Turntable
battle is on

AFTER BEING held at the Wave Waikiki for the past few years, it worried me when Flash Hansen e-mailed news that the International Turntablist Federation's Hawaii regional was canceled.

Was it due to a lack of interest? Has scratching dropped back under the radar in this town, replaced by mash-up and live instrument/DJ collaborations?

Just as soon as I got the first e-mail, however, another one arrived with a notice from the Nocturnal Sound Krew and D43 Productions: The ITF Hawaii regional will take place this Thursday at Velvet Lounge in conjunction with the weekly "Connect Four" party there.

Along with qualifiers from regional competitions in New York, California, Delaware and Washington, D.C., the Hawaii representative will move on to compete in the ITF USA finals, with a shot at representing the United States at the world championships up for grabs.

According to organizers, all entrants must have at least seven 90-second routines ready in order to compete. Doors open at 9:30 p.m. for the 18-and-over crowd; e-mail djcompose@hotmail.com if you want to enter the battle ...

THE ALOHA State was represented to the fullest in Colorado over the weekend, as representatives from the Kona Brewing Co. took part in the 2004 Great American Beer Festival.

Director of brewing operations Rich Tucciarone and production manager Brit Antrim made the trip to Denver, where they were the southernmost brewery in the United States to pour samples for more than 23,000 attendees at the festival.

"Every year, our involvement increases," said Tucciarone. "It's great timing for really getting our name out there since we just began distributing our beer in Colorado this summer."

Along with the sampling, Tucciarone helped present a food and beer pairing seminar on Saturday night, and both he and Antrim served as judges to evaluate more than 2,000 beers that were entered in a beer tasting competition ...

A VISIT to Chez Monique last weekend in celebration of KQMQ morning guy Justin Cruz and former night jock Lacey Matsuda's birthdays reminded me of how much the nightspot simply dominates the surrounding area when it comes to live entertainment.

Sure, you can travel down the road a little bit to check out Panama Hattie's, but Chez Monique was pumping when I stopped by on Saturday night. Hulili was on stage, and a mix of folks in their 20s, 30s and 40s packed the place and had the dance floor jumping.

Fridays are the night to visit for the next few weeks, with Kapena lined up this week and Inoa'ole scheduled to play next Friday. Call 488-2439 for a complete lineup of entertainment ...