go and have fun dancing and singing like we used to do.” Making people happy is what Shannon says is her purpose in life. “For me now, it’s about finding the right material,” she says. “I’m still young at heart. And I’m relaxed about life. It’s hard to find good material and I also want to be current.” But there will always be “the ’80s” and how the music of that decade still resonates with fans today. “Music people want to characterize music, but music really should not be characterized,” Shannon says. “Good music is good music. I think the ’80s was like that. Secondly, in the ’80s, people were more conscious about learning and writing good lyrics. It gave you a mental picture. You could live the moment. You felt good because you could connect with it. The third thing is that we had incredible icons that ’80s music was influenced by.” When she first got on the music scene, Shannon says she didn’t know anything. “I was so not aware of what was happening around me,” she says. “But the good memories are the fans and how they reacted to the music are really my favorite memories of the ’80s.” She personally does not miss the fashion trends, though. “When I think about it now, ’80s fashion wasn’t too cute or sexy. We had big shoulder pads, big hair … ’80s fashions were kind of funny, but the music itself was incredible.” Shannon says audiences can expect her Hilo performance to be dynamic. “When I am on stage, I bring the house down,” she says. “I love what I do and I love the people that come out to see me.” “We’re really excited about this concert and looking forward to having a good time at this alcohol- and drug-free event,” Preston-Pita says, noting that BISAC plans on making this an annual event. “I think it will bring back a lot of good memories.” ‘80s From page 7 “Crazy for the ’80s” Who: Featuring Lisa Lisa and Shannon, with Beyond Paradise and Fab 4. When: 7 p.m. Saturday (doors open at 6 p.m.) Where: Edith Kanaka‘ole Multi-Purpose Stadium Tickets: Prices are $35, $50 and $55. To purchase general admission tickets, call 200-4339. For VIP tickets, visit caponesproductions.com. If any presale tickets remain, they will be sold at the door.


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