Chef Marc McDowell

Maui County Farm Bureau has teamed up with Whole Foods to give us a Maui chef demo series that highlights locally grown ingredients. This month’s chef is Marc McDowell, the executive chef at the Makena Beach Resort. He’s known for growing more than 80 exotic herbs and 100 different types of vegetables on property and incorporating them into his dishes. Free. 5:30pm Whole Foods (70 Kaahumanu Ave., Kahului); 808-872-3310

Baby Conversation

We all know people we really don’t like–can’t stand, honestly–but for one reason or another we have to deal with them. Maybe this person is our boss, or our mother, or the guy who comes to fix the cable. We’d much rather drop-kick this person into a dumpster, but circumstances force us to carry on a civil conversation. Wave J. Bannister, author of How to Talk to Someone You Don’t Want to–But Have to–understands our pain. Now he’s on island to give us tips on responding to conflict, predicting behavior patterns in others and figuring out our codependency issues. Free. 6:30-7:30pm. Kihei Public Library (35 Waimahaihai St., Kihei); 808-875-6833; librarieshawaii.org

David Wolfberg

Joel Katz’s music brings me to another era, and the steel guitar is something for the soul to behold. But you don’t have to yearn for days of old to listen: he’s at Mulligans on the Blue this Monday to entertain you with his unique instrument, whether you’re slugging down a pau hana Harp or you’ve come down to enjoy their incredible list of pupus, or even if you’re just enjoying the dinner scene and ocean views at the venerable Irish pub. 6:30pm Mulligan’s (100 Kaukahi St., Wailea); 808-874-1131

Maui finally gets its Morrissey show. His melancholy 80s tunes paved the way for the millennium’s emo set. Some say he created the space for all indie alt rock. His politics have made his music famous and notorious, from “Meat is Murder” to “Girlfriend in a Coma.” Pre-show dinner will be vegetarian fare by Stella Blues. 7:30pm. Tickets $49.50, $59.50, $69.50. Castle Theatre, MACC (One Cameron Way, Kahului); 808-242-7469; mauiarts.org

HAWAIIAN BENEFIT – How about kicking off the weekend with a concert jam-packed with Ekolu, Maoli, Malino, One Inity and more. It’s a “Hawaiian” benefit, and while we aren’t exactly sure what that means or who it specifically benefits, we do know it will be a great night of live music. 10 pm. Ocean’s Beach Bar & Grill (1819 S. Kihei Rd.); 808-891-2414

Ekolu Band

With a few mysterious deaths of Hawaiian monk seals on Molokai still unsolved, the fate of these huge and gentle creatures seems darker than ever. “Today, Hawaiian monk seals are endangered and, although many protection efforts are in place, their numbers are believed to have fallen more than ten percent per year since 1989,” says National Geographic. Here’s a chance for you to hear the latest monk seal news from Hawaii Wildlife Fund biologist Hannah Bernard, NOAA Monk Seal Response Team member Nicole Davis and Monk Seal Foundation member Pat Wardell. Free. 6pm-7:30pm. Pacific Whale Foundation’s Discovery Center (lower level, Maalaea Harbor Shops); 808-249-8811 ext.1

Photo: Kent Blackman/Wikimedia Commons

For their last play of the spring season, Maui ProArts has chosen “And Miss Reardon Drinks A Little,” a dramatic comedy written in the late 1960s by Paul Zindel. The play involves three sisters (played by Sarah Loney, Kristi Scott and Martha Siefkin) who suddenly find themselves free after their domineering mother passes away. When a meddling neighbor couple (Lisa Teichner and Andy Howansky) suddenly appears at their Staten Island home, all of the sisters’ secrets and resentments burst forth. The play (suitable for an adult audience) is directed by Mark Collmer, produced by Jonathan Lehman and runs Thursdays-Sundays through June 3. $20, $15 for students and seniors. 7:30pm. ProArts Playhouse (Azeka Makai Shopping Center, 1280 S. Kihei Rd.); 808-463-6550; proartspacific.com

If it seems like there are more beach cleanups than ever, it’s probably because there’s more beach garbage than ever. But The Butterfly Effect, presented by Surfrider’s Maui chapter, is so much more than a beach cleanup. It’s a whole day of stand-up paddle boarding, an all-woman three-mile paddling non-competition, a fashion show and then an after-party at Charley’s with DJ Jay P. and Boomshot (registration is on May 17, 5-7pm, at Flatbread Pizza in Paia). $35 entry fee; $13 cover for after-party, $5 for participants. 8am check-in. Paia Bay Coffee Co. (behind Puka Puka in Paia); betheeffect.com