Ala Moana’s Mai Tai Bar is still one of the best places in town if you’re looking for live music by local musicians.

Along with daily entertainment, the bar also hosts the Mai Tai Rumble, an annual band competition that’s a win-win situation for everyone involved. Mai Tai’s gets to audition new talent, the bands get a shot at playing in front of an enthusiastic crowd and the overall winners receive a pretty sweet prize package.

Earlier this month, the Mai Tai Bar introduced its Sunset Island Masters competition. I was invited to judge the third preliminary round on Sunday, which featured performances by seven solo artists.

I’m always excited to participate in events like this. I get a front row seat, a dedicated server to bring me cocktails and an opportunity to enjoy a few artists whom I might not normally get to see perform.

Feli Almestica was up first, a older gentleman who had performed in front of audiences for years and was just getting back into the local music scene. He finished his set with an interesting rendition of “Silent Night,” although I would have rather seen him attempt a cover of Snoop Dogg’s new single, “Sensual Seduction.”

Remington Tang and Lanakila Niles performed second and third, respectively, with Tang following Almestica’s lead and closing his set with “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” The dreadlocked Niles, however, stuck to reggae tunes the entire time.

Molokai-born Lopaka Young was the first to play an original tune on Sunday, introducing the Mai Tai crowd to “My Girl” and “Girl of My Dreams” while also playing Jawaiian covers of Hinder’s “Lips of an Angel” and the pop classic “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”

Nice kid, but I just wasn’t feeling it.

Luckily, Cory Oliveros was next to perform, turning in a solid set that was clearly the best of the evening (so far). I was also impressed by Russell Yuen, especially when he decided to do an acoustic cover of Bon Jovi’s “Wanted (Dead or Alive).”

And just as Mayor Mufi Hannemann passed by, earning the requisite “Muuuuuuuuuuufi” calls from those in the bar, Kimo Opiana got on stage and impressed everyone with a well-rounded set. His song selection was on point (including a holiday nod with “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”), as was his playing ability.

He was also the best, in my opinion, at interacting with the crowd.

In the end, Oliveros and Opiana were chosen to advance to this Sunday’s final round. The music starts at 8 p.m. that night, so get there early to grab a table and get a few drinks before everything gets underway.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 27th, 2007 at 6:37 pm and is filed under Nightlife, Outside The Club, Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.