Steel guitar, washtub bass, accordion, mandolin and 'ukulele meld to make the quirky sound of Friends of the Bride, playing a rare public performance from 7 to 9 p.m. today at rRed Elephant (1144 Bethel St., 525-2468). "We're just a group of friends who play together," says singer and uke player Derek Ferrar. Ferrar describes the music as being "Acoustic, Americana styles, with everything from hapa-haole novelty Hawaiian tunes to western swing, blues and zydeco." Tonight, expect a "tangoed-out version" of "Tiny Bubbles" in honor of Uncle Don. Bonus: The gig is free.

— Lesa Griffith

MARKET WATCH

DO YOU HAVE A HEAD FOR HULA?

OK, so you ladies secretly sing in the shower, but how about dancing hula? Now there's a hula girl shower cap that just may inspire. o.r.e's hair-do protector ($8.50) features kitschy grass-skirt-wearing hula maidens dancing across a frilly, feminine ruffled plastic cap. Available at Under a Hula Moon in the Kailua Shopping Center.

— Paula Rath

FINAL WORD

"The biggest reason (Mira Nair) allowed me to audition was because her son ... and her agent's son ... were both 'Harold and Kumar' fans."

Kal Penn | the star of director Mira Nair's "The Namesake," in Interview magazine