THE NIGHT STUFF
Kemo'o a great neighborhood bar

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

The mellow atmosphere of the Lakeside Lanai inspires conversation and laughs in Sarah Hatfield, left, Robert Schoppert and Kristin Harne. Photos Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

Upstairs at the Pub & Grill, Chet Lauricio, center, frontman for Primal Tribe, mixes it up with rocking audience members as he performs.

Balmore Escobar of Wahiawa lines up a shot. Kemo'o Farms also offers dartboards, 30 beer taps and a giant collection of TV sets.

Standing just outside (one might even say across the street from) Schofield Barracks, Kemo'o Farms does seem mostly populated by military people.

What Kemo'o Farms really is, however, is a neighborhood bar. And as it turns out, a comfortably enjoyable one to spend a few hours in — regardless of what neighborhood you consider home.

Kemo'o Farms boasts a couple of venues. The Pub & Grill, with its neon- and lamp-lit brick and wood setting, 30 beer taps, dartboards, pool table and army of TV sets, resembles a cozy sports bar. The downstairs Lakeside Lanai is a partially open-air bar with a large deck meeting the evening serenity of Lake Wilson. A $5 cover gets you into both venues. This comes in real handy on Friday and Saturday nights when Kemo'o employs live bands to play the two rooms.

Sure, my partner in Night Stuff and I were immediately — and I should note, cordially — outed as out-of-towners by a Pub server offering up Jell-O shots. Our clothes — we were semi-dressy from a party earlier in the evening — and my hair (only members of the band sported longer locks) were likely dead giveaways.

But so sweet was our server that we were easily suckered into Jell-O shots we hardly needed. The rest of The Pub's bar staff — friendly and attentive to service — impressed us just as thoroughly.

Also difficult to ignore was the truly trippy vibe created by Primal Tribe, a wonderfully hard-working five-member cover band with a hard rock/alternative/metal set list straight outta headbanger heaven.

An opening double attack of Metallica ("Enter Sandman," "Search and Destroy") followed by Powerman 5000's "Worlds Collide" saw lead howler Chet Lauricio strut his hell-bent-for-leather seated self out into the crowd often to share the microphone with eager metalheads. Seven minutes of slowly percolating tension and release on a menacing cover of Tool's "Sober" left the gathered utterly spent.

"You guys kick ass!" yelled a male in the crowd.

"No, you (expletives) kick ass!" returned guitarist Bret Marckini, grinning.

The mood was decidedly mellower in the downstairs Lakeside Lanai, where scheduled reggae/contemporary Hawaiian band One Drop was either done playing for the evening or on an extended break.

Undaunted, we settled on the edge of the expansive Lanai, soaking in the sights and sounds of the moonlit Lake Wilson. A chilly breeze scattered the clouds above just enough to see stars.

Back upstairs with the Tribe, several patron birthdays were being celebrated — one of these three months early, as the birthday girl was days away from leaving for Iraq. Everyone, however, was invited to have some cake.

Trust me, few things in life rival a late-night dessert of birthday cake and a cover of Saliva's "Click Click Boom."

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

WHAT: Kemo'o Farms The Pub & Grill and Lakeside Lanai

WHERE: 1718 Wilikina Drive, Wahiawa, 621-1835, 622-5009.

WHEN: The Pub & Grill, open 7 a.m.-2 a.m. daily; Lakeside Lanai, open 2 p.m.-2 a.m. Mondays-Thursdays, noon-2 a.m. Fridays-Sundays.

OUR ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE: 10:30 p.m. / 12:30 a.m. on a Friday night.

COVER: $5, allowing entry to both venues.

YOUNGER THAN 21 OK?: No.

AGE OF CROWD: 20s-30s.

WHAT TO WEAR: Go comfortably casual and you won't stand out. Jeans are a good choice for both sexes.

PEAK CROWD WHILE THERE: About 50-75 in the Pub & Grill, about 75-100 at Lakeside Lanai.

QUEUE?: No.

THE SOUNDTRACK: Bands on Fridays and Saturdays. Mostly rock, punk, blues, alternative, indie in Pub & Grill; mostly reggae, contemporary Hawaiian at Lakeside Lanai.

BATHROOM ATTENDANT HOLDING PAPER TOWELS HOSTAGE?: No.

ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE/INFORMATION: www.kemoopub.com.

PLAYING LIVE THIS WEEKEND: At the Pub, Pimpbot (today), Slug (Saturday), both 9 p.m.-1 a.m.; at Lakeside Lanai, Guy Cruz (today), Pohaku (Saturday), both 9 p.m.-1 a.m.

PRIMAL TRIBE PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE: At www.geocities.com/primal_tribe2002.

PRIMAL TRIBE COVERS INCLUDE SONGS BY: Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine, AC/DC, Godsmack, Megadeath, System of a Down.

PRIMAL TRIBE COVER WE WISH THEY HAD PLAYED: Iron Maiden's "Run For The Hills."

Night notes ...

After a too-long break, one of my favorite live jazz trios, Modern Bop Collective, returns to a weekly gig at the Jazz Loft starting Wednesday. Skilled improvisationalists with a repertoire ranging from Charlie Parker to Joshua Redman, the collective even throws an occasional jazz reworking of Radiohead into its set. Free cover will even leave jazz fans with enough cash for a smooth shot of single malt. Show the love at 226 Lewers St. (next to Red Lion), from 9 to 11 p.m.

KomoLow, Doorman Productions and Pussycat Projects are the hosts for TwiLIGHT, a new monthly taking up residence in Sheraton Waikiki's recently refurbished Hanohano Room. Promoters are promising an "elegant and awe-inspiring venue in the tradition and spirit of old time Hawai'i." From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday. Free entry; 21 and over.

And don't forget MC Rebel Girl and the Rebel Girl Underground at Chuck's Cellar in Waikiki, Saturday — sure to be a good primer for the monthly's first-birthday bash next month. At 151 Ka'iulani Ave., from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Cover is $5.