The end of Blink-182 was the beginning of Angels and Airwaves for Tom DeLonge.

His latest band formed in 2005 and makes its Hawai'i debut tonight at the Pipeline Cafe at the tail-end of its latest tour. The work doesn't stop here, though; the band has plans to enter the studio next month to record its third album.

"Hawai'i is a beautiful place, and it'll be a nice way to end the past two years of triumph," DeLonge said.

Angels and Airwaves launched its first album, "We Don't Have to Whisper," in May 2006. It spawned the hit track "The Adventure." But "Whisper" was only the first half, DeLonge said.

The second half, titled "I-Empire," was released in November 2007. "The album is about experiencing everything in the world that exists inside yourself. When you put the records together, it's kind of a philosophical message," DeLonge said.

"I-Empire" has produced hit tracks such as "Everything's Magic" and "Breathe." The song "Secret Crowds" was featured on the hit TV series "One Tree Hill."

"When we started this, there was the desire to create something that was deeply conceptual and a pure reflection of who we were. It became exciting for us do something that challenged us," DeLonge said.

He's referring to his three fellow band members: David Kennedy on guitar, Adam "Atom" Willard on drums and Matt Wachter on bass. DeLonge writes lyrics and also plays guitar.

DeLonge's latest creation, the Web site modlife.com, has set them apart and proved successful for his band and others, he said. "The idea came from starting a new band and needing something new to help build it in a world where the music industry is not doing so well."

The site, which charges new members a fee, is where fans can catch up on what the band is doing — band members visit the site regularly to chat with fans and post informational updates.

This concept will change the music business, DeLonge predicted.

"If a band uses this correctly, they can make much more revenue off of this than selling CDs. They can sell CDs here, too. It gives them the ability to do pay-per-view broadcasting, host videos and podcasts," DeLonge said.

He encourages not only musicians to use the Web site, but celebrities and athletes, too. He's already signed up punk-rock band Finch and professional surfer Tim Curran (who's a guest at tonight's concert).

"I think this is the new thing. It's exceeded all of my expectations. I'm trying to base the entirety of my career of being a musician off of what this site can do — and what it's going to be able to do in the future," DeLonge said.

The new site funded Angels and Airwaves' first full-length documentary, titled "Start the Machine," a DVD released in June 2008. It focuses on the making of their first album and the breakup of Blink-182.

Two months after the release, DeLonge's former bandmate, Travis Barker, was involved in a plane crash that killed Barker's bodyguard and personal assistant.

The crash has sparked the Blink trio, including Mark Hoppus, into recent meetings after not having spoken for four years.

"We've recently had some good conversations. We are just getting back on track from where we left off years ago. Travis' plane crash really pulled us together. We were so concerned for him. It's also been a great experience mending the wounds," DeLonge said.

Mark Hayden is a freelance writer who lives in Honolulu.