ISLAND LIFE SHORTS
Split Obsession gets tagged
Advertiser Staff and News Services
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Aerosol meets vinyl in Hawai'i-raised artist East3's first limited-edition figure for Kidrobot.
Selling for $42.99 at Split Obsession in the Koko Marina Shopping Center, Mugsy, an 8-inch vinyl graffiti artist, comes ready to tag, with a removable visor, spray cans and markers.
Mugsy's articulated arms can be posed to paint any surface.
For a more whimsical graffiti figure, Split Obsession also has Kidrobot's Aiko Bunny ($42), complete with removable spray can. Created by Aiko Nakagawa, co-founder of the New York City artist collective FAILE, the iconic bunny comes in blue or orange.
If wearable art is more your style, the Hawai'i Kai store also has hats and bags from the San Francisco-based 1333 Collective. The hats run $36 to $56 and the bags start at $140.
Split Obsession, Koko Marina Shopping Center, 395-3380, www.splitobsession.com.
— Treena Shapiro
PILLOWS ADD PIZAZZ
Whimsical pillows add color to your crib — without much expense. They can create a summery theme, communicate your love of ocean or beach, or speak to a current passion for a color, texture or print.
We found these puffy treasures at The Cottage, an adorable Kailua gift boutique with lots of island-inspired items for the home, and Place, a treasure trove of home accessories in Kalihi.
The Cottage, 315 Uluniu St., Kailua (across the courtyard from Cinnamon's restaurant), 262-0827; Place, a Design Atelier by Philpotts, 40 S. School St., 275-3075.
— Paula Rath
SALES & BARGAINS
— Pualana Lemelle
YUMMY STUFF
Some bakeries offer cupcakes in chocolate or vanilla. Some wow you with unexpected recipes that keep you dreaming of return visits.
At Cake Couture Cupcakes, you'll find the standards, along with other classic flavors like red velvet, chai spice, strawberry and chocolate mint, which appear on a rotating schedule at $2.50 apiece. For a dollar more, wedding cake designer Carmen Emerson-Bass's cupcake boutique also offers a daily gourmet special, like last Thursday's hazelnut creation: a chocolate cupcake not only dipped in bittersweet chocolate ganache, but also frosted with "Hazelnut Italian meringue buttercream with Frangelico."
Visit www.cakecouture.com to discover the daily flavors. Cake Couture, Aina Haina Shopping Center, 373-9750.
— T.S.
RELEASES
BEYOND LABELS
The term "singer-songwriter" makes Gavin DeGraw cringe. The 31-year-old — who sings, writes his own songs and plays multiple instruments — is eager to break out of that mold.
"It makes you feel like a weakling the way all the singer-songwriters are marketed, you know what I mean? ... It's not masculine enough for me," he said. "I don't feel like I fall into that category in a lot of ways."
He sought a harder edge for his self-titled second album, enlisting the expertise of producer Howard Benson, who helped shape discs by Daughtry and My Chemical Romance. Benson's handiwork can be heard on the new single "In Love With a Girl," which begins with a hard-rock guitar intro. The focus of the music, though, is still DeGraw's catchy hooks, soulful voice and emotive lyrics.
In recent weeks, DeGraw's noticed more guys at his shows. He considers the extra dose of testosterone a positive sign that the music is catching on.
"They're going, 'Oh, you know what? This dude's different. It's not just nice boy. It's not just nice boy playing music,' " he mused. "I wanna make nice music, I wanna make beautiful music. But I also think it's important that in my songs and in my delivery I reveal many of the elements of being who I am."
— Erin Carlson, Associated Press
