THE NIGHT STUFF
'$5 Pitchers' offers up cheap beer, laid-back vibe

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

From left, Sarah Anderson, Jen Miyashiro and Betty Santos enjoy DJ collective Stone Grove Family's "$5 Pitchers & Rubba Slippas" night at Hard Rock Cafe. Photos by Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

Derek Agaran dances to the mix of mainstream R&B and old-school gems at the Friday night party.

Casual wear dominates "$5 Pitcher" nights at Hard Rock. Hulu Spencer, left, and Miki Pimental groove to the beat.

$5 PITCHERS & RUBBA SLIPPAS Where: Hard Rock Cafe, 1837 Kapi'olani Blvd. (955-7383) When: 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Fridays Cover: $5 Minimum age: 21 Age of crowd: 20s-30s What to wear: At least: shorts/T-shirts/zoris. At most: casually dressy Queue: No Best seats: Raised booths on 'ewa side of the room, overlooking everything The soundtrack: "Never Leave You (Uh Ohh)" — Lumidee; "The Message" — Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five; "All I Ever Wanted" — Ma$e Resident DJs: Jrama and Krazy K Do I have to order $5 pitchers?: No. Hard Rock's bar still keeps a full selection of spirits, mixers and bottled beers. Bathroom attendant holding paper towels hostage? Yes Framed Gwen Stefani stage costume?: At least one, near the entrance

Pretty much nothing, if it's DJ collective Stone Groove Family's laid-back workweek-ending "$5 Pitchers & Rubba Slippas" weekly. The Friday after-hours party has gone down at the Hard Rock Cafe since May, where it continues to attract a strong following.

Stone Groove's goal with "$5 Pitchers" was to capture the vibe of a low-key house party ... without the house. In other words, an environment where one could wander in wearing surf shorts, a T-shirt and zoris and feel as comfortable as chilling at a friend's house.

The good news is "$5 Pitchers" comes close enough to nailing the vibe, and drawing patrons who want to make sure it stays that way.

The crowd was mainly twentysomething — mostly local with scattered klatches of tourists. For the most part an attractive bunch, their fashion choices swung toward casually dressy surf brands. Birkenstocks and sneaks outnumbered rubber slippers.

Musically, the gathered would just as soon rush the dance floor for Zapp's "More Bounce to the Ounce" as they would Usher's "Yeah."

'Round midnight, a dude far too young to sport a beard straight outta the Age of Enlightenment — his shirt open with a plastic lei framing his bare chest — did the swim with a couple of females in revealing tanks and minis. A nearby couple did a slow grind against the raised dance floor's wood rails, while another couple on a table below watched them with goofy grins.

At the bar, plastic pitchers of draught suds were flying out as fast as anyone might expect $5 buckets of brew to. Every table or booth had one or two. A quintet of heavy-set guys who looked as if they'd probably be the keg guards at a real house party each nursed individual pitchers in a dimly lit booth.

The dress code and pitcher prices weren't "$5 Pitchers'" only relaxed attractions. Cover was just $5. The soundtrack was a pleasant-enough blend of mainstream hip-hop and R&B with sweet old-school gems (a Stone Groove signature) occasionally thrown in for good measure.

The Hard Rock Cafe — with its suspended surfboards, rock memorabilia, brass and wood accents and ample tables and booths — proved a nicely un-stuffy environment for the faux house party. Even the turntables were in the kitchen.

"I like that I don't have to watch my (backside) as I move around here," said Laurie Martinez, after giving much thought on her affection for the weekly. Anything else? "Um, I like wearing what I want."

On the night we met, it was a tight Volcom tee, jeans and sneaks with her long brown hair pulled through the back of a baseball cap in a ponytail.

"Bonus points for letting me wear my Mets cap," she said.

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

NIGHTSPOTTING ...

TWICE AS NICE

Feng Shui at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki brings in DJs Rob Swift (formerly of New York's X-ecutioners crew) and DV One (Seattle-based Rock Steady Crew) for an evening of jazz- and hip-hop-tinged spinning. Swift has worked with Herbie Hancock, Bob James, Cornershop and Lords of Acid. DV One has DJed with Dilated Peoples and Jurassic 5, among others. From 9:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday; $10; 21 and older.

BURLESQUE AT PIRANHA

Recently shuttered Club 301 gave it a shot in the wee weekend hours. But Piranha Room Goes Burlesque will bring the beguiling combo of tassles, skin and jazz to its masses Saturday from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Cover is $5 before 9 p.m., $10 thereafter. 23 and older.

GOT WAVE?

Three nights at Wave Waikiki to keep in mind. Bassick and Pussycat Projects host Signals Saturday and House of Breaks Tuesday. Signals has a tag-team breakbeat set with IKON taking on guesting M2. Bay Area turntablist DJ Sol also spins. House of Breaks offers breakbeat and hip-hop. Sunday's Provide Soul Lounge Vol. 5 moves to live and DJed hip-hop. From 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., all nights.