Word: pois
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Lance Kirley of Leverett, Mass., saw his first fire show in Thailand two years ago and just left a job restoring colonial homes to devote full time to poi (another name for the practice). "It's almost a religion for me," he says, citing "the rushy, on-edge feeling anything can happen at any moment." Last May something did happen: entertaining at a friend's graduation, Kirley accidentally set the lawn ablaze. Now he hopes to create juggling products using nonflammable chemicals found in glow sticks...
Musically, the show has been cannily put together. The eclectic 13-piece band includes both aging studio veterans and younger members of alternative-rock groups (Wondermints, Poi Dog Pondering) who worship at the altar of Wilson's bittersweet harmonies and who give Wilson's live sound more bite and elasticity than one might have expected. The complex arrangements, with so many interlocking voices, have the added benefit of cushioning Wilson's sometimes ragged but still expressive voice (by way of analogy, if not quite equivalence, think late Billie Holiday...
...inevitable rush to the serving table, replete with the typical luau spread: somen salad, lomi lomi salmon, sushi, kalua pig and cabbage, teriyaki beef, chicken long rice, dimsum, rice, haupia, coconut cake, and chi chi dango. Kama'aina (island locals) were disappointed to find that pudding-like poi was not shipped in, but otherwise the food was a success. People not familiar with the delicacies of Hawaii were encouraged to "just try everything." Even the police officers who were hired to oversee the event were seen going back for second helpings...
...culture and a great place for people from Hawaii to get together and celebrate their own distinctive identity and traditions and see old friends and eat great food and have a great time." At this point she takes a deep breath and continues, "Only thing is, there was no poi...
...probably haven't heard of this band, and you're not alone--inexplicably, no Boston radio station will play them. But Poi Dog offers a lot--fun melodies, great bass lines and searching lyrics, not to mention strings, congas and horns--that make this the frolic album of the year. Buy it. The best songs are "The Hardest Thing," "Ta Bouche Est Tabou," "Tall" and "Lackluster...