Night Lights Weekend Wrapup Jan. 21-23
So if you haven’t heard the news already… It’s with a heavy heart that I read that Pipeline Cafe is scheduled to close on Feb. 1. The fate of one of Honolulu’s most popular venues has been a source of much speculation amongst people in the nightlife scene, ever since the Fire Marshal started cracking down on owner Greg Azus last month for having an inadequate sprinkler system and other building code violations. I, for one, hoped that things would get worked out, but it sounds like the current owner simply won’t be able to afford the amount of money necessary to fix the place up.
After covering so many memorable shows and events at Pipeline, I know I’ll miss it. From the quiet intensity of M. Ward to the crazy energy of Pepper and Ozomatli to G-Spot’s raves, I’ve witnessed every mood at Pipeline, and scoped out every inch of the place for the best angles while shooting. There are other concert and comedy venues, yes. But I think the nightlife scene will keenly feel the loss of one of the most versatile and active venues in town, even if the closure isn’t permanent.
At this point there are rumors of the Pipeline folks looking at a new venue which I can neither confirm nor deny, but to be sure, I’ll let you know when I do find out.
On to the weekend…
Friday night was an interesting one for me. I alternated between hanging out with the vampires at Nocturna’s Count Dracula gothic pageant and shooting the brand-new DesignU fashion show at Bar 35.
Count Dracula, the all-male followup to October’s all-female Miss Vamp Hawaii beauty pageant, attracted a surprising amount of people. Since guys are notoriously more reluctant to take part in beauty pageants by any name, it’s no small feat that DJ Nocturna managed to convince eleven contestants from the local goth/industrial scene to take part. Each contestant had a clothing sponsor, and presented themselves twice on the catwalk (should I say “gangplank?” It sounds more manly that way) to be judged on how they carried themselves, creativity, and supernatural powers. Well, maybe not that last one. Although there were a few decent Bela Lugosi impressions and a book bursting into flames at one point. For the curious and the brave, here’s the gallery:
Across Chinatown, the launch of another fantastically interesting fashion showcase was happening at Bar 35. DesignU, the brainchild of Cyrina Hadad and Ikaika Arnado, is modeled somewhat after Showdown in Chinatown. Anyone can get a team of designers, makeup artists and models together to enter the monthly showcase. The theme is announced ahead of time, and each team has a set time to bring their concept to life. See some of the wild outfits participants dreamed up for the first one:
Saturday started with a fashion show of a different kind, at the Waikiki Edition hotel. The Polyascko2 men’s fashion line, headed up by local brothers Gerald and John Alexander Polyascko, has been getting some serious exposure recently, appearing in the wardrobes of “Hawaii Five-0” characters and local musician Makana, to give you an idea. We’re talking $350 shirts, uniquely cut and styled. I’m pretty sure that even if you don’t have gorgeous abs, these shirts will make you look as good as Scott Caan.
Take a look at the models (speaking of gorgeous abs) and some of the people I ran into at the show, including Miss Hawaii USA 2011, Angela Byrd, and Miss Hawaii Teen USA Courtney Coleman!
Polyascko2 Fashion Show @ Waikiki Edition
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Waikiki Edition hosted a night of high fashion Saturday, with Polyascko2’s men’s fashion show, “A Philosophy Fashioned.” Male models took to the catwalk to show off Gerald and John Alexander Polyascko’s signature styles, which appear in the wardrobes of “Hawaii Five-0” characters and local musician Makana.
After the show, it was back to Chinatown, where I wanted to capture at least a part of Fringe Bites, the second event thrown by the folks who put together the Fringe Festival last year. Think a talent show, but weirder. Each performance artist got 10 minutes or less to do their thing, and true to the Fringe idea, there was a diverse mix of music, art, dance and spoken word.
From The Venue, it was just a short hop across the street to Mercury Bar’s 7th Anniversary party. Mercury has long been my home-away-from-home, so it was nice to see the regulars out and dressed to the nines. The highlight of the night was probably a crazy, high-energy performance by the band known as Red Rocket, formerly The Futz, formerly Persian Excursion. Sounding somewhere in the vicinity of “Raw Power” era Iggy and the Stooges, they’re already legendary in the Chinatown rock scene for their live shows. You’ll see why.
That’s pretty much it for this weekend… looks like we’ve got tons of stuff to look forward to next week though, including the T-Pain concert on Thursday at The Waterfront, the first ARTafterDARK of the year at the Honolulu Academy of Arts on Friday, Chinatown Get Down, also on Friday, and… the Pro Bowl!
