Night Lights Weekend Wrapup Jan 11-15
Is it really a weekend if it happens to start on Wednesday? Those of you who know me probably know that I go out 3-4 days a week, and one of the most frequently asked questions I get is how I manage to do it. The truth is, I usually get bored and restless if I don’t. Plus, I find out things, like Sisely Treasure’s (formerly the girl singer from Shiny Toy Guns) mostly unannounced secret acoustic show at Mercury Bar, that I don’t want to miss, and end up at.
It turned out to be a pretty short show, actually. Sisely, who was on the island for relaxation and some other biz, took the stage to sing with local boy Ryan Miyashiro for about six songs. She’s so sweet and humble, almost shy, that it took a stretch to imagine her as the frontwoman for Shiny Toy Guns, even though I think the last time I saw her, she was on stage with them.
Thursday, I got to Hawaii Theatre just in time to catch Andrew Bird’s set. My friends from Stephan Agustin and the Fourth Wave opened, though, and although I’m sad that missed it, I hear they rocked it. Andrew Bird was much the same as I remember him; eccentric as hell, a little bit scruffy-looking (hipster or homeless?), and immensely talented. He started off his set with a simple, plucked rhythm on the violin, his primary instrument, and as the show went on, played a variety of songs impressively layered with violin, guitar, xylophone and voice. I couldn’t help but compare him to M. Ward, who also has an eccentricity on stage that gives you the feeling that he must spend most of his music-making process alone, locked in a dark room talking to himself, deprived by choice of all comforts. Bird played for two hours straight, during which I got a few photos and a great deal of video:
Here’s a video of Andrew Bird performing “Plasticities,” off his album, “Armchair Apocrypha.”
Friday, I started off by dropping in at Pearl Ultralounge and Russell Tanoue’s new night, Zero11. The most interesting thing about the new night is the attempt at rebranding that it introduces. At 11 pm sharp, the normal lights go off, the new DJs (James AKA The Ignition Switch and Miko AKA Soundsex) go on, and the brand-new laser and fog system fires up, turning the place into an electronica club. I was hanging out with Darryl, one of Pearl’s regulars, when the transition happened, and we both commented that we’ve never seen Pearl quite like that before.
I say “attempt” at rebranding, because of what one of the managers told me about trying to attract a different, younger crowd. Trouble is, how will Pearl’s regulars take it? For the past five years (by the way, happy anniversary, Pearl!), the club at Ala Moana has been a spot for people who love (or just don’t mind) Top 40 tracks, and a lot of the crowd skews more mature.
We’ll see, though. With The Standard, Addiction at The Modern and a couple new parties in Waikiki providing more competition, it’s definitely time for places like Pearl to step up their game.
Later, I dropped in on Lucky 13, a Friday the 13th party at The Venue, presented by DJ Nocturna and Camera Obscura. One of my favorite parts of being a nightlife photographer is stepping from one paradigm into a completely different one, and the contrast of being able to go from a mainstream club to a goth/industrial night and being equally welcomed in each place is still a thrill.
I got there shortly before a fashion show featuring Millenium Hawaii’s Lucky 13 clothing line. Here are a few pics from Nephilim Halls, a goth/industrial scene site that I’m also a contributor for:
Saturday, I headed out early to catch the first part of Trilogy, a b-boy and hip-hop event thrown at Fresh Cafe. According to Kiki King of Freelance Clothing, one of the sponsor/promoters, the project is supposed to happen three time a year, thus the name. A good crowd showed up for this one though, including several of the b-boy crews I haven’t seen since APEX. Nonstop’s Jonas Maon let me borrow a Canon fisheye lens for the night, so that’s why the gallery looks different from my normal shooting style. Note to self: when you’re shooting b-boys with a 15mm lens, be careful not to get too close or you might just get kicked in the face!
After going home for a couple hours to play Star Wars: The Old Republic, I remembered that I was supposed to go to Mercury Bar for Cherry Blossom Cabaret’s Speakeasy night. That was pretty wild fun, actually.
A fitting end to the weekend was Nonstop blogger Dallas Nagata’s surprise birthday party at Dave & Buster’s. Her husband Ed arranged the whole thing behind her back, and as big birthday parties go, I thought it was pretty nice. I didn’t take my big camera to the restaurant, though.
And that’s it for the weekend! Next week, there’s a ton of stuff going on: Stev-O from “Jackass” appears Thursday at Hawaiian Brian’s, Dumbfoundead plays at SoHo on Friday, while Eddie Griffin takes over Hawaii Theatre and the Livewire crew throws their Winter White Party with Orjan Nilson headlining at 805 Ala Moana Blvd. Saturday is Winter Wonderland at Wet ‘n’ Wild and the Airborne Toxic Event concert at Hawaii Theatre, plus Soja with The Green & Anuhea atKakaako Waterfront Park and Legato with Michael Scalar and Marques Wyatt (oh crap, I just gave away the secret special guest to anyone who reads my blog… whoops!) at Lotus.
See you around!
