THE NIGHT STUFF
Rub A Dub mixes good music, welcoming vibe

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Staff Writer

Grumpy's Rub A Dub Saturday night party is a mellow blend of dancehall and roots reggae without the old-school baggage. The club's atmosphere is open and welcoming with a roomy dance floor and punchy drinks. Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser

Sitting solo at a darkened corner table, the man was as still as a mannequin save for one thing: His right leg rhythmically bouncing to a chunky, bass-heavy and highly danceable slice of dancehall.

Right on!

The best thing about Grumpy's Saturday night reggae-infused Rub A Dub party was a solid menu of smartly chosen dancehall and roots reggae provided by the DJs from Empire Sound. Pleasantly diverse in beats, tempos and rhythm, yet almost always dance-friendly, the music on the night we stopped by was difficult even for my reggae-intolerant Night Stuff partner to dislike.

"Pretty good music, huh?" I asked Dawn early in the evening as we lounged at a ringside table, watching the action on the smallish dance floor. "Uh-huh," she said, nodding her head ever-so-slightly in time to the beat. "And no Bob Marley yet."

Rub A Dub's entire music selection that evening was, in fact, devoid of classic old-school reggae from genre pioneers like Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. This pleased Dawn, who — sacrilege! — dislikes the stuff. As a mild fan, though, I was initially disappointed by the dearth of old school.

Still, faulting Rub A Dub — with its sweet mix of newer artists like Mr. Vegas, Truth Hurts and Beenie Man — for failing to toss the admittedly undanceable Tosh into its mix would be about as stupid as bitching about Blue Tropix not mixing disco into its Top 40-heavy Saturday nights. Oldies are simply not what either evening is about.

The crowd at Rub A Dub was criminally small, but incredibly passionate where the music was concerned. This was a crowd that knew what it liked, and wouldn't waste time sweating the floor for something that it didn't.

Two women — a blonde and a brunette, with equally long hair, clingy camisoles and even tighter low-rise jeans — would get on the floor to do slow grinds and hair tosses to one song, sit out a following song they didn't like, and then hit the floor again for the next track. All the while, mouthing out every lyric of the stuff they knew. The scenario — only without all the grinding and hair-tossing — was typical for most of Rub A Dub's patrons.

The dance floor itself was roomy enough for the various types of experiments in movement we saw; its diverse mix of revelers extremely tolerant of one another's styles. In fact, Rub A Dub's overall vibe that whole evening — from the crowd, to our server to the security staff — was mellow and wonderfully welcoming.

Punchy, ice cold and well-mixed, our drinks provided the unexpected slap upside our heads that finally moved us to the floor to shake off a wicked buzz before leaving near closing. Was Shaft still there tapping his feet and sipping his scotch?

You damn right.

Got a night spot or club event we should check out? Reach Derek Paiva at 525-8005 or dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com.

What: Rub A Dub

Where: Grumpy's, 327 Keawe St., 528-4911

When: 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturdays

Cover: $5

Under 21 OK?: No.

Age of crowd: Early 20s to late 30s

Dress code: No slippers, shorts

Attire we saw: Mostly casual on both sexes. On women: halters, camisoles, dresses, jeans, shorts. On men: solid and print tees, sweaters, polos, shorts, jeans, slippers, sneakers, visors, beach hats

Our arrival/departure: 11:30 p.m./1:30 a.m.

What we drank: Stolichnaya vanilla & Coke, bartender's iced tea ($11)

Peak crowd while there: About 100

Queue?: No.

Sample music: "Feel It Boy" (Beenie Man featuring Janet Jackson), "Addictive" (Truth Hurts featuring Rakim), "Damn Right" (Mr. Vegas)

Dancing?: Yes.

Overheard line of the night: "Ahhh ... soup is good food, baby." — A patron, after sampling his first Corona of the evening.