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COURTESY OF BAYFEST Brad Paisley, left, Papa Roach, Rick Monroe and Lynyrd Skynyrd (not pictured) will entertain.

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And of course
there’s BayFest

For a year and a half, Eric White's normal job has been touring as a member of Go Jimmy Go, but having a little time to relax, reflect and wile away a hot afternoon in Hawaii is just what the saxophonist dreams of when he's missing home.

Fun on the Windward side » Where: Hangar 101 on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay » When: 5 p.m. to midnight Friday, with Go Jimmy Go at 8 p.m. and Papa Roach at 9:15 p.m.; noon Saturday to 2 a.m., with Rick Monroe at 8 p.m. and Montgomery Gentry at 9:15 p.m.; noon Sunday to 2 a.m. with Brad Paisley at 9:15 p.m.; and noon to midnight Monday, with Lynyrd Skynyrd at 9:15 p.m. » Tickets: $10 for adults; $7.50 for ages 4 to 10; tickets at door are $5 before 5 p.m., and $15 after 5 p.m. Tickets are available at ticket master locations, Blaisdell Box Office and BYU. » Call: (877) 750-4400 » Also: Rick Monroe is also playing at Nashville Waikiki, 9:30 p.m. to midnight Friday, and 10 p.m. Saturday to 1 a.m. No cover.

A free day finds White on a roof in Hau'ula, making repairs with the help of drummer Shon Gregory. The two are filling downtime hours as they await the release of Go Jimmy Go's third album, "The Girl with the Fishbowl Eyes," the follow-up to its Na Hoku Hanohano Award-nominated "Soul Arrival."

"We really miss home a lot when we're touring," said White. "We miss the local food."

Homesickness became the inspiration for the new album, which hit stores on Tuesday. "There are so many good things in life. We came up with the concept of 'Fishbowl Eyes' by thinking about Hawaii," White said. "When you think of home, you think of beautiful girls. So for art, we were thinking about a beautiful girl with beautiful eyes. But to say someone has beautiful eyes is boring."

He said the band also found inspiration by digging into music of the past. While they covered traditional ska territory on 2002's "Soul Arrival," "Fishbowl Eyes" dips into a '70s sensibility.

"We're a retro band, so we're always looking back at the '50s, '60s, '70s, not just at the '80s. We all collect vinyl and we looked at '50s and '60s Hawaiian cover albums," said White.

Oahu became the backdrop for the video for the first single, "Set Me Free," with filming taking place at Anna Bananas and in Chinatown. While Hawaii has known of Go Jimmy Go since 1996, the rest of the United States got familiar with the feel-good, positive six-piece band through the Vans Warped Tour.

"Whether it was coincidence or fate, just as 'Soul Arrival' came out, we jumped right on the Warped Tour. We were just so happy. Every night and every day we got to perform the album in front of new people who never saw us before."

White was a teacher at Waianae Intermediate School when the band first began. Every now and then, he bumps into students from his five years of teaching drama and language arts.

"I'll see students at all-ages shows. I even bumped into a student from my first year of teaching (who was) at the Hard Rock Café."

Although he misses teaching sometimes, he says that putting out records and touring keeps getting better.

"We're a lot more serious as a band at this point. We're not just chickens with our heads cut off. But still, it's not a business for us, but an escape.

"We're doing bigger tours, all the way out to the East Coast. The sky's the limit. (But) I think the reason we still remain who we are is because we have been together so long and we grew up around each other. I think we're pretty grounded because we are from Hawaii; we've always got a smile on.

"We want to be based out of Hawaii as long as possible. When we have to go the mainland and come back, we think of it as being rejuvenated. We call coming back home re-energizing. But we like to travel and see the U.S. See something new.

We also see old friends on the mainland all the time. We've never moved to the mainland. But if the opportunity comes up we're going to have to do the move."

But that's a worse-case scenario to White.

Who is Rick Monroe?

Depends on whether you're a fan of metal, country or blues.

Metal music fans might recognize Monroe from his days as the lead singer of Monroe, a group that opened for Motley Crue during a Dr. Feelgood Tour stop in Hawaii

But these days, Monroe is better known as a country musician with three albums under his belt. His latest, "Against the Grain," was released last week on his independent label Divorce Records, which is a family affair involving his brother Bill Ferguson, who heads the business and legal affairs division.

Expect to hear country with a hint of blues, soul and rock 'n' roll when you see Monroe.

"I've never been as proud, sitting and listening to this record," he said via phone. "My first album was mostly live. I wanted to try something new. As an artist, you try different things. Performing country is a natural fit for me."

Monroe honed his style in dancehalls, on military bases and in small concert venues across the United States. He's now getting positive reviews for his remake of the Greg Allman/Robert Kim Payne song "Midnight Rider."

Monroe, a Clearwater, Fla., native who lives in Hollywood, Calif., moved out on his own at the age of 16 to pursue a music career on the West Coast. While growing up, he lived in Florida, Connecticut and England, to name a few places. His experiences are reflected in the songs he writes, which generally focus on the lighter side of life.

"My father was a traveling insurance salesman and after my parents got a divorce I spent time going back and forth," he said. "I think because I've traveled so much and seen so many things, I wanted to (use it.) Rock and pop will go on forever, but country music is about going through life, which is a lot tougher. A good country song will take you on a journey. Country is the backbone of some many other forms of music.

"I never had an epiphany about going into music. I tried out different styles of music and country is what I related to most. I grew up listening to Hank Williams Jr. and the Eagles. Country with a rock side."

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GO JIMMY GO Go Jimmy Go, above, leads off the entertainment Friday at 8 p.m. Papa Roach follows.

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Lots to do on the Windward side

"BayFest" is the event of the year on the Windward side, with four days of family fun, E.K. Fernandez carnival rides and games, plus four nights of concerts and fireworks.

Events run from 5 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m., noon Saturday to 2 a.m., noon Sunday to 2 a.m., and noon to midnight Monday.

Some of the highlights are:

» Fireworks: Keep your eye on the sky as Grucci Brothers fireworks explode over Kaneohe Bay after each evening's concert ends, approximately 10:15 p.m. if the concerts start on time.

» AAA Hawaii Custom Car Show: Check out more than 35 vehicles -- Corvettes to old roadsters, funny cars and dragsters, from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday; noon to 8:30 p.m. Saturdays to Mondays.

» Island Lifestyle Expo: More than 50 products and services, from resort to beauty and fitness products, will be featured during the expo, open all four days of BayFest.

» BodySearch Fitness Competition: Watch as men and women show their muscles and moves in vying for king and queen titles, 4:30 p.m. Sunday in the Fest Tent. Those who wish to enter must be at least 18. Entry is free before Sunday, $10 on the day of the event. Register by calling 254-7597 or online at www.bayfesthawaii.com.

» Bathtub Regatta Homemade Boat Race: Watch some hilarious results as military, civilian and corporate teams put their marine craftsmanship to the test at the BayFest waterfront, 3 p.m. Monday, with prizes including for funniest, most creative and first to sink.