THE NIGHT STUFF
Bandless BedRoq still an excellent place to chill

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

From left: Brianna Verdugo of Makiki, Kelli Cabral of 'Aiea and Jennifer Key (below) of Waikiki were lucky enough to catch a live band at BedRoq Bar & Grill near the University of Hawai'i-Manoa campus in July. Our Night Stuff columnist wasn't as lucky a week ago but had a good time anyway. BedRoq generally offers live music Fridays and Saturdays. Photos by Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

Finn McCall of Waimanalo and Luke Hernandez of Kailua (background) are among the band members of Saggy Teri and the Meat Curtains, which performed at BedRoq in July.

June probably knows more about what goes on in Honolulu after hours than anyone at The Advertiser. She can tell you when the new parties start up and when they shut down. For the most part, June also knows what kinds of places I'm likely to hate before I even walk in the door.

That last fact has probably gone a long way toward keeping me from being dragged into crusty Chinatown alleys by outraged DJs and beaten senseless with old Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul vinyl. Thanks, June!

My point is, had I simply asked before eagerly bolting for chicken panang at Krung Thai last Friday whether a live band was playing BedRoq Bar & Grill, June would've told me "no." I didn't, and wound up whining to BedRoq's doorman.

"Isn't there a live band tonight?" I asked, after peering into the bar's windows and finding dart addicts where a band usually was. The doorman was a friendly guy who after answering "no" seemed genuinely disappointed simply because we were disappointed. Would there be any music at all that evening?

"Uh, we've got the radio playing," he said, a bit embarrassed that he'd actually said those words.

On most weekend nights, BedRoq is a great place to catch live local bands of all genres, ground-level and in your face. The Hellbound Hounds, Pimpbot, Thick Tubes and the Ka'ala Boys have played there. And one of the best BedRoq experiences I've had was watching a band called Sam's Garage play passionate '90s and post-millennial alt-rock covers for a wildly enthusiastic following of fans post-midnight a couple of months back.

BedRoq was still a comfortable hang with a soundtrack of piped-in 50 Cent and Nelly. Our servers were kept busy by a raucous semi-private party but still managed to take care of us well. Our drinks took a while, but our server thanked us for our patience.

On the way out, our prince of a doorman asked if we had enjoyed our time at BedRoq without a band. We nodded. "Hope the rest of your night is as good," he offered, pleasantly.

It already was.

Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadveriser.com or 525-8005.

What: BedRoq Bar & Grill.

Where: 2535 Coyne St., 942-8822.

When: 2 p.m.-2 a.m. daily.

Our arrival/departure: 10:45 p.m. /midnight.

Cover: Free.

Younger than 21 OK? No.

Age of crowd: 20s-30s.

What to wear: I'd recommend going casual. With a crowd, BedRoq's downstairs lounge can get pretty humid. Besides, the dressiest patrons we saw were there for a private party.

Peak crowd while there: About 250.

Queue?: No.

The soundtrack: On the Friday night we showed up, piped-in current R&B and hip-hop. Most Fridays and Saturdays, however, feature live bands.

Live tonight: Irie Souls.

Live on Saturday: Missing Dave.

My Krung Thai lunch plate: Chicken panang, lemon chicken, half-serving noodles, half-serving rice, Thai iced tea.

Before there was BedRoq: 2535 Coyne St. was previously home to Hot Lava Café and Shark's Café.

Night notes ...

Say goodbye to Maze Nightclub. Manager Paul Shih told The Night Stuff that the still-busy Waikiki club will close Aug. 31 after more two years of sweet after-hours partying. Maze owners broke off negotiations for a new long-term lease when the club's landlord wanted them to make extensive capital improvements. "We were making money," Shih said. "But with $3 million in improvements, we wouldn't be making money for four years straight."

Maze owners are already searching for a similar-sized Waikiki venue for another club, but Shih didn't anticipate an opening for at least six months to a year. The new club will not be called Maze. Shih, who was also a DJ at Maze, will move on to club promotions at Nick's Fishmarket starting in early September.

Double-O-Spot and Goldenchild's final Juicy party at Maze drops on Saturday with a two-hour turntable set by Los Angeles-based underground hip-hop producer/DJ/label head Peanut Butter Wolf. 10 p.m.-4 a.m., $5-$15. Juicy action moves to the Waterfront Café at Aloha Tower Marketplace on Aug. 29.