Star-Bulletin File

Kudos once again to Erika Engle, my colleague in the Business section at the Star-Bulletin, for keeping Clubland in the loop with her update on the former Ocean Club space at Restaurant Row.

Both of us have been chasing this particular story since the club closed last September, and Erika was able to confirm that one of the owners of Maddog Saloon Waikiki signed a lease for the space last week.

Gary Derks and business partner Randy Brunett expect to open in about three months after substantial renovations.

Erika also lets us know what happened to Entertainment One Pacific’s Beau Mohr and Gene Gunn (pictured above). While most are aware of Mohr’s move to Pearl Ultralounge, little has been said of Gunn’s plans to re-open the Ocean Club elsewhere in Honolulu.

According to the story, Gunn (who was a part-time Hawaii resident when he owned the club) filed the necessary paperwork to dissolve Entertainment One last month.

I’m hoping to get in touch with Derks tomorrow, so hopefully I’ll have more details on his plans in my column this Friday.

Related Story:
“Ocean Club site has new tenant” (Star-Bulletin)

Jamm Aquino photo

From psychobilly to smooth grooves, we’ve got you covered in today’s Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

Pick up a copy of the paper and pull out HiLife for exclusive, track-by-track commentary on the Hell Caminos‘ new CD, “Lust.”

I had a lot of fun talking story with Michael Camino and Nick Danger in the newsroom last week as they gave me a preview of their sophomore effort. They were also gracious enough to let us post samples of all 17 tracks in our online edition, so go give them a listen.

The 14th annual Honolulu Festival returns this weekend, with events scheduled at the Hawaii Convention Center, Waikiki Beach Walk, Waikiki Shopping Plaza and Ala Moana Centerstage. And Kenny G arrives with his band in tow to perform with the Honolulu Syphony Pops Orchestra at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.

Take a look at my column, “In the Mix,” for more info on the Opihi Pickers’ hiatus that was first reported on this blog, plus details on upcoming concerts and my picks for the weekend.

See all you MMA fans at “ICON Sport: To Hell and Back” tomorrow night!

Links:
Honolulu Nightlife Listings
Crawlspace: The Kottonmouth Kings and St. Patrick’s Day
Star-Bulletin Staff Picks
Star-Bulletin Local Record Reviews
Honolulu Movie Theater Schedules

Jason Genegabus photos

The Vertical Junkies lost their only 21-and-over party when they pulled the plug on the Monkey Bar a few weeks ago, and in an effort to attract an older crowd to Big Wednesdays, Russ Inouye and his crew decided to launch the Secret Society.

The underage kids are still welcome at the O Lounge, but those old enough to enjoy the $3 drink specials now have a separate lounge, complete this week with local superstar DJ Eskae (pictured) of the Nocturnal Sound Krew.

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Indigo’s long-running “Get Fresh!” weekly is no more, according to fliers posted online in recent days.

Lead promoter G-Spot is now pushing “China Beach,” a new monthly every first Friday at Restaurant Epic with Partymasters Hawaii. He’s also announced a new partnership at Lotus Soundbar, where he’ll join the guys behind “Empire” on Saturdays starting March 22.

Resident reggae selectors Sovern-T, Jahson the 45 Revolver and Lava have moved to Cafe Che Pasta to launch “RE:Fresh Fridays” on a weekly basis. The Nocturnal Sound Krew will be the featured DJs there every second Friday of the month.

As for Indigo, the restaurant will continue to offer late night entertainment on Fridays.

This weekend brings “First Friday with the Family Tree,” with DJs Nojah, Torch and Raheem the Dream spinning a mix of underground old-school hip-hop and neo-soul hits. Next weekend is the launch of “Zen Nights,” with a special “Post-ARTafterDARK Party” with DJ J. Wail.

Tom Moffatt should have no problem cleaning up at the box office this weekend, with a full slate of concerts booked that feature some pretty big names.

Check out HiLife this week for interviews with Melissa Etheridge, Margaret Cho and Lea Salonga. We also have an overview of the upcoming Ween and Saosin shows at Pipeline Cafe.

I’m supposed to be on vacation, so this post will be a bit shorter than usual. That’s also why there is no “In the Mix” in the paper today, as was explained in our print edition (for some reason, there’s nothing on Starbulletin.com to let readers know why my column isn’t there).

And I still haven’t found the right words to describe my feelings about Monday’s “No Reservations” episode filmed in Hawaii, so that will have to wait as well.

Links:
Honolulu Nightlife Listings
Crawlspace: “Powerhouse Block Party” and Slewfoot
Star-Bulletin Staff Picks
Honolulu Movie Theater Schedules
Star-Bulletin Movie Reviews

Jason Genegabus photos

Congrats to Molly Watanabe, Sarah Honda and Amy Alston, the brains behind SMART Magazine who celebrated three years in business with a party at RumFire on Friday.

More pictures from the night, after the jump.

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Jason Genegabus photos

It hasn’t taken long for Doraku Sushi to build its late-night following.

Then again, I guess it helps when you’re savvy enough to enlist the services of current leaders in the local club scene from the jump.

In a city where promoters control where the masses party, it’s so necessary to build relationships with the people who can reach hundreds of their closest friends via text message or MySpace bulletin.

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Jason Genegabus photos

One of my stops on Friday night was at Pipeline Cafe for “Foreplay Fridaze” with Rick Rock Productions.

While the crowds aren’t at the same level they were at the same time last year, this is still a good spot to finish the night after the 2 a.m. bars have all closed.

Check out the pictures I got after the jump.

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I haven’t been into Waikiki on a Thursday for a couple of weeks, so I thought I’d pay a visit and get some pictures.

That’s Zanzabar above, during Rick Rock’s “Thirsty Thursdays” promotion at the club.

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Next week’s “Ultimate Tribute Festival to Bob Marley” at Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park, also known as “Bob Fest,” features a number of big-name reggae acts, including Alpha Blondy, Morgan Heritage and Tanya Stephens.

But one of the more intriguing bands is Public Property, which boasts two members with Hawaii ties: David Bess, a 1999 ‘Iolani grad (Go Raiders! Cheeeeeeee!), and Mareva Minerbi, who graduated the same year from Mid-Pacific Institute.

I got a chance to chat with Bess earlier this week, which resulted in this story that appears in today’s HiLife section of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

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