THE NIGHT STUFF
Nashville Waikiki full of fun, helping hands

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Come to Nashville Waikiki dressed up or casual. You might even want to think about sporting a dressy western hat, like Erin Lonsford and Joe Audsley. Photos by Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

John Adams looks right at home at Nashville Waikiki in his Stetson, blue jeans and western-style belt buckle. The club is open daily from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m.

DJ Adam Hijirida hooks patrons with a well-chosen mix of music when he's not two-stepping on the club's parquet dance floor.

No one seemed especially disappointed when the boistrous AC/DC- and Billy Idol-loving frat house crowd exited at about 9:20 p.m., and DJ Adam Hijirida kicked in the country with Gary Allan's raucous fiddle-and-guitar barnstormer "Man of Me." Us included. From then on, Nashville Waikiki regulars began streaming in steadily. A mostly courteous and well-behaved crowd, they were also, for the most part, impeccably well-dressed in country-western attire.

Nashville Waikiki is tucked below street level, down a flight of stairs fronting the Ohana Waikiki West Hotel's Kuhio Avenue entrance. Compact, low-ceilinged and bookended by a couple of bars, it was appropriately dominated by a large parquet dance floor framed by tables and a fence post accented with saddles and wagon wheels. License plates, twinkle lights, beer mirrors and a few longhorns were hung on lived-in wooden walls.

My favorite piece of Nashville Waikiki decor? A Tim McGraw Bud Light sign featuring a neon silhouette of the man himself — hat and all. (Shameless note to owners: If you ever want to sell this fine piece of Americana, my number is below.)

More a fan of the alt-country rock of musicians such as Lucinda Williams and Neko Case, I've never found myself drawn much to mainstream country-music. Still, it was difficult to remain musically unaffected by the chugging guitar-and-fiddle workouts that marked much of Hijirida's well-chosen music mix.

Patrons were slow to take the floor early on. A young woman near our table was all but begging the five or so males in her group for a spin. They weren't having any of it on an empty dance floor. She seemed even more eager when Hijirida himself took a partner out for a graceful two-step. Back in his booth, Hijirida talked about the club's peak dance-floor hours.

"From midnight on, it's busy until last call," said Hijirida. "We have fun here."

No kidding. Hijirida left the confines of his booth on several occasions to hit the floor or lead a line dance, by all appearances enjoying himself immensely. As the dance floor filled 'round 10 p.m., the woman near us finally persuaded one of her male friends to show off his skills.

"Just follow the people ahead of us," he instructed, as they stepped into a circle of seasoned and tentative two-steppers.

Garth Brooks' "Ain't Goin' Down Till The Sun Comes Up" brought out the closest thing we had seen to an actual line dance in an hour, launching with just four dancers and ending with another dozen or so jumping in for a synchronized ride of kickin' and boot-slappin'. There were even slow-dancing ballad sets for romantics.

Experienced dancers — both male and female — seemed happy to have folks observe and follow their moves, and graciously assisted anyone who asked for some impromptu instruction.

"You'll be gentle, right? I don't know what I'm doin'," confessed a woman who just had to two-step to Shania Twain's "You Win My Love."

"Don't worry, Darlin'," said her more sure-footed partner. "You're in good hands."

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

What: Nashville Waikiki.

Where: Ohana Waikiki West Hotel, 2330 Kuhio Ave., 926-7911.

When: Open daily, 4 p.m.-4 a.m.

Our arrival/departure: 9 p.m./11 p.m., on a Friday.

Cover: Free.

Younger than 21 OK? No.

Age of crowd: 20s-40s.

Attire we saw: Dressy and casual. On men: solid, plaid and checked dress shirts; solid tees, baseball caps, overalls, sneakers. On women: blouse and skirt combos, camisoles, tanks. On both: Stetson hats, custom belts and buckles, jeans, boots.

What we drank: Whiskey sour, strawberry daiquiri ($7.50 total).

Peak crowd while there: About 75-100.

Queue?: No.

Dancing?: Yes.

Sample music: "Better Things To Do" (Terri Clark), "Not Pretty Enough" (Kasey Chambers), "Ain't Goin' Down Till The Sun Comes Up" (Garth Brooks), "Don't Take Her She's All I Got" (Tracy Byrd).

Tip: Avoid the pub crawl that stops by on Friday evenings, and arrive after 9:30 p.m.

Night notes ...

One of our favorite monthlies, The Glitter N Glamour Experience, celebrates its first birthday with "Erotica: Lingerie, Lace & Leather" at Wave Waikiki Tuesday. With performances from Coco Chandelier's House of Chandelier and the Kakimochi Funk Crew and free entry before midnight to those in "full erotica gear," it should be one of G&G's more outrageous outings. Entry is $15 before midnight; 21 and older only. Congrats to Flash and Matty!

Nationally renowned trance and progressive house turntablist Sandra Collins co-headlines an evening of female spinning at Turntable Angels 4 "Angelic Assault" Saturday at Galaxy Nightclub. Also getting top billing: DJs Toki, Zita and Chia from Sisters In Sound, and DJ Dawn. The 10 p.m.-till-"daytime" event will also house art, fashion and slide shows, and a collection of male DJs. At 1739 Kalakaua Ave. www.hawaiiraves.com.

Rare grooves, jazz and funk will dominate Groove Lounge, a KTUH/Positive Regime party at Ground Level tonight. Setting the aural environs are DJs Bennie James, Gonzales and Vince. 9 p.m.-2 a.m., Chaplain Lane near Fort Street Mall. 216-1728.