The Chicago-based company is partnering with craft beer maker Keoki Brewing Co. of Kaua’i to produce a higher-end version of Primo, which would compete with premium lagers like Heineken. [Source]

Heineken and premium are not two things I often associate, but dammit it’s a step up from Budweiser! Apparently bottled Primo won’t be available til April and will be produced in California.

Originally established in 1898, the beer has been called by some the “national beer of Hawaii.” I was too young to drink it last time it was in production, but apparently by that time it had already moved to mainland production facilities and the quality wasn’t the same.

All I know is that I have never seen a beer with so many fun and funky products branded to it, from Aloha shirts, to money clips, to a 1970s pair of swim trunks that look like they wouldn’t be too flattering on a heavy Primo drinker.

So what did Primo taste like anyway? You excited? I kind of am. I even spent some time on eBay looking for old Primo schwag before deciding that I’m not a beer collectibles kind of girl. But I am a beer-drinking kind of girl, and very much looking forward to the locally produced brew.

Can we at least keep the dancing, naked man with the rainbow pennants away from the children?

You how it goes down… food, music, games, beachtime, relaxed kine, bring your keiki, beverage of choice and fabulous self! Speedy bringing the vintage boombox sounds! (feel free to chip in on “D” batteries, bring a soccer, things to share and good people) QuadMag.com

Hawaii’s own Nomasterbacks Crew is premiering a new video tonight at The Next Movement–dont sleep!–but if you are snoozing, download that ish off iTunes!

Peep the At Your Door album review from local-boy-at-large John Book and dont forget to support local hiphop!

Mahalo to the guys over at atypicalLIVING for speaking up about Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Apparently an ounce of prevention, is worth a lifetime. Tell your mother, sister, coworker, friend. Or get involved?

While the shopping side of breast cancer awareness seems to have gotten a little tacky (sorry), is there any reason not to:

• Click towards free mammograms.
• Go to a fundraiser Malama Wahine Oct. 12 5-10 p.m. [thx Jahson]
• Donate to the local Rell Sunn Educational Fund.

What else is good for the cause?

Speedy got a boombox, so bring your cassette tapes!

The theme this month is “Waikiki Chic.” Not sure exactly how that will play out, but considering that it involves DeShannon Higa and the gr00ve.imProV.arTiSts, the Honolulu Academy of Arts and Kai Vodka, I know it would be fun to find out!

Here is an article I wrote about ARTafterDARK that was originally published in HI Luxury magazine, which may still be on newsstands. The entry recently went up to $10, making that Academy membership a really tempting deal.

A Whole New Light: ARTafterDARK events bring an eclectic crowd to the Honolulu Academy of Arts

There is a buzz of excitement as smiling patrons ascend the flat steps leading into the Honolulu Academy of Arts. A woman’s song drifts along the cooling evening breeze and the sunset lends an almost iridescent quality to the flagstones and stucco walls of one of Honolulu’s most intriguing buildings. A trip to the Academy for their ARTafterDARK party is a chance to see the museum in a new light, a chance to explore the courtyards, galleries and corridors in an atmosphere that is anything but sleepy.

“My girlfriends would love this,” says a chatty, 30-year-old first timer who declined to give her name but was generous with her opinions. “I’m not into the club scene anymore, but this is a perfect evolution of what I want to do on a Friday night. It’s upscale but still super fun, they have a DJ and this music is great,” she says gesturing with her generously-filled glass of wine to the stage where Hoku Award-winning siren Paula Fuga and her accompanist Mike Love are casting spells on the audience.

Often at ARTafterDARK, a parquet dancefloor is rolled out over the grass of the central courtyard, but this month it has been left open. Young families encamp on beach mats to take in the show while a stylish doyenne strolls the periphery greeting old friends and collecting compliments from attendees inspired by her bold style. The dress is eclectic, fashionable, yet unpretentious. A dad in slippers corals a tow-headed toddler while a gaggle of young girls navigates in designer dresses through the crowd. Each lovely nook of the Academy is waiting to be explored, if only to see what the sponsors and vendors have in store, from massages to meals to drink specials on the night we went, plus three areas of music.

ARTafterDARK was conceived of over three years ago as a way to entice a younger crowd to engage with art in a social setting. The event regularly draws upwards of 1,200 people, of whom about half are Academy members, half non-members, plus there are around 45 new sign-ups each month. Ostensibly aimed at 20-, 30- and 40-somethings, the family friendly night is one of few in Honolulu with guests from at both ends of the age spectrum.

To make the most of the museum’s cultural wealth, “zip tours” of special exhibitions are offered at ARTafterDARK. In June we are guided through the Artists of Hawai`i 2007 exhibition by curator of European and American art Michael Rooks, along with Allison Roscoe, a very well-informed docent. Even over the jovial hubbub that forces them to strain to be heard, the pair help bridge the academy and the street with insights that speak to both audiences. “If we’re able to introduce new ideas or artforms to visitors,” explains Rooks, “then we’ve succeeded in encouraging our guests to think about art as something that is alive and relevant to their daily lives rather than entombed and a thing of the past.”

Each ARTafterDARK promotion has a theme, so entertainment varies greatly but music, tasty food options and drink specials are a constant. ARTafterDARK takes place the last Friday of every month (except January and December) and is free to Academy members, $7 [now $10] for non-members. Upcoming themes for July – November 2007 are Kabuki, Endless Summer, Borderline [apparently now changed to Waikiki Chic], Voodoo and Habitat. See www.artafterdark.org for the latest information.

With its wraparound views, the Hanohano Room has a head start on being a chill spot. Coupled with Flash and Matty Boy’s pau hana Listening Party and you got a fun-but-mellow twist on the end the day, with good music, impressive views and a nice strong cocktail. Or two.

Usually DeShannon Higa holds it down with the gr00ve.imProV.arTiSts (an “urban jazz-electronica dance band”)–and they are very, very good. But with Higa and collaborating songstress Maria Ramos both working off-island this month, the Quadraphonix have stepped in to fill the musical void.

What’s going on with Quadraphonix??!

This is from the AYA Promotion on Kauai recently. All I know is that I wanna be there!! (Can I camp on the golf course?) Archangel’s recent recap is so enticing.

Flash and Matty Boy got something cooking on Kauai, too.

LUCKY!!@the Garden Isle ;-P