THE NIGHT STUFF
Compadres' Puma Party purrs post-midnight

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Sara Tomonari of Manoa and Brad Goya of San Francisco get together on Compadres' dance floor at a recent Puma Party (formerly known as Split 101). Photos by Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

Rhea Ortega of Kaimuki, Leia Gella of Pearl City and Bernie Suafoa of Salt Lake keep company with the help of hip-hop, DJ Freeze ... and those ears.

Cori Shiraki of Kapahulu and Wendy Borja of Kane'ohe swap news of the day's events some time past midnight at the midweek event at Compadres in Ward Centre.

It's mostly because being a writer of a column like Night Stuff, there's usually a certain uncomfortable amount of internal squishiness that accompanies having to squeeze "INSERT BRAND X HERE Presents INSERT BRAND X HERE AGAIN Party" into my stories. That usually lasts about a week, until a new round of internal squishiness accompanies having to explain exactly who Chingy is to the newsroom curious.

A handful of readers have regularly asked me to check out the well-attended Split 101 (now renamed Puma Party), a late-night Wednesday event that's been around for a year and change. My response had always been, "But VH1 Classics' 'All-Request Hour' WILL play my Beastie Boys' 'Shadrach' request tonight, darn it!" This after I'd given up hope of seeing the extended cut of Don Johnson's "Heartbeat" video anytime soon.

Positive signs early on that I hadn't abandoned TV in vain for the Puma Party were first, quickly finding an empty table, second, getting fairly speedy drink service, and third, finding out Stone Groove Family was setting the night's soundtrack. My partner in Night Stuff was pleased with the ample dosage of danceable hip-hop & R&B, while I appreciated the occasional bit of dancehall DJs Freeze and Sub-Zero threw in for good measure.

As with the rest of Compadres, the main room's makeshift dance floor was full throughout our visit. Patrons later in the evening, however, began drifting more toward Compadres' main bar and lanai, where the music wasn't as mind-numbingly loud and conversations were more easily enjoyed and understood.

"If it wasn't a Wednesday, I'd probably want to stay longer," said my partner in Night Stuff, thinking about having to get up early for work, and looking a bit forlorn as we exited.

Me, I was hoping the timer on my VCR really worked.

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

What: Puma Party (formerly Split 101).

Where: Compadres Bar & Grill, Ward Centre.

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

Our arrival/departure: 11 a.m./12:30 p.m.

Cover: $5.

Younger than 21 OK? No.

Age of crowd: 20s-30s.

What to wear: Compadres' open-air main room can get hot quickly when a couple hundred people are combined with a humid night. Dressy or casual is fine, but think cool.

Peak crowd while there: About 250.

Queue?: Post-midnight ... yes.

The soundtrack: Current Top 40 hip-hop and R&B. "P.I.M.P" (50 Cent), "Right Thurr" (Chingy), "Get Busy" (Sean Paul), "Real Love" (Mary J. Blige).

No. of times Beyonce & Jay-Z's "Crazy In Love" flowed: 2

No. of male patrons overheard claiming to a trio of women that they'd actually met Jay-Z in an LAX Starbucks: 1

No. of women impressed: 0

What Jay-Z ordered: House coffee and an oat cake.

Night notes ...

It just occurred to me that if the Glitter N Glamour crew really wants to get the mood right for its White Trash '80s party on Tuesday, somebody might want to invest in one of them there tornado warning sirens. After all, there's really nothing like a good old-fashioned twister to work up a trailer park real good. What GNG will provide, though, is enough DJ'd '80s hip-hop, glam rock, and classics to keep you from goin' totally Ted Nugent on someone's posterior. Flash and the rest of the GNG Dancers return for the mullet-fest, too. $10 before midnight, Wave Waikiki.

A new weekly called The Associates Club makes its debut Thursday at Indigo Eurasian Cuisine. With male and female fashion shows on tap for the night, we're guessing you're best off leaving the Volcom and Roxy stuff at home and thinking fly. House music with Mark Chittom in the Green Room and hip-hop from Soul Kitchen in the Opium Den. Entry is $7.

Feel free to tell me something, anything, about The Goodness, Saturday nights at The W, 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

Catch Hellbound Hounds, Pimpbot and Last in Line at the Wave Saturday from 10 p.m.

And finally, did you miss those former cast members of "The Real World" and "Road Rules" last weekend as they trolled Honolulu clubs for sharing sessions and autographs? Congratulations! You can now safely return to your regularly scheduled nightlife.